Our spaghetti supper fundraiser was a huge success! We raised just over $2,000! We would like to extend a sincere Thank You to everyone who participated in planning, cooking, donating food and raffle items, and coming out to support us at the dinner. Below you will find a list of local businesses that helped out, along with the winners of the raffle items.
Raffle Items and Winners
We will be calling to notify winners and arrange pick-up this week. Thanks again!
- Shampoo, cut, and style from Affinity Salon: Lynn Morrison
- $10 gift certificate from The Snack Shop: Brittany Boyce
- Thirty-One Utility Tote and Lunch Tote, donated by Terri Kite: Danny Holtzclaw
- Custom Christmas Wreath by Millicent Kimberlain: Debra Oats
- Free Car Inspection from Francis Brothers: Pam Bumgarner and Henry Holland
- GWU Men's Soccer Apparel: Jeremy Fern and Jennifer Wess
- $10 Gift Certificate to The Italian Garden: Lisa Stepp
- $50 Gift Card to Humphries Automotive: Barbara Boyce
- $25 Gift Card to Humphries Quick Stop: Libby Jackson and Steven Moore
- Free Plant from Boiling Springs Florist: Dee Hunt
- Green Fees from River Bend YMCA Golf Club and Golf Accessories from Edward Jones: Debbie P and Betty Taylor
- 3 month membership to Ruby Hunt YMCA: Justin Bridges
- 1-hr. Massage from Massage by Kim: Evelyn Ribadeneyra and Sheila Earls
- Covered Pie Plate donated by Bill and Wanda Davidson: Becky Wright
- Tea Kettle donated by Bill and Wanda Davidson: Sherri Adams
- Hand Made Artisan Bird Feeder by Georgeanna Lawson: Julie Huskey
- $100 Gift Certificate to www.myclubmaker.com: Greg Clark
- $25 Gift Card for Nelon Cole Pest Control: Tracy Bridges and Linda Fern
- Kids Sonicare Toothbrush donated by Cornerstone Dentistry: Mildred Keller
- Adult Sonicare Toothbrush donated by Cornerstone Dentistry: Ed Marks
- Haircare Products donated by Peinage Salon: Betty Taylor
- Wrought Iron Candlesticks and Shelf donated by Terry and Linda Fern: Hilda Lail
- Thirty-One Hiking Bag donated by Terry and Linda Fern: Julie Huskey
- GWU Football Tickets: Richard Holifield and Barry Johnson
- Knife Set donated by Terry and Linda Fern: Danny Holtzclaw
- Slow Cooker Recipe Box donated by Terry and Linda Fern: Ed Marks
- Footed Bowl donated by Terry and Linda Fern: Robert Pitchford
- 1-hr. Photo Shoot from Torrence Photography: Dee Hunt
- $25 Gift Certificate for Art Blooms: Sheila Earls
- Whitening Tray Basket from Boiling Springs Family Dentistry: Charmane Heffron
- K-Pak Hair Products from Hats Off Salon and Spa: Joe Seidel
- Skin Care Products from Hats Off Salon and Spa: Wayne Williams
- Hand Made Necklace from Beaded Bliss Jewelry: Carole White
- Hand Made Christmas Cards from Dorothy's Stamps and Scraps: Bonnie Edmonson
- Designer Jewelry from Sister's Closet Consignment Shop: Lisa Allen
- Entertainment Center donated by Wayne and Barbara Deal: Rachel Hendrick
Last week we challenged ourselves in several different ways. First, we spent an afternoon at the Broyhill Adventure Course. After getting harnessed up and conducting a safety check, the students were coached to a height of their choice on the tower. Some children chose to start small and allow their courage to build gradually, while others went straight to the top and were then lowered down by their ropes. It was scary, but there was a great sense of personal accomplishment when those fears were overcome! The children also got to experience the giant swing and conduct some team-building exercises. It was evident that they have grown in their ability to work together since the beginning of the year. They really listened to one another and respected each others' ideas. They also did a great job supporting one another in challenging themselves without pressuring one another to do more than they were comfortable with.
We also challenged ourselves in our school work. Up until this point, our Spanish classes have focused on oral conversation. Last week, we added literary language by listening to the story, Tres Cerditos, or The Three Little Pigs, and then illustrating it in book form. The books do not contain an English translation, so the students had to use their illustrations to explain what was happening. Literary language is much different (and much more complex!) than conversational language. In addition to Spanish, our students also study Latin. Our Latin book is based on the history if Pompeii, ending with the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. It happened that their science study coincided with this through the study of volcanoes. Of course, we had to make one!
Finally, we went to South Mountains State Park for the third time this year. We decided early in the year that we would visit the same place through the seasons and note the changes. Through these trips, the students have learned to identify trees, insects, fish, diseases, and parasites. They have also learned about the mountain and river ecosystems through direct contact. We may have some future park rangers at our school, but our main goal is to make ours a school of naturalists--to foster a love of creation that will lead to good stewardship of our Father's world.
A Mason education is all about relationship. Students form intimate relationships with characters from history and literature, with mathematical and scientific truths, and with Creation. They form relationships with other cultures through the study of geography and world languages. They also form healthy, nurturing relationships with their teachers and fellow students, as discussed in the previous blog. The photos below show our students developing a relationship with their community through work with the Cleveland County Potato Project. Each month we participate in a community service project together. While many of our children love to live with their hands in the dirt, this is not true of all of them. However, we are learning to will ourselves to do some things we would rather not in order to do what is right.
Last weekend the families of Willow Tree had the opportunity to deepen relationships with one another during our first annual family camping trip in Saluda, NC. We enjoyed games, nature study, stories, s'mores, and lots of laughter together.
Willow Tree really is a unique place to learn. Term 2 will begin in three short weeks.
Are you ready to join our little family and open up a new and wonderful world for your child?
Give us a call at (864) 761-6484 to schedule a visit!
We did a little rearranging last week! Math classes are now being held in Mrs. Spencer's office. We moved the soft seating into the main room to create an inviting atmosphere. The teachers and students also talked together last week about what kinds of things, other than physical arrangement, can foster an inviting and productive atmosphere at school. As the students continue to make their own paradigm shift, it is a good thing to talk about ideas that set us apart from many other schools. We have had very interesting lunchtime conversation about the difference in our approach to discipline. The children notice and appreciate being viewed as persons. They brought up the fact that they like not having cards or sticks to pull (or what we adults would call a system of behaviorism) to try to make them behave. Some expressed that those systems set them on edge. Others said that they made them more concerned with not getting caught than with behaving rightly. Several brought up instances in which students tried to undercut one another to get someone else in trouble. They all--even the little guys--said it made them feel like babies. I think Mason might say that what they really meant was that behavioristic systems make one feel like less of a person.
The poster pictured on the right above outlines the way in which we approach conduct. It reads:
Living in Right Relationship at School: Being Rightly Related to God and One Another
1. Respect those in authority through your words, actions, and attitudes.
2. Respect others, their possessions, and their personal space.
3. Respect our hosts and one another by keeping the building clean and orderly.
Putting Things Right
1. Repentance: Acknowledging our own wrongdoing,
2. Reconciliation: Communicating respectfully and righting the wrong, and
3. Restoration: Giving and receiving forgiveness and then putting it from our minds.
As issues have arisen at school, whether between a student and a teacher or between two or more students, this is how we have dealt with it. Person to person, restoring relationship. We are learning that sometimes there are natural consequences for our choices that we have to live with even after going through this process, and we must learn to face these manfully. But I think that, more importantly, we are learning the meanings of Righteousness and Grace.
Last week was loads of fun! In addition to our normal academic lessons, we got a tour of the set that was being built for the Gardner-Webb Theater's production of Mark Twain's Is He Dead? The play runs from Thursday-Saturday this week, so I hope some of you will take advantage of it. Frodo and Bilbo, our pet gerbils, made their own "hobbit hole" by chewing up their nice, cozy hammock!
On Friday, we had our Outdoor Classroom at the Broyhill Adventure Course. The students were really challenged to solve problems collaboratively. One of the character traits we are trying to foster this term is to help students step outside themselves and their own desires to honor and serve others and communicate in healthy ways. I think these types of activities are just right for this, and I have asked Mr. and Mrs. Brame to include more activities of this nature into their Thursday P.E. program. In the video below, Damon is trying, with the help and encouragement of his friends, to get the last marble from the mulch without touching the ground. That was hard and required some serious communication, planning, and creative thinking!
Please remember we have Open House tomorrow night from 7-8. We will be talking about what happens during academic lessons and how we are handling assessment. You will also have the opportunity to view student work. See you there!
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