Join the Conversation:
Ravenswood School Community Retreat
Sunday, June 3, 2-5 pm, Ravenswood School Library (4th floor)
Can you feel it? The conversation has already begun.
In the school’s hallways, on the playground, during drop-off and pick-up, and in meetings, formal and informal, an important conversation is buzzing. The voices are growing, in volume, in strength, and in number. Momentum is building. And without question, the conversation could greatly benefit from the strength of your voice as well.
So what’s the conversation about?
It’s about the future. It’s about how the Ravenswood School community is planning to rise to meet the challenges facing our school–challenges both current and those yet to come. It’s about meeting those challenges with new ideas, then diligently nurturing those ideas into solutions. It’s about taking ownership. It’s about shaping a community-wide school support strategy, with a unified, comprehensive, and strategic goal: to foster a more active and engaged, better coordinated, better informed Ravenswood School community, and, as a result, a better funded, stronger, more resilient Ravenswood School.
This conversation tells us one thing, loudly and clearly: the future of Ravenswood School is in our hands, as parents, as teachers, as administrators, and as community members.
On Sunday, June 3, it is time for you to join this conversation.
From 2 pm to 5 pm in the Ravenswood School library (4th floor), anyone interested in joining the conversation, getting involved, contributing ideas, and shaping our school’s support strategy is welcome to attend. A short, updated State of the School address will be presented by Principal Heather Connolly, followed by a presentation of a draft strategy plan for the 2012-13 school year. Committee groups will then be created, tasked with devising committee-specific action plans in support of these strategic goals.
Make your voice heard. Don’t let this conversation happen without you–become a part of it.
You are welcome to take part in this event, whether you plan to arrive brimming with great ideas or if you’re simply filled with curiosity and an urge to get more involved. Broader, community-wide participation and engagement is a critical part of this strategic effort. Please make every effort to attend this retreat, to join the conversation about shaping the future of our school. There has never been a better opportunity nor a more important time for you to get involved.
Childcare for the event is available through BASA for $20 per child.
Please reserve your spot with BASA by Friday, June 1. Call the BASA office at 312.927.8147 or email yg.basa@gmail.com.
For more information, please visit http://friendsofravenswood.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=1421db3ef2c68615ca05ea106&id=04d84596f7&e=108109f22c or email Wendy Vasquez.
Support the Girls On The Run (GOTR) Program at Ravenswood School
For the past four years, Ravenswood School teacher Susan Conti has been the site coordinator and coach for a program called Girls on the Run (GOTR), here at Ravenswood School. This program meets twice a week after school, in both Fall and Spring, for a total of twenty-four weeks and is available for girls in third through eighth grade. The program promotes healthy minds and bodies of participants. They run one to three miles a day, learn about eating well, and how to take better care of themselves emotionally, through self-esteem building and emotional support. The goal of the GOTR program is to reduce the potential display of at-risk activities among participants. In addition to the core curriculum, each season concludes with an optional 5K run.
Now, they are also tackling the issue of bullying. All fifty-five of this season’s GOTR participants were given the opportunity to see the film, Bully (2012). After the screening, the girls were full of ideas about how they might address bullying at school or wherever they may encounter it. Here is a recent video clip the girls made, exploring the issue of bullying.
Currently, Ms. Conti is seeking financial support for the program to ensure the availability of GOTR scholarships for all participants. All current participants receive the subsidized rate of $25, as opposed to the full rate of $165. Scholarships are also available to cover the remaining $25 fee, as needed. GOTR has never declined a scholarship to any participant, but to make sure that these scholarships remain available, Ms. Conti is seeking to raise $1500 to help support the program at Ravenswood.
To learn more and to support the GOTR program at Ravenswood School, please click this link.
NEW! Ravenswood Buddy Family Program
We’re excited to introduce a new program at Ravenswood School, aimed at helping families new to our school make a smooth and confident transition to the school community at Ravenswood. It’s called the Buddy Familyprogram. The program’s goal is to pair families new to Ravenswood School with experienced families who can help answer questions, facilitate expectations, and serve as liaison to assist and support them in becoming a part of our school community.
Anyone who has experienced being part of a new school transition–and that’s almost everyone, at some point–knows how difficult it can be to find your way in a new environment, even one as warm and welcoming as Ravenswood School. Things as simple as finding the right drop-off spot on the first day, paying student fees, or learning how to buy milk or school lunch for your child can be daunting challenges, especially if you don’t know anyone who can help point you in the right direction.
If you would like to help a new family with their transition to Ravenswood School, please sign up using the form on the FORS website: Buddy Family Program.
FORS Community Outreach Initiative
We’re looking for school parents living within the Ravenswood School boundaries to join FORS with a Community Outreach initiative. Volunteers will be tasked with reaching out and engaging the local community in actively supporting Ravenswood School.
If you’re looking for a way to get involved with the school but haven’t quite found one yet, this could be the one for you. Interested volunteers should contact Natalie Waechter.
Who We Are:
Friends of Ravenswood School (FORS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization of interested parents and community members joining with school administrators, staff, and teachers to gather private, supplemental support–in the form of funding, volunteers, and various professional expertise–for the benefit of Ravenswood School, its programs, and its students. The funds we raise help the school pay for teachers, programs, technology, field trips, supplies, and other essential things that make the educational experience at Ravenswood School great!
FORS Meetings are always held on the THIRD TUESDAY OF EACH MONTH, unless otherwise noted. To learn more, visit us on the web: < http://friendsofravenswood.com/ >.
You can also request to join our FORS Google Group by sending an email to < news@friendsofravenswood.com > with “Subscribe To Google Group”
in the Subject field.
