Pennies for Peace Tally

This morning I received an email from our IBMYP and ELD Coordinator Libby Krueger regarding the tally of pennies collected during the Pennies for Peace initiative:


Welcome back everyone!  It took the bank about 2 weeks to count the pennies in total!  Congratulations to all the efforts of the entire Einstein Learning Community, we raised $1800.00 to be donated to Pennies for Peace.  PLEASE be sure and share this total with your students (so many were asking before break).


This is yet another example of AEA coming together to support a worthy cause in keeping with the tenets of IB. Thanks to everyone who made this level of collection possible.


Our next k-8 project will be Books of Hope , in which students create books to be used by schoolchildren in Uganda.

Winter Vacation

Happy holidays!  AEA is currently on Winter Break.  Classes resume January 5, 2009.  While this is a well-deserved vacation for teachers, staff, and students, it is important that students maintain their "academic muscles" in top condition.

A few vacation suggestions for students:

• limit television viewing and video game playing; replace these activities with reading (either for school or for pleasure).
• be sure to continue with regular physical exercise.  You don't have PE every other day over vacation, so it is important to build exercise into your daily routine.
• check your grades online (link from the the individual teacher websites) and take some time to get caught up on assignments that may be overdue.
• better yet, get a head start on those assignments that are due when we return from vacation (check teacher websites for details).

Our custodial staff will be cleaning the site over vacation, and I know of several teachers and staff who will be working on campus sporadically as well.  

I will be working on the following projects:

• drafting a school-wide assessment policy in collaboration with Libby Krueger (this is part of our IB authorization process)
• drafting a school-wide language policy (this is also for IB)
• revising our Title I plan to better serve students who require more academic interventions
• drafting the agenda for the middle school faculty meeting on January 7

Wishing everyone a restful--and also productive--holiday season.  See you in 2009!

Winterfest a Success!

Last Friday all middle school students had the privilege of attending the first annual AEACMS Winterfest. Under the capable guidance and planning of Frau Goehler and Sra. Burnham, and with the assistance of volunteers and students, the Winterfest began taking shape 24 hours earlier in our MPR. By the time the first group of student guests arrived, they were treated to holiday pastries at cafes where they were required to order in German or Spanish.

With the purpose of celebrating the German and Spanish languages, as well as collecting toys for the AEA toy drive to benefit the Western Service Workers Association (see earlier post on this blog), the AEA Winterfest was a tremendous success.

Thanks to Frau Goehler, Sra. Burnham, the volunteers, and everyone who contributed in large and small ways to make this a day to remember.

To learn more about volunteering for similar events through the language department, please contact sgoehler@aeacs.org or aburnham@aeacs.org.

Welcoming AEACMS Student Bloggers

Beginning after the upcoming winter break, I am piloting a student blogger contest with Ms. Peters' journalism elective class (ultimately I intend to open it to the entire middle school).

Students who visit my blog are encouraged to discuss the postings with their parents and families, and then post comments of their own.  Every month I will select one student whose comments most clearly demonstrate critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, and the ability to establish an argument and support it with evidence.

The winner will be announced as Student Blogger of the Month, and a posting of their creation will appear on this blog.  In addition, they will discuss their writing over lunch with me at a local eatery of their choice.

Many thanks to Ms. Peters for supporting this idea and for encouraging her students to write for real-world purposes.

Burnham Spearheads Community and Service Efforts

Many thanks to all the AEA families who generously donated toys for the AEA toy drive. Your gifts will be sincerely appreciated, even more so in these challenging economic times. The toy drive, spearheaded by middle school Spanish teacher Anastasia Burnham, will benefit dozens of families served through the Western Service Workers Association (WSWA). Located just a mile from the AEA campus, the WSWA provides support for working families and individuals who are simply unable to make ends meet. According to WSWA literature, the non-profit organization serves San Diego County's lowest paid workers, in particular domestic help, landscapers, security guards, independent contractors, and part-time workers. WSWA is located at 3014 Imperial Ave, San Diego, CA 92102, tel. 619-238-9763.

This is the second consecutive year that AEA has supported WSWA and its work; as a school community we are committed to the IB ethic of Community and Service. In large and small ways, our students learn to make a real difference in the world.

Thanks also to the many students, teachers, staff, and parents who assisted in the collection efforts.  Elementary school German Coordinator Birgit Schafer was especially instrumental in transporting and delivering donations to the WSWA headquarters.

For more information about this and future Community and Service projects, contact Anastasia Burnham aburnham@aeacs.org.

Teachers Demonstrate Teamwork and Flexibility in Move

If you have visited room B22 recently looking for German teacher Frau Goehler, you may have been surprised to discover that her classroom has moved to the outer computer lab on the second floor of our main building.  Similarly, in the next week or so the library will move from its current location down to the first floor teachers' lounge.  The reason for these significant and disruptive moves is fire code compliance, at the direction of the City of San Diego.

When faced with the prospect of these mid-year changes, Frau Goehler and AEA librarian Corie Julius could well have complained and resisted the move, with good reason.  After all, the German classes are now held in a room with three adjacent offices and three entrances, while the "new" library space is one third its former size.  However, these AEA teachers took the changes in stride, and immediately set to strategizing, setting timelines for moving, and looking for ways to make the best of a challenging situation.  This approach sends a powerful message to our students: when confronted with the inevitable challenge and change in our lives, the creative, reflective, and balanced problem-solvers will prevail and thrive.

Next time you see either of these teachers, be sure to thank them for their handling of this situation.

Giving Thanks for the Simple Things

As we return from the Thanksgiving holiday and rededicate ourselves to school, it is important to remember that in the midst of the current financial turmoil and political change, we have much to be thankful for.  As Albert Einstein said, "A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?"  Having spent a long weekend with family and friends, I would respectfully add these two to Einstein's list.

More and more frequently I meet people who are struggling financially; one of their greatest concerns is providing a bountiful holiday season for their children.  I spoke recently with someone who is on the verge of losing their home, yet their most pressing concern is not being able to purchase the latest game system for their children.  

When I finally had a chance to slow down enough to reflect over the holiday, the word 'simplicity' kept coming to me.  It seemed even more relevant when I read a terrifying national news story about a store employee trampled to death by a crowd of would-be shoppers at a prominent chain store.  Was Black Friday really worth getting up before sunrise to wait in line to save money on disposable electronics?  Was it worth risking life and limb?  How many people woke up early on Friday simply to watch the sun rise?

One of my commitments over the holiday was to an "electronic vacation."  This meant that I did not use email for five consecutive days; I also encouraged teachers to treat themselves to a similar respite.  Admittedly, the first day or so was tough.  I found myself instinctively reaching for my Blackberry whenever there was a lull in conversation or a break in activity.  However, the longer I went without being connected to my digital leash, the more liberating the experience.  I found myself more able to concentrate on conversations around me, more predisposed to just sit, read, or simply reflect.   I will definitely be taking similar tech-free holidays in the near future.

The IB learner profile includes critical thinking as a central component.  According to the IB, "To think critically means students reflecting on, thinking about, and analyzing a text, argument, or opinion so that they do not just accept what is stated but form their own judgement." (Towards a Continuum of International Education, 2008.  http://www.ibo.org)  I often wonder how students (or adults for that matter) are able to truly reflect on an idea or an argument while juggling the myriad interruptions caused by text messaging, mobile email, cell phones, etc.  From my own experience I certainly feel that limiting and controlling these influences will allow me to do my job more effectively without dividing my day into disconnected slivers of time.  It will certainly allow me to be more present with my family.  I know it isn't always easy to disconnect, and I certainly won't be perfect.  I am committing myself to the goal, however, of using technology as a tool for productivity rather than as a means to occupy time.  We'll see how it goes.

So, in conclusion, I urge the AEA community to find value in simplicity, and seek balance between instant information/communication and meaningful human interactions.