Clarion Newsletter, February 25, 2022

Happy Friday Clarion School parents!

Hard to believe but next week we enter MARCH! There is a lot going on over the next 4 weeks before the Spring Break so join us for some or all of our events!

Note- Dress up day for February is on March 4th to support International Day at school!

Clarion Day at Ripe Market on 26th and 27th of February: This weekend please join us at the “Ripe Market” either Saturday or Sunday. On both days we will have a booth/stand as the weekend sponsors of the Ripe Market, and in the stand we will be showcasing a few teachers each hour (10AM to 6PM Saturday and Sunday) and have a reading nook and a block area for children of parents who might be interested in what Clarion has to offer.

You can certainly stop by, and on Sunday the CPC (Clarion Parent Committee) will also have a morning picnic in the Ripe Market grounds for Clarion families and friends.

Make sure to invite your friends who have ever been curious about what we do as a school to pop in and chat at our booth.

I will be there both days 10am till 3pm, and if you do join us at Ripe Market, please stop by and say hi- I’ll the one in the booth with blue and orange on! LOL

International Day Friday the 4th of March: The CPC is hosting the Clarion School “International Day” on Friday, March 4th. This includes dress up day – we took the end of February dress up and moved it to the 4th, so come and dress up to represent your home country!

Teachers will do activities in their classrooms all morning, and they will also rotate around school to do activities as planned by the CPC in the street, the atrium and even on the field.

The CPC had a meeting this morning to confirm some field activities and I can’t wait to see them- it will be so exciting!

Flag list: Please check it to ensure your child’s flag(s) are represented!:

Algeria; America; Australia; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Belgium; Brazil; Canada; Croatia; Cameroon; Columbia; Denmark; Djibouti; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; Egypt; Finland; France; Germany; Greece; Hungary; India; Iran; Ireland; Italy; Japan; Jordan; Kenya; Korea; Lebanon; Lithuania; Nigeria; Netherlands; Panama; Pakistan; Philippines; Poland; Portugal; Romania; Russia; Saudi Arabia; Serbia; Singapore; South Africa; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; Syria; Taiwan; Turkey; Ukraine; United Kingdom; United Arab Emirates; Zimbabwe

Parent Survey: Thank you so much to all the parents for your feedback in the parent survey. The many positive comments were gratifying, and your feedback on any issues you have noted is appreciated and we will be looking at all responses as always. The survey is about finding out how we are doing on our deliverables at school, and thank you for taking your time to help us make Clarion School the best it can be.

Buddy Program for New Families: The CPC has implemented a “Buddy Program” for new families at Clarion. The CPC will work with Ms. Asia in admissions and Ms. Stephanie, the new PLO. Stephanie joined Clarion a few weeks ago, and she is working closely with Heerral as our new full time Parent Liaison Officer.

ECA's and CCI's: We still have a few spots in CCI's so check with Ms. Shazia in the atrium if you are interested. Numbers each Monday and Wednesday are around 100 total children (and it seems like all 100 are in my Wednesday activity with the Pre-K, K1 and K2 students. They tire me out for sure! LOL).

Some thoughts on March: As we slide into March next week, please take the opportunity to go to EXPO with your children. This may sound bad but….even if you need to go on a weekday with your children, it is fine to pick them up early from school to go in the week when it is less crowded. I say this as this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to go see something very special. So yes, the Principal says “go for it and skip school to go to EXPO!”

All kidding aside, it is worth the effort to go and check it out. I was there yesterday for the “Food for Future Summit” to meet up with various vendors about potential school trips and some project based learning we can do collaboratively with them. That explains my suit and cranberry colored cons yesterday.

When I introduced myself to people at the Summit, it was so gratifying to have some of them say “Oh, Clarion I’ve heard so many good things about the school!” This is due to the way You as parents are spreading the word about your children’s enjoyment at the learning environment we are creating here. Thank you for your continued support!

Now we need your support as parents. As your children grow up we know that it is impossible to keep them from exploring topics and language use that seem to bombard us all in this third decade of the 21st Century from so many angles. The modern world has blessed us with a variety of communication and entertainment options, but there is also the added burden of you as parents having to manage digital access for your children. It’s tricky to give this advice- because what you do with your children and their access to devices, and books, and movies, and music is up to YOU at home. But things creep into school. For example, I love Batman, and can’t wait to see the new version coming out next weekend. BUT it is NOT a movie for children. No way. So I won’t be discussing it with your children nor will I ask them if they saw it or are going to see it.

Same as some TV shows like Squid Games. Same as the shooter games so prevalent online and Xbox and PlayStation.

I’m not telling you what to do; but I am telling you that if your child is 5, 6, 7….8, 9, 10, they are very impressionable and take from TV Video Internet language and attitude use that is sometimes not appropriate at school.

So take some time this weekend to evaluate your child’s access. It is important to do so. And if that means more monitoring of screen time and what they watch, blame it on me.

Have a great weekend everyone- read with your children, and go build something together!

Sincerely,

Jim #RipeMarketReady Pastore