RAINSHADOW Students, faculty, and community enjoy a

STAFF performance by Tree Woods at the first

DEVELOPMENT ever Talent Show and Open House.
VOL. I ISSUE 4

shine

Summer School Offerings

English
There will be at least two offering of
English classes. One will have a media/
journalism aspect, and one will have a film
aspect to it. One course will be offered in the
morning, the other in the afternoon.
Social Studies
might be interested, please let Toby know no
Spanish later than April 1, 2010. This information must
Spanish will be offered for one morning be publicized by Spring Break. See attached
class. This class counts either the art/humanities insert about the schedule for summer.
credit or the elective credit.
Math Inside th
is issue
At present, there is one offering of math.
Summer
This course will be offered for three weeks School O
fferings

There will be at least one offering of social

immediately following school for 5 days a
week.
To Do Lis
t for Sta
1
ff Develo
studies. At present, it is unclear what form of Curriculu
pment
2
this class will be offered, as it will depend on Community Courses m Map
what is needed by the majority of students in
We are looking to add some courses for
Theme P
ossibilitie
2
the class. s
the community in the arts and drama. Also,
Tracking
and The
2
there will be opportunities for people to rent Best Sch
space for events. These details will be sent out Positive
Behavio
ools
3
to all appropriate leaders. If you think you ral Supp
ort
School E
vents an
4
d Rubric
s
5
Creating Empowered Community Members
Rainshadow Community Through Real-World Education
Charter High School

2010
What does this mean? It means we work hard to
expose students to a variety of experiences in the
local community. It means that we want our students out learning from the world and feeling
empowered to have an active voice in changing the world. It means that we want our students
getting their hands dirty and their minds active as they grow as young adults.
 9:00 a.m.
Meet in Sam’s Room
To Do List for this
Summer School Schedule
Staff Development
“Tracking” or alternate
programs to add “rigor”
3/15/10 for college bound students
Interdisciplinary
connections and Project
Class
Rubric breakdown
Discipline: Discovering a
better progressive plan

Mandatory course pacing

guides

Theme for 2010-2011

The Charter Curriculum Map: Yearly Themes Theme Possibilities

Drs. Steve Tchudi and Steve Lafer mapped out a progression of themes across four years. The idea There are a number of ways we can
was that a Rainshadow student coming in as a freshman would follow this progression in their progress with these themes or other
themes entirely.
classes. The way it worked out, however, has been more of a yearly whole school theme instead of
a grade progression. As we look at this list, we are coming out of a theme for the first quarter of 1. Yearly Theme
year 2. How we proceed is up to us... We can choose one of these topics to
be a yearlong theme.

Year 1: Year 2: Year 3: Year 4: 2. Quarterly Theme

Mapping, We can follow an entire year with the
The Quality of An Expanding Microworlds Documenting, themes outlined quarter by quarter.

Life Universe and Models Remembering,

Dismembering 3. “Grade level” Theme
We can use the themes in core courses
Exploring Our Explorers of The Truckee History Far and as a model for the class focus, each
core looking at a different component
Town Yore- From Pre- Microcosm Near: Personal of the map.
Columbians to and Global
4. New Theme
Columbus to We can look at creating a whole new
Fremont theme to guide our pursuits.

Science, Telescopes and The Lives of a A History of Once we have chosen a

Technology, Intergalactics-- Cell Language and thematic idea, core courses
will collaborate to make sure
Society Aristotle to Writing
that the theme is being
Galileo to ? implemented in the core
classes. At the start, this
Social and Science Fact/ The Lives of an Knowledge means that math and science
Human Resources Science Fiction/ Atom Systems will be paired and social
studies and English will be
Science Future
paired. Ultimately, the goal
will be to have a school-wide
Ecosystems Your Expanding Utopias and The Book of
project in the spring of 2011.
Universe Dystopias: Myself: A
Individual and Knowledge=Able .
Public Autobiography

“Tracking:” Pitfalls in
Practice
A huge concern at Rainshadow is making
sure our students are prepared for life after
high school. Often, we are so preoccupied
with getting students through high school that
we miss the bigger picture of life beyond high
school. At present, we have several students
who are at Rainshadow because they have
struggles with the larger school system, not
because they are academically incapable.
Tracking was presented as a possible solution.
Tracking allows one select group to be
segregated from the rest. The idea is that this
group would have an opportunity to be
challenged on a deeper level, one more
appropriate to their ability.
AFter thinking more about this potential,
which at first seemed like a great idea, it
became clear to me that as a solution, it did
not make sense in comparison to our school’s
mission. Segregating students only widens
the ability and academic achievement gap. It
does not allow for the group to raise the
group.
So, now what. What can we do to raise
the performance of our students?
Alternate Programming in the
Same Class
Imagine having “IEPs” for all of our
students. What if we allowed students to
work on additional requirements to graduate
with an honors diploma? Or, what if in order
to get “As” in a class, students had to do the
basic requirements (our current portfolio
requirements) plus additional requirements?
We cannot track completely. It will not
support the needs of most of our students,
academically, socially, and emotionally. But,
what if we could talk to a few students who
are interested in doing more in preparation of
their future and could place them together
during their reading intervention time? In this
way, they would have that time every
day to work on their additional
requirements. They could touch base
with a teacher everyday about college
and career goals.
What does this mean for you, the
instructor: you will have to think about
the skills that are necessary for students
to move beyond high school in your core
area, you will have to do a lot more
differentiating in the classroom, you will
have to use these students as models to
others (academic leaders). You may
have more grading to do. And, you’ll
probably also have to raise the
academic “bar” in your current
classroom. For example, students who
choose this path may need to have academic
responsibilities outside the school day. They
may need to write longer passages or
complete more math problems. They may
need to be a part of a mentorship program
that gets them out into the community. These
are all the things we must look at, and soon, if
we are going to begin to meet the needs of
this group.
These students have the potential to
serve as models/ambassadors of the school
to other students and beyond.
Thomas Armstrong discusses the fact that
instead of teachers evaluating students on a
normative scale, instead they should evaluate
on an ipsative scale. If you’ve never heard of
this word, it is no surprise. Ipsative literally
means, “of the self.” What it means is that
instead of comparing students to other
students, we need to be looking at how
individual students grow from past to present,
and present to future. This style looks at the
whole development of the individual as
opposed to just the academic development.
A Word About Expectations
The single greatest influence on student
success is high expectations. This has been
discussed in detail by a number of curricular
theorists. We must stop making excuses for
the work that our students produce, and find
a balance between what we know they are
capable of doing and the manner with which
we allow them to do it.
Does this mean standardization of what
we do, and a focus on a common curriculum?
No. It means we must begin to look at our
students as individuals each capable of great
things. We, as the educational institution,
have the ability to provide unique
opportunities to our students with flexibility
and freedom. It begins with the students first
impression of his/her teacher. And, it is not
through words alone that this becomes clear
and understood. The teacher’s body
language, thoughts, actions, words are all
contributors to how a student believes they
are being perceived. Think about this as we
begin this new process.
Students dance a the Valentine’s Day
Fundraiser for Echo Effect.
The Best Schools
Thomas Armstrong
1. Schools need to provide
developmentally appropriate
programs as opposed to academics
designed by legislatures.
As Rainshadow is a school that fills
the gap created from middle school
and continued on through high school,
we naturally have a focus on
community and social/emotional
growth. In addition, we seek to
provide students the opportunity to
experience their community.
2. Schools need to be smaller to be
affective and to reinforce the idea of
a community.
Large, impersonal, “shopping mall”
schools are not developmentally
appropriate.
3. Schools focused on human
development as opposed to academic
achievement are more likely to
produce well rounded adults.
Human development is not future
based, it looks at a student’s past,
present , and future to support the
student.
4. Students cannot, and should not,
be standardized.
We must find new ways at looking at
how our students grow, learn, and
demonstrate what they learn.
Students need to have more authentic
learning opportunities.
Armstrong’s book shares a view that
all of us already hold. It is self-
affirming, and worth a read. He
provides some model school
examples, and I believe Rainshadow
could be one of those models.
With the new common core standards,
there may arise some concerns as to
how we can meet the standards head
on. Armstrong advocates for a
paradigm shift from academic
achievement discourse to human
development discourse, but for now
that will not be the reality in the
classroom. We have the unique
opportunity to blend the two
discourses.

Positive Behavioral
Support
When you become a
Rainshadow student, you
agree to our T.E.R.M.S.:
T rust
E quality
R espect
M aturity
= please don’t hesitate to talk to Alissa or Toby.
S uccess
A year ago, we talked with Jeff Freeman
about a possible school wide positive
behavioral support plan. He shared that we
should develop some sort of “slogan.” Many
years ago, we attempted to use the “Eight
Keys of Excellence,” however the buy in was
not really there.
Last spring, as I looked to build up my
Echo Effect class as a team, the class came up
with these four words as non-negotiable rules
of the class: Trust, Equality, Maturity,
Respect, or TEMR. I go back to this concept
whenever I think the group needs to be
refocused. When I was going through a
refocusing period, I thought perhaps it would
be useful to others. I spoke first to Alissa,
then to Steve about it. Both agreed it could
be useful, so they presented it to the
Leadership Team.
The Leadership Team is also on board.
Each ID class will look to teach a lesson about
one of the areas to come up with how the
rules of Rainshadow link to these words, and
what these words mean to a Rainshadow
student. Once this has been done for each
term, the Leadership Team will put together
posters for the school.
So, What Exactly Does
“Equality” Mean?
Rainshadow has gone through some
changes over the past year. One of the
biggest changes was our student dynamics.
We must begin to help break down these
barriers within our smaller classrooms, and
we cannot allow our students to dictate how
they will segregate themselves. At present,
we are looking to collaborate with Jennifer
Mahon at University of Nevada, Reno.
However, there are some tools you can begin
to use before we look at a bigger event.
Practice touching base with each of
your students. Let’s be honest: if there is
drama going on behind the scenes, your
students aren’t learning. This goes back to
Armstrong’s ideas about a curriculum that
focuses on human development. We need to
find ways to talk to our students on a daily
basis-- all of our students, event those we
don’t naturally connect with. Take time out to
touch base with each of your students.
Use the art of classroom discussion.
This can mean giving up a little control, and it
will only work if you set some ground rules.
See insert for a good lesson about discussion
ground rules. A benefit of working at
Rainshadow is that issues can be met head
on. If you need support in your classroom
because there is some issues about equality,
Perhaps a class discussion is just what is
needed.
Mix it up. Don’t let the students
always determine who they will work with in
the class. Think about how you can mix the
groups in other ways. Give them a team
building problem to solve together. Allow
them to discuss common experiences they
have had in their lives. One idea includes:
passing cards out to all the students and
grouping students together by color or
symbol. Use any innovative, and non-
judgmental grouping tool you can think of,
and if you need ideas, see Toby.
Use the “Privilege Walk” to begin a
discussion of commonalities. It is powerful
when students can see past their differences
to what makes them all the same. Opening
the door for a discussion is always powerful.
Don’t take sides. If you have issues
between groups in your class, it is important
that you do not get pulled into one side.
Remember, there are always two sides, and
we must be as impartial and non-judgmental if
we hope to alleviate the issue. This can be
hard at times, so practice breaking down
barriers in your classrooms as much as
possible.
The Power of Conflict
The following was an earlier article that
seemed appropriate to re-visit in light of
some of the current issues. Please feel free to
look at the website for more classroom ideas.
When something that has created conflict
in the classroom occurs, how do you respond?
Using the conflict as a catalyst for new
understanding and relationship building will
support growth. This is a prime time to have
a classroom discussion, allowing students to
share their feelings about the issue and
providing them with the opportunity to learn
new ways to handle the issue should it arise
again.
Conflict is a key step in the learning
process as well. It is a time when the student
experiences a clash between what they have
experienced already and something new they
are experiencing. This clash can allow for
new understanding-- so, without conflict, new
understanding cannot occur.
Sometimes, conflict cannot be resolved.
But through discussion, and openness to admit
there is a conflict on the teacher’s part,
students can learn ways to handle the conflict
and live with it. Living with conflict, over time,
makes the conflict less important. At that
point, new understanding can be reached.
Conflict can be the first step to a new
and more productive classroom if it is
embraced as a learning opportunity. The
teacher’s role in this process is to facilitate an
open dialogue. Think about how you can use
conflict for the good of all students, and how
you will respond next time to conflict within
your classroom. Check out http://
www.ncdjjdp.org/cpsv/ for even more
information related to conflict management.
In a democratic classroom, conflict must be
dealt with head-on. It can’t be the issue of the
administration or an individual teacher;
students must be involved and active in the
process.
Remember, you have the power to effect
the most change as an instructor. You are
able to help students to productively take
part in the mending process. There are many
students who have never had this opportunity
before, and they don’t know how to do it.
Use your strong relationship to help them
through this process. It will strengthen you
relationships with students, and students
relationships to the school and themselves.
Peace is Every Step
Every day, you have 24 brand new
hours to breathe, smile, eat, sleep, walk,
and live in the present moment. Practice
living in the present moment, rather than
in the past or future. Do this even for
just a few minutes in your day, and you
will learn to achieve happiness. Practice
this mindfulness with your students:
“Breathing in, I smile. Breathing
out, I know that I am alive.”
-Thich Nhat Hanh
School
Events
The following displays
upcoming events, discussions,
accreditation concerns, etc.
Standard Whole School
Rubrics
Last spring, we began a
discussion of using whole school
rubrics to support our school.
Luckily, we did not map those out
completely as we are now going
to be looking at linking our
rubrics to the common core
standards:
www.corestandards.org . Some
of the common rubrics that we
might wish to include are:
1.Writing
2.Discussion
3.Research
4.“Work Ethic”/conduct: this
includes working independently
and taking pride in one’s work
5.Presentation
6.Portfolio/Weebly
7.Participation
March April May
9-11
Proficiency Testing
6
Solar Inauguration
10
Professional Development Day
18 12-16 31
Spring Break
College and Career Fair Memorial Day
22-25 24
Spirit Week Prom
March Spirit Week: *Congratulations to Emily
25 22: Nerd Day Orellana, who won Poetry Out
End of quarter, Half Day 23: Decade Theme Loud for the state of Nevada
for the second time. She
24: Bling Day
competes on April 25 in
25: Pirate Day
Washington D.C.
The next phase of this idea
would be to look at developing a
new progress report that looks at
these common items as important
to a Rainshadow student. In this
way, parents might receive more
than just a grade on a piece of
paper that corresponds to a
percentage. You would be able
to share with a parent where
their strengths lie, as well as their
weaknesses.
It is with this idea in mind that
we may have to think more
clearly about what we would
Don’t forget to look in your book for great
want to include on this progress
ideas, or check out www.edliberation.org
report. It might be some of the
common elements above, but it
might also include things like
Final Thought...
“Rainshadow Community
Participation”-- The next question Teacher loan forgiveness:
is, could this be linked to the Check out:
theme as well? Could it be linked http://nde.doe.nv.gov/
to our new positive behavior
support theme? TeacherShortage.htm