Field Trip… for the Teachers

Today the entire PUCS teaching staff went on a morning trip to Winchester Thurston School. They toured portions of the elementary, middle, and high school. Mrs. Alim who used to be on staff at Winchester Thurston conducted the PUCS teachers around the campus while stopping to have frequent conversations with former colleagues. Nobody got lost…for very long though Mr. Wilson and Mr. Stehouwer did leave the rest of the group to explore a room with lots of construction-arts equipment in it.

The elementary and middle school split to meet with various staff at their respective levels. There are lots of reasons that PUCS will never be Winchester Thurston, but it is good to see how other educators do things. There is a lot we can learn from each other. Like how to get this guy out of the wall. I mean they must have a plan for that right?

 

 

Or how to get Mr. Stehouwer to stop drooling over the Chrome-books in their computer lab.

 

Or how to be sneaky like Mrs. Douglas and swipe papers full of useful ideas that some student let drop.

 

 

Day of Giving

Like most little schools PUCS needs all the financial help it can get. We have expenses for everything from shingles to scholarships; desks to downspouts; volley balls to vacuum chambers…you get the picture. At times we have to stretch the school budget further than we’d like. So I don’t mind making a little bit of a plug for the Day of Giving, a program from the Pittsburgh Foundation, which matches gifts to the school. Last year we had a 17% match. This is the only school-wide fall fundraiser and takes place on the 3rd of October. So mark the 3rd on your calender and make it a point to donate  to PUCS on that date. While you’re at it tell your friends, coworkers, crazy uncles, and minions to donate as well.

 

Seriously forward this link and info to lots of people…now.

 

Here’s the link

http://www.pittsburghgives.org/

 

Dedication…and Sauna

The sauna …er all school dedication was impeccably timed so as to exactly coincide with a rain storm. The sanctuary, which is difficult to ventilate at the best of times with its little windows and high ceiling became altogether humid and stifling after being crammed full of parents, students, teachers, alumni, and various others. Ms. Vander Molen, in an effort to relieve the heat opened the doors and operated a manually-oscillating fan.  Mr. Phelps took the brunt of the heat in the sanctuary as he was on stage for much of the evening’s presentations.

 

 

 

 

Perhaps the most striking thing about the whole evening was the children. They enter the building, most of them for the first time since June, and immediately the place comes to life. Several middle schoolers greeted each other in the manner of long lost relations with either overly dramatic hugs or somewhat awkward hellos as if they’re not sure of the identity of the person they saw every day a mere ten weeks ago. The elementary students come in excited waves as they see faces they recognize from last year. The younger children have an easier time picking up where they left off and soon can scarcely be quieted in their fluster. The dedication, as it does every year, felt like a foretaste of things to come; a prelude to the chaos, joy, obstacles, opportunities of the year ahead.

 

Evening was a success by most measures. New parents were oriented, teachers were introduced, former students paid visits, and the school was prayed over. Even the heat in the sanctuary was sort-of nice as it made stepping out into the moist air of the last penultimate night of summer break all the more enjoyable.

Scene at the PUCS Staff Picnic

The annual PUCS Staff and Board Picnic was hosted yesterday evening at the home of Paul and Nancy Wood. The scads of people were equaled only by the heaps of good food. From all the conversation and laughter that went on I think its safe to assume that the staff is in good spirits and ready to start the year. There was so much conversation that it was difficult to hear the progress of the white elephant gift exchange. Among the crystal spoons, faux-silver picture frames, and sponges was a much coveted book of songs of the labor movement circa 1900… educators are strange, strange people.