Our School May Lose a Vital Player...

and this is what I have to say about it:

May 15, 2013

Nadine K. Bennett, Superintendent 
JDUSD District Office
14581 Lyons Valley Road
Jamul, CA 91935
and
Gail Levine, Director
13881 Campo Rd., Ste. A5
Jamul, CA 91935

RE: Dave Nuoffer at GSDA-NC

Dear Nadine and Gail,

We hope this letter finds you well and that you will have open mind and take heart to the message herein.  My husband and I only recently learned that Dave Nuoffer’s position at GSDA-NC is in jeopardy and hope that we are not too late to submit our plea on the behalf of our Lead.  It is our understanding that a movement to release Dave has been underway for a period significantly longer than we have been aware.  Therefore, being a member of a Charter school community, it is critical that our voice be heard and judiciously considered as you determine the fate of Dave.

In this letter, I shall speak on behalf of my husband, my children, and myself.  I will also do my best to represent the general sentiments and opinions of a goodly population of the GSDA-NC family.  I choose this broad voice as I am compelled to do so as I witness the outpouring of concern among the most active and involved members of our group.  We, having the ultimate vested interest in serving the greatest good within our homeschooling community, believe that we cannot lose our Lead for reasons too many to unpack here.  However, I will try to illuminate the foundation for this movement/plea and present why any decision to eliminate Dave from his position is a movement in the wrong direction as to do so will crush the greatest good.

Dave has a long history with GSDA-NC and over the many years, has moved this unit forward, helping to shape a most unique school.  The ground at GSDA-NC has been made fertile so that the tender roots of children can thrive where other environments have stifled their growth.  This is a place where leadership and all that has flowed from it, evolved and has been fostering the growth and fruiting of unique and dynamic young people.  I call these young people Our Future. 

Evidence of Dave’s constructive influence can be seen if you will survey several of the GSDA-NC students who have spent much of their academic lives here. These students are the fruit of Dave’s vision coupled with the support of his staff and the parents who persevered.  These students are the exemplar of those who are following up in the ranks.  We want our children to have the same opportunity under the status quo.

Dave has laid the foundation and his presence at this campus is vital to our future.  Dave lights our path, inspires those around him, and is respected and loved beyond measure.  He sets the tone for this school with credit to the organization as a whole who indeed embraces individualized learning and provides incredible support for everyone involved in the venture.  However stable the Charter is as a whole, Dave is irreplaceable here. Though we know not what he has done, it is unimaginable that whatever crime he has committed, is reason to prevent him for continuing his mission of invaluable service.  (I will note that we understand from information provided to us, that moral crime against children is ruled out in this case and that no one was or is endangered by him.)  It would be shameful to lose him for reasons of ill politics or as result of personnel differences at a level outside of that which he serves, once again, the Greatest Good. 

It would be difficult, as parents, to continue to support an organization that has acted in a way as to destroy what many consider, utopia.  Unfortunately, if we lose this person, the waters will be tainted and oppression is the default for what we would feel to be an injustice.  I can see it possible that our passion to serve will naturally diminish or disappear altogether as we lose confidence in our system.  At this juncture, we ask ourselves if our voices really count when we have been eliminated from the process. 

We implore you to reconsider any notion of terminating Dave.  We cannot afford to lose him.  He is far too established here and intertwined in the lives of our children and families.  He is an exceptional mentor and that is invaluable in this day and age.  To remove him would be to crush the world view of so many. 

Though we are a drop in the bucket of the greater scheme, our school is hugely significant in our lives.  It is a school of pride and peace, a refuge in the storm. Dave sheltered us from the turbulence of the bureaucratic seas. It is because of our team of leaders that everything has thrived within this well working, matrix network. 

Again, I will ask that our voices be weighed during the mediation of this issue.  I am grateful for the democratic opportunity to present this plea to you.  After all, this is OUR school and WE are those who’s lives, in the greatest numbers, will be directly affected by your decision.  I trust ALL parties involved will act in a manner which serves the GREATEST GOOD for the sake of our CHILDREN and their SCHOOL.

Finally, we would like to request invitation to any future board meetings where this matter will be discussed.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Very Sincerely,
Mr. & Mrs. Molo
Concerned Parents (3rd & 5th)
www.academyoffinelearners.blogspot.com

Christopher Columbus

We are looking at the discovery of the America's as part of the beginning of the Great Global Convergence (1400-1800) and this is where we are today...

A super, invaluable, resource for us.  Just amazing what is available on the internet:

 
http://www.watchknowlearn.org/

500 Nations - Native Americans - Columbus' Arrival

 An intro by Kevin Costner and a very well made documentary about the REAL story of 1492:

http://www.watchknowlearn.org/Video.aspx?VideoID=21538&CategoryID=3413

 Be sure to link to part 2:

http://www.watchknowlearn.org/Video.aspx?VideoID=21539&CategoryID=3413

and if you are into chocolate like some of us here, then here is a little unit study involving chocolate as it relates to the Columbus discovery. From The Hershey Story:

http://www.hersheystory.org/lib/docs/lessonPlans/ChocolateMilkandtheColumbianExchange.pdf


Also, a curriculum overview for the Columbian experience:

Shaping America

http://server.shopdei.com/816.0002g.pdf

Talking with Children about the Impact of the

Columbian Exchange on Native Americans

Talking with Children about the Impact of the Columbian Exchange onNative Americans

Oceanic Ventures and the Joining of the Continents 1400-1550CE and Maybe a Little Bit About Pirates

http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/culture/pirates/

Teach:  Big Era 6, The Great Global Convergence, Unit 6.1 Oceanic Ventures and the Joining of the Continents 1400-1550CE from:

CONCEPTS: Mixtures & Solutions, Acids & Bases, PH (Potential of Hydrogen)

This week, Niah and Baron are studying CONCEPTS: Mixtures & Solutions, Acids & Bases, PH (Potential of Hydrogen,

1. Tastes sour.

acids
bases

2. Turns litmus paper blue.

acids
bases

3. Feels slimey or slippery to the touch.

acids
bases

4. Reacts with some metals to give off hydrogen gas.

acids
bases

5. Turns litmus paper red.

acids
bases

is your score. 

Activities: 

http://www.brainpop.com/science/matterandchemistry/acidsandbases/

http://sv.berkeley.edu/showcase/flash/juicebar.html


http://pbskids.org/zoom/games/kitchenchemistry/virtual-start.html

Science: What Happens When You Wring a Wet Washcloth in Space?

Click on the link below to find out!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8TssbmY-GM

Big Era Six: The Great Global Convergence 1400-1800 CE

Today, as we concluded our reading of I, Juan de Pareja, we reviewed the world history between the years 1400-1800 to gain a better perspective of what we encountered in the historical fiction novel.  I came upon the greatest history website, http://worldhistoryforusall.sdsu.edu/bigeras.php, to find incredibly useful information.  (Not to mention, this awesome site is a project from my alma mater, San Diego State University! Way to go!) I like how this site asks the 'big questions' and outlines information on the scale of humankind.  So much of history is presented in a manner that is specific to one region or event at a time and is therefore isolated from the bigger picture. This site breaks world history into nine eras and expains this:


"In many schools, teachers are expected to sweep across thousands of years of world history in a single academic year. Even if the social studies program provides for two or more years of world history, teachers must select among a galaxy of possible topics, deciding what subject matter to include and what to leave out. Teachers often face one of two broad alternatives:

• Choose among world history time periods, omitting some altogether. This approach may result in students having little or no exposure to major eras of the past, such as the paleolithic, the ancient periods, or the past half-century. It may also leave students with insufficient understanding of how major historical eras link to one another.
• Choose among regions and civilizations, including some but not others. This solution is never satisfactory in a genuinely global history course because it usually excludes the historical experience of a significant part of humanity. If mostly European topics are chosen, students will likely come away with a skewed and misleading view of the human venture.

World History for Us All recommends that teachers who expect to cover thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of years of history (whether in one, two, or three years) raise the scale of historical investigation, both in time and geographical space. That is, this curriculum gives more thorough attention to large patterns of change and to "big" historical questions."

Niah's

Baron's

So, while we read and discussed ERA 6 http://worldhistoryforusall.sdsu.edu/eras/era6.php , the kids busied themselves with coloring pages from a historical costume book.

It was interesting to learn about the factors that inhibited population growth in the Americas and how/why our country demographic is relatively small by comparison to China and India.  We talked about how different life would be here if the Americas were discovered earlier or if the period of 'Great Dying' hadn't occurred.  We discussed how the explorers/merchants/settlers brought many biota that affected the native people, plants, and animals.  The topic of weeds came up and how some species dominted and even obliterated native species.  We questioned what the lands would look like now if we were isolated from the rest of the world.   

This was a great history study for us.  The kids kept their attention focused on the subject for the most part as much of it was relevant and they could make connections between hsitorical factors and life as we know it. 

Next on the agenda is to survey Pirates which is relevant as they claimed 'fame' during this era when exploration and global trade was booming. 

Microscope: Red Blood Cells

Mommy cut her finger so we put the blood to good use.