Here’s the skinny on Big Work 2.0, the master plan for Post Oak ’s two campus school. The decision to relocate Post Oak ’s Middle School

to the Museum District campus will allow us to renovate 15,000 square feet of interior space on the Bissonnet campus in order to create a new music studio/black box theater and other facility enhancements, with the secondary benefit of

reducing the number of students on campus, as well as cars in the car pool line and in the parking lot.

Middle School, which currently occupies 3,500 square feet on the second f loor of the Bissonnet campus, will move into the existing 6,000 square feet high school building on Autrey Street, a 21st century school design requiring no adaptation for their use. On the Montrose end of the Museum

U P DAT Eb y Jo h n Lo ng, Hea d o f S ch o o l

V O L U M E X X , N U M B E R 6A biweekly publication of The Post Oak School

O C T O B E R 31 , 2 0 14Available online at

www.postoakschool.org

i n t h i s i s s u e : G A L A U N D E R W R I T I N G U P D A T E • F I E L D DAY PH O T O S • S H O W I N G O U R B E A R K A T P R I D E

T h e

POST

District campus, we will construct a new 8,200 square feet building for the high school program. Those are the key elements of the revised campus master plan presented to parents last week. You can view the entire presentation by visiting our website and clicking on the left link titled “Big Work Capital Campaign.”

The board feels strongly that this plan looks further down the road in meeting the school’s long-term programmatic needs, and is a much better use of our resources. It adds needed physical facilities to the Bissonnet campus without the disruption that would have accompanied that planned heroic construction effort. The Bissonnet campus will be dedicated to the needs of the early childhood and elementary programs: a shoe that fits just right. The Museum District campus will become Post Oak’s center for adolescent education, spanning the years from grade 7 thru grade 12, placing our older students in Houston’s most resource-rich cultural environment.

This is truly a watershed moment in the history of the school, one that will shape its direction for decades. Big Work 2.0 is the name given to the master plan and it is also the capital campaign that will enable us to realize this vision. Many of you have already made a commitment to support this work. Everyone will have an opportunity to help, so expect to hear from us in the days ahead. There is much to accomplish before we put a shovel in the ground this coming June, a schedule that would see the new and renewed facilities ready for the 2016-17 school year.

TWO GREAT EVENTSONE GREAT DAY

Invitations Mailed This Week!

If you would like your child’s grandparents or other relatives/friends to be invited to this year’s Grandparents’ & Friends’ Days, please visit www.postoakschool.org (left hand menu option) and

submit their email address. After this week, invitations will only be emailed, provided

that we are given their email address. If you already know which guests

are coming, please make sure they RSVP either online or

by mail. Additional printed invitations are available at

the front office.•

November 24 & 25, 2014

&Friends’days

Grandparents’

AT THE POST OAK SCHOOL

BLAST OFF TO

READING with books, activities,

music, and more!

Barnes & Noble 3003 Holcombe

Monday, November 24 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.

PLEASE NOTE: Advance notice by a parent is required for students in Young Children’s Community through Primary to be

dismissed from school with a grandparent or special friend.

Join us for a special storytime event hosted by librarian

Cory Eckert at 1:00 & 5:00 p.m.

Coffee with the Middle School and High School DirectorsWednesday, November 12

9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Get the answers to your questions about adolescent education at our Coffee with High School Director James Moudry and Middle School Director Jami Sweeney. This meeting will be held in the Multipurpose Room on the Bissonnet campus.

Artist’s rendering of the plans for Post Oak’s Museum District center for adolescent education

Rescheduled to 12/10

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G A L A C H A I R S : Laura Citardi and Whitney Walsh

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015THE HOUSTONIAN HOTEL

We offer thanks to Creative Branch for their very generous in-kind donation of decorations for our upcoming spring Gala. The use of their decoration items free of charge will mean that more money raised will go directly toward school support

rather than gala expenses. We hope you will consider supporting this company as they have supported Post Oak. Creative Branch offers home holiday decorating services, and if that is something you are interested in, please contact them and mention Post Oak School.

Blaine Stacey, owner713-861-5551

Post Oak’s Biennial Gala is one of two major fundraisers for the school. THIS is a gala year and we hope to see you THERE!

Our sincere thanks to Post Oak Fund Chairs Carol & John Howenstine and Class Captains

for their efforts.

THE 2014–2015 POST OAK FUND

TOGETHER WE CAN!

2014

-15 PA

RT

ICIPA

TIO

N T

O D

AT

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PARENTS 48%

TRUSTEES 100%

EMPLOYEES 100%

For printable response forms or to donate online, go to www.postoakschool.org or contact the Development Office

at (713-661-6688) or christinacantu@postoakschool.org.

GALA PROJECTS IN THE WORKS!

Parents and students work together on Tamara Townsend’s Gala project

Works in clay are destined to become part of the Gala project for Primary Home Environment

Gala Underwriting tables are filling up! Thank you to everyone who has turned in

their underwriting support.

10-top Underwriting tables are available at these levels:

$3,000 [SOLD OUT] $5,000 $10,000 $25,000

Underwriting is also available for couples at these levels

$1000 $500

Call your friends, split a table, and be ready to walk down the red carpet to a night of

Hollywood style and Post Oak fun!

Underwriters at the $1000+ level are invited to the Underwriting event on February 5th.

Thank you for supporting the school through Gala Underwriting!

We have raised $181,000 of our $300,000 goal. Thank you, Post Oak parents! The campaign continues until we reach our $300,000 goal.

Underwriting form link is available on the left-hand menu of our home page.

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Thank you to our chairs Valerie Sonsino and Stacey Martin!

Q. What’s your favorite thing about POHS?

A. The teachers are great – they really care about the students.

Q. What’s your favorite food?

A. Sushi

Q. What are your major interests and hobbies?

A. Dance, photography, and yoga

Q. What’s your favorite Houston hangout spot?

A. The Menil Park

Q. What’s been your favorite J-term or A-term project so far?

A. Backpacking through Big Bend with Mr. Grisbee for A-term

Q. What’s your favorite TV show?

A. How I Met Your Mother

Q. What colleges do you plan on applying to?

A. UCLA and The University of Oregon

Q. What’s your favorite color?

A. Baby blue

Q. Title of the last book you’ve read?

A. The Bluest Eye

Q. Out of all of the POHS trips you’ve taken, what’s been your favorite?

A. The 2014 Odyssey Trip to New Orleans – it was fun and very interactive

Q. Name someone who has had a strong impact in your life up until this point.

A. My mother

Q. What is your favorite song right now?

A. “Novocaine” by Frank Ocean

POST OAK HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2016 SPOTLIGHT:

Iris Stringer-Graeve

STUDENT FILMS As part of an internal

assessment for IB Literature, students gave oral presentations to show their appreciation and understanding of a literary work they’ve read in class so far. One group of 11th grade students chose Mary Shelley’s classic, Frankenstein, and students directed their own version of the film, starring fellow students as well as teachers. They also gave an oral presentation to their classmates on how their film relates to the book.

THRILLER! A group of students have spent the last 4 weeks learning the Thriller dance as part of their PF class. Dancing is a great way to stay active and helps to increase coordination, agility, and muscle memory. The students performed their dance at the Halloween Party for the High School.

PSAT PR ACTICE Our 9th through 11th grade students took the PSAT on Oct. 15 This was a practice exam for 9th and 10th grade, and the qualifying National Merit Scholarship exam at the 11th grade level.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

NOW AT

BELONG

YOUHERE

T e P O S T OA

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HI G

H S C H O O L

Fiesta Mexicana / Mexican PartyBy Iris Stringer-Graeve, Class of 2016

FIESTA MEXICANA El 7 de octubre del 2014 todas las clases de Español se reunieron e hicieron una fiesta. Todos los estudiantes trajeron

comida para todos. Los estudiantes de noveno y décimo grado aprendieron un baile y lo bailaron para todos en la

escuela. Las niñas estaban vistiendo esas grandes hermosas faldas, tan divertido de ver. Me hizo sonreir. Así que lo primero que hicimos fue aprender sobre algunas tradiciones que suceden en México para celebrar la Independencia. Lo siguiente fue cuando vimos a los estudiantes bailar. Después todos cantamos, que fue bastante malo, pero

divertido. Luego vino la comida. En un salón de clases habia mucha comida en la mesa. Nos formamos en dos líneas diferentes y elegimos lo que cada quién quería comer. Una vez que tenías tu comida nos sentamos en la zona común o jugamos “lotería” (bingo). Esta fue una de mis cosas favoritas. Nunca gané, pero fue divertido aprender nuevas palabras. A pesar de que fueron estudiantes más jóvenes los que jugaron con nosotros fue fácil hablar con la gente con la que nunca tenemos clase. La fiesta fue increíble. La escuela se veía muy diferente de lo normal. No solo las decoraciones que estaban por todas partes, los estudiantes

realmente tratamos de buscar cosas auténticas de lo que creemos que la gente mexicana usa para una fiesta mexicana.

MEXICAN PARTY On October 7, 2014 all High School level Spanish classes came together to plan a party. All students brought food to share. The ninth and tenth grade students learned a dance and performed it for everyone at school. The girls were wearing these big beautiful skirts, making it so fun to watch. I had a big smile on my face! We first learned about some traditions that are practiced in Mexico in honor of their Independence. Afterwards, we watched students perform their dance. Next, everyone sang, and although it was pretty bad, we still had fun. Then came the food that we setup in the classroom. There was so much food on the table! We were put in two different lines, and chose what we wanted to eat. Once we served our food, people sat at a table in the common area and played bingo. Out of all the things we did, this was my favorite! Although I never won, it was fun to learn new words. The whole high school played this together. Because I don’t have classes with younger students, it was nice to have time to get to know them better. The party was truly amazing to see. The school looked so different, and we were really able to change it from what it normally looks like. It was more than just putting decorations everywhere, the students really tried to make everything look authentic.

continued on next page

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The Post Oak School is a member of Texas Charter Athletic League or TCAL; this includes both Middle School and High School sports.

MIDDLE SCHOOL: SOCCER

Our Middle School Bearkats have finished the fall soccer season with a 3-1 record, and they are preparing for the Spring season with TCAL. Our coed team played extremely well in all of the games with great passing and with many goals scored. We are looking forward to the spring soccer season where we will play an eight game schedule with TCAL with hopes of advancing to Regionals and then to State!

Both High School and Middle School Bearkat teams will begin preparing for our basketball season which is next. The Middle School will begin practice next week with games starting the first week of December. Our Middle School will play eight games with TCAL and also schedule games with other private schools during the season.

Showing our

HIGH SCHOOL: FLAG FOOTBALL

The members of the High School Flag Football team are Julian Chalet, Rains Browning, Brayden Chavis, Jordan Penchas, Caleb Han, Alex Donnenberg, Annelle King, John Mellinger, and Matthew Watowich.

I went Saturday afternoon to watch the team play Esprit International and enjoyed watching the team pull out a convincing victory by the score of 24-6.

Coach Cliff McBride is the first official coach for the competitive sports program at the High School. He brings with him a wide range of knowledge and experience, from training high school athletes to helping older individuals overcome physical challenges. Cliff is an active athlete himself and enjoys competing in track & field events, as well as participating in marathons. Just a few years ago he was able to run an 11-second 100 meter dash, which has him in the world rankings at his age group. Cliff has done an amazing job with the team and we are very happy to welcome him to our staff. Our High School teams are in good hands with Coach McBride.

If you get a chance come out and watch your Bearkats in action!

–Coach Tucker

Bearkat Pride!written by Coach Tucker

MIDDLE SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOLHIGH SCHOOLMIDDLE SCHOOL

DATE TEAM PLAYED SCORE

10/4 TEKOA CHARTER 22-26 10/11 ESPRIT INTL. 18-6 10/24 IMAN ACAD. SW 34-56 10/25 ESPRIT INTL. 24-6 10/25 IMAN ACAD. SW 30-20 10/27 ST. STEPHEN’S 32-24

Bearkats BasketballBearkats

Basketball2014-2015 SCHEDULE

DECEMBER

5 & 6 @Memorial Lutheran Tournament

8 vs. St. Stephen’s 4:30

9 @ Emery Weiner 6:00

JANUARY

20 vs. Emery Weiner 4:30

26 vs. St. Stephen’s 4:30

29 vs. St. Stephen’s 4:30

FEBRUARY

3 vs. St. Stephen’s 4:30

10 vs. St. Stephen’s 4:30

Not included in the schedule will be 8 games in the TCAL with a chance to advance to Regionals and then State.

Bearkats Flag Football

Bearkats Flag Football

GAMES THIS SATURDAY!

11:00 vs. St. Stephen’s 1:00 @ Tekoa Charter both games on Field 1 at YES Prep North Forest 6602 Winfield Rd. 77050

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A Raw (and yummy!)

Fall Recipe

continued on next page

Pa r e n t E d u c at i o n O p p o r t u n i t i e s

THIS is your campus.

in the Museum District

RAW VEGAN PUMPKIN PIE

Crust:2 cups walnuts2 cups raisinsPinch of salt (optional)

Pie filling:1 sugar pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cubed (about 6-7 cups) 1/4 cup melted coconut oil 3-5 tablespoons preferred sweetener1 teaspoon cinnamon1/2 tsp ea. nutmeg, ginger and cloves

To make the crust: pulse the walnuts in a food processor until they’re crumbs, add the raisins and salt and process until it begins to stick together. Press into a pie dish and put in the fridge.

To make the filling: blend all the ingredients until smooth, adding however much of the spices you like. If it’s quite runny, let it thicken in a bowl in the fridge. Spread into your crust and refrigerate overnight until it’s set. Slice and serve with your favorite topping!

OPEN HOUSE

Tuesday, November 11 – 7 p.m.

Thursday, December 4 – 7 p.m.

Tuesday, January 13 – 7 p.m.

Wednesday, February 11 – 7 p.m.

Tuesday, April 7 – 7 p.m.

Thursday, June 11 – 7 p.m.

by Post Oak parent Nikayla Thomas

“The mind of the child takes elements from the environment and incarnates them into his being.” --Maria Montessori

On October 17, Early Childhood Direc-tor, Mirani Smith and Upper Elementary Lead Teacher Maya Pinto discussed the importance of the “Practical Life” area of the Montessori classroom and how to translate and prepare our own home environments in a way that supports our children. “Dr. Montessori, who lived in India for many years, knew that to have a good harvest, it was necessary to plant in the proper season.” said Mirani Smith. Mirani explained how education, like seeds, must be planted when a child’s ab-sorbent mind is fertile. Providing children with an environment that allows them to exercise their “mental muscles” by using what they find in the world around them is a fundamental to Montessori education.

From birth to Age 6, children learn natu-rally using their hands to develop their mind. The Practical Life area of the class-room is richly appointed with tools for pouring, cleaning, preparing and provid-ing food. The tools are cultural, prompt-ing deep conversations about what they do and where they come from. The Practi-cal Life activities become a source of great comfort for the children and are the basis for building their self esteem. Mrs. Pinto recalled an event from a previous school where a parent came to observe her child before the fall conference and saw him sweeping the floor. Mrs. Pinto explained to the mother the benefits sweeping was having on her child intellectually, includ-

ing, developing hand-eye-coordination, sequencing (i.e. what tools do I need to start, do and finish the job), large body movements, balance and an appreciation of true cleanliness). When the mother re-turned for her Spring conference, she was dismayed that her son immediately went to the broom and dust pan--a task he had mastered and took great comfort in. Her comment, “I am not spending thousands of dollars on private education, so my son can learn to sweep the floor” although misplaced was understandable. However, it is this repetition of movement, and service to the community that becomes a base from which his intellect can grow and flower.

The complexion of Practical Life changes in the elementary classroom. Here, the children are not practicing washing their hands, they are washing them, they are not practicing dusting the cabinets, they are actually getting them clean. They take ownership to maintain the environment and it becomes their responsibility. Does this always work smoothly? Of course not. However, one of the jobs in an elementary classroom is that of the job checker. If another student notices that a job is not well done, then the job checker must do the work himself.

One of the mistakes we as parents some-times make at home, is expecting a child to complete a task that is not appropriate for their age. “If one is not able to wash one’s hands how can we expect them to make an elaborate dinner?” Mirani explains. We must be very specific with young children--please, go to the cabi-net, open the door and take out an apple

and then close the door. As a child gains mastery, the parent can add to the task. For example, a child of 18 months may be able to put the stuffed animals on their bed with your help. When that child is 2, he might be able to help flatten the sheets with your help, and so on. When a child is six, he or she can make the bed on their own. Oftentimes in our home environments we become too rushed with activities and caught up with the hustle and bustle of our world, that we deprive our children of the opportunities to both make a contribution and to learn from their mistakes. “When we eat to fast, we don’t properly digest our food. When we rush through life, we don’t properly digest our experiences” said Mirani.

When you expect children to assist in household tasks, and really take the time to teach them, they will treasure these times and have a genuine appreciation for what you do. “My children and I would have conversations before they had friends come over.” Mrs. Pinto recalled. They discussed items such as: where would the activities take place? what materials would be available? were they clean and organized? what hospitality would be of-fered? Expect your children to participate. Allow them to practice with glass and real tablecloths that show when a mistake is made. Children can make simple snacks themselves (using cookie cutters to cut sandwich bread, roll fruit in granola or coconut, pour beverages) and help prepare environments for their guests. “I am confidant that my son (now 35) could bring you to his home and make you feel welcome.” Mrs. Pinto said. My husband

Families Integrating School and Home (F.I.S.H.) Practical Life: The Foundation of the Prepared Environment

Pa r e n t E d u c at i o n O p p o r t u n i t i e s

would always ask my two sons, “What did you do to make the world a better place today?” And the answer, “I watered the plants” would be enough.

How do we translate Practical Life to in-tellect? Children who know how to take care of themselves and their environment are much more settled and can receive les-sons and plan follow-up activities on their own. Mrs. Pinto said that she observed one child in her class busy with the back-ground of a beautiful picture of a tree. Upon closer inspection, she realized this child had transformed a lesson of “similar, congruent and equivalent” into an art piece. “Thank goodness she had the tools of the classroom, and no bell to interrupt her” finished Mrs. Pinto.

So, as you are working around your house-hold, stop and think– Is this something my child can do? •

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S C E N E Sf ro m

T h e Po s t Oa k S ch o o l

1. Lower Elementary students on an outing at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft.

2. An Upper Elementary student explores a new book at the library.

3. Skip-counting with the bead materials prepares the child for multiplication.

4. Creating a bar chart in Lower Elementary is a task that requires great concentration.

5. Middle School students discuss their ideas for a creative writing assignment.

6. High school students at all levels visit with a representative from Babson College.

7. A child in the Young Children’s Community develops fine motor skills by scooping.

8. APrimary child enjoys playing hopscotch in PF.

9. Middle School students visit the Capitol on their trip to Washington, D.C.

10. Primary children work together to wash the dishes in their classroom.

11. Celebrating United Nations Day in the Montessori Model United Nations ASEP. 2

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N O V E M B E R 2 – 8

Sun 11/2 Daylight Saving Time ends

Tue-Thu 11/4-6

Standardized Testing (CTP4) for Middle School

Wed 11/5

POPA Coffee/Work Day8:45 a.m.–noon

Fri 11/7

CONFERENCE DAYClasses not in session: only students with expanded contracts attend

Green Team meeting moved to November 21

N O V E M B E R 9 – 1 5

Mon-Fri 11/10-14

Middle School to Blackwood Land Institute

Standardized Testing (CTP4) for 3rd grade and Upper El

Tue 11/11

Veterans’ Day

High School Open House7:00 p.m.

Wed 11/12

Coffee w/ Middle School & High School Directors moved to December 10

Fri 11/14

F.I.S.H. Meeting 9:00 a.m.

Sat 11/15 TEDxYouth 2014

Check out our calendar online at www.postoakschool.org

C A L E N DA R N OT I C E B OA R D

A B O U T T H E P O S T

The Post appears every other Friday of the regular school year. You can receive a printed copy from your oldest child, or a PDF version online.

Submit letters, articles, or photos in electronic form by 5:00 p.m. on the Tuesday before publication to Communications Coordinator Elisa Schmidt (elisaschmidt@postoakschool.org). If publication is on a

Thursday due to school closure on Friday, then the deadline is 5:00 p.m. on the preceding Monday.

THE POST OAK SCHOOL was founded in 1963 and accredited by both the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) and the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS)

4600 Bissonnet, Bellaire, Texas 77401 • Telephone: 713-661-6688 • Fax: 713-661-4959 • www.postoakschool.org

Conference Registration

The last remaining conference day is November 7. If you have not already done so, please sign up for a conference by going to www.postoakschool.org ▶ For Parents ▶ Schedule/View a Parent-Teacher Conference and enter your My BackPack login information.

Dads’ Basketball

Every Wednesday Night in the Gym 8:00–10:00 p.m.

All Post Oak Dads

are invited to join in!

We have had a number of complaints from Episcopal High School security regarding our use of gates and parking on their campus. Please be advised that the ONLY permitted use of the EHS campus easement is to EXIT through the Peace Circle gate, continue to Bissonnet without stopping, and make the turn to exit the property. If you need to care for your child(ren) before exiting campus, please pull around on the inside of the Peace Circle.

No Parking on EHS Campus

Nanny Needed Post Oak Family seeking part-time nanny for two afternoons per week and occasional weekends. Days are flexible, about 10-15 hours per week. Previous experience with a Post Oak Family is a plus. We have two girls, ages three and one. Please call Marcel at (713) 302-9366 or email mbartolazzi@gmail.com.

Green Team’s next meeting has been

rescheduled to Friday, November 21

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