Joy through Gratitude

The annual Joy Through Music event last night was a collection of brilliant stars whose shared light created an exponential brightness for our evening of family togetherness. Over 70 people, representing children, parents, grandparents, neighbors, Big Friends, AIA Board members, and co-workers from four different AIA programs, gathered in celebration of the season of love and gratitude. Reflecting our color scheme of silver and gold, old and new friends held time to share the joy of the season of giving. There was amazing talent on display. One of the most moving spectacles was the courage of young performers modeling risk to youth and adults.

Without neglecting anyone's magnificent contributions, many, many thanks to Christa Brandt and Kris Palmer for their leadership and support of this event, and for our set-up and clean-up crews, including:
Becca Alturk
Joe & Kimberly Anakata
Ihssan Abukhalaf
Andrew Fletcher
Zury Garcia
Keith Lewis
Dee McWilliams (sound)
Erin Nunn
Leandre Powell
Camille Reynolds
Heather Zunguze

And many thanks to Issa Brandt for hosting! His special presentation shared with Sharisse Huie, our parent AIA Board Rep, warmed the hearts of our dedicated teachers. Much appreciation to all the families for expressing their gratitude at this time to Artensia Young, Cierra Price, Dan Burr, Maria Sanchez and Sky Young.

DECEMBER GIFTS

• $90.00 was raised through cash donations toward the Home Sweet Home Music Garden.


• 100% of HSH staff have pledged support to the Alternatives in Action Annual Fund - joined by generous parent donations we are well on our way to achieving the Home Sweet Home goal of $1500. We hope to exceed this monetary goal AND achieve 100% family participation!


• Bongos and drums have been gifted to our preschool.


• An alumni gift of $1200 was designated to Home Sweet Home scholarships.


• Significant canned foods have been collected for the Food Drive.


• The unique and thoughtful gift of dry-cleaned dress-shirts, blazers and ties have supported many of our BASE seniors as they apply for internships this month.

Inclusion and Diversity

"Diversity and Coherence" by Peter Moss

“The value of diversity lies in its recognition and welcoming of otherness, its resistance to any form of referential norm, and its insistence that there are alternative perspectives, other ways of understanding the world and practicing life. It creates space for the construction of individual, group and local values, identities, and knowledge. In education, valuing diversity enables a pedagogy of difference, the creation of new knowledge, and new thought through the provocation of an encounter with otherness. It is a profoundly democratic value, welcoming participation of all on their own terms and with their own perspectives. "

To share a personal story, my Home Sweet Home alum got into an argument with her same aged cousin about same-sex parents, essentially taking the position that they exist. Her cousin was incredulous and insistent that this is not possible. The children's frustration lead to parent engagement, and the other child's parents said it was inappropriate to discuss "that" with a child so young. My response was a little bit indignant and judgmental. But was I appropriate?

Our Home-to-School Connection assignment is to hold space for an intentional conversation around "same and different". What do these concepts mean, how do we represent them to our children, and how do children define themselves with and next to others.

As Home Sweet Home prepares for our Winter Break, we reflect on these past four months filled with the adventure of new relationship. Relationship-based learning is rich from the provocation and negotiation embedded in observing, unwrapping and engaging with individuals and groups new to us or in new ways. By knowing and being known by one another, we are profoundly changed.

Emerging Themes

There is a lot of intentionality right now in Home Sweet Home to discuss and explore ideas about and practices of kindness, gratitude and empathy. Sky has supported strong conversations around the gift of giving - how it is a gift to ourselves to positively impact others. In the Butterfly classroom we have some collection bins for several charities, including canned foods. The act of the child bringing in a can to donate will further open up their thoughts about this theme. Please initiate and continue these conversations at home - linking the child's ideas back to their reality at Home Sweet Home. What does it mean to be a friend? What does it mean to have gratitude?

At our last Team Meeting, Home Sweet Home staff shared their observations of emerging interest around movement, both how we move ourselves and how things are moved. Transportation, with an emphasis on boats, seems to be an especially strong interest in the Brown Bear classroom.

A field trip plan started forming - taking the children by ferry from Alameda to Pier 39 and checking out the Jeremiah O'Brien Liberty Ship. This would be a rigorous field trip involving parent transport (to the ferry), walking, riding the ferry to and fro, and we will need a lot of parent and/or Bog Friend chaperones, especially for the Butterfly Class. Possible dates for this field trip are January 10th or 12th.

We would appreciate support from a parent coordinator! Any takers? Please connect with Dan and Artensia.