...with Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman's book NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children

Thursday, February 25th, 2010
7pm at The Soulard School

"The central premise of our book is that many of modern society's strategies for nurturing children are in fact backfiring — because key twists in the science have been overlooked. The resulting errant assumptions about child development have distorted parenting habits, school programs, and social policies. They affect how we think about kids, and thus how we interpret child behavior and communicate with the young. The intent of this book is not to be alarmist, but to teach us to think differently — more deeply and clearly — about children. The topics covered in this book are wide-ranging, devoted to equal parts brain fiber and moral fiber. They relate to children of every age, from tots to teens. Specifically, we have chapters devoted to confidence, sleep, lying, racial attitudes, intelligence, sibling conflict, teen rebellion, self-control, aggression, gratitude, and the acquisition of language". - Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman

The Soulard School's vitality is one of its most exciting characteristics, and is due in large part to the incredible participation of our families. Our roundtable discussions are one of the many ways families are able to join in and cultivate such a special place for our kids to learn and grow (see Dec. newsletter). These continue into the new year with our first roundtable book discussion, where we will explore Bronson and Merryman's book Nurtureshock: New Thinking About Children. This is a book that the staff have been exploring for professional development as well (especially chapters 1, 2 & 8), and we hope this will be the first of many great book discussions that deepen the communication in our community. Read the book - or as much as you can - and join us to share your thoughts and responses.

Email Katie Mack with any questions:
info@soulardschool.org

The book fair last month was a wonderfully busy weekend! We raised almost $1,600 in book credit for the school, $50 in raffle money for library supplies, and collected well over 60 book donations for classrooms and the library. Congratulations to the three raffle winners, who scored a gift certificate to Paste Crafts, movie passes to STL Cinemas, and a copy of Fantastic Mr. Fox! Many thanks to Left Bank Books for their continued support of our school. And thank you to everyone who came out to the book fair and made it such a great success.

St. Louis's literary happenings are abundant, StudioSTL being one of its many gems. In case you haven't come across them yet, they are a literary arts center for students (and sometimes adults, too!). Their mission? To help youth ages 6 to 18 discover, develop, and celebrate their individual voices through writing. Here, here!

Among their many programs, they host Saturdays at the Studio, a series of spot-on writing workshops led by creative types from a variety of professions - all for FREE! Their December lineup looks particularly fantastic, and I encourage families to sign their young writers up! Register in advance by calling 314-289-4080 or by emailing info@studiostl.org.

SUPERHERO SNAPSHOTS

10am - 12pm @ StudioSTL
Jeff Weigel, Cartoonist & Superhero Master
Saturday, December 5
Ages 6 to 10
Look! Up in the SKY! It's a bird, it's a plane, it's _________! Join us to craft your very own superhero complete with awe-inspiring powers. Jeff will draw and show our youngest writers what it takes to pack a punch with super characters. Then, we'll make a deck of SUPERHERO! trading cards to share our best word powers!

URBAN ALCHEMY: ART INTO WORDS

12pm - 2pm @ Pulitzer Foundation For the Arts
Amy Broadway, Pulitzer; John Pankey, Architect
Saturday, December 12
Ages 14 to 18
What were they thinking? Ever wonder how critics criticize? How do writers look at art and put abstract concepts into words? How do writers describe art while respecting the artist? How do writers deal with abstract concepts that seem to defy description? StudioSTL writers will take a stab at all of these questions and more with an incredible personal tour of the Gordon Matta-Clark exhibit on urban landscapes. We'll jot notes, chat, and pen our personal reactions to the most important question of all: What do WE think?

"You said you could not understand her."
"I understand how to open a door,"  said Sister Marie gently.

Occasionally, the Library Corner will feature a book too good not to share. This month's selection is Kate DiCamillo's highly awaited new novel The Magician's Elephant, beautifully illustrated by Yoko Tanaka. This winter tale, set in the city of Baltese in the 19th century, tells the story of a young orphan named Peter who cannot resist the impossible words of a fortuneteller in the marketplace - "You must follow the elephant." And when a magician's magic goes terribly wrong, the fortuneteller's nonsense begins to make sense, sending Peter out into the cold world to find the sister he has lost. DiCamillo brings the timeless themes of hope and faith to her magical prose, giving us a fairy tale that is familiar enough to bring comfort, and fresh enough to bring joy. While geared toward children ages 8-13, it will certainly be enjoyed by folks as young as 4 and as old as they come. Pick this book up at Left Bank Books, and you will receive a free print signed by the author (while supplies last, of course). 

This weekend...

SPREAD THE WORD!

Left Bank Books is hosting a Book Fair in support of The Soulard School on Saturday Nov. 14th from 10am to 6pm and Sunday, Nov. 15th from 11am to 6pm, at their Central West End location.

20% of all designated purchases will be donated as store credit to acquire books for the school library and classrooms. Last year's Book Fair raised almost $2,000 and collected over 50 book donations.

The Book Fair is an excellent opportunity to spread the word about the school. We will have an information table set up in the store, with parent volunteers available to answer questions and wrap holiday gifts. Enjoy home-baked goodies, storytelling at 1pm & 3pm, and a raffle with door prizes to boot!

There will be plenty of reading suggestions and school wish-lists to peruse. Be sure to check out the Librarian's Book Fair Pick, The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo. Left Bank Books will be giving away a free print signed by the author with the purchase of this book, while supplies last.

Thank you to all the families who turned in their book order forms! All books will be available for pick-up at the book fair. If you are interested in volunteering for the book fair as a parent representative, a giftwrapper, or a storyteller, please contact Erin Quick at erin.quick@soulardschool.org.

Tell your friends and family to get some of their holiday shopping done and support our school at the same time!