Our Story of No Greater Gift / Be a Honey and Save the Honey Bees / Monday and Tuesday: Julius Caesar Production at School

“In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky.
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead.
Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.”
– John McCrae May 1915

The Story of Mankind,
OUR story,
may end
unlike it began.

  “This is the way the world ends
    Not with a bang but a whimper.”
– T. S. Eliot
The Hollow Men

My Dear Friends,
the precious Gift
of Freedom,
is given to us,
each and every one,
by those who sacrificed
everything:
their Freedom,
their deep longing to Live,
all the Love that Life
could bring,
the Beauty
of every Spring,
yes,
everything.

And now,
thanks to them,
this day begins
everything.

The pathway forward.

The past
permeates through
YOU
and me,
as we cruise
into this Life
with many Sails
unfurled.

The Brave
do not lie quietly
in their Sacred Graves.
They are
alive
in YOU.
With every shout
of Joy,
with every Blessed moment
to remember,
they quietly celebrate
the Life
you live,
that they give
to you.

        Time is not a natural feature of our Universe.

So breathe deeply
and say a quiet
Prayer,
a Prayer of Thanksgiving,
for the most precious Gift
you will ever receive,
the Gift of Freedom
and Life.

“Greater Love
hath no man than this,
that a man lay down his life
for his friends.”
– John 15:13

The Oceans
of their deep and abiding
Love
break upon every
shore.

Deep
in the Forest
of our ideals and ideas,
where our Heart glows,
we live
in this day
and in yesterday.

Their Sacred Sacrifice,
a still Living, breathing thing,
is the Freedom
that can be found,
to be more profound,
than any other
thing on Earth

And now,
let us take time
for reflection.

If
in this day
all is ending,
without Tomorrow,
the past never happened.
The sacrifices
never made.
Without Tomorrow,
there is no Today.
And without this day,
Tomorrow shall never
be.

We are
that we are,
and what will be,
or never be.

The Love of your Child is the way.

Our precious children
are the Seeds that spring to Life
in the Sacred soil
of Freedom,
purchased at the price
of so much sorrow,
suffering and death.

The Love
of your Child
is the way
to remember and Honor
all those who suffered and died
in war.

Let us Honor
their sacrifice
and make the darkness bright.
Let us bear the Truth
and the Light.
They are calling
in the night,
like a Candle very bright,
to give our Children
Hearts
for Love
alone.

Jean-Paul Sartre

If existence
precedes essence,
then our essence
precedes
our further existence.
  But the essence of a thing
is far more fundamental,
more immutable than its
existence.
.

The pathway forward
is beneath
our feet.
Let us
search for it
with our minds,
and follow it
with our Hearts.

What leads us
to Tomorrow
is the Light
of Today.
And that Light,
the Light of Love,
must be seen
by everyone.

As we
open our eyes
and peer into
the Hearts of others,
we see
more clearly.

                         There must be no more War.

The specter of
Hope
resonates throughout
History.
But the History
of all Mankind
is one tragedy
followed
by another.
The chapters
are marked
by
war after war.

But Today,
there must be
no more,
no more
War.

Down the mountain side
we will fall,
into a valley hushed
and white with snow.
No one will be here,
in the bright Light
of the Sun to tell
of our journey upward,
with sweeter songs
that accompanied us.
For what was unknown
became real,
and what then was real
became, with us,
unknown:
a potential existence
that stilled every voice
that sang every song.

“But of the tree of the
knowledge
of good and EVIL,
thou shalt not eat of it:
for in the day that thou eatest thereof,
thou shalt surely
die.”
– Genesis 2:17

Life
without the deep and abiding
reflection of Love,
simply
cannot exist,
cannot prevail.

The deep and abiding reflection of Love.

Unknowing
becomes known
because you exist.
But you are here
because of the
Love
that also existed.

Time is not
a natural feature
of our Universe.
It is a concept
invented by us,
we, so Human in being.
There may be no past behind us,
or physical future waiting
in the wings.

Nature
does not defend
the right to cry.
But cry we will
late into our night.
For the reality
of Being
resides within each
Heart.
And so it was,
and always has
been.

Cherish the mind
that has a
Heart.

Goodnight.

                   YOU may not give a Hoot. But I do!

“Little Fly,
Thy summer’s play
My thoughtless hand
Has brushed away.
Am I not like thee?
Or art not thou A man like Me?
For I dance and drink and sing,
Till some blind hand
Shall brush my wing.”
– William Blake

How mowing your lawn less
could help save the Bees
read more

By Chaffin Mitchell, AccuWeather staff writer

If you forget to mow your grass for a couple of weeks, it turns out you might be doing a favor for the environment.

New research by the USDA Forest Service and partners funded by the National Science Foundation found that mowing the lawn less frequently can significantly improve pollinator habitat.

Susannah Lerman, a research ecologist with the USDA Forest Service’s Northern Research Station, and her collaborators studied whether different lawn mowing frequencies (one, two or three weeks) influenced bee abundance and diversity in herbicide-free suburban yards in Springfield, Massachusetts.

“Mowing lawns less frequently provides an additional opportunity for householders to support bee conservation,” Lerman said.

Green spaces in urban residential yards could provide suitable habitats for pollinators.

“Mowing less frequently is practical, economical and a time-saving alternative to lawn replacement or even planting pollinator gardens,” Lerman said.

Frequent mowing inhibits the growth of “weedy” species which include dandelions and clover.

Since widespread population declines of bees and other pollinators from habitat loss are a growing concern, spontaneous flowers such as dandelions and clover could provide pollen and nectar sources throughout the growing season.

The team experimentally tested whether different lawn mowing frequencies of one, two or three weeks influenced bee abundance and diversity in 16 suburban western Massachusetts yards by increasing lawn floral resources.

“Lawn-dominated yards, when mowed less frequently and not treated with chemicals, can support surprisingly high numbers of bees and species diversity,” Lerman said.

At the Anderson School, we allow the front 2 acres of our property to blossom into beautiful Wild Flowers each Spring and Summer. This is to assist our resident Honey Bees to survive and thrive. We keep a hive for them at the back of the property – and Thank You Carter and Dad, Travis, for the new Honey Bee Hive! It is beautiful. The word buzzing around is: They Love It!!  Our Honey Bees always Beehave and truly Beelong. We Love them very much and cherish what they do for us.

My Dear Friends, please reserve some space at your home for these very precious Gifts from God. Be a Honey and help a Honey Bee.

IMPORTANT DATES
May 14 & 15                      Shakespeare Theatrical Production at School
May 22- 25                        Adventure Trip
May 25                              Last Day of Semester

Important dates are posted each Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.:
William’s Weblog at andersonschool.net

Lyrics/songs texts/paintings/articles
are property and copyright of their owners
and provided for educational purposes.

Copyright Disclaimer – Section 107 – Copyright Act 1976,
allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship,and research. Fair use is permitted by copyright statute. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of “fair use”.

© Copyright 1995-2018 The Anderson Private School.
All Rights Reserved

              Habitats for pollinators.

Lockstep and Fits ALL? / Monarchs and Milkweed / Nutrition / Tea and Dementia / Equipping the Storm Shelter / Friday: At School (Shakespeare Production)

“I long for the day
when the statement,
‘Our God is Love,
our race is Human,
and our religion is Oneness,’
is more than the musings
of my mind,
but is the Creed of the Heart
of the Human family.”
– Rev. Jim Rosemergy

Monarch butterfly / Photo by Mark Musselman / National Audubon Society / USFWS

The annual migration of North America’s
Monarch Butterfly is a unique phenomenon.
The Monarch is the only butterfly
known to make a two-way migration as birds do,
flying as far as 3,000 miles.
The farthest ranging Monarch recorded
traveled 265 miles in one day,
and they weigh less than a gram

Every backyard can become an oasis
for Monarchs. You can engage in planting
or preserving native milkweed plants
necessary for their survival.
Our school always preserves milkweed plants
for our visiting Monarch friends.

Why don’t you join us?

By the way,
Milkweed is the larval host for the Monarch
and is considered nectar plants for many different
butterfly species found feeding from the flower.

We are located directly in the migratory path
of the magnificent Monarch Butterflly.

Few are aware
that the educational system
we have in place today
was adopted from the program
put into place by
Catherine the Great of Russia in
1899
to produce good soldiers, obedient factory workers,
and citizens who would not question authority
and dutifully pay their taxes.

         Catherine the Great                Credit: Dmitry Levitzky [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

This curriculum model
has inevitably led to a
“one size fits all”
mentality
and a lockstep method
of advancement.
It emphasizes rote memorization
and the passing of tests
over critical thinking skills,
the development of creativity,
fostering and nurturing
a Love of Learning,
and the acceleration of study
in innate areas of
higher awareness.

The lockstep platform forces learners
to proceed at the same pace.
It requires fewer instructors,
far less management and assessment
and is much more easily managed
than self-paced programs.

The ‘Iiwi is one of the endangered Hawaiian honeycreeper species. Photo by Kahn, Noah/USFWS

A primary disadvantage of lockstep placement
is that the pace is set for average learners.
However,
there are no average learners.
It is statistically improbable
that a group of children will all be
in the third grade, second month,
first week and second day
in all elementary subjects
and progress day after day,
year after year,
at the same pace.

And the design of the curriculum,
placement within the program,
as well as the assessment tools utilized,
are all highly subjective.

Every child is different.
They all have special learning requirements
and different pacing needs
within different subject areas.

No,
there are no average learners.
Everything in Life
follows the bell-shaped curve
of probability.
And with time,
one’s position on this curve
becomes fluid and flexible,
especially within a broad range
of subject areas
and learning disciplines and interests
and strengths and weaknesses.

Endangered Bay Checkerspot butterfly / photo by John Clecker / USFWS

And the linear concept
of directing virtually every educational goal
toward achievement on a singular event assessment
always results in validity concerns.

“Teaching to a test becomes stifling
for teachers and students,
far from the inspiring, adaptive education
which most benefits students.
Our greatly accelerating world needs graduates
who are trained to address
tough situations with innovation,
ingenuity, entrepreneurship, and a capacity
for mobilizing collaboration and cooperation.”
– Jonathan Lash, President, Hampshire College

Goodnight.

Island marble butterfly / Photo by Miskelly, James / USFWS

“Nutrition is important
in both cancer and heart disease prevention.
Eating a diet RICH in
fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fat-free and
low-fat dairy foods, and seafood
has been associated with a decrease
in cardiovascular disease and cancer.”

The disease-fighting elements in a good diet are:
Fiber, which aids weight control
and lowers heart and cancer risks,
Antioxidants, which fight disease-causing cell damage.
Omega-3 fatty acids,
which lower blood pressure
among other benefits.”

    – Michael LeFevre, MD

Zebra Swallowtail / Photo by Hagerty, Ryan / USFWS

When a severe storm spawns tornadoes,
proper shelter is the key to staying alive.

it is crucial to keep the shelter equipped
with the right materials to stay safe.

“People should take every warning seriously,”
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Kottlowski said.
“Warnings are issued because there is good scientific data
showing either a storm producing damaging winds,
hail or a tornado,
or is capable of doing so.”

Having a plan in place before severe weather strikes
will avoid any last-second panic or confusion.
It also ensures that everyone will be prepared
to handle a storm and its aftermath.

Lucinda Parker, public information officer
at the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said.

A basic kit includes water, nonperishable food,
a first aid kit, a flashlight and batteries.
(Friends: have an additional unopened package of new batteries)
If sheltering pets or infants,
keep a supply of baby formula, diapers and pet food
in the kit as well.

“We urge people to keep a kit at home,
in their car, and if they do have a storm shelter,
that would be a good place for a kit, as well,” Parker said.

“If you ever find happiness
by hunting for it,
you will find it,
as the old woman did
her lost spectacles,
safe on her own nose
all the time.”
– Josh Billings

Other essential items to have on hand, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency:

1. Battery-powered radio
2. Pillows, blankets and other bedding (pillows can also be used as protection from flying debris)
3. Essential documents (birth certificate copies, insurance policies, etc.)
4. Toilet paper and bags for sanitation
5. Personal sanitation items (toothbrush, deodorant, etc.)
6. Whistle (to signal for help if trapped)
7. A change of clothes per person
8. Close-toe shoes and extra socks per person (especially if there is debris to tread over)
9. Wrench or pliers (to turn off utilities)
10. Dust mask or cotton t-shirt (to filter the air)
read more

Little wood satyr / Photo by Barnes, Dr. Thomas G. / USFWS

Drinking Tea Cuts Your Risk of Dementia in Half
from our friends at the Underground Health Reporter
read more

A recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging
found that drinking tea can cut your risk of cognitive impairment in half. For individuals with a genetic risk of developing Alzheimer’s, the reduction of risk could be lowered by as much as 86%!

Benefits associated with tea consumption come from the numerous bioactive compounds found in tea leaves, including:

Catechins
Theaflavins
Thearubigins
L-theanine

The compounds exhibited anti-inflammatory
and antioxidant properties,
as well as additional bioactive properties
that appear to prevent vascular damage to the brain
and neurodegeneration.

“Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”  – Luke 18:15-17

 Friday:
We will meet at school (8:30 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.)
The day will be dedicated to work on our
Shakespeare production
with Director
George Rodriguez.

IMPORTANT  DATES:
April 7               At School (preparation for Shakespeare production)
April 14 & 17    (Friday and Monday) Good Friday and Easter Holidays
April 28             Scarborough Renaissance Festival (Weather permitting)
May 1                TUITION DUE for 2017-18
May 15 & 16      Shakespeare Production at Stage West Theater
May 22 – 26       Adventure Trip
May 26               Last Day of Semester.

Tiger swallowtail / Photo by Dr.Thomas G. Barnes / USFWS

 Copyright Disclaimer – Section 107 – Copyright Act 1976,
allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship,and research. Fair use is permitted by copyright statute. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of “fair use”.