Tuesday, February 7, 2012

News and Updates from the Little School on the Mountain



It was a crisp, overcast day here on the mountain.  Last night's rain cleared out the sky and washed the trees clean.  We have some truly incredible redwoods here at Bonny Doon School (see above-those are ours!).  Most days, the students prefer to run around in the trees instead of playing on the play structure.  Their play is so imaginative, and they are constantly running around, keeping active.   The children that attend school here truly appreciate the beautiful environment in which they live.

On that note, for those of you who don't already know, Bonny Doon has been selected by the Monterey Bay Fund and the Offset Project as a model, proof-of-concept school and to be the first school to receive support and funding from these nonprofits to go solar.  We are putting the finishing touches on a financing package right now, and we hope to have solar panels installed by the end of the summer, if not sooner.  We are already a Waste Free School, and next year we will begin work to become a Certified Green Business.  Our students learn how important it is to be good stewards of their environment, and it's wonderful to see how well they take care of their school.

 So, how about some updates.  
Budget:  The Governor is poised to sign SB 81, a bill that restores the transportation cut for this year and implements an across-the-board cut of $42 per pupil.  This means that instead of being cut $21,000 for this year, we will only be cut about $5,000.  It's a dark day when you find yourself cheering over a $5,000 cut, but that's what we're reduced to these days!  The full, permanent cut to transportation beginning next school year is still expected to go through, resulting in a yearly loss of $42,000 for our district.  If you have feelings about this, please email the Governor.  It is due to the outpouring from the public that restored this year's cut, so we all can make a difference!

Technology:  A few months ago, I wrote a grant to the Santa Cruz County Office of Education for funds to take four teachers to the Computer Using Educators (CUE) conference this year.  This is an amazing conference with hundreds of workshops to choose from over three days in March.  We are very lucky to have teachers here that are willing to step out of their comfort zone and continue to learn and grow in this area.  I know that we will come back inspired and ready to try some new ideas that will benefit all of our students. 





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