Author Carter Higgins read Bikes For Sale to preschool students and later signed books in the gymnasium.
Clairbourn’s library strongly supports student literacy through an annual Book Fair event on campus which introduces students to the best books in children’s literature and helps them to learn how books come into existence.
Local and nationally-known visiting authors and illustrators are brought on campus each year as part of the Book Fair. These grade-level appropriate presentations often include book readings and can cover writing skills, storyline development, character development, editing, how to get published and promote books, and how to draw and conceptualize book illustrations.
This year, Clairbourn brought two authors on campus. Preschool to Grade 5 students heard from Carter Higgins, a former school librarian who now writes popular children’s books. For the youngest students, she gave two read-aloud sessions of her book Bikes for Sale, where bike-riding characters Maurice and Lotta have a mishap that leads to a friendship and new adventures thanks to some creative problem-solving.
Third-graders benefit from a hands-on science lesson provided by current Clairbourn parents Dr. Tijana Talisman and Dr. Ian Talisman.
Clairbourn’s community is unique among area schools because of our
emphasis on parent involvement in the life of the school. Parent engagement can
boost student success both academically and behaviorally, and according to the Southwest Educational Development
Laboratory (SEDL), “When schools, families, and community groups work together
to support learning, children tend to do better in school, stay in school
longer, and like school more.”
With an infectious laugh and effervescent personality, Taryn Johnson, Class of 2000, simply glows. Now that her daughter Harper is enrolled in the kindergarten class at Clairbourn, it marks five generations here.
The family history dates back to the mid-1940s when Taryn’s great-grandmother, Lola Wallden, started her career as a school bus driver and retired in 1982 as the Assistant Head of School. Taryn’s grandmother, Beverly Thomson, was the preschool and kindergarten teacher from 1971 until the year 2000. Taryn’s mother, Jodie Robison, is also an alum of the school and worked in the finance office for years.
Sayra Rubio, the preschool teacher at Clairbourn School, is willing to do whatever it takes to inspire her students! She recently completed her first skydive on Sunday, October 6, 2019, in order to give a first-hand account of the experience to her students and answer their questions about what it was like to descend to earth by parachute.
For over a month, preschoolers at Clairbourn have been involved in a STEM activity called “The Parachute Plunge” designed to teach the scientific principles that make parachutes work. Students learned about surface area, properties of materials, and air resistance/drag effect, all of which combine to work in opposition to gravity.
Sayra Rubio, the preschool teacher at Clairbourn School, is willing to do whatever it takes to inspire her students! She recently completed her first skydive on Sunday, October 6, 2019, in order to give a first-hand account of the experience to her students who are studying and building parachutes.
This year Clairbourn’s Spanish teacher and French
teacher, Mary Drazic and Cara Barker, have both revolutionized their language classrooms
with the Comprehensible Input (CI) style of instruction (also known as TPRS®—Teach
Proficiency through Reading and Story-telling). Below, Mary Drazic provides
insights into how CI is applied in language classrooms, followed by a brief
history of the origins of CI (or TPRS®), as well as the research on its
effectiveness, by French teacher Cara Barker:
Spanish Teacher Mary Drazic Shares Her
Experience:
Clairbourn Spanish Teacher Mary Drazic
To prepare for this new style of teaching, I had the opportunity to attend a workshop with the founder of the TPRS® method, Blaine Ray. He instructs in the CI (or TPRS®) style that we have brought to Clairbourn School, and the training was a game-changer! We learned German during the workshop. It was fantastic to not only learn the new instructional style, but also to be a successful product of it. By the end of the training, I could tell a story in German!
I am so happy to share with you my first impressions of this new instructional style as applied in Clairbourn’s language classes. The students’ engagement is through the roof. I have never seen students respond so well to Spanish—they are even laughing at jokes in their new language. When learning a topic, they can emote by acting out what is happening during instruction and they can practice having appropriate responses to situations. For example, they are asked to respond in the target language with expression like, “Oh no!,” “That’s gross,” or “Ridiculous!” Each student’s involvement enriches the overall experience.
As Clairbourn middle school students pack for their three-day trip to the Pali Mountain Institute, parents often experience a range of emotions over their children heading off to a sleepaway camp. A lot of parents feel sad that their children are growing up and may be needing them less. Intellectually, they know that school overnight trips are good for their children because they teach them to overcome challenges, learn problem-solving strategies, develop leadership and collaboration skills, and strengthen relationships with other classmates. Consequently, parents find the strength to override the emotional tug to keep their children close to home and instead allow their children to participate in these key activities designed to “Create Scholars and Leaders with Heart.”
Middle school students head to the bus with their luggage to begin their three-day mountain adventure.
You are not alone! You have a parenting partner in Clairbourn School designed to support the parent’s journey as well as the student’s journey.
For the 2019-2020 school year and beyond, Clairbourn School has accelerated its focus on faculty growth and development. Parents will be able to notice the positive effects of this effort across all grades as the school year progresses. This includes funds for faculty development (thanks to the new Marks Family Professional Development Fund), new technical training and support for teachers provided by Knowing Technologies, creative language-learning solutions based on the TPRS classroom system (Teach Proficiency through Reading and Story-telling), and faculty reading assignments designed to create a school-wide embrace of educational and learning techniques heralded domestically and internationally.
From left: Aaron C., Aidan S., Kennedy K., Samantha F., and Isabel C.
Clairbourn students excel at public speaking. It is therefore very natural for every member of the graduating 8th grade class to write a remembrance speech when the school year comes to a close. This speech is designed to provide students with the opportunity to reflect on their journey at Clairbourn—specifically to write about their personal growth, the challenges they overcame, meaningful opportunities, and their appreciation for inspiring teachers. While every student writes a speech, only 10 students (about 1/3 of the class) is asked to give a public presentation of their speech at the Morning Assembly, the Awards Assembly, or the final Graduation event. Here are excerpts from five of the speeches given at the end of the 2018-2019 school year.
“I have been at Clairbourn for 8 years. My Clairbourn experience has been much more than a journey through education, it has actually been like a basketball game. Kevin Durant says, “Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.” Sometimes, I faced people or challenges bigger than me. Other times, I missed many shots that discouraged me. However, at the end of the day, it is not the score that really counts. It is how I persevered and worked hard towards my goals that really counts because it showed me how to work hard and walk the road in order to succeed.” – Aaron C.
[At Clairbourn I learned that] “…staying present helps us to not dwell on the past or overthink the future, which allows us to enjoy our current experience… We don’t want to miss the good right in front of us. I urge everyone to remind ourselves to always be present.” – Aidan S.
Isabel C. speaks at the Awards Assembly
“In my time here, opportunity has knocked on my door many times… through these opportunities,I have figured out who I am.” -Kennedy K.
“I want to say thank you to the Clairbourn community for shaping me into the person I am today, giving me the encouragement I needed through thick and thin, and ultimately teaching me that failure is not fatal.” – Samantha F.
“I have learned so much from the entire Clairbourn community— everything from algebra, to crafting a thesis, to self-worth and emotional vulnerability.” – Isabel C.
Aaron C. Remembrance Speech video available here. Aidan S. Remembrance Speech video available here. Kennedy K. Remembrance Speech video available here. Samantha F. Remembrance Speech video available here. Isabel C. Remembrance Speech video available here.
Clairbourn School Provides Private School Education for Preschool, Kindergarten, Elementary School, and Middle School Grades | Serving Families in the Pasadena, California, Area and Surrounding Cities (K-12 Private Schools) | Clairbourn is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. Click here to request information.
Clairbourn School’s Music and Drama Awards are held on the last week of each school year during the Morning Assembly. The Music and Drama Awards are a way for Clairbourn School to honor its students who diligently practice their music and drama skills, as they grow into well-rounded individuals.
Clairbourn School’s Awards Assembly is held on the last day of each school year. The Awards Assembly is a way for Clairbourn School to honor its students who show special commitment to their studies, excelling in academics, athletics, and character. They are true scholars and leaders, with heart. The Awards Assembly featured a number of awards which consisted of the following:
