Tag: private kindergarten

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Persist + Adapt = Succeed. A Growth Mindset!

Students at Clairbourn look forward to the Engineering Design Challenge every year where they work on their analytical creative, and problem-solving skills. Students in grades one through eight were given cardboard, foam tubing, craft sticks, index cards, chicken wire, and paper clips to design and construct a marble run that takes the longest and most predictable time for the dropped marble to complete the run.

We welcomed three engineers to discuss what engineering looks like in the real life. April Shewry is a civil engineer working for Lakeside Alliance on the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Illinois. Chance Casas is a senior network engineer at HRL Laboratories in Malibu. Russell Smith is in the Robotic Actuation and Sensing Group at JPL in La Canada Flintridge. The three guests discussed their careers, the skills required for their jobs, and how they use the engineering design process. They provided advice for the marble runs, such as the importance of a strong foundation, the effect of friction, and strategies for utilizing gravity.

Ms. Vinnedge, our Middle School science teacher, and Mr. Beaber, our innovation lab teacher, visited each class during the build time to support students in thinking through their approach to the challenge. When it came to planning their own engineering work for the marble run, the students sketched, discussed, brainstormed, and imagined outside the box. We saw a variety of design thinking, from a zig-zag pin ball machine to a roller coaster design.

A growth mindset occurs when a person is not afraid to try, test, or experiment. When one is not afraid to make mistakes and adjust, learning occurs. Our students view challenges as opportunities, celebrate others’ successes, and understand that growth is a process. It’s exciting to see our students develop this mindset and progress toward becoming scholars and leaders with heart!

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Clairbourn Regatta: Our Annual Early Learning STEM Event

We are so proud to welcome back our 4th annual Clairbourn Early Learning STEM event — the STEM Regatta! STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. A STEM project like the Clairbourn Regatta blends elements of those subjects in order to introduce our youngest students to the idea of design thinking and the tools they are going to need in order to be successful in the world and workplace of their future.

In a world that is becoming increasingly complex, where success is driven not only by what you know, but by what you can do with what you know, we know it is more important than ever for our young students to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to solve problems, gather and evaluate evidence, make sense of information, collaborate on projects, and think critically. By introducing these concepts early and at a level our youngest Cougars can understand, we believe we are giving them the chance to become creators, thinkers, problem solvers, doers, innovators and inventors – not to mention highly successful students.

Parents from JPK to K came to campus to observe how our youngest Cougars were challenged with a design problem and how they came up with their creative solutions. The teachers and the students were so excited to share what they were learning. Our STEM event was designed to establish problem solving and critical thinking skills. Children were engaged in structural, mechanical, architectural, and civil engineering ideas. At Clairbourn, we believe in Creating Scholars and Leaders with Heart, and it starts with our youngest students!

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Third Grade Economy Unit

Market Day was an opportunity for our third grade students to put their economic concepts learned in class into practice. Students worked together with partners to develop a market plan for the product they wanted to produce and sell. Once their product plans were complete, they had four in-class work sessions to produce their products and prepare them for Market Day!

Students determined the price of the products and created advertising posters. This year the students worked in our new I-Lab and learned to use Canva to create these posters.Their products were sold at the annual third grade Market Day. Afterward, students calculated their income, less their production costs, in order to determine their net profit. What a fun and exciting learning experience for our third graders. It also helped to prepare them for future endeavors at the annual Clairbourn Entrepreneurial Fair. Well done, Cougars!

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Hello from Pali in the beautiful mountains!

We are so ecstatic our outdoor education trip is back this year! Students from sixth to eighth grades went on a wilderness-based journey to Pali Mountain Institute and participated in a variety of adventurous challenges and outdoor activities such as hiking, climbing, ropes courses and group games.

It was exhilarating to see our Cougars conquer their fears, persevere, and cheer each other on. The eighth graders kickstarted their day with a huge dose of adrenaline on the zipline. They learned to use their deductive reasoning skills to solve a mystery at CSI: Pali. Seventh graders were challenged with the high ropes course. They scaled and climbed various climbing structures and learned to support each other by belaying. Students also had a great time learning how to hold a bow and trying archery. Sixth graders were kept busy participating in team-building activities, art in nature, and electromagnetic dynamo experiments. They explored on orienteering hikes and enjoyed hands-on activities including engineering and teamwork challenges.

Outdoor education and team building are a big part of our Clairbourn education. They support our students’ emotional, behavioral and intellectual growth. This experience allows students to develop a positive sense of self, independence, confidence, decision-making and problem-solving skills, empathy towards others, and self-discipline. We are so proud of each of our Cougars!

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Because of Clairbourn. Because of YOU!

This week, we kick off our 2022-2023 Annual Fund. It is our largest fundraiser of the year and supports all 272 Clairbourn students in areas like art, music, athletics, technology, the library, Spanish, and so much more. Because of Clairbourn, students have amazing opportunities every day to discover what excites, what they love, and what supports the scholars and leaders with heart they become! It is because of YOU, we hope to reach our goal of 100% participation in our Annual Fund. It is because of YOU, together, we are Clairbourn!

Click here to give today! Tell us how you would complete this sentence: “Because of Clairbourn…” Submit your sentence or video to us!

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Building an all inclusive community with Clairbourn’s five core values

Our daily Morning Assembly is a way our students, teachers, and parents build close connection, identify role models, and experience the reinforcement of positive messages. “Morning Assembly is my favorite time of the day. I enjoy this quiet time with my kids and our school community. I love starting my day with gratitude. It gives me such peace.” shared a current family. This special time not only lays a foundation for our Clairbourn life but also provides opportunities for our students to practice public speaking.

We believe what sets our students apart is the character of our Cougars. Our robust character education program is built on the school’s five core values: honesty, respect, responsibility, spirituality, and citizenship. Thank you to our middle school Student Council for starting the year with reminders about the importance of Clairbourn’s core values.

Our students are HONEST and truthful to themselves and others. They are RESPECTFUL because they know respect is the cornerstone for developing and maintaining a good, working relationship with all members of our community. RESPONSIBILITY is being accountable for their actions. Every time our students show Cougar pride and empathy for others, such as lending a hand to someone in need, their SPIRITUALITY comes through. Some of the qualities of spirituality include compassion, forgiveness, generosity, gratitude, humility, kindness, and a genuine love for humankind. We try to be the best we could possibly be, and recognize the best in everyone around us. Lastly, CITIZENSHIP is the value which calls for every member of a community to work to better that community with their actions and attitudes.

When diving deeper into our core values, you will see the one quality that surfaces over and over at Clairbourn: Gratitude. Our community, including students and faculty, are reminded each and every day not to overlook the good around us. We take quiet moments to think about something or someone we are grateful for, and something good that happened to us. We practice empathy, fairness, open-mindness, patience, and inclusiveness as a community. This gathering, which precedes academic work, is where students and school members come together as one. Clairbourn takes actions and embraces these values which help us grow to be Scholars and Leaders with Heart.  

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Clairbourn teaches students to use design thinking and problem-solving skills to be the leaders of the future.

We live in a world that changes rapidly and presents new challenges with no known solutions. We all saw this with the global pandemic. We were all thrust into a situation where we had to adjust our lives with no roadmap. It is certain that our students will face challenges in their future where no directions are provided. It is important for students to create, problem solve real world issues, code, design, question, research with discernment, and communicate in a variety of ways with skill. It is no longer enough for students to follow set instructions to achieve a specified goal. Rather, with the skills to critically think and the confidence in themselves, students are able to face and solve unpredicted challenges.

With the generous support from several Clairbourn families, the Liu-Peng Innovation Lab is now open. It was built during the summer and in order to redesign and modernize the space, we removed walls and posts creating a productive functional space. We also provided efficient HVAC and additional storage for the student tools and projects. We performed an electrical upgrade to ensure proper ventilation for new equipment. Finally, the exterior was modified to allow for direct access to the space. A ramp and new landscaping were added for the finishing touches! The Liu-Peng Innovation Lab, located in the Robert W. Nafie Building, contains robotics parts, tools, programing software, 3D printers, a laser cutter, Cricut machines, a vacuum former, workbenches, green screen abilities, and lots of supplies for creative problem solving!

Students practice a way of thinking and learning that is specifically designed for new challenges that need new solutions. The mindset where we embrace a process is called Design Thinking.  The process is non-linear but takes the thinker through a process that includes empathizing, defining, ideating, prototyping, and testing. In this process each conversation gives us perspective, each trial helps to improve, each prototype gets us closer to a solution, each “failure” gives important information, and each bit of feedback is crucial. Our students are going to get specific practice at design thinking. They will learn to work together in new ways and to build on each other’s ideas. As we walk through the lab, we can’t help but feel excited for the countless opportunities our students will have to explore, grow and expand their problem solving mindset!

Special thank you to all our generous donors. Mr. Alex Liu and Ms. Angela Peng were our lead donors, providing over half of the funding needed for this project. Mr. Jun Lu, Mr. Oscar Duan and Ms. Kelly Ling, and Ms. Fiona Zhang all made significant contributions to fund the other half of the project. These generous donors all shared our vision of a new space to support student growth. They see the potential in investing in our students to support problem solving and creative thinking needed in our ever-changing world. We are very grateful for their support, leadership, and generosity extended to our students and our school. We have much to look forward to!

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Growth Mindset: Music and Inspiration

Clairbourn is about community: teachers are here to pick you up when you need a boost and friends are here to listen when you feel down. Special moments happen on our campus throughout the day each and every day. Clairbourn teaches love by living it: we celebrate love of all kinds, and most of all, we celebrate unconditional love. Our strong parent and school partnership is evident on a daily basis and the 2022 Spring Concert and Carnival were the perfect examples of what our school is all about!
 
Families came together to celebrate the meaning of friendship! Our students shared their joy as they thought of ALL the children around the world, no matter where they live or what language they speak. JPK to fifth grade students showed us what they have learned in music classes. Besides learning how to read and write music, they also learned how to play rhythms, use new instruments, and apply the solfege method!
 
Fourth and fifth graders shared with us the first step to friendship which is to tell the other person that they are your friend and you are a friend to them too. Kindergarteners taught us that showing kindness is one way to be a good friend. Preschool students reminded us how important it is to say I love you (with a skidamarink)! First and second graders showed us what being a great friend means to be there during all the highs and lows and be able to always count on each other. Children sang with pure joy and filled the campus with their passion and confidence. We laughed, smiled and embraced as a community!
 
At Clairbourn, we find countless opportunities to grow. Through music, we inspire and motivate creativity. We teach children to embrace challenges with positivity. Students become secure individuals and are able to see all the good around them. Just like the students reminded us, “Stay positive and don’t forget you are supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!”

Special thank you to the music director for a great show, the administration for your support, to JPK throughfifth grade teachers for your assistance and patience,and to the maintenance crew for yourhard work and clever ideas!

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Through hard work and discipline, Clairbourn students gained the true essence of what it means to be a scholar and leader with heart.

This year our C.A.S.T. (Clairbourn After School Theatre) had an opportunity to work with the art director from Centre Stage, Keely Milliken. Mrs. Milliken brought to us her 20 years of passion for the theatre and dedication to teaching performing arts. Our C.A.S.T. actors and Centre Stage were proud to present our 2022 theatre production, The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon!

The Brothers Grimm began publishing fairy tales in 1812. Almost every child knows their stories, which include Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty. You may recognize those stories as big Disney blockbusters with a fairy tale ending, but they are actually part of Germany’s folk heritage recorded by two brothers, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm.

The play consisted of six scenes of several well-known tales including Rapunzel, Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, and more. Each scene not only was performed as an individual story, but it was also portrayed as several stories woven together. When asked about choosing this approach, Mrs. Milliken replied, “We want as many students to participate as possible. We know some younger middle school students have never done a play before, so it’s important for each of them to get an opportunity to try something new.”

Classic stories were brilliantly depicted with a modern twist and sprinkled with lots of humor! You may or may not know the Disney endings of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales are not how they were originally written. The original stories often had a “grim” ending. In our production, performers and narrators kept the original endings to create a contrast with the comedy. This kept the audience laughing from the beginning to the end!

When the students started rehearsing in January, they had to learn acting etiquette, memorize countless lines, and follow theatre directions. It was eye-opening for the students to see what a play entails and how much preparation is required. In ten weeks, our students made their characters come alive as individuals and as a team.

Our C.A.S.T. actors came away from this experience knowing their hard work and determination paid off. Exposing our students to performing arts allows them to discover their whole self. They gained the true essence of what it means to be a scholar and leader with heart. We hope you enjoyed the play as much as we did. Well done, Cougars!

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Many Experiences, One Clairbourn

It is hard to believe 117 days of school have gone by! That is 936 hours of learning and 56,160 minutes of growing! It passed by so quickly, especially when we were enjoying learning and teaching each day!

Our youngest students made many discoveries this quarter including exploration of symmetry and a vet clinic unit. They had a visit from a vet technician to talk about X-rays, animal behaviors and more. Elementary students worked on their public speaking skills and further developed their math, reading and writing abilities. They continued their science exploration with units on weather, engineering challenge experiments and the solar system. Older students had several engaging collaborative projects as well as many hands-on science opportunities, including dissecting chicken legs. They also successfully represented Clairbourn in a math competition.

Middle schoolers even took their learning outdoors and really utilized our amazing 8.5 acres of campus. Besides talking about physical fitness in PE, wellness and health were also addressed. Students flourished physically, spiritually and emotionally. They developed their confidence by trying new experiences and developed their social skills on team collaborations. Our students know the importance of gratitude, honesty, empathy, compassion, and respect, and they got to practice these values every day at school.

We not only witnessed our students’ significant growth, our community showed strong support as well. In quarter three, we reached 100% Annual Fund community participation. We are grateful to see such a strong commitment from all constituents of the school. Parent volunteers continue to be a vibrant part of our community. Thank you for supporting the school where our children learn to grow as scholars and leaders with heart.

Let’s keep moving forward!

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