en their critical and creative thinking skills, and ultimately, to develop the brain to its fullest potential. Developing an in-depth understanding of important concepts and skills is not about finishing first or realiz-ing an answer instantaneously. Rather, in-depth learning requires time, patience, deliberation, reflection, and encouraging our students to meticulously and analyti-cally explore possible solutions to chal-lenging, complex problems.

This year’s introduction of chess at Lau-rence provides an effort-driven activity where students are motivated by the de-sire to participate, all while strengthening strategic thinking and planning. The Math Champ Challenge helps students develop different outside-the-box problem solving and critical thinking strategies to solve complex problems. The process is just as, or maybe even more important as, reach-ing the solution. What is most amazing to me is how excited and enthusiastic our students are about the process, and how

Head of School

WHAT IS THE STORY? THE POWER OF LAURENCE

As I walk through our beautiful cam-pus every day, it is evident that Laurence’s “Total Child” philoso-phy is alive and well. Everywhere

I turn, students are actively engaged in a variety of activities that nurture both the head and the heart. From chess to robot-ics, from songwriting to choreography, from math to science, from creative writ-ing to athletics, and so much more, Lau-rence encourages intellectual, creative, ethical, social, and emotional growth and awareness. Research increasingly indi-cates that there is more to a well-rounded education than just “the three Rs”. Rather, we strive to give our students academic knowledge, as well as the skills necessary to become life-long learners. Most impor-tantly, we are coaching our children to be-come independent thinkers who are not afraid to take risks.

We have recently adopted the new ta-gline: “Rooted in tradition. Inspired by innovation.” As we continue to strike this balance, we are mindful of Stanford psychology professor Carol Dweck’s re-search, which introduces the concept of a growth mindset – intelligence can be de-veloped, the process of learning is valued as much as the end product, and achieve-ment is reached through effort and an un-derstanding that challenges are opportu-nities to learn. It is our role as educators to provide our students with a vast array of academic and extra-curricular programs to help them identify their talents, height-

open-minded they are to trying new expe-riences. We are building a culture of pas-sionate learners, where it is “cool” to do your personal best, whatever that may be.

Of course, educating children extends beyond the school environment and into your homes. We love partnering with our families to find ways we can optimize chil-dren’s critical and creative thinking, and most importantly, strengthen the skills

they need to succeed. Let’s partner to-gether and encourage our children to put forth their best effort, and praise the pro-cess versus the product.

Thank you for entrusting us to help devel-op the minds of your children and nurture their “total” development – from head to toe! My door is always open to you and your families.

...intelligence can be developed, the process of learning is valued as much as the end product, and achievement is reached through effort and an understanding that challenges are opportunities to learn...

Spring 2015 Newsletter

I vividly recall the wisdom of a Laurence graduate who once wrote, “I want to leave a piece of who I am with my

kindergarten buddy.” As I prepare to fulfill my long-time career aspiration of becoming a Head of School at High Point Academy in Pasadena in July, I have been reflecting upon my experiences at Laurence. It is abundantly clear that the heart of Laurence will always live within me, and the greatest gift Laurence has given me and I have given Laurence is the warmth, caring, and connection that emanate from the special relationships with countless people I admire, value, and love.

It is these meaningful relationships that have and will continue to sustain Laurence’s wholehearted commitment to nurturing the academic, social, and emotional devel-opment of the “Total Child.” The insightful poet, Maya Angelou, expressed this senti-ment with uncanny eloquence and beauty when she wrote: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” I can assure you that I will never forget how the Laurence family has made me feel.

During my seventeen-year journey at Laurence, I have been honored and grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with a dedicated community of educators to help shape an innovative and personalized approach to elementary education. Foremost among my mentors have been our visionary Head of School, Laurie Wolke, sage and devoted Founding Director, Marvin Jacobson, and Co-Founder, Lynn Jacobson, whom I often affectionately refer to as the “Queen of Curriculum,” and my dedicated administrative colleagues, Shawn Shahmiri and Liz Silverman.

I take great pride in the fact that two curricular initiatives near and dear to me are well-positioned for success now and in the future. Global Garden focuses on affirm-ing the identity and heritage of all families in the school community, while establishing international sister school connections, and fostering cultural outreach to continue to attract a diverse school community. This curricular jewel that is unique to Lau-rence culminates in a festive and celebratory annual Global Faire during Laurence’s Open House. The second initiative centers on developing and implementing a math program that optimizes students’ understanding of applying mathematical skills and concepts to solve challenging real- life problems. This includes the successful adop-tion of the Singapore Math program, co-founding an independent school Math Consortium, focusing on professional development for teachers in math, facilitat-ing the development of faculty math coaches, and highlighting in-depth problem solving under the guidance of an acclaimed trainer.

During the upcoming weeks, I look forward to continuing to work tirelessly and pas-sionately in collaboration with Laurie Wolke, the Administrative Team, and incoming Principal, Paul Mastin, to ensure a smooth and successful transition. I intend to cher-ish every moment I experience at Laurence with a joyous heart and a deep appre-ciation for the little gems of life that define Laurence as a uniquely magical oasis of caring, community, and learning.

Associate Head of School/Principal

All children need and want to feel important and special. Some children are able to express this feeling easily to

parents and teachers, while others may find it more difficult to let adults know how they feel.

AREA OF SPECIALNESSWhat makes every child special is their unique qualities, talents, and desires. At Laurence, your child’s ef-forts to do his/her best in all areas of development – social, emotional, and academic – merit praise when truly earned and deserved. Receiv-ing sincere praise is important for children to work toward as a goal, no matter their age. At home, when praising or recognizing good ef-fort or accomplishments, you are feeding your child’s self-esteem. All children need to be valued for their strengths, interests, talents, and rela-tionships with others, whether they are the only child or one of many in the family.

SPECIAL TIME AT HOMEWhen children seem to need more attention, parents often say, “But, we spend all day or weekend with him/her.” We need to realize that time alone is not enough because we may have been distracted. Perhaps we were pulled away to talk on the telephone, answer the door, or wash dishes. Whatever the distraction, our attention is not directed towards our child.

MY LAURENCE STORY

FEELING SPECIAL

Founder

I t is with such great excitement and enthusiasm that I am able to introduce myself as the new Principal of Laurence School. It is, without a doubt, a true honor and joyful opportunity for me. I am ecstatic to join Laurie Wolke, Marvin

and Lynn Jacobson, the Administrative Team, and the entire Laurence community. I wish Gary Stern much continued success as he begins the next chapter in his career.

Having worked with so many incredible graduates of Laurence School over the years, I look forward to helping Laurence promote its mission of the “Total Child” educational philosophy. I have seen the well-balanced, successful, caring, and con-fident students of this responsible, collaborative, and determined mission, and it is obvious that Laurence School values the same timeless themes and goals that I have for over thirty years as an educator.

Although I was born in Indiana, I came to California as a sixth grade student and finished my education here, earning a B. A. in Theatre and an M. A. in Communica-tions. I also hold a California K-12 Life Teaching Credential, and I am proud to say that I have honorable discharges from both the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Coast Guard. I currently reside in Lake Balboa with my wife, Nina, who is the Vocal Director at Harvard-Westlake School, my daughter, Brittany, who is in her third year of medical school, and my amazing dog, Red.

I began my teaching career with the Burbank Public Schools, and for the past three decades, I have had the good fortune to work at two of the finest educational institu-tions in the western states, Harvard-Westlake and the Mirman School. Both are aca-demically and culturally diverse institutions, rich with creative, dedicated, and highly educated teachers and administrators, as well as a wide range of eager, active, and challenging students. I’ve served on several accreditations, educational-technology, and character education committees, managed large budgets, been involved with teacher/staff hiring, fundraising, directed Retreat programs for the past 20 years, and worked for admissions in visiting our feeder schools and serving on the admission committee itself. I have taught English, history, algebra, journalism, speech, theatre in the upper elementary and middle school grades, as well as self-contained class-rooms in kindergarten, second, third, fifth, and sixth grades.

As you can imagine, leaving Harvard-Westlake will not be easy; I have so many won-derful colleagues, great memories, and educational touchstones that have shaped me as an educator. It shall not be easy to say goodbye, but my decision and course have been made easier knowing that I’m joining a place that exudes all the educa-tional hallmarks that I relish, embodied by the goal for students to be role models for the School and the larger community through their actions, empathy, opti-mism, and tolerance.

I am enthusiastic and excited about the next stop on my journey, and I look for-ward to meeting and working with all of the Laurence community in the months and years to come as we continue Lau-rence’s tradition of excellence in edu-cation.

Incoming Principal

The difference between special time and “time spent all day” is that spe-cial time is quality time and “time spent all day” is simply a quantity of time. Of course, parents cannot stop the routine of their work days, so it’s important to structure time with chil-dren, much as you would plan and structure anything else.

SPECIAL INDIVIDUALIZED TIMESpecial time can be therapeutic for your children – a time when they feel unique, fulfilled, and heard. Parents’ actions, words, and feelings are im-portant models for children to emu-late into adulthood.

WELCOME PAUL MASTIN

Receiving sincere praise is important for children to work

toward as a goal, no matter their age.

Co-Founder

SPOTLIGHT ON STEAM

STEAM (Science, Technology, En-gineering, Arts, and Math) is play-ing an important role during the 2014-15 school year. We believe

children are most interested in learning when they are the creators and innova-tors. We kicked off the year with Dr. Ma-ria Klawe, President of Harvey Mudd Col-lege, speaking to our parents about the importance of STEAM education for to-day’s youth. Dr. Klawe had the chance to visit our classrooms to see the collabora-tive work of our teachers and students. She reflected on her day at Laurence, saying “To have girls and boys who are obviously so happy, so engaged, so un-afraid to ask questions, and comfortable exploring everything … that is wonderful.” Check out some of the fun things we have been working on this year!

SCIENCEOur newly renovated, state-of-the art science lab provides flexible workspaces so our stu-dents can design, build, experiment, and im-plement. In each grade level, we have been focusing on global issues and sustainability

for the future. From learning about the importance of trees and how food gets to the table, to exploring ways to con-serve our water resources, students are becoming responsible global citizens and effective stewards for a sustainable future. We are learning to think globally, and act locally by work-ing with a real-life farmer in our own Edible Garden. Be sure to check out hands-on science projects from each grade level during Open House!

TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERINGOur student inventors have been hard at work, learning to write code, build-ing robots, designing their own video games, and so much more! Students designed 3D objects and produced them using our new 3D printers! 4th graders created 3D models for their mission project, while 6th graders re-engineered vintage and broken items as futuristic inventions, in the theme of Steampunk.

ARTSStudents used Photoshop and iPhoto to create and edit their own digital pho-tographs. Sixth grade students wrote

and performed their own instrumenta-tion and vocals during the Songs by Sixth Grade event. Our annual Found-ers’ Day assembly was re-envisioned as a journey via time machine through the decades. The arts are alive at Lau-rence!

MATH Our emphasis this year has been on strengthening in-depth problem solving skills. Students participate in the Math Champ Challenge, working on word problems, which require organization, creativity, original ideas and approach-es, intuition, as well as computational skills to solve. Students are learning to work collaboratively, while develop-ing deeper levels of persistence, and flexible and innovative thinking. This year, eleven 4th grade students par-ticipated in the Orange County Math Tournament, with three students taking home 1st, 3rd, and 4th place individual awards. Most recently, six 4th graders took part in the Culver City Math Olym-piad, where Laurence took 1st place out of 30 teams, as well as one student earning the 1st place medal in the indi-vidual event.

GOING GLOBAL

Our Library’s Global Perspectives program is thriving again this year, thanks to our wonderful Laurence families who have shared their cul-tural heritage with our students.

Paola Gianturco, grandmother of the Sang-sters, set our library into a rainbow of colors with Guatemalan textiles and images. After she shared her travel experiences, stories, and vibrant photographs from her book Viva Colo-res!, our students drew colorful expressions from music that she presented.

The Willems family transformed the library to reflect the activities, history, and art of Belgium. They brought to life their family history, modern and traditional dance, music, sports, and cui-sine, complete with Belgian waffles!

The Karathanasis family shared their Greek roots, with stories from the generations, includ-ing a Skype session with their 12-year-old cous-in in Kos! The students were taken on a journey through Greek mythology, learned dances, and got to eat spanakopita and homemade kou-lourakia cookies!

Many thanks to the Sangster, Willems, and Karathanasis families for giving us insight into their families’ cultures and a greater global per-spective.

Savethe

Dates

Since the beginning of this school year, our com-munity has Represented the “L” through gener-ous acts of kindness and a deep commitment to helping others in need.

From our various drives, to a very special visit with the Lowman School – where we were presented with an award for our ongoing support of a 25-year partnership with Lowman, to a rainy, but hugely successful Super Service Sunday, our hearts are filled with joy at all the good we have been able to do.

Check out Laurence Achievements by the Numbers (backpage) for a breakdown of how our community service efforts have positively impacted our local and broader community.

T he Laurence Lightning has struck across the San Fernando Valley Private School League so far this year! In the fall, our 6th grade girls’ basketball

team won the League Championship. Our 5th grade boys’ flag football and 5th grade girls’ basketball were league champions, and 5th grade girls’ basketball, were co-league champions. Our 6th grade boys’ flag foot-ball won the Golden Bucket and made it to the league semi-finals. In the winter, our 6th grade boys’ basketball team won the league championship. Additionally, our 4th grade girls’ soccer, 4th grade boys’ basketball and 5th grade boys’ basketball teams finished first in the league. We are so proud of all of our student scholars who continue to Represent the “L” with their remarkable sportsmanship and playing with heart!

Spring OrchestraConcert

WHAT IS THE STORY? THE POWER OF ACTION

LAURENCE LIGHTNING STRIKES!

Open House/Global Faire/

Farmers’ Market

Kids’ Court

May 7 May 17 May 20-21

PARENT ASSOCIATION UPDATE

I can’t believe the school year is almost over, and our community has been bustling with activity! From our incredible Halloween Carnival to our Annual Holiday Boutique and the Laurence Golf Tournament, as well as numerous com-munity service projects and a world-renowned speaker, 2014 went out in spectacular fashion! With spring now in full

bloom, the Parent Association is delighted with all that is still to come. Community Service organized the third annual SOUPer Bowl collection and hosted the amazing “Super Service Sunday” event, a day to benefit all of Laurence’s local community service partners. This day reflects our strong commitment to teach-ing our children to give to others and Represent the “L”. 2015 brought us several more inspiring speakers in our Parent Education series. Dr. Berman gave us “Permission to Parent,” as she discussed raising our children amidst different parenting styles. Dr. Siegel’s book, Brainstorm, a fascinating look into the adolescent developing brain, was the basis for his discussion on growing our understanding of our children. Our final speaker of the year, Dr. Tony Wagner, will join us via Skype from Harvard in late April to inspire us to “Create Innovators.” We

Alumni Reunion

FRIDAYNIGHTLIGHTS

Saturday

A Rockin Street Scene

5•2•15 A Rockin Street Scene

LIVE AUCTION

COCKTAILS

STREET FOOD

LIVE MUSIC

June 10

hope everyone can join us for learning opportunities created specifi-cally with our parents in mind.

The new year also marked the beginning of the highly successful “It’s A Party” and “Faculty Adventures” fundraisers. Their success is a testament to the inclusive spirit of community and friendship that our Laurence families cherish! Parents and kids alike were also de-lighted to participate in our Sweetheart Dance and the Mother/Son Bowling Event, as they created lasting memories together. We are all looking forward to ending the year in rockin’ style at our an-nual Spring Event on May 2, and enjoying our fabulous Open House/Global Faire/Art Show on May 17. On behalf of the Parent Association Board, I thank you all for your dedication to the many volunteer efforts that make our School the incredible place it is for children and parents to learn and grow together.

Kelly BockParent Association President

LAURENCE ACHIEVEMENTS BY THE NUMBERS

ACADEMICSThe place that our 4th and 5th grade teams placed among all schools across the nation in the Word Masters Challenge.

The number of schools from third grade through sixth grade to have two grade levels place in the top ten in the Word Masters Challenge!

The place that Laurence students took at the Math Olympiad Tournament and the place that one of our students took for the individual event.

Laurence students were selected for the national edition of Grades K-6 Fall 2014 issue of “A Celebration of Poets”.

COMMUNITY SERVICEMaking a Difference Awards distributed to Laurence students for various good deeds they have performed for others, such as donating to Locks of Love, giving profits of a lemonade stand to an organization in need, or in lieu of birthday gifts, donating toys to Children’s Hospital.

Dollars were raised for the Boys and Girls Club at this year’s Buck-a-Bagel fundraiser.

Pairs of new socks were collected during SOCKtober for the Interfaith Food Pantry.

Toys made for a joyous holiday season for our Lowman School friends through our Kindergarten Toy Drive.

Years of a partnership with Lowman School that is a powerful example of our students’ understanding of what it means to Represent the “L”.

Turkeys collected in this year’s Turkey Drive, giving our friends at Lowman School a special Thanksgiving meal.