News

Dear Friends,
Some years ago I was trying to figure out some way 
to do some lessons in plants, 
and life, and growing, etc, 
at the Kindergarden level. 
And in this particular year, I had, 
in my home biome, 
many, many little satellite babies of
Spiderplant,  Chlorophytum comosum,
or in spanish "lazo de amor".
In english it means "ribbon of love"
Kind of nicer than "spiderplant"
though, the shape of the plant does look spidery,
and if you don't have a spider phobia, 
it is a lovely look. 
The plant sends out fertile branches that end in lovely white blossoms, 
that somehow tranform to create miniature spider plants, 
that grow, droop in their heaviness, extend roots, 
and probably in their home place, 
drop into nearby water
and find their way to a new niche. 
In our apartments they sit, 
wondering what to do. 
I collected a hundred of these babies one year, 
and brought them to the kindergarden classes. 
I wrote a song. 
I thought these babies would be good Mothers' Day gifts.
The song said :

Spider took a walk
and found a lovely palm tree
The palm tree said to spider
"Would you like to climb on me?"
Soon they were married and had alot of children
The children were all spider plants, 
one, two and three. 

The biology is a bit .....
But, the love is for real. 
I asked my son Jamal to translate into Spanish.
He did. 
But he altered the music into a Latin modality that totally improved and transformed it.
In Spanish:

Erase un fino liston
(There once was a ribbon)
que llevada por el viento
(Thrown up by the wind)
en las bellas ramas de una 
(Into the lovely branches of a)
palmera se enlazo
(palm tree, it was entangled)
Tan a gusta se sentia
(So wonderful it felt)
que  al rato se casaron
(That they were soon married)
y tenemos en resultato
(and as a result we have)
una lazo de amor....
(a ribbon of Love)

Entre un liston y la palmera
(Between the ribbon and the palm)
hay un lazo de amor
(There is a bond of love)
Entre el agua y la tierra
(Between water and the earth)
hay un lazo de amor
(There is a bond of love)
Entre el cielo y las nubes 
(Between the trees and the clouds)
hay un lazo de amor
(There is a bond of love)
entre mi y mi mama
(Between me and my mother)
hay un lazo de amor.
(There is a bond of love)


Lazo de amor?
How do you say it in English?
A bond of love?
A tangle of love?
A knot of love?
A ribbon of love?

What is the thing between water and earth, 
tree and sky?
mother and child?
That is a lazo de amor.

I will be bringing this song / story to the Kinder kids this week.
The story, art and songs are posted on our website,

https://www.watersecology.org/2022/03/11/1382/

Mr. Leki

Dear Friends, 

I served as the Chair of the first Waters LSC in 1991  for five years. It was an intense experience, with alot of drama and alot of learning. We discovered “progressive” education* (see below for my explanation of this term) and dedicated ourselves to bringing it into Waters. Much of what makes the school what it is today is based on that very powerful and humanistic outlook. In 2000, the tides shifted and the Federal “No Child Left Behind” Law sought to replace progressive schooling with hi stakes testing, sorting and  ranking of students by test scores, and punishing schools that failed to meet arbitrarily imposed standards.  It has been a difficult task to move forward against such a head wind. But the progressive impulse still can be felt in the school. And it is largely the job of the Local School Council to defend and support that vision. 

Ecology is part of that, as is the integration of other subject areas with ecology. Children are multifaceted beings, and they need to be immersed in all aspects of human endeavor. For this reason, I urge parents and community members to consider serving on the LSC. It is an opportunity to learn, to advocate for our children, teachers and our school.  Progressive voices on the LSC can help keep our school on track, to grow and to blossom.

Applications must be submitted by 3:00pm on Wednesday March 9th in the school office.

Please consider!

Pete Leki

*Progressive ed is historically linked to John Dewey in the early 20th century, but there are many similar strands with many voices and leaders up to the present day. In a traditional school (like the CPS I went to as a child) the classroom and schedule were rigidly structured. Desks bolted to the floors, each child isolated, teacher in front delivering lessons, students in their own bubbles either paying attention or not.  The class was tested on the content of the lesson, ranked, some doing well, others not. Report cards went home to deliver the news to the parents. English, math, social studies, science, and art or music (if it was offered) were stand alone subjects, delivered on a schedule.In the progressive education model, the classroom is a learning community, the teacher is the coach. Students work in all sorts of clusters with others on projects of their own making, led by their own curiosity. The teacher checks in and assists with resources and encouragement. The resources are often from the neighborhood, from outside the school, including the experience and talents of parents. The disciplines are combined, with art being part of math and social studies part of science (for example). A report by a group of students on a historical event might be given in the form of a play, or a piece of music, or a mural. The different talents and strengths in the students were shared in the group, recognized and celebrated. Students were allowed to venture out into the world, to engage it, to appreciate and understand its beauty and problems, and to act to change things for the better.  When parent conferences were held, they did not include grades and ranking, but presentation of the students work as a portfolio, with a thoughtful conversation between parents, teacher and students about the student’s progress and future goals. Sounds impossible? It is not. In the 90s our staff was invited to many, many conferences and meetings with other educators and schools who were implementing these methods with great success.  Our school partnered with visionary professors at National Louis University’s Center for City Schools. Over the next 10 years the Center and its fellows published a doen books developing theory and practice. Most of them are in our staff library. Let me know if you would like to borrow one or two. 

This week we will finish our Winter Field Ecology Schedule!!  22 outings that witnessed winter and wonders. This past week the sixth graders got a tour of the Chicago River/sewer/freshwater system. A lifelong memory for them will no doubt be repelling down the riverbank to see the grey foaming effluent from the sewer plant (the “cleaned” wastewater), with its pungent aroma of septic and perfume, heading downstream to our neighborhood. Farther up the Channel, in Wilmette, they saw a completely different river, blue, clear, and fresh Lake water. We hope that that vision will be the river of our future!

This week in ecology we will continue with 1st-grade trees, begin reading and responding to Mighty Acorns journals, and begin rehearsals of The Legend of Snake and Turtle. It will be performed by 1st-grade actors for Kinder, 1st, and 8th Grades!

On Wednesday, March 2, 2022, 4th Grade Room 317 will embark on our rescheduled winter trip to Sauganash. We are running out of winter. Change out snow boots for rain boots. The bus leaves at 9:30 and will be back by 12:30. Volunteers meet by the fish tank at 9:00.

Can it be true? Covid cases falling, daylight lengthening, silver maples in the bud, and a whiff of Spring in the air??
Mr. Leki

Dear  Waters ecovolunteers,

We have been conducting prescribed burns of our native gardens at Waters for the past 20 years. They are awesome events, and a humbling experience to witness the intense power of fire on landscapes. 

Prairies, savannas and oak woods are fire evolved ecosystems. Without fire they would evolve into different ecosystems (in historic times, they would evolve into mixed forests including fire intolerant trees. In modern times they would devolve into weird mixes of invasive species and aggressive natives). 
We will be conducting controlled burns at Waters and at the Riverbank this spring. If you would like to learn more about the science, procedures and safety techniques that are employed during a burn, you are invited to a Burn Workshop (via Zoom) on Wednesday, February 23 at 6:00. Attendance at this workshop is required if you would like to join our burn crew on the day of the actual burn.

We are lucky to have a number of certified burn crew members in our community who will be joining the presentation.  We have permits in hand from the Illinois EPA. We are ready to go. 

Here is the invitation:

https://www.evite.com/event/020FDWYRCWGYXAK26EPMROKFW5SW3A/activity?utm_campaign=send_sharable_link&utm_source=evitelink&utm_medium=sharable_invite

Mr. Leki

Monday, February 14, 2022, 1st grade continues to study the trees of Waters School. They have been introduced to 7 out of 11 trees and they are getting GOOD!

On Tuesday, February 15, 8:30 until 10:30, 2nd Grade Room 204 will visit the Riverbank Neighbors Restored riverbank. In the past 2 trips, students saw: a kingfisher, a goldeneye duck, Canada geese, junkos, a coyote, a red-tailed hawk, a great blue heron, a hawk eating a squirrel, and a BALD EAGLE! You never know! Join us.

On Wednesday, February 16, 3rd Grade Room 216, will finally make it to Sauganash to explore and do restoration work. Bus leaves at 9:30, back at 12:30. Join us.

On Friday, 7th Grade Room 305 will visit the Lake at Montrose Point. Bus leaves at 9:30 and returns at 1:15 or so. Join us.

Enjoy this lovely winter, 

Mr. Leki

Dear Friends,

A packed week in ecology. Our trips to the wild have been well supported by our volunteers.

DEEP GRATITUDE!

My Number one need this week is help with the 8th Grade  Garden visit on Tuesday, Feb. 8 at 1:15.

We will be preparing baked potatoes and hot spiced cider. The students will finish packing mint tea,decorating little packets that will be filled with roasted pumpkin seeds,shoveling snow and splitting kindling.I will be back from my morning field trip (see below) in time to get the fires started and the potatoes cooked. But I need help tending the fire and spuds while the students are set to their tasks.Want to join us.? One or two people would make a big difference.

Tuesday, Feb. 8, from 8:30 – 10:30, 2nd Grade Room 203, will visit the river at the Riverbank Neighbors Restoration site (east bank Montrose to Berteau). They will do a scavenger hunt, weather station, and field journal about their explorations. Volunteers gather 15 minutes before leaving, for a briefing.

On Wednesday, February 9, 9:30 – 12:30, 5th Grade Room 319, visits Sauganash to cut buckthorn and explore. In class we did a lesson on population dynamics, revealing the links between populations of mountain lions, deer, and… humans over the past 200 years in Cook County. Check it out at:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nUHUpqlgemEokpyc9Osi5k8OFvnQu4eLXsmN0iheoa0/edit?usp=sharing

On Thursday, Feb 10, 9:30 – 12:30, 5th Grade Room 318 repeats the trip described above. Join us!

Finally, On Friday, February 11, from 9:30 – 1:30, 7th Grade Room 302 will journey to the Lake at Montrose Point to study Lake geology, to experience the power of the Lake in Winter, and to create poetry. Volunteers can join us 15 minutes before the trip for a briefing. Bring lunch!

Thank you, Mr. Leki

We have reopened the lunchroom waste sorting line in the “Green Wing” Annex (the “old” Annex). It has been almost two years since we did full-fledged waste sorting. It is a great experience to witness our students’ seriousness and dedication. But they need guidance! First Grade continues Tree studies on Monday. And for this reason, I won’t be able to monitor and guide our kids. Can anyone help? If we can staff the line for a week or two, good habits will be formed, and we will be able to move on to the other, “new” lunchroom, and eventually the hallway lunch corridors. We also expect that lunchtime staff will be stabilized in the upcoming weeks. In the past, these staff was critical to keeping the waste sorting and food sharing going smoothly. Please let me know if you can help.  Lunch periods are 11:15 to 11:35 for 2nd grade; 12:10 to 12:30 for 8th Grade; 12:45 to 1:05 for 4th Grade.

On Tuesday, February 1, two eighth grade classes will visit the garden (9:30 and 10:30) to roast potatoes, drink hot  spiced cider, and process garden mint tea and pumpkin seeds. Volunteer assistance will be helpful to keep things moving smoothly. I have a master chef on deck for the fire and potatoes! 

On Tuesday afternoon, from 1:00 till 3:00, 2nd Grade Room 202, will venture to the Riverbank Neighbors Natural Area at Berteau to check out the river in winter. It is the river that never freezes. Do you know why?? Join us 15 minutes prior to the trip to be briefed on trip goals and your roles. 

On Wednesday, February 2, 4th Grade, Room 317 Mighty Acorns will travel to Sauganash to explore, discover, and cut buckthorn. So far the week’s weather forecast looks promising. I really appreciate that “sweet” zone, from 20 – 30 degrees, to keep the snow and ground frozen, and mild enough to make the outings very enjoyable.  On Thursday, February 3, 4th Grade Room 308 will repeat the trip just described.  We’ve had to cancel two trips because of cold. These trips, for rooms 216 and 217, have been rescheduled for February 16 and 17. Fingers crossed. I’m still looking for a donated sled, suitable for hauling our winter equipment to our work site. It can be beat up, as long as it works. 

You must be a CPS Approved Volunteer to attend any of these activities. 

CPS volunteer application.

https://cpsparentu.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=319488&type=

Visit watersecology.org to see the updated calendar and postings. Thanks to Lucia for website care.

Thanks to all for endless help and support, 

Mr. Leki