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Learners Marley, Abreeze and Sabina, and educator Robin Boone, presented this paper mache sculpture to the Vision community at the annual Fall Family Dinner. It now hangs above the patio doors at the Vision office and everyone agrees that it is the perfect piece of art for that spot. Many thanks to Robin, Abreeze, Marley and Sabina for their contribution!
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The North Fork Vision Home and Community Program saw a slight increase in enrollment numbers this year, but more significant growth is happening in other directions.
Go to a Vision Community meeting the fourth Tuesday of any month except December or July and you will hear discussions about all kinds of growing, real and potential. In a recent meeting we have talked about the possibility of providing more support to learners and families through a basic skills resource center and person. Learners who wish to have an extra tutor or a study hall to do homework between classes and parents who want a skilled educator to assess learner's needs, skill levels and progress could be served. As is the case throughout Vision, participation would be a matter of choice. The special funds committee is an outcome of Community Meeting policy discussions last year. After much discussion, we decided to offer extra funding possibilities where needs arise. (Cheryl wrote about this in the last issue of Vision Views.) This month, some of the discussion centered around the CSAP's, making the best of them and exploring alternatives to standardized testing. (See Anjula's message on page 5.) While CSAP's are not very popular (to say the least) they have sparked useful discussion. These are just a few of the Community Meeting growth issues. Please feel free to join us at the meeting, to join in on-line discussions, to write a "letter to the editor" or just come by the office and read the meeting minutes. We like to hear your feedback about where the program is going.
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Some of the most exciting growth happens without big policy discussions. Cheryl and others are planning a Bioneers Film Series and a showing of "Journey to a Hate Free Millennium" for the community. Thanks to Dave Weber and his advanced computer class, we now have a computer lab with internet access upstairs at Vision for all learners to use. Parent and educator Dan Stech has been showing up on Friday mornings for a couple of years to work on the Vision website, and now we are seeing more learners take advantage of the opportunity to learn from him. We are encouraging more learners to work on on-line versions of their portfolios at that time. (Please call if you are interested.) The Friday Afternoon Workshops continue to bring a hum of activity on--yes--Friday afternoons. Having use of the "East Wing" of the old Paonia Middle School has provided space for a wide range of classes.
What I like best about Vision is what I like most about this issue of Vision Views: it reflects a wide range of learner initiative and activities. Nate writes about how he decided to use his time working on the Vision website to learn to create his own website-supported business selling geckos. Mo took the initiative to start a "Dear Mo" column where learners, parents and educators can share their concerns. Cassidy tells how she jumped right into the main role in A Secret Garden and Calla shares the inspiration she finds in reading. Holly's descriptions of her Japanese Sword class suggest that she gets a lot more out of it than athletic skills. Getting more out of a class than the topic suggests--that sounds like Vision. ~moni
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