September 24, 2010

News Release

The Class of 2013 (6th Grade) conducted its field studies on Geology from Sept 20-24, 2010. Another example of how the Novato Charter School integrates Science Education with relevant outdoors experiences.

September 1, 2002

News Release

For Immediate Release

Hamilton “Fun Run” Benefits Novato Charter School

Whether you like to run or walk, don’t miss the annual Hamilton 5K “Fun Run, Walk & Roll,” which marks the beginning of the Hamilton Hometown Festival.

The festival will be held on Sunday, September 22^nd from 12-4pm, at the Hamilton Amphitheater Park. The Fun Run begins at 11:00, with registration from 9:30 -10:45. The run will begin at the new Novato Charter School campus on “C” Street, wind through Hamilton’s flat terrain and along the levee and end at Amphitheater Park in time for the Festival Opening Ceremonies. Ribbons will be awarded at 1:20pm on the Amphitheater stage. Entrance fee for the run is $10.00 ($5 for children).

Fun Run ribbons and some prizes will be given for traditional categories, but includes “last one in,” “fastest dog-walker,” “best costume” and “fastest team.” This not-so-serious jaunt around the beautiful Hamilton landscape is fun for runners, walkers, strollers and children.

The Fun Run is a fundraiser for the Novato Charter School, a Waldorf-methods public charter school located at Hamilton Field in Novato. The school takes a developmental approach to education, nurturing the imagination in the early years and challenging the intellect in the middle years and beyond. An integrated, child-centered approach to the curriculum emphasizes children’s relationships to the natural environment and to diverse world cultures.

For more information about Novato Charter School, call 883-4254 or visit their web site at www.novatocharterschool.org.

Contacts:

James Schwartz or Marucia Britto at 415.884.9469

Rachel Bishop, Director, Novato Charter School at 415.883.1719

6 August, 2002

News Release

For Immediate Release

Novato Charter School Forms Foundation

The Novato Charter School has announced the creation of the Novato Charter School Foundation.

The Novato Charter School Foundation (NCSF) will raise funds for facilities and educational programs of the Novato Charter School, a Waldorf-methods public charter school located at Hamilton Field in Novato. Our school takes a developmental approach to education, nurturing the imagination in the early years and challenging the intellect in the middle years and beyond. An integrated, child-centered approach to the curriculum emphasizes children’s relationships to the natural environment and to diverse world cultures.

By creating a foundation with 501c-3 status, NCS will be in a position to more effectively pursue existing fundraising opportunities as well approach new funding sources. The Foundation will support all NCS fundraising efforts, including the annual parent pledge campaign; corporate solicitations; grants; events; foundation grants; the facility pledge campaign and individual solicitations.

“One of the strengths of the charter school’s curriculum is its balance and depth: the emphasis on the arts; the rich use of the spoken word through poetry and storytelling; and the integration of music, language and movement, ” says NCS Director Rachel Bishop. “To support these programs requires a tremendous amount of fundraising on the part of parents. By creating a group focused on this one goal, we will strengthen and accelerate our fundraising efforts.”

Board membership on the Foundation is open to Novato Charter School parents as well as community leaders.

For more information about Novato Charter School, call 883-4254 or visit their web site at www.novatocharterschool.org.

Contacts: Rachel Bishop, Director, Novato Charter School at 415.883.1719 or Jeannette Longtin, Novato Charter School Board Chair at 415.485.0835.

21 January 2003

News Release

For Immediate Release

Novato Charter School Builds Greenhouse with Chez Panisse Grant

The Novato Charter School will erect a greenhouse thanks to a $7,000 grant from the Chez Panisse Foundation.

The school will hold a parent work party to erect the greenhouse on Saturday, January 25 from 9 am until 2 pm.

The new greenhouse will be a main component of the school’s gardening program, which will also include a permanent outdoor classroom and a fenced pond. It will allow students to propagate and grow a greater variety of crops on a year round basis, as well as work during the rainy season.

“We’re very happy to receive this support from the Chez Panisse Foundation, ” says Rachel Bishop, Director of Novato Charter School. “The installation of the greenhouse is a big step towards achieving our vision for our gardening program.”

A nature-based perspective is integrated in all aspects of the Novato Charter School curriculum, but it is most visible in the school’s organic gardening and recycling programs. The program is based on the belief that nature serves as the common ground for all cultures, and that respect for the earth encourages social responsibility, as well as environmentally conscious living.

The Novato Charter School gardening program has also received a $500 grant from SEED to support gardening expansion and improvements. Other objectives of the gardening program at NCS include habitat restoration, growing edible and ornamental plants, and propagating heirloom seeds for other class garden projects in Marin County.

For more information about Novato Charter School, call 883-4254 or visit their web site at www.novatocharterschool.org.

Contacts: Rachel Bishop, Director, Novato Charter School at 415.883.1719 or Jeannette Longtin, Novato Charter School Board Chair at 415.485.0835.

5 February 2003

News Release

For Immediate Release

Novato Charter School Holds Open House Saturday, February 8th

The Novato Charter School will hold an open house for prospective parents on Saturday, February 8^th at 9 a.m.

The event will include an introduction to the school and its philosophy, as well as sample class lessons in each grade.

A Waldorf-methods public charter school located at Hamilton Field in Novato, the Novato Charter School currently has openings in the 4^th and 7^th grades and is accepting applications for fall kindergarten. Priority is given to applicants of siblings and Novato residents.

“Although we are nearly at full enrollment, we encourage families with children at all grade levels to apply,” says Rachel Bishop, Director. “Often people move over the summer and new openings can pop up.”

Novato Charter School serves children from kindergarten through 8^th grade.

The school takes a developmental approach to education, nurturing the imagination in the early years and challenging the intellect in the middle years and beyond. An integrated, child-centered approach to the curriculum emphasizes children’s relationships to the natural environment and to diverse world cultures.

For more information about Novato Charter School, call 883-4254 or visit their web site at www.novatocharterschool.org.

Contacts: Rachel Bishop, Director, Novato Charter School at 415.883.1719 or Jeannette Longtin, Novato Charter School Board Chair at 415.485.0835.

5 February 2003

News Release

For Immediate Release

Novato Charter School Offers Final Tours for 2003-2004 School Year

The Novato Charter School will conduct its last two tours for prospective parents on February 11th and February 27^th. A lottery for the 2003-2004 school year will be held March 1^st.

A Waldorf-methods public charter school located at Hamilton Field in Novato, the Novato Charter School currently has openings in the 4^th and 7^th grades and is accepting applications for fall kindergarten. To receive an application and participate in the lottery, parents must first attend a tour.

Novato Charter School serves children from kindergarten through 8^th grade.

For more information about Novato Charter School, call 883-4254 or visit their web site at www.novatocharterschool.org.

Contact: Rachel Bishop, Director, Novato Charter School at 883-4254.

News Release

April 28, 2003

For Immediate Release

Novato Charter School Wins “Earth Day Every Day” Grant

The Novato Charter School has received an Earth Day Every Day grant from the Marin Community Foundation. The grant will help fund the school’s Heirloom and Native Plant program in which students propagate heirloom vegetables and native plants for distribution to schools throughout Marin County.

The $250 Earth Day Every Day grant will be awarded at the 4^th Annual Meeting of the Environmental Education Council of Marin in San Rafael on Friday, May 2nd from 4-7 p.m. at Pickleweed Park in San Rafael.

Earth Day Every Day Grants are awarded to individuals or organizations working to increase environmental awareness and activity in Marin County.

The NCS gardening program seeks to educate children about the value of heirloom vegetables, native plants, seed saving, and preserving biodiversity. Students will have hands-on experience planting and maintaining organic vegetable gardens using heirloom and rare seeds. They will also grow and plant native seedlings for habitat restoration projects in Marin County.

“This grant will help NCS support Marin County schools in their efforts to educate children, parents and teachers about the value of heirloom plants and biodiversity, and the role native plants play in supporting a healthy habitat,” says Rachael Bishop Director of Novato Charter School. “We’re very happy to receive this recognition and support from the Marin Community Foundation.”

A nature-based perspective is integrated throughout the Novato Charter School curriculum, especially in the school’s organic gardening and recycling programs. The program is based on the belief that nature serves as the common ground for all cultures, and that respect for the earth encourages social responsibility, as well as environmentally conscious living.

The Novato Charter School gardening program has also received a $7,000 grant from the Chez Panisse Foundation to fund a new greenhouse and a $500 grant from SEED to support gardening expansion.

For more information about Novato Charter School, call 883-4254 or visit their web site at www.novatocharterschool.org.

Contact: Rachael Bishop, Director, Novato Charter School at 415.883.4254

News Release

For Immediate Release

Novato Charter School Hosts Enchanted Garden Dinner and Auction.

The Novato Charter School Foundation will host an “Enchanted Garden” benefit dinner Saturday, May 31, 6-11 p.m. at the Margaret Todd Center, 1560 Hill Road in Novato. The evening will feature silent and live auctions, live entertainment, and a catered buffet dinner sponsored by San Rafael’s Lotus Cuisine of India. Proceeds will benefit the Novato Charter School, a K-8 public, Waldorf-methods charter school committed to the healthy growth and development of the whole child. $40. RSVP and info: (email) enchantedNCS@aol.com

News Release

October 13, 2003

For Immediate Release

Novato Charter School Teacher Wins Fellowship

Novato Charter School teacher Rick Betz recently won a fellowship from the Sonoma Teaching Project which enabled him to attend a two-week field seminar on field studies at the University of Durham in England.

Field studies combine observations of environmental changes and the interaction between people and their physical environment. Following a geographical “in the field” approach, this learning method emphasizes direct inquiry and observation of students’ local communities and physical environments.

“In the upper grades, Novato Charter School students study science through first-hand experience and careful observation,” says Rachael Bishop Director of Novato Charter School. “This program will strengthen our science curriculum and encourage environmental awareness and community involvement among students.”

Betz will set up this new teaching approach in his eighth grade classroom as a model for the other middle schools and will train teachers to implement the new curriculum. In the model program, Novato Charter School students will study the San Pablo Bay and Marin headlands.

Sonoma Teaching Project is a non-profit organization promoting teacher training seminars in field study techniques. Recipients of the Sonoma Teaching Project fellowship are chosen through an interview process that considers professional experience, interest in the project and the level of support offered by the recipient’s school.

In addition to attending the two-week seminar at the University of Durham, recipients attend follow-up lectures, seminars, field classes and discussions of curriculum projects throughout 2003-04 school year.

For more information about Novato Charter School, call 883-4254 or visit their web site at www.novatocharterschool.org.

Contact: Rachael Bishop, Director, Novato Charter School at 415.883.4254

News Release

For Immediate Release

Novato Charter School Sixth Graders Help Restore Creek

Sixth graders at the Novato Charter School are working with the Save the Bay Foundation to help restore the natural habitat of Tolay Creek in Sonoma County. Under the guidance of a Save the Bay instructor, students collect seeds of native species, remove non-native weeds and plant native plant seedlings.

“This project exemplifies the community service component of the NCS curriculum in which students learn to see themselves as caretakers of our community and our planet,”says Rachael Bishop, Director of the Novato Charter School. “The project also provides a hands-on laboratory for learning and understanding basic concepts in conservation.”

Located in Sonoma County between Sears Point and Vallejo, the Tolay Creek Restoration Project is part of a Save the Bay effort to restore 435 acres of diked historic wetlands to tidal salt marsh, providing critical habitat for threatened and endangered species.

A Waldorf-methods public charter school located at Hamilton Field in Novato, Novato Charter School serves children from kindergarten through 8^th grade.

A nature-based perspective is a distinct feature of the Novato Charter School curriculum. Through nature studies, community service projects, and environmentally conscious practices, students are taught a reverence and sense of guardianship for the Earth. The school also offers an organic gardening program that exposes children to natural science, recycling and an appreciation for the environment.

For more information about Novato Charter School, call 883-4254 or visit their web site at www.novatocharterschool.org.

Contact: Rachael Bishop, Director, Novato Charter School at 415.883.4254

5 February, 2004

News Release

For Immediate Release

Novato Charter School Students Knit Blankets for Premature Infants

Sixth through eighth graders at the Novato Charter School are working with the Woodywoof Project to knit blankets for critically ill children at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. Each student will create a small blanket for a premature infant.

Started several years ago by Bay Area resident and knitter, Hope Greenhill, the Woodywoof project enlists people of all ages to knit blankets for critically ill children. Hand-knit blankets are especially needed by tiny premature babies, whose tender skin can’t tolerate acrylic or other synthetic material.

Handwork such as knitting is a component of the Novato Charter School curriculum from kindergarten through eighth grade. Through knitting, children learn persistence, concentration, control, follow-through and mastery. Knitting also improves fine-motor skills, hand-eye coordination and brain development.

“Knitting as part of our school curriculum helps create a foundation for academic success,”

says Rachael Bishop, Director of the Novato Charter School. “In the 1^st grade, for example, knitting requires children to add and subtract stitches and create arrays, reinforcing abstract math concepts. It also provides a much-needed respite from the “virtual world” of computers and television in which today’s children so frequently dwell.”

For more information about Novato Charter School, call 883.4254 or visit their web site at www.novatocharterschool.org.

Contact: Rachael Bishop, Director, Novato Charter School at 415.883.4254

16 March, 2004

News Release

For Immediate Release

Novato Charter School Co-Sponsors Redwood Empire Bike Ride

On May 15 & 16th Novato Charter School will co-sponsor the Redwood Empire Ride, a 2-day bicycle trip from Novato Charter School to River Oak Charter School in Ukiah.

The 150 mile journey will take riders along the scenic back roads of Marin, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties.

The tax deductible registration fee of $250 per rider will include SAG support, mechanical assistance, first aid, gear transportation, dinner and camping accommodation. All proceeds will be shared by the two schools and will help support art and music programs.

For more information about the bike ride or to register, visit the River Oak Charter School web site at www.riveroakschool.org/redwoodempireride/.

For more information about Novato Charter School, call 883.4254 or visit their web site at www.novatocharterschool.org.

Contact: Susie Orbach, NCS Foundation, at 415.382.7754

4/24/04

News Release

For Immediate Release

Novato Charter School Hosts Enchanted Garden Dinner and Auction.

The Novato Charter School Foundation will host an “Enchanted Garden” benefit dinner Saturday, May 22, 5-11 p.m. at the Mill Valley Community Center, 180 Camino Alto. The evening will feature silent and live auctions, live entertainment, dancing and a catered buffet dinner by San Rafael’s Lotus Cuisine of India. Proceeds will benefit the Novato Charter School, a K-8 public, Waldorf-methods charter school committed to the healthy growth and development of the whole child. $50. RSVP and info: www.novatocharterschool.org and click on the Enchanted Garden link.

12 February, 2005

News Release

For Immediate Release

Novato Charter School Showcased as “Success Story”

Novato Charter School was featured as a “Success Story” at a conference held recently on charter schools. The Conference for Teachers and Schools Working with Waldorf Methods and the Public Sector was held January 22-23 in Fair Oaks, Ca. NCS 6^th grade teacher Richard Betz spoke at a breakout session on science instruction and Director Rachael Bishop led a workshop for charter school administrators.

This year’s theme was The Challenge for Waldorf Methods Public Schools Today: Keeping the Heart of Waldorf Alive While Enhancing Effectiveness and Accountability.” Participants explored how to meet or exceed state standards while remaining true to the vision expressed in school charters.

“The Novato Charter School was singled out as an example of how innovative methods of education can be integrated successfully in public schools without compromising accountability,” says Rachael Bishop, Director of the Novato Charter School. “It’s was very rewarding to have our school recognized at this conference.”

For more information about Novato Charter School, call 883.4254 or visit their web site at www.novatocharterschool.org.

Contact: Rachael Bishop, Director, Novato Charter School at 415.883.4254

The Pacific Sun

February 23, 2005

Marin’s Charter Schools

by Steve McNamara

NOVATO CHARTER SCHOOL, 1996
This highly popular Waldorf-method K-8 school is chartered by the Novato Unified School District. It now occupies a developing campus of portables at the north end of Hamilton, having been squeezed out of the base’s Meadow Park Elementary School due to the district’s growing student population. Novato Charter’s long waiting list shrank when some parents feared leftover toxics at the new site, despite evidence to the contrary, and left. But there is again a waiting list of more than 200 and a nail-biting lottery system to get for free an education costing $12,000 or more at a private Waldorf school. Half the students are from Novato, the rest from as far away as Point Reyes Station, Petaluma and Sausalito.

The guiding powerhouse at Novato Charter is Director Rachael Bishop. She started two private Waldorf schools in Sonoma County before being called in by the Novato Charter’s founding parents-who had underestimated the need for an expert professional administrator. Novato Charter is a Waldorf-method school, combining Waldorf and current educational practices, not a full-on Waldorf school. The full-on version features founder Rudolph Steiner’s spiritual approach, called anthroposophy, and items such as third grade focus on the Old Testament. Both are no-nos in publicly funded education.

Steiner’s idea was “to meet the children where they are developmentally.” Students often move through the grades with the same teacher; they must screen out jarring influences exemplified today by electronic media; classes are taught using a block system, allowing deep focus, often on a theme such as California in the fourth grade and the Middle Ages and Renaissance in the seventh. Bishop says there are 40 Waldorf-method charter schools in California and, “I don’t mean to brag, but we are the top one. We’re on a roll. I’m very happy not to be in the struggle part anymore.”

http://www.pacificsun.com/story_archives/marinscharters.html

3/02/05

News Release

For Immediate Release

Novato Charter School Hosts Enchanted Garden Dinner and Auction.

The Novato Charter School Foundation will host an “Enchanted Garden” benefit dinner Saturday, March 19, 5-11 p.m. at the Mill Valley Community Center, 180 Camino Alto. The evening will feature silent and live auctions, live entertainment by the band Side pocket, dancing and a catered Mediterranean-themed dinner. Proceeds will benefit the Novato Charter School, a K-8 public, Waldorf-methods charter school committed to the healthy growth and development of the whole child. $50.RSVP and info:

www.ncsenchantedgarden.org

3/17/06

News Release

For Immediate Release

Novato Charter School Hosts Enchanted Garden Dinner and Auction.

www.ncsenchantedgarden.org

11/1/06

News Release

For Immediate Release

Novato Charter School Hosts “Grandparents Day”

Grandparents of Novato Charter School students enjoyed a rare opportunity to go “back to school” on Thursday, October 19, when the Waldorf-methods public school hosted its second annual Grandparents Day.

Some 50 visitors were treated to a VIP tour and orientation, classroom time with their grandchildren, and even their own bag lunch.

“It was like being back in school, only much better!” commented one guest. “This really helps me appreciate the wonderful choice my child has made for my grandchild’s education.”

“When I received the invitation, I wondered how I could possibly spend four hours at the school without getting bored,” said another visitor at the end of the day. “Now I’m not ready to leave,”

In addition to the tour, grandparents enjoyed an upfront view of recent campus improvements, including a new multi-use room for music classes and other events; a new coat of paint for all classrooms; the creation of a beautiful “teachers garden;” and playground additions that made some wish they were in school again and attending NCS.

“Public education has changed since these grandparents had children in school,” says Rachael Bishop, Director, Novato Charter School. “By touring our school and sitting in on their grandchild’s class, these visitors gained a deep appreciation and understanding of the kind of education students receive here. Their enthusiasm grew throughout the day.”

Located at Hamilton Field, Novato Charter School blends Waldorf methods and best educational practices to support the healthy growth and development of the whole child. The school serves children from kindergarten through 8th grade. From 2003-2005 the school made a 91-point gain in academic performance and is now ranked in the top 10% of school statewide.

For more information about Novato Charter School, call 883.4254 or visit their web site at www.novatocharterschool.org.

Contact: Rachael Bishop, Director, Novato Charter School at 415.883.4254

18 January 2007

News Release

For Immediate Release

How to Help Kids Achieve Success in School and Life, January 24th at Unity in Marin Church

Dr. Thomas Armstrong, award-winning educator and psychologist in the field of multiple intelligences, will talk about how to help kids achieve success in school and life at The Unity in Marin Church, 600 Palm Drive, Novato, on Wednesday, January 24th from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Dr. Armstrong will discuss “Eight Kinds of Smart: Building on a Student’s Assets for Success in School and Life.”

Dr. Armstrong’s work as an educator is guided by the belief that all children are gifted. He believes the greatest challenge for parents and teachers is to remove the roadblocks that keep those gifts from being recognized, celebrated, and nurtured.

He has over thirty years of teaching experience from the primary through doctoral level and is the author of eleven books. His books include, 7 Kinds of Smart: Identifying and Developing Your Multiple Intelligences and You’re Smarter Than You Think: A Kids’ Guide to Multiple Intelligences. Dr. Armstrong’s latest book is The Best Schools: How Human Development Research Should Inform Educational Practice.

Tickets for the event are $12.00 in advance or $15.00 at the door. Advanced tickets can be purchased at Novato Charter School or by calling 415.883.4254.

The talk is sponsored by the Novato Charter School. Located at Hamilton Field, Novato Charter School blends Waldorf methods and best educational practices to support the healthy growth and development of the whole child. The school serves children from kindergarten through 8th grade.

For more information about Novato Charter School, call 883.4254 or visit their web site at www.novatocharterschool.org.

Contact: Rachael Bishop, Director, Novato Charter School at 415.883.4254

23 January 2007

News Release

For Immediate Release

Theater Group Explores Bullying Friday, January 26th at Novato Charter School

What: Novato Charter School will host the Bay Area Playback Theatre as they explore bullying through movement, music and drama with 4th through 8th graders.
When: Friday, January 26th at 9:45 am grades 4-5 and 11:10am grades 6-8

Where: Novato Charter School

What will the presentation entail?
Students will be invited to share personal stories about bullying from the perspective of the victim, bully, bystander and ally. Through this program, we hope students will become more mindful and sensitive to the bullying that goes on in and around school. School guidelines will be reinforced, strategies to counter bullying will be explored, and a culture of equality, safety and respect will be promoted.

About Playback Theater Group
Performed in over 50 countries worldwide, Playback is an original form of improvisational theatre in which personal stories told by audience members, transformed on the spot into theatre pieces by using movement, music and dramatic spoken word.

For more information about Novato Charter School, call 883.4254 or visit their web site at www.novatocharterschool.org.

Contact: Rachael Bishop, Director, Novato Charter School at 415.883.4254

30 January 2007

News Release

For Immediate Release

The Novato Charter School 8th grade presents The Man Who Came to Dinner

On Thursday and Friday, February 1 and 2nd at 7 pm. the Novato Charter School 8th grade class will perform The Man Who Came to Dinner at the Pacheco Playhouse

When: Thursday and Friday, February 1 and 2nd at 7 pm. (There will also be two daytime performances for NCS upper grades on those days at 9 am.)

Where: Pacheco Playhouse, 484 Ignacio Blvd., Novato

Tickets: Advance purchase tickets for evening performances are $5.00 for adults and $4.00 for children under 12 or $7.50 and $5.00 at the door. Tickets are available at Novato Charter School office. (Play contains some adult language and themes.

About the play The Man Who Came Dinner is the timeless American comedy in which an eccentric and acid-tongued radio personality, Sheridan Whiteside, slips on the ice at the home of a prominent Ohio family and must remain confined to the unwilling family’s home. During his convalescence, Whiteside systematically turns this Middle American home upside down. His extended family of luminaries, mad visionaries, and assorted oddballs threatens the narrow provincial values and rectitude of his host family as, unable to visit his world, Whiteside has his world visit him

About Novato Charter School Located at Hamilton Field, Novato Charter School blends Waldorf methods and best educational practices to support the healthy growth and development of the whole child. The school serves children from kindergarten through 8th grade. For more information about Novato Charter School, call 883.4254 or visit their web site at www.novatocharterschool.org.

Contact: Rachael Bishop, Director, Novato Charter School at 415.883.4254

News Release

October 22, 2008

Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey to tour Novato Charter School

When: Wednesday, October 29, 2008 9:00 a.m.
Where: Novato Charter School, 940 C Street, Novato, CA

Background:
The Novato Charter School will host Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, a long time advocate of education reform, on a special campus tour Wednesday, October 29 at 9:00 am. Joining the tour will be Superintendent Dr. Jan La Torre-Derby and Trustees of the Novato Unified School District.

Congresswoman Woolsey’s recent vote to pass the No Child Left Inside Act to improve existing environmental education programs will strengthen the Novato Charter School’s emphasis on eco-literacy and whole-child education.

“As we look for the best ways to prepare our children for the future, we cannot forget that the best education teaches the whole child,” said Woolsey. “Environmental education is a great way to tie together so many important subjects and lessons while also teaching students about the environment and how to play an integral role in preserving it for their future.”

About Novato Charter School

The Novato Charter School will become the first solar-powered school in Novato when it completes installation of a photo-voltaic solar power system in late November. The installation is part of the school’s commitment to environmental education that reaches into the classroom, where teachers weave an ecological theme into each grade’s curriculum.
Novato Charter School ranks in the top 10% of California’s Star Testing, achieving its strong academic results through drama, art, and music integrated into daily lessons. Located at Hamilton Field, NCS blends Waldorf methods and best educational practices to support the healthy growth and development of the whole child. The school serves children from kindergarten through 8th grade.

A nature-based perspective is integrated throughout the Novato Charter School curriculum, but it is most visible in the school’s organic gardening and recycling programs. The program is based on the belief that nature serves as the common ground for all cultures, and that respect for the earth encourages social responsibility, as well as environmentally conscious living.

For more information about Novato Charter School and its environmental program, please visit our web site http://www.novatocharterschool.org/video-nurturing-green-citizens and view the video “Greening our Citizens.”

Contact: Rachael Bishop, Director, Novato Charter School at 415.883.4254

2/5/07

News Release

For Immediate Release

5th Annual Enchanted Garden Benefit Dinner & Auction -A Magical Irish Evening

The Novato Charter School Foundation is please to present “A Magical Irish Evening” to be held at the StoneTree Golf Club in Novato, Saturday, March 17, 2007. The event benefits enrichment programs for the Novato Charter School. The evening includes dinner, dancing, entertainment, live and silent auctions. Tickets for the event are $75 and $85. Further information is available at our event website : novatocharterschool.org

Marianne Davies, Co-Chair, said “This year we host a magical St. Patrick’s evening complete with a traditional Irish Fiddle during the cocktail hour and Irish Step Dancers prior to the dinner. The band, Sensations, will provide dance music at the conclusion of the live auction. We expect many of our attendees will wear green to celebrate the occasion!”

“Our community has donated extravagant, lovely prizes for our live auction” said Jean Johnson, Co-Chair. “We will auction vacations in Maui, Mexico, and San Diego. But one of the most interesting items available is a crew of professional landscapers and designers who will transform your landscape over a few days.” She adds, “I sense this will be a very popular item considering how long most remodeling projects normally take!”

“The Enchanted Garden Committee really goes the extra mile to provide an entertaining evening and brings together the most interesting items to auction to raise money for our school.” said Rachael Bishop, Director of the Novato Charter School. “Our school has served the community since 1996, and this fundraiser supplements our enrichment program. Our school consistently ranks us in the top 10% of all schools in California and part of that is due to the diverse enrichment courses we provide.” Ms. Bishop adds. “As the only public Waldorf-methods school in Marin, Contra Costa, and San Francisco counties, we feel privileged to provide this exceptional educational approach.”

For additional information or ticket purchases, please call:

Marianne Davies, Co-Chair 884-0278
Jean Johnson, Co-Chair 897-6641

February 12, 2007

News Release

For Immediate Release

Novato Charter School Garden Wins Award

The Novato Charter School garden has won the 2nd place Organic Silver Award and a $500 prize in the Rodale Institute Organic School Garden contest. The award recognizes the most outstanding organic school gardens. NCS was selected from among 53 entries.

The winning essay and poster entry can be seen at http://www.kidsregen.org/.

In July 2001 NCS began to develop a garden at the school’s new school grounds on a site that was, for 40 years, the parking lot of Hamilton Air Force Base. Beginning with very hard-packed rocky soils over sandstone and bedrock, not to mention the occasional wreckage of building deconstruction, the site presented a unique opportunity for transformation from its military background into a verdant, productive, and educational garden for children. Through this on-going transformation, the children have learned how nature can be nurtured by human intervention, and how human intervention can, in turn, be supported by nature.

For more information about Novato Charter School, call 883.4254 or visit their web site at www.novatocharterschool.org.

Contact: Rachael Bishop, Director, Novato Charter School at 415.883.4254