Welcome to the Parent’s Corner, an online resource for Novato Charter School families created to support their children’s educational journey.
The resources within this section have been carefully reviewed and selected by NCS teachers and our Director for relevant and timely content, and include articles on Waldorf Education, our Specialty Programs, Education in General, Children and Media, Nature Education, and Charter Schools.
Books | Children & Media | General Education | Nature Education | Public Waldorf Education | Whole-Child Education | The Arts in Education
Parents are welcome to comment on any of these resources, or suggest new ones by contacting us at ncsweb@novatocharterschool.org.
Books
Simplicity Parenting, Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier and More Secure Kids by Kim John Payne
Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and the New Realities of Girl World by Rosalind Wiseman
Masterminds and Wingmen: Helping Our Boys Cope with Schoolyard Power, Locker-Room Tests, Girlfriends, and the New Rules of Boy World by Rosalind Wiseman
The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way by Amanda Ripley
Navigating the Terrain of Childhood by Jack Petrash
Understanding Waldorf Education, Teaching from the Inside Out by Jack Petrash
How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character By Paul Tough
Why Democracy Needs the Humanities by Martha C. Nussbaum
Waldorf Education, A Family Guide Edited by Pamela Johnson and Karen Rivers – Michaelmas Press
Children and Media
Technology is Changing how Students Learn
Documentary on Media and Waldorf Education
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: Mind over Machinery
A Silicon Valley School That Doesn’t Compute
Education in General
Changing Education Paradigms. A new animated video by Sir Ken Robinson.
A Call to Action for Public Schools Time Magazine’s Sept. 20, 2010 article.
New York Times Blog: Classical Education
How to Bring Our Schools Out of the 20th Century
Multi-State Initiative to Develop Common Core Academic Standards
Nature Education
Children and Nature Initiative
Public Waldorf Curriculum
Comprehensive curriculum descriptions from the Alliance of Public Waldorf Education:
Kindergarten
First Grade
Second Grade
Third Grade
Fourth Grade
Fifth Grade
Sixth Grade
Seventh Grade
Eighth Grade
Other Resources from the Alliance for Public Waldorf Education
Frequently Asked Questions About Waldorf-Methods Education
Waldorf Science Curriculum by David Jelinek
The Teaching of Science at a Waldorf School
Whole-Child Education
Why parents need to let their children fail.
Saying “NO,” when done judiciously and appropriately, is a gift all children deserve. Read how.
How Schools Kill Creativity by Sir Ken Robinson
Bring On the Learning Revolution! In this poignant, funny follow-up to his fabled 2006 talk (see above), Sir Ken Robinson makes the case for a radical shift from standardized schools to personalized learning — creating conditions where kids’ natural talents can flourish.
The Arts in Education
Art is essential to the way we teach at the Novato Charter School, and is creatively integrated into every core subject: Language, Mathematics, History, Science, etc.
“The arts are not just expressive and affective, they are deeply cognitive. They develop essential thinking tools — pattern recognition and development; mental representations of what is observed or imagined; symbolic, allegorical and metaphorical representations; careful observation of the world; and abstraction from complexity. The arts also contribute to the education of young children by helping them realize the breadth of human experience, see the different ways humans express sentiments and convey meaning, and develop subtle and complex forms of thinking.”
Click the links below to learn more about why the arts are essential to a whole education.
The Artistic Edge in a Changing World
Ten Skills Children Learn from The Arts.
“The Arts and Sciences are Avatars of Human Creativity”
How the Arts Develop the Young Brain
