Deerwood You're the One

Always flowers for the teachers

Mrs. Sipe

Mr. Taylor and Ms. Howell

Ms. Highum

You Don't Know You're Beautiful

Mrs. Lindorfer

Calvin Skipping and Mary Crying

Mrs. Schoen

Principal Haugen

Mr. Highum

Ten Year Salute--actually I think the sun was in her eyes. . . 

Mrs. Rutoski

Mrs. Fischer 

I collected addresses and it was my intention to send each of the Deerwood teachers a little thank you note this summer. Today I thought--what the heck why not just put it out there how much each of these folks meant to our family. So, for better or worse. . .

Miss Highum, (K)
It was your first year as a kindergarten teacher. You got Calvin. Enough said. Congratulations upon your survival. Mary also loved you dearly. I know you are married now, but to us you will forever be Ms. Highum. You ushered my children into public education and a love of learning. Thank you.
Sara

Mrs. Lindorfer, (1st)
Mary loved you. You were perfect. She cried for two hours on the last day of school because she had to leave you.
Sara

Mrs. Schwartz, (1st)
You got Calvin. By that, I mean you understood him. You had all those other children too and I believe you understood them as well. We love you.
Sara

Ms. Jurgens, (2nd)
You and I talked so much about mindsets and kids believing they could do anything. You were a solid inspiration to me. You let Calvin sell his home made maps to the other students from his desk. This was a critical moment. Thank you for supporting Calvin's piano life year after year by buying and listening to his CDs. Thank you--we love you.
Sara

Mrs. Kirschbaum, (2nd)
I don't know you very well, because the year Mary had you for second grade you were on medical leave some of the time. It was a fragmented year but you hung in there and I really respected that. Thanks for everything you did.
Sara

Mrs. Rutoski, (3rd)
Mary will forever talk about how you were fair. You called a spade a spade. You made kids accountable. Through her respect for you, it made me aware of how important that fairness is to children. She says you were tough but kind. I want to be that way too. Thank you--we love you.
Sara

Mrs. Sipe, (4th)
You are our favorite. Unabashedly. You supported my kids above and beyond. You were honest with me when Mary was stressed and had too much on her plate. When Calvin screwed up his states test you taught him to understand that he wasn't really mad at you, he was mad at himself. And then you provided redemption. You were tough, in a good way. You once told me that Calvin had a lot to say, but he deserved to be heard. You taught me to try to listen. I'll miss you.
Sara

Mr. Highum, (5th)
Let's face it. Watching from a distance I thought you were a jokester. Then Mary got you for a teacher and I learned that that was a front for a depth of caring that was unparalleled. When Mary was "sick" on her birthday which was also Run-4-Deerwood--a big day for which she was accustomed to throwing up and you came into the office and assessed the situation and totally understood--when you put your hand on her shoulder and said "let's slow it down a little"-- I melted. I cried all the way home. It was the end of her "excitement" sickness. YOU MAKE THOSE KIDS FEEL SO LOVED. What could be more important on the eve of middle school. Those dorky pre-adolescent kids--and you make them feel cool and loved. And accountable. And in spite of you being so funny, Mary came home every day saying how much she loved math. Go figure.
Thank you.
Sara

Mrs. Oettinger, (5th grade science)
You taught Calvin science. You guided him through the journey of creationism vs. evolution. You have no idea. You helped him see that science and religion could be friends. Your words were like gold to him and made an enormous impact on his faith. In an appropriate and private way. Thank you.
Sara

Mrs. Thomforde, (5th)
You let Calvin read the biography of Steve Jobs for a whole year. What can I say. You also let him petition for kids to bring E-readers to class. All these little decisions let Calvin know there was a place for him in this world. We love you.
Sara

Mr. Taylor, (math)
I'm not completely convinced that you and Calvin did anything else but shoot the shit about computers during fifth grade math but. . . he seems to be progressing fine on the high school math path so. . . I believe that being with you for math all those years was EXACTLY what he needed. I trusted you and you did not let him down. Thank you.
Sara

Mrs. Schoen, (music)
When I asked you if my five year old could play piano for the music class, I firmly established myself as psycho piano teacher mom, but you were patient with me. How can I shout it from the mountaintop how amazing you are? I never in a million years dreamed that my kids would be performing in the calibre of music programs you routinely put on. Somehow, someway, you get every child to participate and love singing. And you were smiling all the way. I never saw you not smiling. Thank you for EVERYTHING: the music, the da capo choir, all the support of Calvin and Mary at the piano. You are gifted and I'm so thankful the planets aligned for us to be at Deerwood with you. We love you.
Sara

Mrs. Olive, (art)
I don't know you very well, but there is all this amazing high quality art on the walls all over my house, so I feel that I owe you a debt of gratitute. I love it that the children made such meaningful art and that your curriculum is constant through the years, so that I have projects made by each of my kids with the same parameters, yet each individual. Isn't that what art is all about? Creativity within boundaries. Thank you and best wishes!
Sara

Mrs. Fischer, (P.E.)
You took two non-athletic kids and made it through in a positive way. Thanks for setting a great example of lifetime fitness for the kids and most of all. . . thank you for letting me put the plants in the gym instead of standing out in the cold rain all day. You have no idea. Best wishes always!
Sara

Ms. Howell, (GT)
I love you. You walked my kids through the gifted and talented process for ten years. I learned so much from you. Calvin and Mary will forever remember you standing on a chair and yelling telling the kids not to tell you they didn't have time. You went out of your way to understand my kids and how they learn. Remember when five year old Calvin was taking the first GT test and pretended his pen was an ink quill and he scored in the 43rd percentile? You told me not to worry. You also taught me an important lesson. The one time I ever had to call school about an issue? You told me to back off and let Mary work it out. There were tears (from both of us) but then you know what? She worked it out and had the growth and life lesson of communicating with a teacher. Thank you for pushing my kids and having the courage to teach me when not to overparent. You and I both lost too many people we loved in too short of a time. And we both kept going. I'll miss you. Best wishes always.
Sara

Mrs. Smith, (band)
Instant sainthood. Anyone who teaches 5th grade band. At 7:00 in the morning? You are a saint among saints.
Thank you!
Sara

Mrs. Gallaway, (office)
Seeing your calm and lovely face everytime I came into the office for ten years was really special. Thank you for your quiet and consitent prescence. I never saw you rattled. You just make the school a great place to be.
Sara

Lynette, (office)
You were the behind the scenes hero of the plant sale. I enjoyed working with you so much. Best wishes next year and email me if you have questions. You know where to find me. I'm not going anywhere.
Sara

Crossing Gaurds,
I'm ashamed that I don't know either of your names. But for ten years you stood out there in the heat and cold and rain and every day you were smiling. Smiling to the kids. Smiling to the misbehaving adults rushing through drop-off and pick-up. You keep the kids safe and you also brightened my day with your attitude about 10,000 times and you never even knew it. Thanks to both of you.
Sara

Principal Haugen,
You are an amazing principal. Among a million other things--you stand out there on the sidewalk in the twenty below wind chill and welcome the kids to school every day. Every day. Your prescence out there made us all better people. It made me not cut off the next parent in line when I was running late. It made me not check my cell phone in the queue after my kids slammed the car door and toddled off. It reminded us that someone is looking out for these kids. I felt like my kids were safe with you there. Thank you for keeping music a priority. Thanks for being a model of everything good for these kids. P.S. you got great teachers.
Sara

Back when Bill and I were deciding where Calvin and Mary should go to school, we didn't know nothing. We only knew that our assigned school was on the freeway ten miles away and Deerwood was only half a mile away, half way to our church. It had that long driveway that felt quaint and safe. It was cute. I didn't really think about how we would be going there every day for ten years. I didn't know the teachers would become elemental in the growth and development of our kids. I didn't know what a great music program it had and how much emphasis it placed on GT. It just seemed sweet. So we open enrolled. Lucky us.

Deerwood You're the One

Lots of work and lots of fun

You're the home of blue and green

and the best we've ever seen

Rah Rah Rah

Making lots of friends

Where the learning never ends

We will laugh and sing and play

and we're really proud to say

Deerwood kids are number one!

Thank you Deerwood. You are the one.