Coleman's Camp - Weekly Journal Entry: 12/17/2012

I am excited to see we are reaching a milestone in Coleman's Camp; we are nearing the end of the current session and will start the new session in January.  If you recall, when we originally began Coleman's Camp we looked at following the school schedule to keep everything simplified.  The start of a new session is a time for me to reflect on our past learning, set new goals, and develop further learning themes (using input from parents and students).

As such, going forward I plan to offer: 1) 1st Semester 2013 Coleman's Camp (running January to the end of school year), 2) Summer Session of Coleman's Camp (running during the summer), and then 3) 2nd Semester 2013 Coleman's Camp (running August until winter break).  Each of these sessions will have specific themes and will continue to correlate to classroom learning.

The session that ended was a fantastic experimental phase of Coleman's Camp and has helped me quickly refine and direct our unique learning adventure.  This Shutterfly website, as well as my YouTube channel, are direct outcomes of my continual efforts to keep Coleman's Camp dynamic, interactive, parent and student driven, and creative.  My hope is to keep the founding students of Coleman's Camp thriving and enjoying the time for as long as it supports their needs and wants.

One final, crucial point - I have found the experience of Coleman's Camp to have been so rewarding I have cancelled plans to transfer to a new school at the end of this year.  I had believed that it would benefit my career and my prospects of becoming a principal if I transferred to an elementary school that would provide different experiences than those I have had at Prairie.  However, the parents and students involved in Coleman's Camp have made we realize I am uninterested in leaving these kids.  Thank you parents!