Keeping Parents and Campuses Connected
November 2015
Rights to Be Thankful For
As we gather our families around the holiday table, we give thanks for many
things. When we count our blessings this Thanksgiving, let’s not forget to be
thankful for property rights.
Few Americans realize that the first Thanksgiving would not have been
possible if private ownership of property had not been introduced into
Plymouth Colony. Originally, Plymouth was organized on a communal basis.
When the Pilgrims first established Plymouth in 1621, the land was owned and
farmed in common, with each family receiving “an equal share of food, no
matter how much work they did.”1
“The results were disastrous. [Governor] William Bradford wrote, ‘much was
stolen both by night and day.’ The same plan in Jamestown contributed to
starvation . . . and the death of half the population.” 1
November at a Glance
• November 9–13 (G4–8)
National Geographic Bee
“So Bradford decreed that families should instead farm private lots. That
quickly ended the suffering. Bradford wrote that people now ‘went willingly
into the field.’ Soon, there was so much food that the Pilgrims and Indians
could celebrate Thanksgiving.”1
• November 12 (PS–8)
Managing Child Behavior
Workshop for Parents
There is “nothing like competition and self-interest to bring out the best in
people . . . . Knowing that your property is really yours makes it easier to plant,
grow, invest and prosper.”1
• November 17 (G5–8)
AMC 8 Math Competition
Bradford’s diaries chronicle the
failure of the communal system,
which encouraged waste and laziness
and destroyed individual initiative.
The bountiful harvest that saved
the colonies and prompted them to
celebrate a day of Thanksgiving was
made possible by private enterprise—
the right of individuals to own land
and benefit from the work they do.
• November 20
First Term Ends
• November 24–25
Thanksgiving Feast Days
• November 26–27
Thanksgiving Break—
No School
Private property—as the Pilgrims
discovered—connects effort to
reward, creating an incentive for
people to produce far more. So
successful was Governor Bradford’s
experiment that he noted later, “any
general want or famine hath not been
amongst them since to this day.”2
continued on p.2
© 2015, Challenger Schools
ChallengerSchool.com
Freedom from Want by Norman Rockwell
17-50.03-16_R1
Rights, cont. from p.1
American Mathematic Competition 8 (5–8)
Noted economist and philosopher Friedrich Hayek
once said, “Private property is the most important
guarantee of freedom.”3 Though property rights and
free enterprise have been eroded through the years
by regulation and taxation, the discoveries of those
early colonists have made it possible for America to
prosper for hundreds of years.
On November 17, 2015, all
Challenger students in grades 5–8
will participate in the American
Mathematic Competition (AMC) 8.
The AMC 8 is a 25-question,
40-minute, multiple choice
examination in middle school
mathematics designed to promote
the development and enhancement
of problem-solving skills.
So when we slice into that turkey this Thanksgiving,
we celebrate not only our families and the bounty
of the harvest, but also the birth of freedom
in America.
Over 150,000 students participate
in the AMC 8 worldwide. We
are excited to be able to offer our students this opportunity to
demonstrate and challenge their mathematical skills.
1 Stossel, John. “The History of Thanksgiving: Thanks, Property Rights.”
Capitalism Magazine. 27 Nov. 2014. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.
2 Bradford, William. Of Plymouth Plantation. New Brunswick: Rutgers
University Press, 1952.
3 Hayek, Friedrich August. The Road to Serfdom. New York:
Routledge, 1944.
Students can prepare for and parents can find more information
about the contest by visiting http://www.maa.org/mathcompetitions/student-resources. Taking and reviewing previous
AMC 8 exams and sample tests is the best way to prepare.
Veterans Day (K–8)
Students will receive notification regarding their performance
on the AMC 8 in mid-January. We hope that by participating
in this contest, we can challenge and inspire students to want to
develop their problem-solving skills.
Elementary students
will commemorate
Veterans Day with
a special assembly.
This day honors the
countless men and
women who have
defended freedom
around the world.
Outdoor Clothing
Many students
will have the
opportunity to write
to military personnel
currently serving overseas. Others will read or hear firsthand accounts of veterans throughout U.S. history.
As the weather gets cooler, make sure
that your child is dressed appropriately
in outer clothes that he can handle with
little assistance.
Please don’t send an umbrella with your
child; when combined with backpacks
and lunch boxes, an umbrella is difficult
to manage.
We will go outside every day possible, despite the cold weather.
Label all outerwear pieces just in case items end up in the lostand-found.
Managing Child Behavior
Workshop for Parents
November 12, 2015
Thank you,
VETERANS!
All Challenger parents are welcome!
Feel free to bring non-Challenger friends.
Locations and times are posted on ChallengerSchool.com.
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We had a nice
turnout for and
positive feedback
from our October
workshop.
Join us again—
or for the first
time—at our
November session.
Christmas Sings (PS–5)
Christmas Concert (6–8)
Geography Bee (4–8)
In November, students will have the opportunity to answer
questions about the world during our annual Geography
Bee. Students may hone their knowledge of geography
facts by going online to NationalGeographic.com/geobee
and participating in the
GeoBee Challenge or
by downloading the
GeoBee app.
Students are excited to present their Christmas Sings
and Christmas Concerts next month. As we get closer to
the performance dates, check ChallengerSchool.com for
schedules, and watch for invitations to these festive events.
Students will first compete
in class. Finalists will
advance to the campus
bee. Challenger students
have traditionally
performed very well in
this contest. Maybe your
child will be our next
geography whiz!
Challenger students
love geography!
Science Fair (K–8)
Thanksgiving Feast (K–8)
Science Fair fun has begun!
Challenger students in grades 6–8
have received their packets and are
already coming up with their projects
for the 2016 Science Fair. Information
for students in grades 3–5 will be
distributed this month, and K–2
classes will begin their projects after
the first of the year.
Here’s an opportunity to have lunch with your child! On November 25, the
lunch caterer will offer a special feast*. If you would like to attend, you may
order a feast from the caterer for yourself and/or your child.
*Not available at all campuses
Every year, our students continue to
come up with impressive projects.
Please encourage your student as she
works on this important assignment.
Upper grade servers dressed in Pilgrim attire
If you won’t be purchasing a Thanksgiving lunch for your child, please
remember to send one from home. In the next few weeks, we will send more
information to you.
(Preschool students will celebrate with an in-class feast and will not participate
in the catered lunch. Kindergarten participation varies by campus.)
ChallengerSchool.com
Note:
Challenger
teaches
students why
and how
inverting and
multiplying
works.
Preschool
I Can Read!
Magnet Charts
As 4-year-olds finish the
Blending Book series, they’ll
move on to Pre-Readers. You’ll
receive a magnet chart for the
magnets your young reader will
bring home after completing and
returning each new book. This is
a fun way to chart your child’s
reading progress!
Heard It in the Halls
Berryessa (CA) campus—
As they drove to school one day,
preschooler Ronin and his mother
tested each other with word problems.
Ronin posed this question: “I have four
cookies, and you took one away. How
many do you have now?”
His mother replied, “You now have
three cookies.”
“No!” responded Ronin triumphantly.
“I said, ‘How many do YOU have?’
You have one cookie, because you
took one away. I tricked you!”
Round Rock (TX) campus—
Kindergartner Sofia was learning about
Galileo and how he wanted everyone
to believe his ideas about the universe,
even though he knew it meant he
would be unpopular.
“If Galileo believed in himself and
knew his ideas were right,” mused
Sofia, “then why did he care if anyone
else believed him?”
Thanksgiving Feast Day (PS–K)
This month, preschoolers and kindergartners will learn about the first
Thanksgiving and celebrate the holiday with an in-class feast (as applicable
at your campus).
Look for a notice with the
food item your child is invited
to contribute to our meal.
We will prepare this together
as we enjoy the blessings of
freedom and prosperity.
Preschool Progress
Teachers will work with
preschoolers individually this
month to assess their progress. In
early December, you will receive
a report about your child’s
participation and academic
progress in school.
Happy
Thanksgiving!
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