Refurbished clock tower in Cornwall, Ontario.
What will you be doing this summer? Traveling? Reading? Summer camps? Visiting relatives? I hope that you will have a good book with you at all times!
The Potwins are doing a little bit of many things. Since Mr. Potwin works at IMG, the academy will be in its busy summer season, thus not too many family trips away. We will make it home to Canada for 10 days. (Do not tell my Mum,it is a surprise). While I work on campus much of the summer, I will be spending time with Eoin for a few weeks. I am looking forward to going to the playground with my son, participating in the Sarasota Public Library summer programs, and simply playing. I am sure that we will make it to the beach as that he loves the water and visit with his friend Greyson Klein. We might even get to Disney one weekend to celebrate Mr. Potwin’s July 1st birthday in the Magic Kingdom. (Did you know that you can visit the one of the Disney parks for free on your birthday? How cool is that?)
I am most excited about my trip to Chicago, as part of a National Endowment for the Humanities grant, to study architecture for one week.Hosted by the Chicago Architecture Foundation, I will be participating in a workshop entitled, The American Skyscraper: Transforming Chicago and the Nation. Thanks to the NEH, all expenses are covered. I am grateful for this opportunity.
http://www.architecture.org/teacherworkshops/NEHlandmarks.html
Besides daily two hour walking tours, looking up at the surrounding architecture, participants will be learning how to incorporate this element of American history into lesson plans for our students. In the evenings, during free time, I am hopeful to visit the Chicago Public Library – Washington branch, constructed in the early 1990s. It is a building which I studied in my library architecture course in library school. With my art history background, I am motivated to visit the Chicago Institute of Art. Oh to see George Seurat’s A Sunday afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (1884-1886)!
On a personal level, I am very eager to visit the American Girl shoppe. I have made reservations for the cafe and a told that they will have a ‘loaner’ doll waiting for me…won’t this be a cool experience? I cannot wait until the Rebecca series is released on June 1st! I am also planning a tour of the Robie House, one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s more famous buildings. As a member of the Arts and Crafts movement, he is an American architect who designed a number of homes in America, as well as furniture and home furnishings. The Robie House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for his client Frederick C. Robie, is considered one of the most important buildings in the history of American architecture. Designed in Wright’s Oak Park studio in 1908 and completed in 1910, the building inspired an architectural revolution. Its sweeping horizontal lines, dramatic overhangs, stretches ofart glass windows and open floor plan make it a quintessential Prairie style house. Although it was designed more than ninety years ago, the building remains a masterpiece of modern architecture. I have tickets for a tour which specifically follows the Wright 3by Blue Baillet. In this mystery, the reader is lead to believe that the Robie house is haunted and is scaring off the construction personnel…or could it be a plot by …..hmmm…you will have to read the book to 
appreciate the storyline!
Can anyone recommend a good coffee shop in Chicago?
And of course, there is much to do on our Saint Stephen’s campus when the students and teachers are away…weeding shelves, inventory, ordering materials for next year, cataloguing, planning book fairs and events for the upcoming school year. Of course, my Mum and brother Matt will be coming to FLA to visit at the end of July.
I am anticipating drinking a fair bit of Starbucks coffee, as well, though that goes without saying…….
Sadly, I will admit that I do much of my Christmas shopping during the summer months. While this might seem a tad overtly organized, I do try to get much of the shopping and wrapping out of the way as that many sales are happening during the summer months . Also, November and December are incredibly hectic months at school : 180 thoughtful reports card comments to compose and the Holiday Book Fair to host.
Of course, I will be reading a fair bit myself…..
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The Graveyard Bookby Neil Gaiman
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Scat by Carl Hiassen
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Julie and Julia by Julie Powell
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Always looking up by Micheal J. Fox ( our neighbour in Vermont)
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Reliable Wife by Robert Golrick
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Selected Works of T.S. Spivetby Reif Lorsen
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Tunneling to the Center of the Earth by K. Wilson
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Max: Maxium Ride #4 by James Patterson
- The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World by Jacqueline Novogratz
- The Gardner Heist: The True Story of the World’s Largest Unsolved Art Theftby Ulrich Boser
- Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger
- Infotopia: How Many Minds Produce Knowledge by Cass R. Sunstein
- Gravity Keeperseries by Micheal Riesman
- Calder gameby Blue Baillet
- Wine politics — how governments , environmentalists, mobsters and critics iinfluence the wines we drink by Tyler Colman
- Closing the food gap : resetting the table in the land of plenty by Mark Winne
- The end of foodby Paul Roberst
- Uncertain peril : genetic engineering and the future of seeds by Clair Cummings
- Wandering home: a long walk across America’s most hopeful landscape: Vermont’s Champlain Valley and New York’s Adirondacksby Bill McKibben
I am looking forward to seeing you on Open House Day on August 24th. Please remember to finish your recommended summer reading. I might suggest that my friends make notes at the end of each chapter, as that grade 4 and 5 friends will be asked to take the Accelerated Reader test for their summer reading book. I want for you to get the best grade possible.
Don’t forget to send me a post card! While I am on campus much of the summer, I simply love to receive post cards from friends who are traveling. Please send your post cards to: Sarah Potwin, Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School, Campus Center Library, 315- 41St Street West, Bradenton, FLA, 34209. Once collected, I will display them on our library bulletin board during Open House week.
Where ever you are, what ever you do, enjoy your summertime my Falcon friends, stay safe and please read.
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