SALT VALLEY FREE SCHOOL

pheonix style

2009-07-22T13:09:00.000-07:00

so, i've been thinking a lot lately about how sad it would be to see this project fade into nothing. it's so common for something like this to emerge, then die off before it can really even develop. so often, "taking a break" can become permanent, and that nearly happened to salt valley free school. i'll be honest, we were all tired, and pretty burned out, too.
so, here's the good news...
i want to start over. i've been considering a new format for this very important project. by summer's end, i think we can have her up and running again, though maybe in a somewhat different way.
stay tuned.

love, jessica

hiatus.

2009-06-01T18:49:00.000-07:00

hello all you freeschoolers out there. i am writing this post to let you all know why you haven't seen the june schedule up anywhere.
we have dealt with a lot of kinks and bumps in the road trying to make salt valley free school the best it can be, and we are still so new, so we know that we can expect to have problems. but interest seems to have really tapered off, and we're not quite sure why. the calendar for june would have had only one class! as well as a lack of interested new facilitators, class attendance, so i hear, has been pretty hit or miss. so, matt, stephanie, and i have decided to take a month or so off to try to find solutions to this problem and inject free school with some new life! this is not the end, not by any means. we are passionate about free school, but we need time to figure out how to make it thrive. if anyone has any suggestions, please email us. our email, if you don't have it, is:
saltvalleyfreeschool@gmail.com
we intend to celebrate / promote our re-emergence with a large party/meeting, sometime later this summer. i will try to post occasionally with updates on our progress.
love and courage to you all,
jessica

a current listing of classes

2009-05-12T10:06:00.000-07:00

here is just a list of the classes for may. for class descriptions and details, email us, or check out a flier. we have them posted at the mill, the coffeehouse, doozy's, yia yia's, ivanna cone, meadowlark coffee, and indigo bridge books, just to name a few.
~kink tank!... tonight and tuesday the 26th, 8pm, 1121 sumner
~clawfoot salon... wednesday the 27th, 7-10 pm. 1042 f st.
~beer brew workshop... sunday the 24th. email theconquestofbread@riseup.net
to rsvp and work out a time
~red tent... mondays at 7pm, by rsvp only. call stephanie at 601.0959
~critical mass... friday the 29th, 6pm. meets at north side of the capitol building.
we did also list some of the things the lincoln bioneers are doing this month. please check them out here.

late!

2009-05-03T17:23:00.000-07:00

sorry everyone, but the release of the may calendars has been delayed. we'll have them out tomorrow (i hope!). a lot has been going on in our personal lives to disrupt our work with free school, but fear not! we are still very dedicated, and we hope that you are, too. new classes will be featured this month, so keep an eye out. we would also like to have another open meeting/gathering to promote free school, perhaps in june. also, now that matt and i have internet access again, we will be updating the blog more often. bear with us, the best is yet to come.

sorry for the short notice, but...

2009-04-15T18:37:00.000-07:00

... crochet circle is canceled for tomorrow, thursday the 16th.
also, if anyone is interested in doing a class in may, let us know as soon as you can! we would like to get the calendars for next month a-goin'. hope all you free schoolers out there are doing well, and hope to see you in class soon!
much love,
jessica

an important event!

2009-04-12T18:14:00.000-07:00

hey, all! please check out this link. This is important this link will take you to the Invisible Children page. I can describe it here but it would be better if you just read about and maybe watch the documentary

april showers bring muddy feet

2009-03-25T13:52:00.000-07:00

today we will be making the calendars for april. there are some changes and new additions, so keep your eyes peeled around town for them! this first month has been a great success, and we are looking forward to even better turnouts in april!

hebrew class is on.

2009-03-13T17:50:00.000-07:00

introduction to hebrew is, in fact, happening. however, alex wants an r.s.v.p. from anyone interested in coming. email him at amsclark@gmail.com to let him know if you are interested. he will only show up to teach if he knows in advance that you'll be there. sorry for the confusion!

also: kink tank is cancelled for sure on st. patty's day (tues., march 17), but i will be doing one the very next week (march 24), and the week right after that, so 2 consecutive kink tank weeks back to back! yeah!

some cancellations, adjustments, etc.

2009-03-12T19:40:00.000-07:00

hi everybody! i just got home from crocheting circle, which was great! alice taught me to crochet in just a few minutes, and i've never handled a hook before. i definitely recommend it! she says she'd like to see a better gender mix, so don't hesitate to come regardless. while i was there, though, she did mention that she'll be out of town for next thursday's circle, so don't come. there are a few other cancellations worth mentioning, so here's a full list:
~CROCHETING CIRCLE is CANCELLED on thursday, MARCH 19TH.
~KINK TANK is also sort of maybe CANCELLED, tuesday MARCH 17TH, because i just realized that it is st. patrick's day that day, and there are a lot of shows, beers people will probably want to drink, etc. i will most likely go ahead and show up anyway, just to let everyone who doesn't read the blog know.
~until further notice, INTRODUCTION TO HEBREW is cancelled, maybe permanantly. i heard through the grapevine that alex didn't exactly remember that he had submitted his class, and people were showing up to it and no one was there to teach. so, unfortunately, we'll have to assume that's not going on, at least until he gets back to us.

other that those, everything should be as planned. and here, for you, is a bit of inspirational candy to brighten your windy march evening:
i find what elizabeth gilbert has to say here to be relieving, delightful, and energizing. please sit through this one, 'cause you'll be glad you did.

a tidbit of what is happening

2009-03-11T00:27:00.000-07:00

This is a video of one of the many interesting things happening with electronics club. Enjoy!

so far so good, but a few quick reminders...

2009-03-06T14:51:00.001-08:00

i am hearing good things about the classes we have had so far! i did have a couple of things to mention, though:
~salt valley free school classes and groups should be drug and booze free, unless you have made special arrangements (like for a beer brewing class, or something like that). this should also apply to use right before attending a class. feel free to do whatever you want any other time, no one wants to pass judgement on your lifestyle, but we feel that you will be your best at meetings and classes when you are sober. plus, it's not cool to make people who are uncomfortable with intoxication, or folks who've brought kids, etc., feel weird or unwelcome because you decided to get messed up before you show up. consideration is very much appreciated!
~april calendars still haven't been finalized, so it's still not too late to submit for the second half of this session.
~if anyone would like to help us out a lot right now, you could:
*help pay for/ or make copies of calendars
*help post calendars in areas of town we haven't been able to reach on our bikes as of yet, such as college view, university place, southpointe area, around gateway mall, airpark... you name it, if it's not downtown, we haven't gotten there.
*host a large gathering for any and all free schoolers to attend, such as a potluck or something. i think we should all get together again.

thanks!
~~jessica

first day!!

2009-03-01T17:09:00.000-08:00

happy first day of free school, everybody! i hope you'll all check out a class or two. we decided to hold off for a short while on making the calendars for april, so if you have any last minute plans for a class you'd like to do next month, email us within the next week or so. we were hoping to have a potluck or other form of party/celebration thing to kickoff our first session, but we never really found a good place to have it. i think it would be fun to do something like that soon, anyway though, at least to get us all together face to face again. let us know if you have any thoughts on that.
hope to see you soon,
jessica

march calendars are a go!

2009-02-27T18:42:00.000-08:00

well, we finally managed to copy the calendars for march, and (as of today) you can find them posted at the coffeehouse on p st., open harvest, and meadowlark coffee and espresso on south st.! many thanks to our facilitators and teachers. we will be starting out with a very good line up:

*every sunday at 5pm is INTRODUCTION TO HEBREW, the coffeehouse (1324 p st.), with alex clark. learn to read hebrew and write in hebrew cursive script! email amsclark@gmail.com with any questions.
*ELECTRONICS CLUB, at grant centauri's house (841 s 11th st.), is every tuesday at 7:30 pm. for people interested in electronics at all levels. from microcontrollers to analog circuits, crystal radios to laser communications, tesla coils and electronic art, we are willing to try it all. share knowledge, resources, and motivation to learn skills to fix and build the various electronic gadgets that are ubiguitous in our world today. visit the website: etc.countryshade.org , or email grant at gcentauri@countryshade.org
rsvp is required.
*come check out KINK TANK in the back of the coffeehouse every tuesday at 8pm. kink tank is a group whose focus is to discuss topics pertaining to sex, porn, sex work, etc. in an open and thoughtful manner. also, to examine these things through a sex positive, gender-(all)incusive, and feminist lens. serious matters will be discussed sometimes, but of course we'll end up laughing, too! i (jessica langenberg) can be reached for questions through the free school email, saltvalleyfreeschool@gmail.com
please don't bring children, as subject matter will be of a sexual nature.
*alice hosts a great CROCHETING CIRCLE each thursday at 7 pm in her home at 1028 h st., #207. the first meeting (on the 5th) will be an instructional session, all sessions after that will welcome all skill levels of crocheters to bring projects to work on and discuss. participants are encouraged to bring their own supplies, though some extra hooks and yarn may be available. alice is an experienced crafter and a great gal, so check it out!
*KRAFTING 101: HEADDRESSES, is breanne's first offering of a series of crafting workshops, and is on saturday, march 28th only. show up to her apartment at 519 s. 18th st, #3 at 2pm, and expect a fun afternoon. learn basic sewing techniques, how to make pom-poms, as well as felt flowers and fruit, which you'll apply to the creation of a springtime headdress or hair ornament! materials will be available, but please bring any craft supplies you may have (ribbon, yarn, buttons, fabric scraps, etc.) to share. rsvp to the free school email, specifying adult or child. snacks provided.

GOOD NEWS!

2009-02-20T08:01:00.000-08:00

we won't be making the april calendar for the next few weeks, so if you still have last minute class ideas, get 'em in!!

the march calendar will be out very soon. we promise.

email confusion??

2009-02-04T21:44:00.000-08:00

alright, just so everyone is on the same page, our only current contact is the gmail account, saltvalleyfreeschool@gmail.com. so if you have sent anything to the saltvalleyfreeschool@resist.ca address, please let us know via the gmail address. we do hope to get the resist account up again if it seems viable, but for now, we'll stick to the gmail.

thanks y'all!
~jess

to all facilitators, or wannabes

2009-02-02T10:06:00.000-08:00

hello, all! we've had some great classes submitted, but i wanted to let everyone know that if you missed the deadline, but still are interested, definitely drop us a line anytime this week! i don't want anyone to miss out. we will be working on the calendar, so do speak up soon. let me just say, i've got a lot of your great plans in our inbox, and congratulations to all our new facilitators!!

~jess

email adventure time

2009-01-21T19:50:00.000-08:00

i just sent out a mass email to all of you that gave us your addresses at the meeting. it included a form for submissions, but if you didn't get that, please send the following to saltvalleyfreeschool@gmail.com :
~class title
~the times/dates
~location
~your name and contact info
~whether you'll require an rsvp (due to limited space)

we're all very excited to hear from you, and please remember that class submissions are due feb. 1!
also, we'd like to have a nice potluck kickoff party on march first, you know, just to get things started right. problem is, we don't really have a place to do that.
so, if you have a space for a big dinner to happen, or know about a good free potluck spot, let us know.

over and out,
jessica

a great turnout!

2009-01-17T09:44:00.000-08:00

thank you for all of you who made it to our orientation! over 40 of you were able to make it out, and an email will be going out to all of you shortly with reminders and connections to people with similar interests.

wikipedia does a good job of explaining the free school concept for those of you unable to make it to the meeting.
we'll be taking class submissions up until the first of february, which is coming up soon, but if you have an idea for a class or group, let us know and we can help you coming up with the details.

again, thank you everybody for your inspiration, enthusiasm, and wonderful ideas! let's get started!!

UPDATED

2009-01-03T02:04:00.000-08:00

The date for our orientation has changed to exactly a week later. Instead of January 8th, it's now the 15th. Same time, same place!!

Thanks everybody!

[Class submissions are still due the first of February..]

SO here's what's up!

2008-12-16T17:06:00.000-08:00

we'll be having a Free School "Orientation" on JANUARY 8, 2009. 6PM @ THE MILL [downtown].
bring your ideas, questions, and happy smiles on down to help start Nebraska's first educational revolution! [yes, there is life without, or outside, of a university :)]

so far we are planning a gardening class, an open bike shop, bellydancing classes, yoga in the summer, writing/editing workshops, a drawing class, and more!! look at the post below to get some ideas about what you can teach or lead. i know it just snowed, but spring IS coming and winter is the perfect time to dream up what wonderful ideas to grow and let bloom!

CLASS SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE FEBRUARY 1ST. this includes a class title, description, place, and time [you can do weekly, biweekly, monthly, or one-time-only classes, but these, too, are just examples]. email submissions to saltvalleyfreeschool[at]gmail[dot]com. if you need help finding a location or anything else, attend the orientation or send us your questions.

OUR FIRST SESSION WILL BEGIN MARCH 1ST, 2009!!

Interested? Here's how to get involved!

2008-12-10T12:07:00.000-08:00

Submit an idea for a class! Not everybody thinks they have what it takes to 'teach', but we're hoping to redefine what it means to be a teacher [and a student!]. Here are some ideas:

-book clubs
-skill-shares and workshops
-discussion groups
-drum circles, dancing groups, laughing clubs, stop-and-smell-the-roses walks..
-cooking and gardening groups
-structured series [a group project that takes 4 weeks, for example]

Really, the possibilities are endless. There are no boundaries for what a class can look like. We're looking for diversity, so even if you think your idea is crazy, we probably won't. Seriously!

More particulars [deadline for submissions, session duration, etc.] coming very soon!!

Who we are, what we do.

2008-12-09T15:00:00.001-08:00

Salt Valley Free School is a community of dreamers and doers working together for ways to put ideas into action. We believe everybody can equally play a role in this process, and that the best way to build community is to teach our friends and neighbors what we know. We are dedicated to creating environments of learning that are open to everybody regardless of what they can and can't afford. We also strive for social change and awareness and believe this is achieved through diversity, communication, and education.

Salt Valley Free School has no age, educational, or experience requirement. There are no applications, no tests, no grades. We are teacher-organized and student-run, but anyone can be a teacher and everyone's a student!!