Red Bridge has been a transformative experience for our 9-year-old daughter. Unlike traditional schools, Red Bridge fosters student agency through a unique "Autonomy Level" system. Children progress at their own pace, setting and achieving increasingly complex goals in collaboration with their teachers. This system offers several advantages:

- Mixed-age learning: Children of different ages and abilities work together within each Autonomy Level. This fosters leadership and empathy as some students serve as mentors while others learn from them.

- Exposure to diverse teaching styles: Students work with multiple teachers throughout the day, including specialists in reading, math, writing, science & art. This allows them to find teachers they connect with and benefit from a collaborative learning environment.

- Student-driven promotion: Children initiate their promotion to the next Autonomy Level based on their own readiness and goals. This empowers them to take ownership of their learning journey.

- Focus on mastery, not homework: While formal homework is rare, unfinished schoolwork can be completed at home.

- Individualized support: Weekly one-on-one meetings with their Autonomy Level teacher address academic progress, work habits, social-emotional well-being, and any challenges they might face.

- Engaging Deep Dives: Three times a year, each Autonomy Group delves into a chosen topic for two weeks. These deep dives provide a fun, collaborative learning experience for students and teachers, with opportunities for parent involvement.

Red Bridge's innovative approach empowers students to become independent, self-directed learners while fostering a strong sense of community. We highly recommend this school to families seeking a progressive and nurturing learning environment for their children.

I very highly recommend Caroline Kerhervé. Not only is she an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, she also used to work as a Psychologist.

Before seeing Caroline, I met with one lactation consultant at the hospital and two in my home and I was still struggling with breastfeeding. Positioning was always very awkward; latching was painful; I ended up with a severe nipple crack; I worried my baby wasn't eating enough; there was a lot of crying from both me and baby... Caroline sorted all this out and I quickly started to feel confident and to enjoy breastfeeding. She also taught me a lot of other newborn care skills. And she helped me out of my "ongoing baby blues" that I now think might have been a touch of postpartum depression.

If I had it to do over again I would have a prenatal consult and also schedule her for a few postpartum lactation consult/doula sessions. I think the prenatal consult would be more valuable than a breastfeeding class. (And your insurance may cover it!)

Originally post: https://medium.com/@tessamac/there-are-two-basic-skills-that-are-very-hard-for-newborns-feeding-and-sleeping-8800321aeb8c

Christa officiated my wedding in Incline Village, NV and helped us write our own secular wedding ceremony. She was kind, thoughtful, and very easy-going which helped us stay sane and stress-free through the whole planning process. And her calm demeanor helped keep us serene during the big event.

She also connected us with an excellent classical guitarist (Ben Martin of the Tahoe School of Music) who played during the ceremony and cocktail hour.

The crowd is laid back and eclectic, the drinks are strong and tasty. I'm quite a fan of the Gin Gimlet.

My only complaint: TVs! I hate them! So distracting!