Breaking Through
"How
to use the creative process as a tool - in the district, at
schools,
in classrooms, and with student minds - to encourage innovation,
leverage differences,
and break through to new heights within
a changing global context."
| About our retreat program:
Please join us at the Vail Cascdade Resort and Spa, two hours west
of Denver, for dialogue, inquiry and inspiration from colleagues,
artists, and the country's top scholars. In keeping with our mission
to bring fresh perspectives to education, we create a “total
immersion” experience at the retreat: from the working sessions,
to entertainment, to dinner conversation, we work together to understand
the challenges we face as educators, the cultural factors that influence
our daily work, and our options for bringing meaningful change to
our students. |
|
Please click on the links below for information
about:
|
|
Each person who registers will receive a registration packet containing the following:
- Travel & Transportation information
- What to pack, where to go, etc
- Hotel Information
- Vail Cascdade Resort and Spa brochure
- Agenda
- Homework assignment and books, including;
The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools, and Societies
By Scott Page
Sparks of Genius: The Thirteen Thinking Tools of the World's Most Creative People
By Robert and Michèle Root-Bernstein
The Brain that Changes Itself
By Norman Doidge
At past retreats we have learned about the
role of creativity and innovation in organizational success,
and also in helping the US to maintain its competitive advantage
in a global economy. This retreat breaks down these previously
explored concepts to examine the concrete ways that creativity
can help educators develop schools, districts and students
capable of breaking through to new levels of performance.
|
|
Vail Cascade Resort & Spa:
Though famous as one of the best ski resorts in North America,
the Vail Cascade Resort & Spa is a summer-time
treasure. Nestled at the base of Vail mountain and running
alongside beautiful Gore Creek, Vail Cascade Resort offers
stunning surrounding views even from inside the resort. When
the snow melts away, blue skies, sparkling streams and wildflowers
create an ideal climates for hiking, fishing, golfing, and
horseback riding. Take a ride up the gondola and ride a mountain
bike down. Nearby Vail Village is a charming, Bavarian-style
town with winding cobblestone streets, distinctive boutiques,
galleries, and restaurants. The resort offers a complimentary
round-trip shuttle to the village, and it is also a lovely
walk along a pedestrian trail.
The elegant Aria
Spa offers
a full menu of spa services in a gorgeous setting. In addition
to the extensive weight room and training machines, the athletic
club also has an indoor basketball court, indoor running track,
squash & racquetball courts, and classes ranging from yoga
to Pilates to martial arts. |
|
Temperature, Climate & Altitude: The
average temperature in summer is 75 degrees during the day.
The resort is at an altitude of almost 8,000 ft above sea level.
Be sure to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. The air
is thin so pace yourself and remember that the effects of exercise
and alcohol are magnified at high altitudes.
Attire: Attire is “resort casual” during
day-time sessions and evening programs, so please bring comfortable
clothes and leave your suits at home. Some of our evening programs
will be outdoors, so be sure to bring something warm for after
the sun goes down.
We will spend time in a "cultural inquiry" designed to help
us better understand cultural conflict, isolation and integration by
exploring how these themes are treated in the arts. Music sessions
will be part of evening programs with spouses, and all others will
take place during the day (spouses welcome).
|
Mambo to Hip Hop: 50 Years of Music from the Bronx
and its Influence on America
Grammy award winner Frank Wharton will take us on a music tour from Mambo
to hip hop to understand how diversity shaped some of last century's
major musical movements and how those movements in turn heavily influenced
popular youth culture throughout the country. |
|
Live Jazz Concert
Demonstrating music's exceptional ability to meld, fuse and integrate
sounds that emerge from disparate traditions and cultures, Helen
Sung will perform her unique jazz piano. She will discuss and play
music from her last recording while sampling folk music from medieval
Andalusia, then playing the classical version of the same, and ending
with her own jazz interpretation. |
|
Film Study: The Namesake
Film has been a tradition at the Syfr summer retreats since 2006 when
we watched Crash. We are excited to continue the film study as part
of our cultural inquiry and feature The Namesake. Main character
Gogol, a first generation Indian American, is overwhelmed with the
often conflicting complexities of cultural assimilation, tradition,
his own identity struggle, and misconceptions about his parents and
family history. His journey to self discovery involves a trip to
India, alienation from his family, and a great tragedy. His mother's
life offers a parallel narrative, as we watch her experience similar
struggles in silence and isolation. We will discuss how Gogol's story
represents the universal quest for identity, the cultural challenges
specific to first generation children, and the themes of cultural
assimilation and isolation and how they continue through the generations. |
Click here to complete the online registration form.
The $2,450 fee is all-inclusive and covers registration for one person,
three-nights lodging, meals*, as well as books and retreat materials.
Extra Nights:
We welcome you to stay extra nights at our discounted room rate, $189/night
(not including state tax). The reduced rate is offered several days
before and after the retreat, depending on availability. You can select
extra nights on the registration
form. We hope you can extend your stay to enjoy the resort and
surrounding areas.
Guest Fee:
The guest fee of $550 covers attendance at all
retreat sessions, three cocktail receptions, and three dinners.
Guest Lunch:
Guest lunches are an additional $50/each. We do not roll
this cost into the guest fee so that guests are able to choose whether
they want to join the group for lunch or dine separately during the day.
|
|
*Retreat meals include: welcome reception & dinner; continental
breakfast, lunch, reception & dinner for the two full days; continental
breakfast on the last half day. Please note that a lunch on the final
day is not included in our program to allow attendees time to catch early
afternoon flights home.
Airport: The Vail Cascade Resort is just 25 minutes
from a small airport, Eagle Airport, and is approximately 2 hours from
Denver International Airport.
Arrival Time – Sunday, July 13th: Please plan
to arrive at the resort by 4:00 pm to allow plenty of time to get settled
and relax. Please plan your flights accordingly to accommodate for the
2 hour drive from the Denver airport. The welcome reception and dinner
program begin at 5:30 in the Cascade Ballroom.
Departure Time – Wednesday, July 16th: Please
allow plenty of time between the end of the retreat and your flight
departure time. Please plan to leave the hotel no sooner than 12:30
pm on Wednesday, July 16th. This means that your departing flight
should leave no earlier than 4:00 pm. Please book your flight accordingly.
Rental Cars: You will not need a car to get around
the resort or into Vail Village. All retreat functions are at the resort.
A rental car is recommended if you plan to tour the surrounding area
before or after the retreat.
Airport Shuttle: Discounted shuttle service from
either airport is available from The Colorado Mountain
Express shuttle. Advanced reservations
are required. There phone number is 1-800-525-6363 and the group code
is "Syfr." Click here for more info.
|
 |
- Payment deadline for early bird registration is April 1, 2008.
Both registration and payment must be
received by this date.
- Payment or purchase order for registrations
without discounts and additional hotel nights is due by
August 1, 2008.
- Payment for additional hotel nights is due by July 13, 2008.
For questions about payment please call (206) 855-4711.
We accept checks, PO and credit card payments (Visa and MasterCard
only;
credit card payments are done via phone, not online). Please
include your
name on the check and/or a copy of your invoice with payment.
If your
district requires that Syfr is an approved vendor, please contact
us at
(360) 574-4394 and we will complete the appropriate paperwork
so that we are
added to your approved vendor list.
Make checks payable to: |
Syfr Corporation |
Syfr Corporation Tax ID#: |
91-2000027 |
Syfr Corporation fax number: |
(360) 314-6153 |
Syfr Corporation address: |
Syfr Corporation
PO Box 1218
Washougal, WA 98671 |
|
|
If you are staying extra nights:
If you need to cancel additional hotel nights and request
a full refund, please email us at retreatinfo@syfrcorp.com
before May 9, 2008. By this date, Syfr is financially
committed to the hotel for all reservations made in our
group. Therefore, we are unable to accept cancellations
or issue refunds after this date.
Regular registration:
If you need to cancel your registration and request a
full refund, please email us at retreatinfo@syfrcorp.com
before May 30, 2008. We are not able to accept cancellations
or issue refunds received after the dates listed above.
Please note that we are unable to issue refunds or waive
the registration fee if you register and do not attend
without cancelling within the deadline.
|
 |
|
