Greetings!

 

Welcome to the first of our Sunday Updates for the 2024-25 school year!  We are very excited to welcome you and your children to school this week.

 

As you know, on Monday we will meet with all parents live via a Zoom session of your choice (10:30 AM or 5:30 PM).  Please be sure to watch the video links that Wendy sent via email on Wednesday prior to your Monday session and submit any questions using the Google Form link found in that email.  On Monday, following a brief general session, we will go to breakout rooms by division(NatureStart/MAPP, Middle Grades or Upper School)  in which you will learn more about Student Orientation and the start of the regular class schedule immediately following the Labor Day weekend.

If you have students in different divisions of the school please either have two parents sign on separately to the Zoom meeting, attend both meetings (!) or pick one division session to attend and follow up with us for info missed from the other session.

 

Here are some REMINDERS for this week:

 

Monday

- Required Parent Orientation Zoom sessions (10:30 or 5:30 PM)

- Required Zoom Sports meeting 7 PM for all parents of potential fall athletes (soccer or cross country)

 

Tuesday

- Deadline for fall sports form submission

 

Wednesday

- Student Orientation for all (note special hours)

- Upper School brings lawn chairs (item from School Supply List)

- Sports practices begin after school

 

Thursday

- Student Orientation continues (note special hours)

- The whole school will be served a pizza lunch on Thursday, feel free to send a lunch if that is your student’s preference.

 

Friday

- Student Orientation continues with half day dismissal for all (note special hours)

- Upper School brings all school supplies  

 

 

ANNOUNCE:

All students who will be bringing a cell phone or smart watch to campus need to have a parent register the device in advance using this form:

https://forms.gle/YuAeG6gqrCaVe7im9

Phones and watches will be stored in designated slots upon arrival and retrieved upon dismissal or for class use per teacher instruction.  Students who have an urgent need to use or check a phone during the day may do so with staff permission.

 

Note: Students with a medical device should note this on the form for special handling.

 

BEHIND THE SCENES:

 

We have had an amazing two weeks of teacher work days - among the best in memory in terms of establishing connection and purpose.  We jumped off with our theme of WONDER and then spent eight days in a mixture of professional reflections and learning, planning of classes and events and moving and reimagining our spaces.  There was much sharing, visioning and collaboration and many new bonds were formed.  I’ll elaborate a bit more when we meet on Monday.

 

Before we plunge into the year I want to convey THANKS to the folks who worked behind the sciences for much of this summer on the “backstage” part of our school.

 

Wendy- who organizes the lunch vendors and event venues and multiple versions of our calendars as well as all the other paperwork that goes into setting up a school year.

Jill - who has been working at full steam all summer long to manage an historic admissions season!

Logan- who has overseen an upgrade to our internet, supported our efforts to enhance our sports offerings, as well as been the point person for our summer camps and summer school.

Amy - who worked on Family and Staff Handbook revisions with great attention to detail.

Bruce - who worked to set up our Fall Sports

Charlotte - who worked to set up our June Spain trip

Reed and Irfan - who met throughout the summer in preparation for the launch of Geometry in Construction

Thomas, Michelle and Amy - who orchestrated Summer Reading

Rachel, Clare, Bev and Sarah - who ran awesome summer camps on our behalf.

Irfan, Andre and Tom - who ran Math Summer School sessions with excellent results

Katie - who ran a wonderful “soft orientation” program for some of our new students last week

Magda and Scott - who ran a great orientation session for our new International students last week (with terrific support from Tom)

Nicole, Leah, Rachel, Anna, Clare, Scott and Necia - who ran a MAPP student pre-orientation last week

Nicole, Leah, Lori, Raleigh, Irfan, Rachel - who were in and out throughout the summer working to reimagine their spaces

Tyler, Josh and Greg - and students Ben and Dylan Way - who worked on countless building and grounds projects throughout the summer

Mike - who orchestrated all of this building and grounds work

And Amy and Irfan - who coordinated the production of the Parent Orientation videos. 

 

WHEW!!!!  All that to get us to this very moment!  Go, Team!

 

 

 

I look forward to seeing you on Zoom tomorrow and on campus later this week.

 

 

Best,

 

Thelma

 

 

UPCOMING:

 

 

Monday, September 2 - School closed for Labor Day

 

Tuesday, September 3

- Academic class schedule begins

- Middle Grades students bring school supplies

 

Wednesday, September 4 - 7 PM - Spain trip interest meeting - Zoom

 

Thursday, September 12- Tuesday, September 24 - Upper School X Schedule

 

Friday, September 20 - Parent Night - attendance required

 

Wednesday, September 25-Friday September 27- School Closed for Faculty Retreat.