Folks,
This communication contains
information about six upcoming events of which you should be aware, so please
read through it to the end. And if you
have any concerns, as always, my door is open.
The first item, the upcoming
SaL conversations, is the exciting new step in our D-E history and one about
which both Dr. DeJarnett and I have written and talked to you. As a quick review, our School has identified
eight traits that we believe are essential for school success, life-long
success and happiness (Critical Thinking, Creativity, Daily Preparation,
Collaboration, Perseverance, Organization, Engagement, and Risk Taking). While these traits cannot be easily measured
or ‘evaluated’, our faculty has been involved in learning ways to recognize and
foster them so that your children can begin to internalize the concepts.
Beginning in mid-April, each
child will have a private conversation with his/her HomeBase advisor. We are
working hard to construct this new, exciting step as an opportunity for
teachers to help each child accurately and thoughtfully reflect about his/her
strengths as a learner in regards to the specific SaL traits. These are our intents:
·
It is a
conversation, not a conference.
·
It is a joint
reflection, not an evaluation.
·
It will focus
primarily on SaL strengths.
·
It will be upbeat
rather than critical.
·
It will focus on
the traits rather than on grades.
This is a new type of
conversation for both your child and our teachers, and we will probably have a
few bumps along the way. Please roll with us and if you have feedback, I’d love
to hear it. You can support our efforts here at School by asking your child
about the traits and about the conversation. The conversations begin April 16
and will conclude by April 24.
The second item is a reminder
that interim grades for our 7th and 8th grade students
will be released during the week of
April 6. I mention this because, as you can see, it is close to the date
of our initial SaL conversations. Please: do your best as a parent to refrain
from connecting grades to SaL traits. I know it’s hard: as a parent myself, I recall
plenty of internal struggles with myself and plenty of conversations with my
husband about what was important for our children. And I wish someone had said to us that these
SaL traits are, indeed, important. Because they are.
The third item is an Assembly
we have on Thursday, April 16. In
connection with our yearlong Wellness theme, our Middle School is putting
together a small “Laughter” theme that will run during the SaL Conversation
times. Our Kick-Off event will be a Hypnotist who works with audience
volunteers.
Web-site:
We have checked out his
references, especially those from schools and organizations similar to us, and
they all say his presentation is lighthearted, fun, and respectful of the
children and adults who volunteer. I imagine his request for student volunteers
will result in lots of kids animatedly waving their hand, so if you don’t want
your child involved, please let Stella know by Monday, April 12 (Stella’s e-mail address: zaneds@d-e.org). And of
course, if you’d like to attend the Assembly, please feel free to pop on in.
It’s on Thursday, April 16, 8:10 -8:55 in Schenck Auditorium.
On a more specific level, please
remember that during the week of April 6, we will administer the ERB CTP 4
standardized tests to our seventh grade students. The results provide us with
ways to examine our academic curriculum and to further support students. Please ensure that your child gets a good
night’s sleep, eats a good breakfast, and drinks water. These three simple
actions will help your child perform at his/her best.
Next, this is a reminder for
our parents of 6th and 7th grade children about the
upcoming forums concerning our move away from one section of 8th
grade Advanced Humanities. You should have received a push-page on Tuesday,
March 31st outlining the rationale and details. Mrs. DeVito, History Chair, Mr. Daly, English
Chair, and I, along with some Middle School teachers, will host a conversation
on Wednesday, April 22 from 12:00-1:00 and again from 7:00 to 8:00. Both
meetings will be held in Hulst House. Please RSVP to Stella Zanedis: zaneds@d-e.org.
For our parents of 8th grade students: Mrs.
Goodman, our 8th grade history teacher, will be taking a maternity leave
beginning next week as she prepares for the birth of her second child. In the
interim, we have hired Mr. Bryan Kessler to take on the full-time duties of
her position. Mr. Kessler has a Bachelor of Arts from
Rutgers College and a Master's degree from the University of Virginia. His
previous experience includes teaching stints at Nevada State College, the Dr.
Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Educational
Campus, and the Nevada Governor's Advisory Council on Education relating to the
Holocaust, among others
And lastly, this is a reminder
for our parents of our 8th grade students. Beginning next week (April 6), your children
will be engaged with professionals from a group called Free from Chemical Dependency.(FCD).
The FCD group will work with students in grade 8-11, and this cross-divisional
experience should prove to be an especially powerful experience for our School.
Hug your child, and Go Bulldogs.
Kathy
