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Dear Lower School Families,
Thank you for all the love you’ve shown toward our amazing teachers and staff today. Thank you to the children for the affection they’ve shown through their notes, for the excitement about the day, and for keeping the secret surprise! Classes took field trips through the faculty rooms to enjoy the beautiful decorations and appreciate all the cards. The teachers are so grateful! Throughout the morning, between conferences, they stopped to read and enjoy the well wishes and thoughtful notes. And the snacks and treats provided a wonderful boost of energy. Thank you to Christine Shoettle and Amanda Burton for coordinating such a heartfelt and much-enjoyed celebration.
I am excited to announce a special event on Monday at 1:15 p.m. in Thacher, Drs. Deepak Chopra and Rudy Tanzi (father of Lyla in Grade 3) will be visiting our Lower School for a special assembly. Dr. Chopra will share the benefits and importance of mindfulness, and Dr. Tanzi will share the research findings published in their recent book, Super Brain. We would love for parents to join us, but the reality is that Thacher has limited space for additional guests. Forty parents (first come) will be able to join us in Thacher. For anyone who isn’t able to make it into the room, we will also be taping the presentation and sharing a link for you to view at home. Thank you for your understanding.
By now you have received your child(ren)’s Progress Report. If there are any technical issues with the report you received, please let us know right away. As you know, we recently purchased a new report system, and this is the first set of reports we are releasing through it. We are continuing to work through a few glitches.
Finally, this week and some of next, we continue our December conferences. Conferences are an important part of the home-school partnership that is so vital to student learning. They are intended to provide an opportunity for parents and teachers to discuss students’ academic progress, to hone student goals, and to structure our work together.
In today’s Lower School Newsletter you will find information about Monday’s session with Maria Trozzi for parents in Grades 2 and 3; staffing updates and Session II registration materials for our After School Program; reminders about extended vacations; and updates for the week ahead.
Best,
Racheal
News and Announcements
Deepak Chopra Assembly, Monday, December 5, 1:20 p.m., Thacher. Drs. Deepak Chopra and Rudy Tanzi (dad of Lyla, Grade 3) will be visiting with our Lower School students for a special assembly. Parents are welcome to join us, but seating is very limited. We will be taping the presentation and sharing a link for parents to view at home.
Welcome to Ann Marie Martens and Nicolette Mingels to our After School Program. Nurse Martens, who began in the After School Program just before Thanksgiving, is well-known to our students, faculty, and staff. She will work with the ASP students and staff and will support any health-related needs. Nicolette, who joined us this week, is a professionally-trained musician and has experience working with school-aged children. As with Maria Elisa and Noah, Nicolette will also support our Lower School lunch and afternoon programs.
The Week Ahead
Grade 2-3 Family Education Series with Maria Trozzi, Monday, December 5, 8 a.m., Junior Building All-Purpose Room. This is the second of Ms. Trozzi’s small-group visits with parents. The purpose of these discussions is to raise some of the challenges of parenting young children, to gather questions and concerns for her upcoming Five to Thrive presentation, and to begin to open the conversation about building resilience in our children. We hope you will join us!
Deepak Chopra Assembly, Monday, December 5, 1:20 p.m., Thacher. See News and Announcements for details.
Grade 3 Field Trip to the Harvard Museum of Natural History. Details about this field trip have been sent home separately.
Author, Jarrett Krosoczka Assembly, Thursday, December 8, 9:15 a.m., Thacher. New York Times best-selling author and illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka’s books have humor and heart that make them favorites among young readers. With more than 30 published books to his credit including the wildly popular Lunch Lady graphic novels, Jarrett is a two-time winner of the Children’s Choice Book Awards Third to Fourth Grade Book of the Year and has been a finalist for the prestigious Will Eisner Comic Industry Award. He has delivered two TED Talks and has been featured on both NPR and Sirius XM. His Punk Farm, Lunch Lady, and Playtpus Police Squad series are all currently in development for film.
No Assembly on Friday, December 9.
Grade 4 and 5 Family Education Series with Maria Trozzi, Monday, December 12, 8 a.m., Junior Building Multi-Purpose Room. This session is geared to the needs of Grade 4 and Grade 5 students and parents. The purpose of these discussions is to raise some of the challenges of parenting young children, to gather questions and concerns for her upcoming Five to Thrive presentation, and to begin a conversation about building resilience in our children. We hope you will join us!
Grade 5 Writing Celebration, Wednesday, December 14, 8:15-9 a.m., Greenleaf classrooms. Students will read their memoir pieces to their classmates and members of their families.
K–12 Holiday Assembly, Thursday, December 15 at 11 a.m. in the ACC; winter break begins at noon. Our Lower School students will join students from the Middle and Upper Schools in this holiday tradition. Students in Grades 3, 4 and 5 will be performing. Parents are welcome, but please know that this is a standing room only event.
Important Reminders
A Note About Extended Vacations—As per our handbook: Though we are aware that sometimes there may be important reasons why families make this choice, we strongly discourage taking vacations outside of our regularly-scheduled school holidays. A letter describing the potential absence should be sent directly to the Lower School principal three weeks prior to a possible extended absence. Do not ask teachers to put together work or to make up work with your child. Your vacation should not place extra demands on the faculty.
Early Release Skating Lessons—Lessons will begin today. Taught by Bay State Skating School, this program consists of five lessons taught on our Early Release Fridays from December to March. The skating lessons provide students with the opportunity to skate at Milton Academy’s ice rink in the ACC. Sign your child up for individual sessions or for all five. Click here to access the registration form. Additional forms can be found in the main offices of the Junior Building and Greenleaf. For questions, contact Noah Spofford.
Add These Dates to Your Calendar
January 3––Faculty Professional Day; No Classes
January 4––Classes Resume
January 8––Lower & Middle School Skating Party
January 13––MLK Celebration
January 16––No Classes in observance of MLK
January 17––Maria Trozzi presentation to K–5 Parents: Five to Thrive
January 26––Geography Bee
January 27––Early Release Friday