Dear Lower School Families,
Thank you for joining us for last night’s Lower School Spring Concert—what a wonderful celebration of music and performing arts! Thank you to the students for a great performance and for stepping out of their comfort zones to share this wonderful gift with us. Thanks as well to Mr. Young for sharing his enthusiasm for music with our Lower School, to all our Lower School faculty and staff for their cooperation and assistance, to Dar Anastas for her guidance in King Theatre, to Genevieve Healy and Jerry Morvillo for their audio-visual prowess, to Upper School student Maya Slocum for working with our dancers, and finally, to Boston House of Pizza for donating dinner for our performers who bridged the time between dismissal and call time in our ASP program. It truly takes a village! Click here to watch the concert.
Congratulations to our Grade 3 students for a safe voyage to America, to our Grade 4 students for a beautiful parade of Egyptian masks, our Kindergarten students for last week’s fun and informative Penguin Breakfast, to our Grade 2 students for their detailed exploration of maps and the continent of Asia, to our Grade 1 students for completing the job manuals for their future occupations, and finally to our Grade 5 students on their play reveal. As word trickled through the community that The Lion King will be the Grade 5 play, excitement reigned!
In today’s Lower School Newsletter, you will find an invitation to attend a Lower School Parent meeting on April 6, the schedule for the week we return from spring break, and dates to add to your calendar.
I wish you a wonderful break. I hope you and your family enjoy the slower pace of vacation and the opportunity to read books, play games, get outside for fresh air, and connect with one another.
Our teachers will return on March 27 for a full day of language arts professional development with Carol Jenkins. There are wonderful advances across our curriculum and we look forward to sharing them with you. We look forward to seeing your children rested and ready for the busy spring when students return on March 28.
All the best,
Racheal
News and Announcements
Lower School Parent Meeting, Thursday, April 6, 8:15–9:15 a.m., Junior Building Multi-Purpose Room—Join Racheal Adriko for a Lower School Parent Meeting about curricular renewal initiatives; staffing updates; and our growing Grade 5 Ambassador program—already, these children are changing the world! Grade 5 teacher Jennifer Katsoulis will present her summer reading project on making learning visible.
Book Drive on behalf of Mattapan Community Health Center—Our Grade 5 Ambassadors for Good have organized a children’s book drive to stock the waiting rooms of the Mattapan Community Health Center (MCHC). Donations can be placed in the bins in the lobby of Greenleaf Hall. Working with the organization, students were able to determine a need and to find ways to help. Over vacation, consider taking some time to clean out book shelves in support of our children and this worthy cause. MCHC is a comprehensive health delivery organizations that serves people from Mattapan and its surrounding communities. It is the only organization of its kind in Mattapan and Hyde Park, and it has a policy of not turning away patients in need.
We Need Costume Sizes—Grade 5 Families: A quick reminder to submit your child’s typical shirt and pant size before you get too far into vacation. We are planning to order some items for costumes over break and appreciate your assistance. Thanks very much, and please feel free to e-mail Emily Arsenault if you have any questions.
When We Return from Spring Break
No Classes, Faculty Professional Day, Monday, March 27.
Classes Resume, Tuesday, March 28—We will follow a Tuesday schedule.
Assembly Featuring Grade 3 Immigration, Friday, April 3––Grade 3 students will share what they’ve learned about Immigration. This is a photo-worthy event for Grade 3 parents!
Add These Dates to Your Calendar
- Friday, April 7 Assembly––Topic: Food and Healthy Eating at 8:30 a.m. in Thacher.
- Wednesday, April 12––Grade 5 visit to Grade 6. This is a student-only event.
- Wednesday, April 12––”Looking Ahead to Middle School” evening event for parents to meet Middle School Administration and the Grade 6 Teaching Team and to learn about what next year will bring.
- Thursday, April 13––Grade 5 Science Data Collection Day. Many of our Lower and Middle School students will volunteer to be tested by the twelve Grade 5 groups. Eventually, this data will help the students answer the questions they have posed, and will inform their science projects. We invite parents (especially Grade 5 parents) to join us in Greenleaf and Thacher. The morning session is from 8:30–10 a.m. The afternoon session is from 1–2:30 p.m.
- Friday, April 14––Early Release Friday
- Monday, April 17––No School. Patriots’ Day
- Wednesday, April 19––Looking Ahead to Grade 5. This event is intended for Grade 4 parents to learn about the year to come. It is an opportunity to learn about the curriculum and to meet the teachers.
- Thursday, April 20––Lower School Book Fair, Thacher. Details of the day’s schedule will be shared following spring break. Parents are invited to join their children at the Book Fair.
- Wednesday, April 26––Looking Ahead to Grade 4. This event is intended for Grade 3 parents to learn about the year to come. It is an opportunity to learn about the curriculum and to meet the teachers.
- Wednesday, April 26––Lower School Parent Association Faculty Appreciation Celebration at Steel & Rye. Thank you to the LSPA for sponsoring this faculty-only event. For details about how to participate, see the Parent Association block to the right.
- Friday, April 28––Lower School Parent Association Open Breakfast Meeting – Join us to talk about volunteering for next year. 7:30 a.m., Perry Reading Room, CSG. Take advantage of Early Drop Off on this day, to join us for breakfast treats, coffee and conversation with other parents, and to join in the planning for next year.
- Friday, April 28––Gratitude Assembly, 8:30 a.m., Thacher. This assembly is a spring highlight as students (and this year, parents too, thanks to Andrea Brodeur) thank the many people and departments around campus that support our Lower School.
- Tuesday, May 2––Looking Ahead to Grade 3. This event is intended for Grade 2 parents to learn about the year to come. It is an opportunity to learn about the curriculum and to meet the teachers.