List of 5 news stories.

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  Welcome Back!

  1/9/2025
  Kim Ridley, Head of School
  Our work resumed Monday, January 6th, with staff focused on writing progress reports and preparing to welcome students back. My day started with warm greetings to the early birds in the building, followed by back-to-back meetings with Andrew, Charlie, Eric, Ann, and Courtney. 
  
  

  As we dive into the second half of the school year, we shift gears from laying the foundation to going deeper with our learning. For instance, on Tuesday, Tracey and Abby’s 1-2 class explored measurement in a truly Fayerweather way. Students created a power chain and measured its length using their bodies. Imagine the scene: kids lying on the floor, head to toe, giggling, sitting up occasionally to marvel at what they created. Of course, once the measuring was over, the students sprinted back to the classroom, leaving the chain behind, prompting Tracey to say, “Is the power chain going to walk itself back to the room?” The kids paused, reflected briefly, and promptly retrieved the power chain.

  
  When I think back to my first- and second-grade days, my teachers would have said, “Go back and pick that up!” And most likely, we would never been allowed to spread our bodies in the hallway. No floor-measuring fun for us—just rulers and a lot less joy. Reflecting on these two approaches, which way sparks a lifelong love of learning and encourages thoughtful reflection? This is the power of our experiential learning approach–engaging all the senses and amplifying play to hook children into learning a concept like measurement.
  
  

  As we head into the rest of the year,  I am sharing a few key updates and highlights:
  
  
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  Planning for Improvisation

  12/5/2024
  Kim Ridley, Head of School
  Welcome to December! School has been in session for approximately 13 weeks, and as one teacher wisely put it, “We’re out of the honeymoon phase. I know my students now—they’ve shown me how they learn best.” Translation? The comfy slippers of routine are on, but we’re still lacing up our running shoes for growth and experimentation.
  
  Speaking of experimentation, a podcast I listened to recently got me thinking about life’s twists and turns. The episode, fittingly titled “Approaches to Life: Should You Follow a Plan, Make a Hard Pivot, or Improvise as You Go?” featured three perspectives:
  

  • Improvisation: One speaker, a musician, raved about ditching plans entirely, claiming improvisation sparks creativity and excitement.
  • Hard pivots: The kind you make when the unexpected smacks you in the face.
  • Following a plan: The structured roadmaps we cling to for comfort (and hopefully, success).
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  The Themes and Issues of Our Times

  11/7/2024
  Kim Ridley, Head of School
  As we welcome November, it's remarkable to reflect on the past ten weeks of school. Our days have been enriched with explorations at Fresh Pond, engaging field trips, collaborative projects, FunFest, and all-school meetings. We've delved into the history and purpose of voting, the electoral college, and the responsibilities of citizenship in a democracy. Our children are deeply attuned to their communities and the broader world.
  
  

  Through weekly newsletters and teacher communications, you've seen the insightful questions our students pose and the innovative ways teachers facilitate meaningful discussions about the election, tailored to each developmental stage. I'm proud of the thoughtful engagement across PreK to 8th-grade classrooms, where students express their concerns and curiosities about the election and its impact on themselves and others.
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  Considering & Including Multiple Perspectives

  10/3/2024
  Kim Ridley, Head of School
  Welcome to October! September was a time for building community, reconnecting with familiar faces, and getting acquainted with new ones while settling into our routines, expectations, and rhythms.  In my last note, I  shared with you how we developed Community Agreements during our opening staff meetings. These agreements were designed to foster transparency and create a shared understanding of how we can build relationships and more effectively work together. The staff enthusiastically suggested inviting the entire community to join this practice. Over the coming weeks, I will write more about how we are living these agreements and ways we work together to support each other in adhering to them. For those interested, the framed Community Agreements can be found in the vestibule to the right as you enter the school.
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• Community Agreements to Uphold our Collective Purpose

  9/5/2024
  Kim Ridley, Head of School
  It was heartwarming to feel the positive energy radiating from our students and caregivers as we came together on Tuesday and Wednesday. As I arrived, I was greeted by the sight of a bustling community—the front of the school and benches filled with backpacks, bikes, and both familiar and new faces. I overheard stories of summer adventures and witnessed heartfelt exchanges—big hugs, high-fives, and a few tearful goodbyes as caregivers wished their children a wonderful day ahead.
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