School News

Reflecting on the end of the School Year

5/2/2024

Kim Ridley

I have to admit that for me, beginnings and endings can feel challenging and at the same time thrilling. When my daughter was in elementary school, I remember being hyper aware of the cadence of the school year, with September representing the time for hope of all that she would learn and May marking the countdown to the end of the school year. May is the time I would begin to reflect on the past year and feel appreciation for all the ups, downs, and bumps in the road. After all, this is the journey of all school years–ups, downs, and bumps.

Endings are inherently important because they help us mark the passage of time—highlighting growth, celebrating achievements, and acknowledging the challenges we've overcome. Endings serve as important milestones that warrant celebration, curiosity, and contemplation. Caregivers are seeing the blossoming of social skills and foundational knowledge in their younger students. In comparison, our older students have delved deeper into complex life issues and subjects that hone critical thinking, problem-solving, and an expanded worldview.

As we wrap up, please join us in our many celebrations, such as our year-end ceremonies and showcases, which are not just festive occasions but pivotal for providing our children, staff, and caregivers with the sense of closure they need, allowing us to internalize experiences and achievements as we head toward a time of rest, renewal, and new routines.

As we reflect and start to look ahead to the upcoming school year, we are excited about the opportunities that await us—new classes, new faces, and perhaps new ways of thinking about learning itself. Let’s embrace these transitions as essential parts of our educational journey, and in that spirit, I want to introduce you to the new staff that we have hired to date:

Andrew Lee: We would like to welcome H. Andrew Lee who will be our next Assistant Head of School. Andrew brings experience, knowledge, warmth, and eagerness to the position.
Julie Parsons: Julie will be our next Art Teacher, bringing teaching experience and a love of the arts. She is currently the parental leave sub in Kindergarten with Tara.
Dina Gjertsen: Dina who has been our long term substitute in the shop will be our new Shop Teacher.
Maria Cali: Maria will join the 5-6 Team, focusing on teaching math and science as Sarah Perkins' partner. She is currently teaching as part of the 3-4 Team.
Brittany Lopez: Brittany will be the dedicated 5-6 Learning Specialist. We are looking forward to her expertise in supporting students.
Annie Underwood: Annie will be our new PreK Associate teacher, and we look forward to her work with Ashley.

We are continuing to hire for several other positions and will be sharing information with you in the coming weeks. Hiring is a process that takes an enormous amount of time so we aim to communicate with you by sharing as much information as we can in a consolidated format, and not overwhelming you with smaller updates you might miss.

Please pay close attention to The ‘Weather Report, the school community calendar, and weekly email communications from teachers regarding all of the upcoming events. Let’s end the school year with joy and appreciation for all that we learned this year, including the ups, downs, and bumpy roads we traveled.

Warm regards,

Kim

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