People sometimes give me peculiar looks on the first of the month when the three rabbits that Paul MacMahan made for me go out on the Crocker porch railing and I wish everyone a “rabbit, rabbit, rabbit” day and month. Some of those looks turn into questions: “What does that mean? Where does that come from?”  

As we reported, the school is healthy and strong. We are among 15 out of the approximately 1,700 NAIS schools to be recognized for our work in Core Values and Core Competencies. These are the bedrock that makes Applewild such a magical school, providing coherence to our curricular and co-curricular offerings and establishing the culture and climate in which students enjoy coming to school and being stretched and challenged.

Applewild has received wonderful gifts this year. Each of us has our own list. I thought I would share just a few of my favorites.

After enjoying our Fall Athletic Banquet, a Buddy Day in which students write to thank those in service to the United States, fourth and fifth grade fall field day, the Oxfam fast, Colonial Days, our Thanksgiving Feast and festivities, we will pause to give thanks. Much will occur in December, too (!).

One of the hallmarks of Applewild is our partnership with parents. My thanks and deep appreciation to the Parents Association and all volunteers who helped with the Rummage Sale over the November 4 - 5 weekend.

We look forward to our Scarecrow Parade in Lower School on Halloween and to Parent Conferences the next day. Neither is intended to be scary!

The partnership between home and school is also key to building community and providing support for our shared efforts to raise healthy, productive students...

I had the pleasure of attending Mathematics Department Chair Janet Cowan’s presentation at the AISNE Middle School Conference on October 14...she actually provided her own version of “core competencies”.

I saw several of these core competencies being reinforced at Harvest Fair the next day, too!

Do you know how many digi-blocks fit in a plastic Halloween jack-o-lantern bucket? After working with Mrs. Janoschek’s and Niose’s third grade this past week, I do now!

Learning happens everywhere on our campus, including at Friday’s Buddy Field Day...teaching respect, responsibility, civic-mindedness, fairness, honesty, cooperation, and compassion happens throughout the day and all over campus.

September has certainly flown by! Students have travelled to Maine, Washington, DC, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Camp Harrington, and “virtually” all over the world and their imaginations. We have watched with great excitement the “raising of the roof beam” and the skeletal frame of the new Dining Hall, and our students are working on scarecrows (skeletons?!) for our new version of the “Parade of the Horribles” that will occur at the end of October.

The steel arrived at 6:30 on Monday morning, and by afternoon the students were amazed to see the frame essentially in place!!