FEBRUARY/MARCH SLICE OF THE APPLE
by Tally Lent
Head of Lower School
January was brought to a delightful close with our fifth graders’ radio play of It’s a 
Wonderful Life, and February has arrived, bringing anticipation of much activity. The groundhog saw his shadow this week, so we know we will have six more weeks of winter. More importantly, Groundhog’s Day is the midpoint between the Winter Solstice in December and the Summer Solstice in June. We are poised in the middle of the seasons, in the midst of change. Similarly, we are just past the midpoint of the school year, immersed in tremendous growth, learning, and change. In the life of the school, we adults are fully present in this year, yet looking forward to the next, ensuring that our students will be ready for the challenges and triumphs that lie ahead. While I am reveling in the solid and spectacular progress of your students right now, and enjoying their plays, songs, reports, athletic prowess, and good citizenship, I am looking ahead to next year, and planning for opportunities in the changes that are part of school life, just as they are part of the seasons.
As we anticipate a smaller school, we have the opportunity to house our fourth grade classrooms in the Marshall Building. The large, airy, and nicely equipped rooms in Marshall allow great room for projects and growing bodies, and having more of the division under one roof helps strengthens cohesiveness and community. I welcome having more of our Lower School family in the same house! As the teachers and I plan for next year, I have begun speaking with the third graders about their remaining in Marshall for fourth grade. I welcome their questions and thoughts and am listening carefully. For instance, I know that they have had their stint with stacking chairs after lunch and would prefer not to have two years with that same responsibility! I also know that they feel very good that their Kindergarten, first, second and third grade teachers will still be around them and present in their day-to-day lives. Our fourth graders earn greater independence than they had as first, second and third graders, and we will make certain that milestone remains intact. We adults in school are enjoying and invested in these wonderful days of this school year and are planning proactively for next year, always working toward strengthening our already strong and vibrant program. As much as I welcome your children’s questions and comments, I sincerely invite yours. Please feel free to give me a call, a visit, or an email if you have any questions or comments.
Beyond Groundhog’s Day, February and early March are filled with plenty of holiday celebrations, widespread learning, and excitement. We started the month with Parent – Teacher Conferences, and will move on to Valentine’s Day, WinterFest, a fieldtrip to space, and community service work throughout the Lower School. We’ll end the season with more minutes of daylight and new adventures under our belts.
You received in the mail a packet of progress reports, with a checklist from your child’s homeroom teacher, or the grade card in fifth grade, and checklists and comments from special subject teachers. These were mailed home so that you had an opportunity to read over the packet prior to your conference with your child’s teacher. I hope your time with your child’s homeroom teacher was informative and interesting. Conferences are wonderful opportunities for parents and teachers to share information about children and to discuss their strengths and any areas of needed work. Our home-school partnership is a major factor in our students’ successes in school and their positive feelings about school.
We will celebrate Valentine’s Day and each grade level may be taking different approaches to this celebration. In some classes, each child is asked to bring a Valentine card for each and every classmate; in other classes, there may be a “Secret Valentine” where one card is handmade for one child whose name is drawn out of a hat. In all cases, we stress the importance of every individual being included. Of course, we never want any child left out. In all celebrations, please keep in mind our peanut/ tree nut and nut-product prohibition. Many candies are made in plants that also use nuts or peanuts in their production; this makes a dangerous cross-contamination risk and we cannot allow those candies on campus. I appreciate your support of this policy and encourage us all to make our class celebrations both healthy and fun.
Presidents’ Day allows us an opportunity to explore the important contributions these citizens have made to our country and our world, and is a great element in our division-wide theme, Applewild to the Core. Fourth and fifth graders will enjoy WinterFest after school on February 18 (with a snow date of February 25). We hope to have good sledding on the front lawn of the Crocker Building and then pizza for supper afterward. Fifth graders will head out to the Christa McAuliffe Challenger Space Center in Framingham on the next day, February 19. More information will be forthcoming about both events.
We will celebrate the 100th Day of School at some point in late February (perhaps the 23rd). We will wrap up the month of February with our first graders heading over to Head Start to read books to the preschoolers there. Our second graders will see their “grandfriends” at Highlands, and the third graders will meet their ARC buddies for socialization and a project.
March 2 is Dr. Seuss’ Birthday and we will celebrate that day with our annual Pajama Day in the Lower School. All students and teachers are invited to wear school-appropriate pjs – collars are not required! The second and third weeks of March are Spring Break, and bring the first day of spring and the start of daylight saving time.
February and March will certainly deliver us a flurry of activity, a blizzard of learning, and clear skies for growth and achievement. We will wait to see what Mother Nature brings us!