Welcome to the Second Semester!

I hope all of you had a restful and enjoyable holiday break with family and friends. We are excited to have students back on campus and back into the routines and daily flow of school life. As the second semester gets started, we are asking students to reflect on their progress this year and set goals for themselves. Tomorrow during our Community Time at the end of the day, students will be working on goals for the semester with their advisor. Students will be given a form and asked to think about an academic goal and an extracurricular and/or personal goal. As a part of the process, students will be asked to come up with a specific and realistic goal, but also to outline steps to help them achieve that goal.

When students set goals that are challenging but realistic for them to achieve and include action steps to reach the goal, they are taking charge of their learning and growth, which can be a powerful tool for future success. Advisors will keep students' goals, and we will take time during the semester to review them and make adjustments as goals are achieved or action steps need to be changed. As an extra incentive to make this process fun, students are encouraged to bring their favorite candy to share with their homeroom classmates. We hope this will be an enjoyable and valuable work for our students.  

If you have a current fifth-grade student, next Friday, January 17, I encourage you to attend a special edition of Java Friday. The focus will be on our rising sixth-grade class, and we will share information about the transition to middle school and the exciting opportunities for students. Similarly, if you are a current eighth-grade parent, we invite you to join us on Wednesday, January 22, at 2:30 p.m. for an information session with our upper school team, to learn about the transition to upper school and the wonderful opportunities awaiting your student.

I wish you a great start to the new year!