Adriana has been a member of the Green Acres community for four years. She has a Bachelor of Arts in History from Bishop???s University in Lennoxville, Quebec and a Master of Arts in Peace, Development, and International Conflict Management from the Universitat Jaume I in Castellon, Spain. She coordinates the Service Learning Program and teaches 7th and 8th grade students.

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Roger and his maintenance crew of Alvaro, Amadeo, Maria, Rafael, Silvia, Wilbur, and Yusbanky, worked tirelessly, often late into the night and through the weekends, to clear our driveways and walkways. Derek trudged through the snow to turn off the water, David came in to fix our email server, and Sean and Maggie saved as many of our animals and fish as possible. Cecily from our Business Office spent that first Saturday night dealing with an alarm call, and she even had the courage to wake me so that I could meet with firefighters to make sure that everything was okay. (Note to self: buy snow boots and refrain from wearing pajama pants in public.) And this week, as we continue to teach without our gymnasium, all of our staff, and particularly our PE department members, are modeling flexibility and creativity under unusual circumstances. Two days ago I witnessed Matt building a magnificent snow fort with kindergartners, and this morning???s 1st grade scooter hockey game in the AP Room was a thing of beauty. We also applaud our parents??? patience as they waited for delayed buses and in long carpool lines???the result of snow-narrowed streets.

Related to the snowfall is my pending decision about whether to add additional instructional time to this year???s school calendar. Each year, as we design the calendar, we build in extra days to account for weather and other school cancellations. This year we allotted three additional days, and we have used six thus far. As I wrote on Monday, given the extent of the storms, the State may decide to waive the required number of days for non-public schools. I am told by Ron Goldblatt, Executive Director of the Association of Independent Maryland Schools (AIMS), that the Maryland State Board of Education is meeting this coming Tuesday to discuss this issue. I want to be clear that we will not take any days from the upcoming spring vacation week, although I may opt to add in a day or half-day on the Friday before Memorial Day weekend and/or to add instructional days at the end of the school year in June. I will consider many factors, including the State???s requirement and the impact on student learning, and I will keep you posted. Of course, while I hate to write this, winter isn???t over, so additional snow cancellations could be in our future and thus could influence this decision as well.

As we look forward to winter???s end, we can plan for an exceptional way to celebrate the beginning of spring???attending the single greatest annual Green Acres social and fund raising event ??? the Auction! This year???s 75th Anniversary Auction & Jubilee on Saturday, March 20 should be the best ever. I hope to see nearly every one of you there for this special community evening.

As always, thanks for sharing your children with me and with all of us.

Best,
Neal

The past few weeks have been a particularly exciting time for student performances, including the 5th grade plays, the 5/6 guitar and handbells concert, the 2nd grade weaving assembly, the 8th grade service learning expo, the upcoming 4th grade world???s fair already presented to students, the 3rd grade chimes assembly, and the 7th and 8th grades??? Future Cities Expo. We were excited that one of our ???future city??? teams placed third at the regional competition. Additionally, the Peruvian exchange is concluding this weekend (though our four students from Lima would love to stay longer) and we enjoyed an inspiring visit from the Bokomaso Dance Troupe from South Africa. Hearing them sing their national anthem at the conclusion of the Lower School Assembly last week took my breath away. We also were pleased that some of our 7th and 8th graders participated in a regional student diversity conference a few weeks ago.

This is also the time of year when we gear up for the single greatest annual Green Acres social and fund raising event ??? the Auction. This year???s 75th Anniversary Auction & Jubilee on Saturday, March 20 should be the best ever. This is not only an opportunity to celebrate together as an adult community but is our most critical fund raising event. Every level of participation is important to the success of our Auction, and I hope to see as many of you there as possible. Having participated in auctions at my former schools, I was overwhelmed last year by the joyful feelings of community and purpose at my first Green Acres Auction last spring. It is an event not to be missed!

Although the ???Early Bird??? reservation deadline for the Auction is today, given the snowstorm, we will continue to accept ???Early Bird??? reservations until the end of the first day back to school, whether Monday or Tuesday.

As a New Englander, I should be used to this kind of weather, but even I have been impressed with what we???re hearing about our incoming storm. Stay safe and enjoy the snow.

As always, thanks for sharing your children with me and with all of us.

Best,
Neal

Green Acres students presented a Future City Expo on Friday, January 22. Two teams from Green Acres presented their projects on Saturday, January 23 at a DC regional National Engineers Week Future City Competition. Green Acres’ Cloud 9 team came in third place.

One way that we make sure that we know our children at Green Acres is through the additional support offered by Learning Specialist Kate Cohen, Middle School Counselor Ann Kappell Danner, and Lower School Counselor Leathia West. Kate works directly with students, especially those who sometimes need extra support to get all that they can from our academic program. She also collaborates with teachers and with families to help each child benefit from what we offer in ways that are best for that child and for that family. Her work as the liaison between outside tutors and teachers also ensures that the team of adults working with any child is functioning as a true team. As professionally trained and credentialed counselors and experienced teachers, Ann and Leathia bring complementary skills to help students and their families navigate social-emotional challenges. Ann and Leathia maintain confidential relationships with students and families, and they also serve as liaisons between outside therapists and the School. Kate, Ann, and Leathia also are resources for you as parents???particularly when you are looking for support, guidance, or just straight information about your child or adolescent. All three also work collaboratively with Jari, Peter, and me on our Student Support Committee to review student issues on a weekly basis. Our goal as a committee is to close the cracks through which students might otherwise fall by developing and following through on plans to address any and all issues. Our meetings are full of passion for students, shared expertise, and creative problem-solving. Of the many committee meetings that I attend, these may be the most important.

Switching focus, the dire situation in Haiti demands our attention and action. Like you, I have been thinking about what I can do individually, and within the Green Acres community. Our staff has joined me in considering ways in which our school can make a difference. Adriana Murphy, our Service Learning Coordinator, has written to you in this week???s blog about initial steps that we have taken both to serve and to educate. Our support of the H??pital Albert Schweitzer, one of the few intact medical facilities near Port-Au-Prince, offers a tangible and immediate way for our staff to contribute to the relief effort, and for students to learn and to act. Sixth graders, who in Language Arts class read Taste of Salt ??? a novel set in Haiti ??? will lead students in a school-wide penny drive to benefit this hospital. Staff members also are helping students understand the situation within our flexible curriculum. This week, for example, 6th grade students investigated the effect of block size and weight on a structure???s ability to withstand shaking as a complement to their environmental studies unit in science class, and Peter provided an overview of Haiti at the Middle School Assembly. We also are looking for ways to capitalize on students??? service ideas, because few experiences are more educationally powerful for a child than initiating and organizing a project to benefit others. Adriana???s blog also discusses ways in which we can talk to children of different ages about the upsetting stories from Haiti, and our staff will continue to engage students in age-appropriate ways. We will update you about how we are responding???not just to Haiti???s immediate needs, but also to the long term implications of this natural disaster.

I think I speak for all of my colleagues when I say that it is a privilege to spend each day with your children. Yesterday I watched one of our science teachers delicately inform her students about the hamster???s death; I sat with 4th graders immersed in their world celebrations research papers; I participated in the 5th graders??? blind ???smell test??? in science class to see if I could distinguish dark from milk chocolate, and later I attended the 5/6 musical concert???both an impressive concert and an opportunity for me to let students know the level of behavior we expect of them .This week I also enjoyed 2nd graders??? singing and original choreography at their Weaving Assembly, and the 5th grade???s drama productions. The week ended with an impressive display of 7/8 students??? knowledge, creativity, and engineering achievements as they demonstrated their model cities of the future.

As always, thanks for sharing your children with me and with all of us.

Best,
Neal

Perhaps most importantly, the point that Dr. Giedd, who has studied this topic since the 1980s, could make with certainty is that the brain’s development is a long journey spanning many years. By age six, most of the brain???s mass is in place, yet important changes continue. Dr. Giedd referred to ages 7 to 11 as a “sculpting time” when children develop in many ways, including improved dexterity and fine motor skills. The most advanced parts of the brain are developed on average for girls at age 11 ??, and for boys a year later, yet critical “pruning” of the brain???where it builds and strengthens its connections???continues throughout adolescence. In short, as children turn into teens and then into adults, their brains don’t get bigger as much as they get better. Dr. Giedd emphasized the teen years in particular as a period of immense sensitivity and malleability. Adolescent brains change rapidly when exposed to meaningful stimuli and adult (and other) modeling. This is a time when their experiences quite literally shape the connections in their brains. The quality of those experiences, then, seems paramount.

As luck would have it for our adult readers, the brain continues to get better, and as the prefrontal cortex develops, so does one’s executive functioning, decision-making, organization, and ability to make long term plans???the very skills many teens find relatively lacking compared to adults in their mid-twenties and beyond. One can also take heart to note that the brain’s ability to change continues and is high throughout most of life.

What this all means for educators is still a vastly open, interesting question. Clearly we are on the right track by creating a stimulating a learning environment with hands-on teaching methods, teaching in small classes, and, because of the salience of adult modeling on brain development, emphasizing adult-student relationships. Furthermore, our understanding that learning is a journey and not a race, and that being first doesn’t mean being best, is consistent with Dr. Giedd’s research showing that when a brain peaks says little about where it ends up in terms of overall development. Our interest in finding joy in learning and limiting stress also matches Dr. Giedd’s findings on the inverse relationship between stress and memory.

Other questions remain, however. For example, would it make sense for Green Acres to introduce world language earlier? Dr. Giedd’s research suggests that studying any world language at a young age contributes to brain development. Might we consider teaching Geometry before Algebra? Should we do more regular testing of students? Should we continue to emphasize a well-rounded set of skills in our Middle School program, or perhaps help children to specialize, given the selective pruning that is occurring naturally in the adolescent brain?

Dr. Giedd conceded that the answers may not be found right away; however, he and his colleagues in the scientific community are learning more about the brain each day. At its simplest level, to me the take home message is that the brain???s growth is ongoing and subject to its environment. If we can stimulate children and truly engage them to use their minds well each and every day, we???re providing that necessary environment.

I want to thank Dr. Giedd, as well as the Development Office and Ginta Remeikis, our wonderful parent volunteer, for organizing this edifying evening. As always, thanks for sharing your children with me and with all of us.

Best,
Neal

Jay Giedd, M.D., a renowned researcher at National Institute of Mental Health, is speaking at Green Acres on how and when the brain grows in young children and adolescents.

For more information about Dr. Giedd???s exciting research, visit:

• Frontline: Inside the Teenage Brain
• What Makes Teens Tick
• EarthSky Interview: Jay Giedd explores nature versus nurture and other mysteries of the brain
• EarthSky Interview: Jay Giedd on whether humans use only part of the brain

This event is free. Reservations required: speakerseries@greenacres.org

Now it seems that you may be able to enjoy both. While we too care much more about how you and our students experience what we offer each day, it’s been rewarding to see the degree to which Green Acres has garnered attention over the past two months. We’re not quite up there with Tiger Woods or Sarah Palin, but consider the following media coverage of late:

• Potomac Almanac article on 4th grade collaboration with Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Oct. 7
• Washington Post article on our school blog, Oct. 29 (also in the Gazette)
• Gazette article on being named one of four local schools by the EPA for wind power, Nov. 4
• Gazette article on the 75th Anniversary weekend, Nov. 11 (also in the Post)
• NBC Channel 4 News feature on the Walk for Homelessness, Nov. 13 Gazette article on the Day of Service, Nov. 25
• (upcoming) Montgomery Life Magazine profile on Green Acres and its progressive philosophy, January Issue

This exposure???combined with added visibility from hosting PEN’s national conference, the Quilt Show, the Speaker Series, and the Dan Zanes concert???augments our profile locally and nationally. So the next time someone asks you where your child or children go to school, you could simply reply, “Green Acres, the school where Dan Zanes, the Grammy Award winning performer, sang last month,” or “Green Acres, the school that was recently recognized for its service initiatives,” or “Green Acres, the school that hosted a national conference for progressive educators in October.” Or you could simply say, “Green Acres, a school where my child is known well and is engaged in exciting, meaningful learning every day.” Either way, you have a choice that feels new and exciting.

As always, thanks for sharing your children with me and with all of us.

Best,
Neal

If you are interested in purchasing quilt postcards, you may download an order form, or order online. All proceeds from the postcard sales go to the Green Acres Scholarship Endowment Fund.

We must recognize the herculean efforts of Joanie, Sue, and Aimee in our Development Office. Together with many staff members, student helpers, and parent volunteers, they made Saturday’s very full day a reality. The alumni luncheon, family games for all ages (complete with 500 cupcakes), the concert by Grammy Award winner Dan Zanes (accompanied by our own Green Acres student singers), and a dinner full of memories???all really did take place in one day! And in this process, we reconnected with old friends, celebrated our continuity as a community and institution, and reaffirmed our commitment to the very ideals upon which Green Acres was founded. As an alumna in the Class of ‘75 aptly wrote to Joan Adler following the weekend, “It was great to remember what we are made of ???. After 34 years since my occupancy, Green Acres still has the vibrancy of children learning and exploring, and the engagement of caring teachers. Green Acres remains true to its mission.”

Please join me as we continue to celebrate our 75th with this weekend’s Quilt Show, our Speaker Series events in January and April, and our annual Auction with an anniversary theme on March 20.

I look forward to our traditional Thanksgiving luncheon on November 24, and I wish all of you time with family and friends over the holiday. As always, thanks for sharing your children with me and with all of us.

Best,
Neal

There will be approximately 75 quilts on display, including the bereavement quilts made in honor of Ginny and Mike Spevak.

The show will be open Saturday, November 21, 10 AM to 6 PM and Sunday, November 22, 11 AM to 4 PM at Green Acres School.

A Quilt Show flyer is available here.

At the ripe old age of thirty-one, Ted was named the Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He went on to become Headmaster at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. Later, while at Brown in the 1980s, Ted founded the Coalition of Essential Schools, a national organization dedicated to transforming schools into more engaging places for all students. Schools across the country adopted his ideas, and his books about a mythical teacher named Horace resonated deeply with teachers in schools in all settings. His pointed descriptions of schools showed them generally to be impersonal, passive places, lacking in engagement, intellectual rigor, and creativity. Calling upon and also reframing ideas of earlier thinkers such as John Dewey and Francis W. Parker, Ted offered a bold set of principles for remaking American education. In later years, Ted became the founding Director of the Annenberg Institute for School Reform, the Acting Co-Principal (with Nancy) of the Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School, and Professor at Harvard and Brandeis.

Ted believed that schools should be designed foremost to help students to use their minds well. He campaigned for smaller class sizes where students would be known well, for teaching depth over breadth of study, for a focus on the development of habits of mind over strict memorization of subject-specific facts, and for flexibility at the school level in the development of curricula and programs. Ted understood that students learn best through authentic teaching practices and can best demonstrate their learning through demonstrations or exhibitions, much like oral doctoral defenses. In recent years, Ted provided a strong counter voice to the No Child Left Behind legislation and the movement toward standardized testing. He did not believe that a single test could adequately represent a child’s learning; nor did he feel that a one-size-fits-all curriculum adequately accounted for differences among school communities and individual children. For Ted, schools were inherently idiosyncratic places and thus needed to be human in scale as well as intellectual and flexible in their approach to pedagogy.

Beyond Ted’s ideas was a man who deeply loved people, particularly students. Whenever Ted visited a school, he insisted on being shown around by a student; he wanted to see the school from the students’ perspective. Ted inspired others in a Kennedy-esque manner through his writing and speaking, but he was a terrific listener who valued everyone, famous or not. He was as much at home playing on the living room floor with my son as a toddler as he was speaking before a Senate Committee.

Ted’s passing is both a personal and professional loss; however, his legacy reminds me daily of why we hold so strongly to our progressive educational beliefs at Green Acres. In an email that I received from Nancy Sizer just two weeks ago, she relayed a message from Ted for us to “keep up the good work at Green Acres.” Ted knew that schools that listen to and respect children hold out great hope for them and for our future.

As always, thanks for sharing your children with me and with all of us.

Best,
Neal

The Top 20 K-12 Schools List, which debuted on October 26, is one of ten Top Partner Lists that EPA releases quarterly, highlighting some of America’s largest green power purchasers. Green Acres School currently ranks No. 14 on EPA???s Top 20 K-12 Schools List. All of EPA???s Top Partner Lists are available at http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/toplists/.

“As a school that is actively promoting in our students a sense of environmental stewardship, we are very pleased to be recognized in this way,” said Neal Brown, Head of School. “We realize, however, that we, like most institutions, have a long way to go to diminish our impact on the environment.”

Green power is electricity that is generated from environmentally preferable renewable resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biogas, biomass and low-impact hydro. These resources generate electricity with a net zero increase in carbon dioxide emissions, while offering a superior environmental profile compared to traditional power generation sources. Green power purchases also support the development of new renewable energy generation sources nationwide.

“These schools get an A plus for their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint,” said Gina McCarthy, EPA???s Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation. “By using green power, Green Acres School is teaching by example how to be green.”

According to the U.S. EPA, Green Acres School’s green power purchase of more than 700,000 kWh is equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of more than 100 passenger vehicles per year, or is the equivalent amount of electricity needed to power more than 100 average American homes annually.

Additional environmental initiatives at Green Acres School are abundant. Lower School science students are undertaking erosion control methods in the woods. Pre-k students are building water bars to prevent rain run-off from eroding the soil on the nature trails and carrying it into the creek. Green Acres sends students to the Global Youth Leadership Institute, celebrates Earth Day by participating in all-day environmental projects such as cleaning trash out of the creek that runs through the school???s property, and each classroom has access to the outdoors and uses natural lighting. Green Acres has taken a pledge to be a Climate Steward with the Green Schools Alliance???we???re going to calculate our carbon footprint to establish a baseline and then work to reduce it over time. We???ve also established Team Greener, a committee of staff, parents, and students, to examine ways we can reduce our carbon footprint and be greener on campus. We use recycled paper products, including paper towels and toilet paper. We use organic lawn care products. We purchase organic, fair trade coffee. We avoid the use of foam products. Food waste, coffee grounds, tea bags, paper towels, and more are collected for the school???s compost. Students volunteer as members of an Energy Patrol at their break time to make sure lights are off in empty classrooms.

About Clean Currents
Clean Currents is a licensed clean energy broker and aggregator in Maryland and also operates in the District of Columbia, Chicago, Texas, and other areas where there is a competitive electricity market. It was established in 2005 to promote solutions to today???s biggest environmental challenges ??? global warming and air pollution, and to assist businesses in taking a greater responsibility for protecting the environment while conducting their operations.

About EPA???s Green Power Partnership
The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that encourages organizations to buy green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with purchased electricity use. The Partnership currently has more than 1,000 Partner organizations voluntarily purchasing billions of kilowatt-hours of green power annually. Partners include a wide variety of leading organizations such as Fortune 500 companies, small and medium sized businesses, local, state, and federal governments, and colleges and universities. For additional information, please visit http://www.epa.gov/greenpower.

Sharing ideas with educators who share a commitment to authentic teaching, to respecting students??? ideas, and to building community was not only gratifying and inspiring, but instructive. While we confidently offer a program that capitalizes on students??? inherent curiosity, we also learned of other effective approaches from our progressive colleagues. What struck me perhaps most as we compared ourselves with other progressive schools was the extent to which we have refined our definition of progressive education. Beyond slogans and quotations, our staff has delineated specific classroom and community practices that we consider the heart of our progressive approach. As another teacher commented at our Wednesday staff meeting, ???I learned a lot from our colleagues, and also came away feeling very confident about what we???re doing and what we stand for at Green Acres.???

I would like to recognize Terry Strand for her Herculean efforts in organizing this conference. Terry???s vision, tenacity, cheerfulness, and, above all, her commitment to progressive education, transformed this conference from an idea to a reality. We also are indebted to our staff, parent volunteers, and student volunteers, whose behind-the-scenes efforts were invaluable. I do not take for granted a staff that demonstrates every day its flexibility, collegiality, and trust in one another. If we had a dime for every time someone from another school commented on the quality of our staff, we???d have an even greater running start on this year???s Annual Giving! Finally, on the dais with some of the most well-known names in education, alumna Marissa West held her own and demonstrated quite literally the fruits of a progressive education.

I am proud to be at a school that has long embraced progressive education and that has become a true leader among progressive schools nationwide. Two opportunities to solidify your understanding of progressive education are at your finger tips. If you haven???t done so already, I urge you to read the recently published history of Green Acres, beautifully written by Lisa Nevans Locke. Copies were sent home with your children last week, but please let the Development Office know if you need a copy. For those of you who missed last month???s Speaker Series on the topic of progressive education, you can view video clips in the progressive education section of our website.

I???ll leave you with three quotes from my conference notes:

• ???Schools should be designed to give kids the tools to pursue their interests.???
• ???Being a citizen is something we all do; we can???t escape it.???
• ???Good teachers use pieces of hidden treasures to unlock learning.???

I am always interested in getting to know parents and sharing ideas. Do not hesitate to let my assistant Jocelyn Schaffer know if you would like to meet with me. As always, thanks for sharing your children with me and with all of us.

Best,
Neal

Inclusivity and Diversity???Green Acres from its inception was the first racially integrated school in Montgomery County. Alice Mendham Powell also raised money for scholarships before she opened the doors to the first tuition paying student.

Hands-on, Active Learning and Critical Thinking???Green Acres students have always been challenged not merely to memorize but to question and create, not merely to absorb but to act, not merely to adapt but to innovate, and not merely to learn for the test but to satisfy their curiosity.

Environmental Stewardship???Green Acres students have always learned both in the classroom and outside, whether at our first location on a farm, within our current fifteen acres, or on trips away from campus.

Leadership and Citizenship???Green Acres School has always been a small, nurturing community where life???s lessons about citizenship are taught each day and where students have opportunities to develop and practice leadership skills.

Respect and Caring???Green Acres teachers have always known and nurtured their students. Children have always been seen as contributing individuals, not as blank slates. Respect for their ideas, their experiences, their differences, and their developmental readiness are hallmarks of our approach. As a new Middle School student explained to me recently, “Teachers here, all of them, see me as a human being with ideas. They earn my respect rather than demanding it.”

While our 21st Century facilities, our innovative, up-to-date curriculum, our technology resources, our website, our wind power, and of course our new blog show our obvious growth and development as an institution, we continue with great pride to be the school Alice Mendham Powell envisioned, and so much more. This is more than worthy of celebration!

Enjoy these gorgeous fall days, and as always, thanks for sharing your children with me and with all of us.

Best,
Neal

Green Acres School is hosting the Progressive Education Network National Conference as part of it 75th anniversary celebrations. Educators from across the country are gathering for three days to meet, attend workshops, and visit local schools.

A New Century of Progressive Education: Democratic Principles, Practices and Possibilities
October 8-10, 2009
Keynote speakers: Marian Wright Edelman and Jonathan Kozol

To learn more about the conference and to register, click here.

If you would like to attend one or both of the keynote addresses only, you may register here.

The AIMS process already has been of great use. Its recommendations formed the basis of the Strategic Plan, approved by the Board of Trustees last March. The Strategic Plan, in turn, guides annual goal-setting for the Board, the Head of School, and the Administrative Group, as well as the ongoing professional development efforts of our staff.

The AIMS commendations come as no surprise. They include:

• the consistent, widespread understanding of our mission by all staff;
• the strength of the Green Acres community;
• the deep respect shown for students;
• the program???s attention to the social and emotional needs of children, in addition to academic needs;
• our meaningful, genuine focus on diversity of all forms;
• the way in which the developmental needs of all students are respected and met;
• our highly experiential, active, hands-on, engaging academic program;
• the openness to new curricular ideas and initiatives;
• the way in which our campus meets our philosophy and programmatic objectives; and
• the strong role that PE, Science, and Fine Arts play in the overall program.

At our recent Board retreat I commented that I had never seen a school staff and administration that knew its students better than ours do. Moreover, our balance of academic learning with social and emotional growth is a hallmark of the school???an aspect to be cherished and preserved.

The AIMS recommendations focused primarily on:

• the consistency of implementation of progressive education principles;
• curriculum coordination overall, across grades and divisions;
• behavioral distractions through classroom management; and
• student support services.

Staff members spent last year reviewing progressive educational theory and practice???an exciting and important task for me in my first year as Head of School. This year, we are working with curriculum maps to identify and rectify any curricular gaps, redundancies, or inconsistencies. Curriculum maps, as the name implies, ???map out??? the specific skills and topics taught in each unit of study in each course, from Pre-K through 8th grade. Staff spent this past Friday afternoon examining these maps in departmental groups, and we will continue to work on this throughout the year to ensure that our curriculum both builds effectively across grades and offers consistency among teachers within grades. We walk a fine line and do it well???wanting to build on teachers’ and students’ passions, understanding that any good school’s curriculum evolves from year to year, while being clear about what we expect students to know and be able to do at each grade level and in each subject.

As a full teaching staff, we also are looking closely at our approaches to classroom management. Building on research and on common sense classroom practices, teachers are working to ensure not only that students are respected by teachers and by one another, but that they behave in ways in the classroom that do not disrupt others’ learning. We want busy, engaged, collaborative learning environments; we also want to ensure that students know how to listen well and work quietly and independently. As I have written, progressive education demands a high standard of student behavior.

We already have addressed many of the AIMS recommendations regarding student support services. We now have a counselor for each Division. The Student Support Committee comprised of both counselors, myself, both division heads, and our learning specialist, meets weekly to ensure that student issues are addressed quickly and thoughtfully.

I look forward to discussing our ongoing curricular and programmatic initiatives with you. As always, thanks for sharing your children with me and with all of us.

Best,
Neal

The Administrative Group and the Executive Committee of our Board of Trustees also devoted time toward growth this summer. Administrators met last week for a day-long retreat focused on leadership, teamwork, and Green Acres’ Strategic Plan. By identifying strategic initiatives to be tackled this year, we took important steps toward mapping out our collective and individual work, whether related to curriculum and programmatic issues or to finance, facilities, diversity, development, or marketing. The Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees, also guided by the Strategic Plan, has devoted time this summer to planning the annual Board Retreat, to be held next weekend. The retreat is an opportunity for trustees to explore best practices in independent school governance, to examine our work against these standards, to launch the work of each Board committee, and to develop goals for the Board as a whole.

The most exciting part of beginning the 2009-2010 school year, for me and for our staff, is meeting each of the new students and their families and greeting our returning families. As we welcomed all 53 of our new students at Tuesday’s assembly in the Gully, we reminded them that they were joining more than a school; they were becoming part of a community for life. This year, we gave nametags to each student and staff member to help build that community as quickly and smoothly as possible. The Family Picnic on Sunday, September 13, will be our first major community building event for families. GASPA is planning a great afternoon, and I hope to see all of you there.

This week’s launching of our inaugural school blog is yet another way to build community; I hope that you will log on often to learn about what is happening on campus and to share your ideas. This past week???s Middle School orientation and Lower School parent conferences also have fostered open communication and a strong beginning to the partnership between school and home. In another effort to build on our partnership, I urge you to consider attending the first of our 75th Anniversary Speaker Series this Wednesday evening, September 9. I will be joined by two Heads of School in a panel discussion focused on progressive education. Come explore the genesis of progressive education, the key tenets and practices associated with progressive education, and the implications of this approach on your children.

We kick off this 75th Anniversary year stronger than ever. Having weathered the economic storm with our full program in place, we remain steadfast both in our commitment to the ideals upon which our school is based and in our zeal for teaching and caring for each of your children.

As always, thanks for sharing your children with me and with all of us. Here???s to a wonderful school year of learning and growth for all of us!

Best,
Neal