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Letter from Lynne |
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Dear Parents,
Take several squishy, foamy “Noodles” of the flotation variety (the non-hollow kind, preferably), slice into sections approximately an inch wide, then cut those in half. Now you have a half-circle “popper” that can be squeezed and released for all sorts of silly play…tag, for example.
Imagine, if you will, slightly more than thirty middle school teachers running around the AIS playground, tagging each other on the backs with their poppers and yelling out (with abandon) how many successful tags they have accrued. Yes, we did this, and I only wish I had photos to share with you; trust me when I tell you that we do know how to be silly and have fun with our colleagues!
In fact, the middle school teachers and I spent an entire day this week engaged in this sort of play. Experiential learning, long the province of ropes courses and other such outdoor challenges, has moved indoors – specifically, into the classroom. Through a series of small group, partner and large group activities, we learned a fraction of the many approaches a teacher can employ when building communication and collaboration skills, developing trust and community, reviewing material in a non-traditional way, and much more.
In some instances, the activity is the goal in and of itself, while in many cases the reflection afterward provides the lesson to take away with you. Regardless, the realm of experiential learning adds a host of tools to our teaching repertoire…tools for helping us to know your daughters even better, tools for helping them to know each other better and tools for all of us to enjoy as we learn together this year.
As we learn and grow together, always in partnership with parents and guardians, it is inevitable that questions will arise on your part…and sometimes, a question about where to go with those questions. Let me begin by saying that I welcome your calls, emails and visits; and, if I cannot help you, then I will do my utmost to find out who can.
Additionally, I encourage you to remember that you have many resources here – individuals who know and work with your daughter and want to support her and you. Her classroom teachers, her Community Cares (CC) advisor, her class dean (Cathy Lynch for grades 5 and 6, Katie Cooper for grades 7 and 8), the Support Services staff of learning specialists and counselors and the nurse, Jeannine Fitzpatrick, to name just a few, are all in this profession with me because we love middle school girls, and we want them to thrive. Please do not hesitate to contact us.
Finally, I will say thank you. Thank you for allowing us to work with your awesome girls…here’s to an outstanding year in every respect!
- Lynne |
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Coming Up at AIS... |
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Tues. 9/6 Orientation Programs, All meet in Assembly Room
5th grade Sessions
Students 10:45 a.m. to noon
Parents 11:30 a.m. to noon
New to AIS 6th, 7th, 8th grades
Students 9-10:30 a.m.
Parents 10-10:30 a.m.
Wed. 9/7 First Day of Classes;
All School Assembly, 8:30 a.m., Laura
Thomas Buck ’49 Pavilion
Fri. 9/9 Middle School Picture Day – Barksdale Individual Photos;
*All School Welcome Back Barbecue,
6 p.m., Upper School Fields
Sun. 9/11 New Parent Dinner, 5:30-7 p.m., Laura Thomas Buck ’49 Pavilion
Tues. 9/13 Class Photos;
Middle School Parent Coffee, 8 a.m., Assembly Room;
*AIS Connects: Dr. Michael Fowlin Presentation, 7:30 p.m., West-Wike Theatre
Wed. 9/14 Big/Little Sisters Lunch & Games
Fri. 9/16 RenAISsance Sale, 7:30-10 a.m., Lower School Field;
7th grade Culture Kick-Off, 9 a.m. to noon, West-Wike Theatre
Tues. 9/27 Middle School Parents’ Night,
7 p.m., West-Wike Theatre
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Welcoming New Faculty |
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The AIS community would like to extend a warm welcome to our new Middle School faculty members: Carley Ross, Science, Grades 7 & 9 Jodie Bross, English, Grades 8 & 9 Kathy Stevenson, English, Grade 7 Mary Frances Bannard, Latin, MS/US |
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Note to 7th Grade Parents |
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As some of you may know, Jenn Fiorini, who teaches English in both the Middle and Upper Schools, had a baby boy this summer and will be on leave through Winter Break. Kathy Stevenson will be teaching Jenn's 7th grade classes until she returns. Kathy has subbed for us in the past and is a talented, enthusiastic teacher. She holds a B.S. from the University of Colorado and a M.F.A. from Bennington College; we feel very fortunate to have her on board! |
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Announcements |
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Join Agnes Irwin teachers, students and families from all division for a fun-filled kickoff to the new year at the Back to School Barbecue on Fri. 9/9 at 6 p.m. on the Upper School Fields.
The AIS Shop will resume their regular schedule on Tues. 9/6, with hours from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday—Friday.
For more information on this year’s Meal Plan program, monthly menus and a guide to making online payments, please visit the Dining Services website.
Please visit the AIS Parents page for current forms and news. Make sure that all of your health documents, especially the Agnes Irwin Physical and Conditions & Allergies forms, are on file with the Middle School Nurse before the first day of school.
Save the date for the launch event of the new Center for the Advancement of Girls (CAG), which will take place at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on Friday, October 14 at 6 p.m. Look for your invitation arriving in the mail soon! For more information, please visit www.AdvancingGirls.org.
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CORRECTION: The names of Kiley Mahoney (grade 8) and Kiera Mahoney (grade 3) were misspelled in the Head of School’s fall letter to parents. We apologize for the error. The corrected version of the Letter can be found here. |
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