Home
| |
Letter from Anne |
 |
|
|
Dear Parents,
We are off and running! The week has started well, the girls are engaged and we were treated to an awesome speech by Student Body President Christina Wusinich. As the girls sang the Alma Mater in the Buck, the strength of this all-girls’ community was palpable. We are so fortunate that you entrust us with your daughter’s education.
Last week, I wrote about thoughtful ways to begin school and the importance of sleep; both topics are part of the Center for the Advancement of Girls (CAG) focus on Wellness, a Pillar of Progress. To continue this theme, let’s focus on activities and resilience, adapted from a Lee Burns’ blog.
Maintain Balance in Your Daughter’s Life by Not Over-scheduling
Three interesting articles* appeared this summer addressing the issue of children being overbooked and exhausted. It is so important for your daughter to learn how to manage free time. Though the Upper School years are packed with classes, clubs, sports, the arts and service to the community, if we are being true to the “college prep” approach, we need to prepare students for a large amount of free time in college. I have often seen the “over-scheduled” child become overwhelmed and disorganized freshman year in college because she has never learned how to cope with large chunks of free time. We all know, too, that having the chance to just daydream and putter around enhances the brain’s capacity for creativity – a skill highly valued in today’s workplace and that of the future.
Did you know that a “90-minute increase in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week” improves performance in math, reading and spelling? So, as Mark Fenske of Toronto’s Globe and Mail says, “Forget the tutor – a bike may help your kid’s grades more.”
Let’s find that free time for your daughters, so they will begin to master the self-management they will need for college.
Resilience is Learned Through Challenges
We are a generation who has protected our children in many ways; thus, the common stereotypes of the “helicopter” and “velcro” parent. We want our children to have the best, and we will support, encourage and provide in order to help our children reach any goal.
However, the cost of this behavior can be nurturing a lack of resilience, a character trait so important in becoming a successful and independent adult. I liken this to the necessity of building calluses on your hands/fingers when learning to play tennis or to play the guitar. It is painful at first, but once those calluses develop, it becomes easier to play well. Children who face problems, failures and obstacles in their lives will build the necessary resilience to handle the more serious challenges of adulthood. Did you know that research says that one of the best predictors of college success is not grades or test scores, but rather how resilient a child is? When challenges arise this year, talk them through with your daughter with a focus on that “learning moment,” and please contact her advisor, teacher, dean, counselor or me for guidance with your conversation, if that will help.
Here’s to next week!
-Anne
*Article Links: How to Land Your Kid in Therapy
Forget the Tutor – a bike ride may help your kid’s grades more |
| |
|
|
| |
Coming Up at AIS... |
|
|
|
Sun. 9/11 New Parent Dinner, 5:30-7 p.m., Laura Thomas Buck ’49 Pavilion
Mon. 9/12 Upper School Parent Coffee, 8-11 a.m., Assembly Room
Tues. 9/13 Class Photos
*AIS CONNECTS: Dr. Michael Fowlin Presentation, 7:30 p.m., West-Wike Theatre
Wed. 9/14 Upper School Club Fair, 10:05-11:05 a.m., US/MS Gym
Big/Little Sisters Lunch & Games
Fri. 9/16 RenAISsance Sale, 7:30-10 a.m., Lower School Field
*BSU Dance, 7:30-10:30 p.m., Laura Thomas Buck ’49 Pavilion
Wed. 9/21 Upper School Parents’ Night, 7-9 p.m., Upper School Lobby
Thurs. 9/22-23 Ninth Grade Retreat, Pocono Valley Mon. 9/26 AIS Golf Outing, 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Gulph Mills Golf Club SSP Presentations, 7-9 p.m., West-Wike Theatre
Thurs. 9/29 NO CLASSES – Rosh Hashanah
Thurs. 10/6 Special Screening of “The Mighty Macs” Film, 6:30 p.m., West-Wike Theatre
Fri. 10/7 NO CLASSES – Yom Kippur
Mon. 10/10 NO CLASSES – Columbus Day |
| |
| |
Meet Our International Students |
|
|
|
The Agnes Irwin School community welcomes four International Students. Leilei, Angela, Olivia and Elena are thrilled to be attending AIS and are eager to fully acclimate into our school community. The best way for these girls to learn more about United States culture is to spend time with current AIS families. We hope that you will invite one, two or all four girls to join you and your family on the weekends. The girls would enjoy having the opportunity to spend time with you and your families, either for an afternoon or overnight, and participate in any events you have planned - a dinner, a Fall Festival, apple picking or even an evening at the symphony. (Pictured above from left to right: Angela Zhang ’14, Lynne Myavec, Elena Su ’15, Olivia Mao ’14, Leilei Liu ’14, Mark Myavec) |
| |
| |
|
| |
Announcements |
|
|
|
The Crew Meeting is canceled for tomorrow due to the flooding. Practice will begin on Mon. 9/12. Girls should bring paperwork/payments to practice. The meeting for fall crew parents will take place next Sat. 9/17 at noon at PGRC. AIS CONNECTS will present acclaimed actor and psychologist Dr. Michael Fowlin in “You Don’t Know Me Until You Know Me” on Tues. 9/13 at 7:30 p.m. This inspiring one-man show is organized by the AIS Board & Staff Diversity Committees, the AIS Parents’ Council and the Center for the Advancement of Girls. See you on Tuesday night in the West-Wike Theatre for this empowering presentation!
RenAISsance donations will be accepted in the Development Office until Thurs. 9/15 and at the Class Coffees on Mon. 9/12, 13 & 14. If you are interested in volunteering for this event, please contact Heather Niedland at hniedland@comcast.net.
The 12th annual Agnes Irwin Golf Outing will be held at Gulph Mills Golf Club on Mon. 9/26 at 11:30 a.m. All are invited to participate in this wonderful event that supports a terrific cause. Please contact Beth Coyne or Peter Hill if you are interested in participating.
The Agnes Irwin School will have the privilege of hosting a special pre-screening of “The Mighty Macs,” a film based on the inspiring true story of CAG Advisory Board member Cathy Rush and her successful basketball coaching career. Coach Rush will even be making a special appearance that evening! If you would like to attend this exclusive event, you must R.S.V.P. by Fri. 9/16 to Cathy Ferguson at 610-523-7983 or cferguson@agnesirwin.org.
Please visit the newly redesigned AIS Parents page for current forms, news and notes. |
| |
| |
"College Visitor" Parking Space |
|
|
|
Every year, more than 100 colleges and universities request to visit AIS to speak with our seniors and college counselors. Between Sept. 15 and Nov. 15, schools such as Pomona College in California, and St. Andrews in the United Kingdom, travel to Philadelphia to speak with Agnes Irwin girls. To show our appreciation and respect for these college representatives, Agnes Irwin has a reserved a spot in the Middle/Upper School parking lot (near the MS/US gym and soccer field) for college visitors. Sometimes as many as six representatives visit AIS in a given day, so the spot is critical in ensuring that the visitors keep their appointments on schedule. Please, out of respect for this wonderful relationship at AIS, refrain from parking in the “College Visitors” spot in the front lot from Sept. through Nov. |
| |
|
|