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Special Guest Columnist |
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Dear Parents,
It has been a little over a month since many of you joined us for the official launch of the Center for the Advancement of Girls (CAG). The enthusiasm generated by the event has been considerable, and I am grateful to be a part of a community that is so motivated by finding out what is best for our girls, and girls everywhere. Since the event, we have been working hard to further develop initiatives already underway, as well as those in the conceptual stages.
The launch was like a groundbreaking for us. We have stuck our proverbial shovels in the ground, but the day we “move into our new home” is still a ways away.
But, the work has started! Just this week, we hosted Dr. Jerusha Conner, an Assistant Professor at Villanova University and a founding Advisory Board member of Stanford University’s Challenge Success project, to present to students and parents the results of the Challenge Success survey many of our girls in the Middle and Upper Schools participated in last year.
The resulting discussion was, I think all who were present would agree, fruitful and valuable. Parents, administrators, teachers and girls shared their experiences, their reactions and their insights honestly and with characteristic Agnes Irwin humor and perspective. The questions raised during the meeting regarding how we might best help our girls achieve balance in their lives are not questions that are easily answered. There is clearly not one correct answer. As Lynne Myavec, our Middle School Director, pointed out: “If there were one clear solution, we would already have implemented it.” Therefore, it is important that we continue to grapple with the questions, as well as move forward as a community toward defining what we mean by success – and how we will encourage our students to find it.
If you were not able to make it to the presentation, and you are curious about the results and what they may mean for your daughters, then email me at mhufford@advancinggirls.org and we can set up a time to meet. And please, stay tuned for updates throughout the year regarding next steps and programs resulting from the survey’s findings.
I would also like to take this opportunity to answer some “Frequently Asked Questions” for you. I hope that you will continue to reach out with inquiries or suggestions.
1. What is CAG anyway? Is it a place?
CAG is not a place. It is a conceptual center, a conceptual space of thinking, questioning and researching. CAG will ask the question, “What is best for girls?” in each initiative we undertake. We will research existing literature on a topic that we feel is particularly relevant to girls, disseminate that information to our faculty and staff, and implement what we have learned in our interactions with girls.
2. Who comes up with the topics that become the issues you research?
It depends. Our work has to pass the “four pillar” test. Does the idea or the issue relate to the four pillars of study the faculty identified as important: Leadership, Global Citizenship, Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century, Wellness? Sometimes, teachers email me ideas or just stop me in the hallways. Sometimes, I read something that intrigues me, and I start to research it further. Parents and alumnae have also contacted me with ideas that we eventually address and develop. Other times, our Advisory Board members let me know when something appears to be aligned with CAG’s mission.
3. What are some of the ways in which CAG will impact my child?
Our
first (and very important) effort in this area was the administration
of the Challenge Success survey last winter (see the introduction to
this letter).
(continued in Column 2)
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Coming Up at AIS... |
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Sat. 11/19 Athletics Open House (Admissions), 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Assembly Room
Wed. 11/23-25 NO CLASSES – Thanksgiving
Tues. 12/6 Kindergarten Visit Day, 10-11:30 a.m., K Classrooms
Thurs. 12/8 Language in Children Leading to Literacy (LS Admission Speaker Event), 7-8 p.m., LS Library
Sat. 12/10 PreK Admissions Visit Day, 8:30-10:30 a.m., PreK Classroom
Tues. 12/13 LS Winter Concert, 8:30-10:30 a.m., Laura Thomas Buck ’49 Pavilion
Wed. 12/14 LS Winter Parties, 2-3 p.m.
Thurs. 12/15 Additional performance of The Miserable Muse (LS Winter Concert), 1:30-2:30 p.m., Laura Thomas Buck ’49 Pavilion Fri. 12/16 Winter Break Begins at Noon
*Classes Resume Tues. 1/3/12 |
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Please click on the events to view all committee meeting dates & information:
Winterfest – Sat. 3/10/12; Next Program Book Meeting: 11/22, 8-10 a.m., MS/US Meeting Rm.
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Guest Columnist (cont.) |
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This followed a CAG-sponsored screening of Race to
Nowhere, which was attended by hundreds of parents. The survey data were
made available to teachers a few months ago and to parents just this
week. In partnership with you, we are committed to continuing the
conversations around homework, school stress and well-being that have
already occurred. Ultimately, we will consider the results of the survey
and adjust, if necessary, processes and practices that benefit our
girls. As always, we invite your feedback and participation in this
process.
4. Do the girls know about CAG?
It depends.
Our Upper School girls are starting to get more involved. In fact, one
student proposed the creation of a committee that will become a board
next year to “bridge the gap” between CAG and the student body. Stay
tuned; we have some exciting projects planned. The vision for this
student group is to tackle one or two major issues in the lives of our
girls and research, plan and execute workshops, campaigns, assemblies or
whatever they dream up, in order to improve the experiences of our own
students from Lower School through Upper School. Some of their ideas
might be so phenomenal that we will write them up and get them
published, so other girls can be inspired to take action!
I hope
these answers help you better understand what we are all about. There
is no doubt that we dream big. It will take the long-term commitment,
energy and enthusiasm of each constituency in our community to make all
of these dreams a reality.
Have a wonderful weekend! And please, don’t forget to be in touch!
Mariandl Hufford
Director, CAG |
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SPECIAL INVITATION TO GRADE 4 - We hope you will join us for our Athletics Open House this Sat. 11/19
from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Come meet coaches, talk to current AIS athletes and hear from alumna speaker Bess Siegfried ’05 about how her experience as a student-athlete at AIS served her at Stanford and in her professional life at Facebook. Connie McEvoy, Director of College Counseling, and Chair of the Arts Department Bill Esher will also be available to discuss how students can balance their commitment to athletics with arts and academics. Please think ahead for next year, as your daughter will enter Middle School and begin her athletic career at AIS! Meet in the Assembly Room at 10:30 a.m. to speak with coaches, students and faculty and to hear Bess present at 11 a.m. If you do not receive a Lower School Progress Report Card Letter next week, please contact Carol Hillman in the LS Office or call 610.525.7600.
WINTER CONCERT PREPARATIONS - Each week, Mr. Savar will prepare practice videos for the upcoming performance.
Learning Video 1 & Learning Video 2 are now available. The students love to sing along at home! Please visit the AIS Parents page to stay updated with all current information. |
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"Extra" Session Winter |
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"Extra" Session Winter will start on Mon. 1/23/12 and finish on Thurs. 3/1. New sessions include Mom/Daughter Fun & Fit and Sweet Treats. Also, back by popular demand: Cake Boss! Look for the Winter Session flyer and registration form shortly! Updates will be available online on the "Extra" Session page. "Extra" Session is expanding to the Middle School's 5th and 6th graders – Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays after school. Click here for course offerings and registration form.
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News from Admissions |
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Dr. Cynthia Weissman will present a parenting workshop entitled "The Amazing Development of Language in Children Leading to Literacy" on Thurs. 12/8 at 7 p.m. in the Lower School Library. Current and prospective families are encouraged to attend this important discussion about developing literacy skills in young children. Please RSVP to Barbara Massaro or cal 610-523-7986.
Admission season is in full swing! Current families interested in admission for siblings should contact the Admission Office to begin the process. We look forward to scheduling student visits prior to the winter holidays. Please note that the deadline for completed applications in the first round is Thurs. 12/15.
Thank you to everyone who placed a lawn sign for our recent Open Houses. Kindly return signs and stands to the Admission office so that they can be recycled.
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