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Letter from Donna |
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Dear Parents,
As lovely as it has been to have a brief break, it has been so much fun welcoming your daughters back to school this week. I have been particularly impressed at how they really seemed to have grown and matured in such a short time.
You may have noticed this as well. This January/February/March time of year is when, all of a sudden, children start to blossom. I’m not very good at growing things, so bear with me if my analogy is not a perfect match, but I do believe that teaching children really is like planting bulbs. The fall is the time when the bulb goes into the ground and the roots ever so slowly begin to go down. As educators, we are seeing our new classes of children for the first time, watching carefully, learning all we can about who they are and what they need. As parents, you and your children are adjusting to a different way of being, with different teachers and different expectations. We as adults may get impatient with our bulbs, not seeing the growth that we think we should see and wondering why they aren’t growing faster. We try different types of fertilizers, sometimes calling other gardeners to help us. By December we need a break to step back and assess.
During the break, something happens. We go away from the garden and focus on other priorities. We spend more time with our families. We read more, reflect more, play more. We gain perspective. And all the while, the bulbs are growing, growing, growing, in ways that we cannot even imagine.
That break makes a difference. This week, I saw some of our students and I almost didn’t recognize them. They seemed taller, some of them. They were a little more mature. The hallway sprinters were walking sedately. This week, I have seen your daughters automatically doing things that they weren’t doing two weeks ago, and I ask myself, “When did that happen?” You may see it at home as well. Perhaps your daughter remembered to brush her teeth without being reminded. Or she helped a sibling pick up toys without the typical squabble. When did that happen?
I said to a parent this morning that these three months are my favorite time of the school year because all of a sudden students leap over the fence and take off with their learning. The bulbs have taken root and I know that you, like me, can hardly wait until May to see what kinds of flowers we will have in the garden.
Welcome back,
- Donna |
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Event With Head of School |
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 Please join Head of School Dr. Mary F. Seppala for the first All-School Town Hall Meeting on Thurs. 1/12 from 7-9 p.m. in the West-Wike Theatre. This open-forum will provide a time for the community to discuss topics, ask questions and discover everything that you may want to know about The Agnes Irwin School. |
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Coming Up at AIS... |
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Tues. 1/10 PreK Parent Coffee, 8-10 a.m., Assembly Room ** Women in Wax Grade 4 Presentations, 1:45 p.m., Laura Thomas Buck ’49 Pavilion Wed. 1/11 Kindergarten Parent Coffee, 8-10 a.m., Assembly Room ** Poet Paul Zarzyski Presents, 7:30 p.m., The Haverford School
Thurs. 1/12 All School Town Hall Meeting, 7-9 p.m., West-Wike Theatre
Mon. 1/16 NO CLASSES, MLK Day of Service Wed. 1/18 “One Book” Author Firoozeh Dumas, 7-9 p.m., West-Wike Theatre Tues. 1/ 24 Grade 1 Parent Coffee, 8-10 a.m., Assembly Room Wed. 1/25 Grade 2 Parent Coffee, 8-10 a.m., Assembly Room
** LS Parent Workshop, 7-9 p.m., LS Music Room
Tues. 1/31 Grade 3 Parent Coffee, 8-10 a.m., Assembly Room |
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Please click on the events to view all committee meeting dates & information:
Free Family Skating Night - Sat. 1/14, 8-10 p.m., The Philadelphia Skating Club and Humane Society in Ardmore
Mother/Daughter Outing - Sat. 1/21, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Homecoooked in Paoli
Winterfest – Sat. 3/10; Next Meeting: 1/9, 8-9 a.m., Arts & Science Meeting Room
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Community Service News |
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The Kindergarten Mitten/Hat Tree still has room on its branches for donations. The hats and mittens collected will go to Family Support Services. Our PreK and Kindergarten students will pack up these items on Mon. 1/16 for MLK Day.
Gently used and new shoes are being collected for Soles4Souls. This collection also culminates on MLK day. (Adult and children's shoes in good condition, please!)
On Mon. 1/16, the Lower School will host MLK Day of Service Activities. There will be something for everyone in Grades PreK-4 and siblings are welcome. US students have been working with LS students to create a fun morning, and we hope you will join us. Look for a permission/sign up sheet early next week. |
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The Fourth Grade will proudly give presentations dressed as notable women in history for their Women in Wax project on Tues. 1/10. Parents are welcome to attend from 1:45-2:45 p.m. in the LTB '49 Pavilion.
On Wed. 1/11, Paul Zarzyski, a host of the annual Big Timber Roundup arts excursion in Montana (attended by AIS juniors and seniors) will speak at 7:30 p.m. for the 14th Annual Edward R. Hallowell Literary Lecture in the Ball Auditorium at The Haverford School.  Don't miss the chance to meet our featured speaker for the first-ever One Book Agnes Irwin highlight event. Join us on Wed. 1/18 at 7 p.m. in the West-Wike Theatre for an evening with Firoozeh Dumas, author of national bestseller Funny in Farsi. She will present to the entire community and share her personal stories about growing up as an Iranian in America. Click here for more information on the program.
Mrs. Hill's Fourth Grade Math Club
will be starting their winter projects soon. We request 3/4" plywood
that is cut into 12" x 12" squares. Each year, we have been lucky enough
to have a parent or two who is willing to cut a dozen or so pieces. If
you can help, please contact Mrs. Hill or call 610-525-7600 x1687. Ms. Siembora is collecting shoe boxes for a Kindergarten project. Please send in shoe boxes of any size to the LS Art Room.
Check out this great opportunity offered for girls by the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania! Read invitation here.
Please log in and visit the AIS Parents page to view the updated version of the 2011-2012 Family Directory and for current forms, news and notes. |
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By KIDS 4 KIDS |
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The Upper School club By Kids 4 Kids was created at the beginning of this year. The members of the club write and illustrate their own stories, which are then printed and donated to inner-city schools in need. On Mon. 1/9, we will start a BOOK DRIVE to collect more books for the Cornerstone Academy. Please bring in gently used or new books that are appropriate for students in Grades PreK-8. The club has already made a handful of books, but would like to try to fill the school's library! The donation box will be in the Owl Lobby. |
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