Author: jzurfluh

MAKER FAIRE 2018

It’s time!!  It’s our second annual tradition at ASW to bring all of our Makers together for an extravaganza in the form of a Faire – and we need YOU!!!  Please join us in helping at the many booths that will be setup on the day.  Activities for all ages, parents demonstrating or just helping in making sure students have exposure to the beauty and elegance of creation from design.  Whatever you think you might be able to share or even if you can just help on the day, this is a pivotal opportunity for the community to come together and provide a unique experience for our kids that is closely aligned with our core values.  WE NEED YOU!!!

Head here to sign-up: https://goo.gl/SoorkD

CEESA Concert Opportunity

We have a very special event this weekend as we host the CEESA Band and Choir gathering at ASW.  For all of you, it means lots of music going on around the school with our many guests that arrived today!!  There is a unique opportunity to join us for a finale concert on Saturday night at 6:00 p.m. in our Theater.  All of the visiting students and our own students will perform for us after some days of collaboration and practice.  Given our recent wonderful presentations, this event promises to be a real tweet.

We had a wonderful Band and Choir Concert on Tuesday night, with our students providing us with instrumental and vocal bliss, regaling the seasons through song and dance (loved the Rumanja shuffle)!  Rock and Rota last weekend was also a wonderful success with guitar festival following that had melodic harmonies wafting through the rafters throughout the school. Thanks go to the entire Performing arts teams, but especially to our directors: Ms. Bechdoldt, Mr. Armstrong, and Mr. Celinski.

So, I’m shouting out a challenge to all to help us fill the theater for one more performance coming on Thursday night for the Middle School Band and Choir, 6:00 p.m.  Please think about joining us and applauding for our kids to honor their preparation and commitment.  Will be an engaging night of song, all as we also prepare for our 130+ guests coming to the CEESA Band and Choir Festival the weekend of April 18-22.  Book now for Saturday night, April 21st, to join us in the Theater for the finale of the festival, which always promises to thrill and impress!

Finally, a note of encouragement:  In the spring time, we all beginning to focus on thinking ahead to next school year.  In that regard, it is time for returning parents to start considering their role in partnering with the school beyond just being a parent.  ASW has always placed a high value on our parent partnership.  Many roles for next year are beginning to emerge that are seeking your time and talent.  In the early stages, we earnestly ask you to consider taking on roles in PTO as they start to finalize their leadership team for 2018-2019.  Whether as committee chair or on the board, they need leadership that will continue to build and inspire everything possible to extend and enrich the school experience for all of our students and families.  Scroll down to the PTO section to find out more and please contact PTO leaders quickly to get involved!!

 

 

What a beautiful day today!!  I hope you all enjoyed the wonderful spring weather and basked in the sunshine.

It was great to also get our traffic back to normal with the re-opening of our back entrance.  With the traffic now rebalanced back to our regular flow, the lines and wait times disappeared.    You may now readjust your departure times accordingly so that all are arriving at their usual time.

As noted in my message, we are thankful that the Hinckfuss family allowed us to return to access of our road while negotiations continue.  We are hopeful of a positive outcome, but we should caution that legal matters can sometime be unpredictable as we work towards longer term solutions.  To that end, we have backup plans now in place should they be required.

We want to thank the many members of the community that stepped forward with ideas and suggestions.  We gleaned many suggestions from others and appreciate tremendously your contributions.  In particular, the support of the Real2B developers and their willingness to work with us on alternative plans was very helpful and much appreciated, setting the stage for a wonderful partnership in the future.  But, particularly want to mention Mr. Peter Wasserman for his support in recent days.  Thank you so much for your help!!

Also, thanks go out to everyone for pulling together during our entrance challenge.  We all appreciate how all demonstrated tremendous flexibility and patience during our traffic lines.  Still smiling as you entered the front gate each day, despite the long wait, was a wonderful testament to our sense of community and the partnership we all enjoy!!

Last Friday, ASW received word that our re-accreditation process was successful and we were awarded full accreditation by the Council of International Schools (CIS).  Ray Davis, Director of School Support and Evaluation was particularly thoughtful in his commendations:

In reaching their decision, CIS took into account the Evaluation Team’s commendations which were based on evidence of effective alignment with the standards for CIS International Accreditation. In granting the award of accreditation, CIS felt that the commendations – or strengths of the school – far outweigh any areas in which the school was deficient. Of particular note are the following:

• the thorough, inclusive, reflective manner with which the American School of Warsaw Self-Study Report was generated
• the identification and implementation of core values as the touchstone for strategic planning and all decision-making (Sections A and C)
• the creation of student-centred teaching and learning policies to guide instruction and assessment (Sections B, E, and F)
• the development of service learning as one means of engaging students as global citizens (Sections A and F)
• the concerted effort on the part of the Board of Trustees and Director to develop a ‘robust’ Board Manual establishing clear roles and responsibilities as well as policies guiding school operations (Section C)
• the positive school culture evident through respectful and supportive interactions among all stakeholders (Sections D and F)
• the strong financial health of American School of Warsaw (Section G)

These strengths and others should be celebrated by the school community.

As with all schools around the world, our job of continuous improvement is never complete.  The action plan in the final report, largely authored by our team, has carefully articulated our path forward.    With the additional insight and recommendations of the visiting team, we’ll set about that work in the immediate months and years ahead.

The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) performed a joint accreditation with CIS and we expect that their findings will be largely aligned.  Our next report of progress on their recommendations will be compiled in the Spring of 2020.  The full report will eventually be posted for all to review after these results have been presented to the board at our April meeting.

A quick note with regards to the board.  Aspiring Board Member training is next week and there are still spots available for your participation.  The link for signing up and details can be found here:  https://goo.gl/forms/HuxZ5JGk0bO5lO9z2

Seems we should be well into the signs of Spring with today being the first of a new season, but, alas, the latest snowfall seems to be sticking around for a bit longer.  We want to thank everyone for keeping the winter coats in play under the current circumstances while we await the warmer rays of the sun that certainly must be on the horizon.

My time in Prague this last weekend at the CEESA 2018 conference was productive and enjoyable.  We connected with our counterparts from dozens of international schools scattered across Eastern Europe and around the world to network and consider new ideas.  One highlight was the presentation by Ziauddin Yousafzai, father of Malala, who was shot by the Taliban in 2012.  It was a wonderful story of family legacy, of a father taught by his father to embrace respect and equality.  His simple quote in answer to the question of why his daughter turned out so strong – “Because I didn’t clip her wings.”  I value this story of empowerment between parents and children knowing myself the challenges of, particularly, the growth through adolescence.  It can be daunting at times.  May we always be reminded of the freedom we must grant children to test their assumptions and find their path through adversity.   Our core value of “Bounce back when things don’t go your way” is a testament to the importance of giving permission to fail.  It is only through this process that children find both resilience and an understanding of the growth mindset – the consummate ability to learn from our mistakes.  This is Ziauddin’s message.  Don’t clip their wings in order to keep them safe in the nest.  Instead, let’s all work together to prepare them for the wonders of flight!!

Enjoy the first weekend of Spring!!

https://www.gofundme.com/aswroboticstoworlds

https://youtu.be/itK2CYgOs6I

 

We are preparing for a previously scheduled drill next week on March 20 that has been on our calendar since earlier this year. It should be noted that we considered postponing this drill out of consideration of current events taking place in the United States.  Some of you may be aware that some activities in the High School included the signing of a flag of condolence for the loss of life in Florida just one month ago.  While only a percentage of our student body is connected by citizenship to the issues surrounding the current debate, we are sensitive to the media coverage and the sense that all students may be both aware and have feelings associated with these events in their home country.  Despite this, we feel it is important to keep with our established schedule, mindful that there is never a perfect time for emergency drills or practice associated with safety.

To be clear, we practice, similar to our fire evacuation, a protocol that is called a “LockDown” drill.  In response to an intruder in the vicinity of the school or in the case of an intruder entering the building, we have procedures for urgently locking all classrooms to restrict access to students and staff in that area and move into what is referred to as “Shelter in Place.”  Teachers quickly check hallways and bring any moving students in their vicinity into their classrooms, lock their doors, block windows, and begin attendance with the students and adults present.  Students are kept in this setting until an “All Clear” signal is announced.

As with all of our drills, the intent is not to inspire fear, but to practice our preparedness for any potential situation.  Students and staff need to be generally familiar with all of these types of drills to assure student safety and readiness.  We learn from each drill with an after action report process and our School Health & Safety Committee regularly meets to discuss and recommends improvements.

If you are a parent and are in the school during this drill, you need to be prepared to follow directions of security guards and/or staff members as they direct you to safe haven.  You’ll be required to participate in the drill until the “All Clear” is announced.  Also be reminded that there will be no vehicle access to the campus during the drill and the main entrance will be closed and locked.  We expect the duration of the drill to be about 20-30 minutes.  We will not be sending an emergency text message during this drill, but will test the system again at a future date.  Happy to answer questions as needed!

In this edition of Zimplicity:

• An important project to support some talented students who recently won the right and special opportunity to compete at the world level in our Robotics Program.
• I want to share some thoughts below about our parking lot and logical next steps, for which I need your feedback.
• A little bit about the re-enrollment process now underway in Admissions.

Robotics

Further down in our eNotes and HERE is an article regarding our award winning Robotics team.  They have earned the right to attend an international competition and are raising funds on a short timeline.  They are energetic and excited by this possibility and have setup a fund raising page with a daunting goal.  Please push their message out to corporate donors and others who would be interested in supporting this noble venture.  We are excited for their experience, but also because of the pride and inspiration for all of us that is associated with their opportunity.  Take a look and give what you can to their effort!!

Parking, Safety, and the Environment

In the midst of our challenges associated with rerouted traffic, I’ve been observing more frequently of late, interacting with motorists and getting a sense of logical next steps in safety enhancements.  We plan to resolve the road issue in the most expedient time frame possible, but our challenges revolve around more than just the closure of our back gate.  There are some problems that we have not addressed significantly previously and they require some thinking about how we can change our practice in the future to assure that all of us follow rules that are meant to keep us all safe, and especially the children we all serve.  I’ll summarize some of the key points of consideration below:

• Parking – While we all know that parking can be in limited supply and we will look for ways to make some additional spaces available through moderate redesign, the solution is not going to be provided by allowing parking on curb areas nearest the buildings that are intended only as temporary stop and go loading zones.  This includes the Kiss and Go areas in the front area of the school near elementary, the main entrance area that is lined by chain, the curb along the building near the High School entrance, and the curbed area in back of the school along the track area.  Cars parked in these areas create a risk for children and this is becoming an increasing problem.  These areas are so designated in order to make sure there is proper line of site for cars to see pedestrians before they step off of a curb.  With small children in our facility, this is high risk for potential injury and is the main reason we do not allow parent parking closest to the school in the elementary area and reserve parent parking further away from the building instead.
• Use of Identification not your own.  We have had more than a few cases where drivers approach the front gate and attempt to use ID cards that are not their own.  During high traffic times, this can slow the entry and exit to the school and is one of the reasons for backup in the morning.  We have made it clear that the driver of the vehicle must have proper identification as a parent or helper and that this identification be used for access.  Guards are randomly and regularly checking for this.  Related to this is the requirement for passes from school offices before taking children from school at any other time during the school day.  More than once, parents have been turned back to school offices for this pass before they are allowed to leave campus with any student.  These are both critical safety measures that must be followed by all community members without argument.
• Relationship between guards and parents.  It is important that parents always treat guards with respect.  In our minds, they are equivalent to law enforcement and should always be obeyed in all interactions.  Arguing with a guards is never helpful and only serves to distract that guard’s attention from the students they are primarily engaged to protect.  Our security supervisor and staff at the front desk in the main entrance are available to address any concerns you may have by coming into the school and logging your concern.  We’ll follow up quickly with you to assure that the matter is resolved.  But, it should never be allowed, nor demonstrated to students, that guards can be treated in anything other than a respectful manner.  This is true for cars, bicycles, and pedestrians at all times on the campus grounds.
• Bicycles.  Given the moderating weather, more bicycles are beginning to return to campus and it’s important to remind everyone that bicycles must be walked at all times on campus.  Given our current load of vehicles, it is not possible to provide for a safe environment when mixing bicycles and traffic in our parking lot.  Most are doing a great job with this, but there were still a few reports of bicycle riders not following guard directions when asked to walk their bike.  We would also ask the parents model for children that we need to use crosswalks to cross the road at the designated locations.  This is part of the overall safety measures and important for us all to follow.
• Other.  I’ve also noted some excessive speed in the area, both in our parking lot and also on the road leading into the school.  While we do not control the street area leading to the school entrance, I would encourage all parents to watch speed in this area in order to provide for a safe walking area.  Similarly, I’ve also noted some higher speeds on the campus grounds.  While our speed bumps tend to control this, there are stretches of parking area where parents will accelerate excessively and this is a tremendous risk to student safety where kids may emerge from between cars without warning.  We should all be committed to traveling at a reduced speed at ALL times on the campus grounds.
• Air quality.  I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that cars are still running for long periods of waiting time, something that we asked you to rectify in earlier messages.  If you are stopped at a curb and waiting,

We are also considering remedies to the above issues and have developed a list of potential options.  The only one that seems immediately viable, given our level of legal authority, is to deny entrance to vehicles when rules have not been followed and when it is clear that the vehicle poses a risk to patrons on our campus grounds.  We have done this in the past, but possibly not at a frequency required to assure compliance in all instances.  We would suggest that after a few reminders, there is little else we can do except to assure that the vehicle is not allowed on campus for a period of time.  We do not have the ability to levy fines for parking lot transgressions, so the seems our only real option.  I’d love your feedback on this method and encourage you to reach out to me with any other suggestions you might have.  I still believe that our common focus is safety and children, as always, come first.  In that regard, I put my faith in the power of community where all of us help police everyone’s choices in our shared public areas by encouraging good manners and collaboration on all fronts.

Admissions Re-Enrollment

The process of re-enrollment is proceeding according to plan with invoices for seat deposits about to be sent.  We appreciate your engagement in the recent survey and, based on your instructions, we will be moving to the next level of commitment.  Please take note of the deadlines as we have high demand and low turnover on the horizon again, which will make every seat for next year important to the families that would like to join us. Thanks in advance for your help and attention.

This will be a longer entry for eNotes this time, so clicking through to my blog post will be important.  Therefore, here are the items I’m covering in this article:

• Accreditation Update
• New and Aspiring Board Member Training – NEW DATE!! – April 5th
• Admissions Policy Explanation

Continue reading…

Accreditation Update

Our visitors from NEASC and CIS left on the Friday before break after completing an exhaustive review of our self-study report and observation of our work throughout the school.  They connected with every faculty member and administrator during their time here along with students, parents, support staff, administrators, board members and others in the ASW community.  We were tremendously proud of everyone who interacted with the visiting team and how they shared our story, rooted in core values and based on our common commitment to the children we serve.  Ji Han, the chairperson for the team, noted their particular reflections on the qualities of our students who demonstrated the best of ASW traditions!!

The accreditation team provided me with an opportunity to review their draft report for accuracy, but was admonished to not release the report until each accrediting body had fulfilled their responsibility to approve it within their respective structures. This process usually takes about 4-6 weeks, or possibly longer.  What I can generally report is that the findings will not likely include any surprises, but have appropriately put focus on our action plans in the places we had expected.  While we might adjust these plans to provide for these points of emphasis, we will be thrilled with their feedback and advice in the final document.  The committee and/or the accrediting bodies will still have to make a determination between the following four final options:

• Award of Accreditation or Re-Accreditation
• Award of Accreditation or Re-Accreditation with specific qualifications
• Postponement of Accreditation or Re-Accreditation for specific reason(s)
• Denial of Accreditation

As we did with the self-study, we will publish the final approved report and their final finding when it becomes available.

New and Aspiring Board Member Training – NEW DATE!!

Likely because of the timing, we had limited sign-up for the New and Aspiring Board member Training scheduled for tomorrow, March 1.  Therefore, we’ve canceled this session.  But, fear not, there is yet another opportunity to participate in this training on the horizon and still in plenty of time to get ready for ASW Board elections!!!  Please consider joining us on April 5, 2018 for the next session of this important training.  Whether you have aspirations to serve on the ASW board, or would like to consider service on other non-profit boards, this training will prepare you for the basic foundations of good governance.  While our focus of context will be the educational setting, the principles of governance apply equally to a variety of similar settings.  You are welcome to attend even if you just want to find out more about how ASW governance works and how the Board of Trustees do their work in support of the school’s core values, mission, and strategic goals.  Please try to join us.  Light snacks and certificate of completion provided.

Thursday, April 5, 2017, 6:00 p.m. in the MPR

Click here to RSVP: https://goo.gl/forms/hlv9r2wflXZuibqs2

Admissions Policy Explanation

In December, the Board of Trustees adopted revisions to the admission policy of the school.  These were primarily meant to address the tightening of our overall structure and better articulate the parameters used in making decisions about a growing stream of applications that are now being processed by the Admissions Department.  Part of aligning our practices was to introduce an online system of application that is now fully operational and receiving positive reviews.

It should first be clear that changes to the admissions policy of the school only affects new applicants to the school going forward.  No current students will be impacted by these changes and nothing in the policy reflects any change that, by itself, would affect the enrollment of any current student beyond what was already in place.

The adjustments to the policy this year (linked here: Policy 8.01 – Admissions) were primarily aimed at reinforcing the goals of the school to maintain its diversity and provide guidance to the admissions process in how, at the admission stage, to determine nationality.  In addition, and as part of our acceptance of diversity, the policy reinforces the non-selective nature of our enrollment process and only identifies the potential limits that might be placed on grade levels for providing learning support, beginner English language support, and nationality as a proportion of the grade. Order of priority rules have also been expanded and clarified to ensure equity and transparency in the admissions process. As an American embassy sponsored and supported school, the policy reaffirms the bylaw established priority for American nationality admissions that have been part of the school’s structure since its formal beginning in 1953 when it was founded due to the efforts of Colonel Frank Gilchrist from the US Embassy military detachment.

If you ever have any questions about the admission policy, please feel free to contact the Admission department.  Our website has been updated to reflect the new policy and we will continue to consider additional changes that are consistent with our growth and development over time.

Accreditation Meeting on Friday

We are having a wonderful week with our accrediting body and enjoying sharing our wonderful school with them.  They are halfway through their week with us and have had robust opportunities for conversation and deeper research.  They are sharing lots of ideas with us and, in return, we are impressing them with ideas they will take home with them as well.  We will have an opportunity to hear their reflections as a whole staff on Friday as they bring closure to their work.  While seating will be limited, additional parents are welcome to join us as follows:

What: The Team Chair and Co-Chair of the NEASC/CIS Accreditation Team will give a 10-15 minute talk about the team’s experience during the visit. In broad strokes, they will report out on areas of strength and areas in need of strengthening.  All faculty, staff, parents, and students are invited to attend, but seating may be limited.

When: Friday, February 16th from 3:45 pm – 4:00 pm

Where: Theater

Board Training in March!!

Mark your calendars for the next session this year of the New and Aspiring Board Member training.  Like last year, I’m leading sessions on School and non-profit board membership. If you have an interest in a position on the ASW board, as a leader in PTO, or if you are looking to serve on other boards in the future, this training will help provide some of the key understandings associated with good governance in a non-profit setting.  The content of this training has been further expanded to also include insights into ASW specifically.  With Board of Trustee elections on the horizon, this is the perfect opportunity to get ready for your candidacy.  We’ll explore selected ASW Board documents and will give some insight into ASW structures and policy as well.

Thursday, March 1, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. in the MPR

If you would like to participate, you can sign up by clicking here: https://goo.gl/forms/WR3O4zHKUo3WsiLO2

There is no cost to attend.

Thanks to all for your support in getting ready for our visit that is now upon us.  Please see the video below of our welcome to the visiting team today and their introductions!  This is to help our community get to know them a bit and we hope that many of you will have a chance to cross paths with our visitors sometime this week.

Looking forward to their reflections with us and insights into our wonderful school and how we can continue to learn and grow!

As communicated earlier our back gate will be closed until further notice.  As noted in my previous letter, this is an issue that was recently brought to our attention after years of use and we are working hard to reach an agreement to reopen this access at earliest opportunity.

As safety and security are our priority, we want to address the additional strain on the front gate and the capacity of the road leading to the School to handle the additional vehicle traffic. To help the things run efficiently please keep the following in mind:

• Have your school badge ready as you approach the gate.
• Kiss and Go is critical to continuous traffic flow.  ES stay right to drop off in front of ES.  MS and HS, stay left upon entering the campus and drop off near the HS entrance.  Please see attached map showing designated drop off zones.

Kiss and Go drop-off process:

• Upon entry, veer right or left to your applicable school zone
• Stop on curb near entrance of choice
• Drivers may not exit their vehicle in the Kiss and Go zones
• Allow children to exit the vehicle safely (staff will typically be nearby to supervise)
• Immediately drive away safely.

Kiss and Go pick-up process:

• Have planned location to pick-up your child
• Stop
• Do not exit your vehicle
• Allow children to enter the vehicle safely
• Immediately drive away safely.
• Do not sit in your car blocking the road while waiting for you child. Continue around the parking lot circle until your children are ready, allowing other vehicles to access the area. All of our parking areas provide for looping back to the selected pickup zone.
• Keep traffic calmly moving at all times unless you are parking.

Please be reminded that you may not park along the curb or near entrances at any time.  Only park is designated parking spots. Do not leave your vehicle unattended in non-parking areas for any reason. Further, we suggest accounting for delays when planning your journey to/from school until our entrance is restored.

January and February bring many athletics and activities into final weeks and our students start enjoying their travel to tournaments and events at schools throughout the region.  This coming weekend is particularly robust with trips to Sofia, Moscow, Baku, Krakow, Vienna, Athens, Basel, and Wroclaw.  It’s a mix of things that includes MS Choir, MS Band, HS Speech & Debate, MS MathCounts, HS Knowledge Bowl, a HS Swim Meet, a MS Swim Meet, JV Boys/Girls Basketball, and MS Boys/Girls Basketball.  Including our hosting of SCIS HS Girls Basketball last weekend and the SCIS HS Boys in Vienna, we have a strong presence in the region, a testament to the wide range of capabilities that our students possess.

We are always managing many things out of our Athletics and Activities office.  For all trips a full risk management review is completed and we are in constant contact with our information sources right up to departure to assure safety of the destination.  We work in partnership with receiving host schools to collaborate on safety and security documents and practices, sometimes overseen by CEESA standards, but always vetted against ASW requirements for health and well-being of students.

These experiences are profound in an international student’s life, often the foundation of some of their most significant memories.  These tournaments whether hosted at home or afar are unique opportunities for building friendships across borders and we often observe students reconnecting with old friends in each successive year of participation.  The spring season is fast approaching and there will be yet another round of opportunities.  In the meantime, and particularly this weekend, we wish all of our students well in their endeavors and will be keeping them in our thoughts until they return home in due course.

We should all take a moment to thank our coaches, advisors, and the staff in the Athletics and Activities office for all that they do to provide these wonderful and enriching experiences for our students!

We are quickly approaching the time for our visitors from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and the Council of International Schools (CIS), our joint accrediting agencies.  Work over the last two years has been finished and we are now preparing our schedule of meetings for their week with us from February 10-16.

The main purpose of this group of visitors is to review our work and then meet with as many members of all stakeholder groups as possible to validate, cross-reference, and affirm our involvement and engagement in school improvement.  These visitors are from a wide range of international schools, volunteering their time and expertise to serve as critical friends of the school in affirming our review and action planning process.  They are here to get to know us and learn more about the school and how we are striving to become ever better at the way we serve children in the international school community.  They want to hear about our aspirations and our process for assuring that the school both meets a set of rigorous standards, and provides for a collaborative process rooted in international mindedness, while aspiring to the highest possible goals of educational accomplishment.  Once complete, a report will provide additional insight into our own plans, affirming our success while providing guidance for improving and adjusting where appropriate.

Our self-study was completed for this visit and it is now available in the recent board packet. The link to it is provided here in case you have an interest in reflecting more completely on our comprehensive work.

ASW NEASC-CIS COMPLETE PDF Self-Study Dec 4th 2017

Once the work of the accreditation process is complete, the real work begins.  The board has already considered this document in its December meeting and work on Strategic Planning associated with the feedback from the Accreditation Team will begin in earnest between February and June.  Our thanks to all, administration, faculty, staff, students, and parents who served on the various committees and provided their input through the surveys and data gathering processes that helped us to create this comprehensive report.

It’s that time of year when we build on the learning of the fall and begin building to the crescendo of the second term.  Many activities in the coming days are representative of that shift in focus with end goals now clearly in sight.  It is no accident that the Studniówka dance this weekend is, by tradition, representative of the final 100 days before exams.  It is a celebration of the early stages of culmination, valuing the journey as much as the result.  We’ll also be involved in Upper School conferences next week, reflecting on the work that remains while looking at accomplishments to date.

And don’t forget the upcoming PTO Quiz Night!  Fun and frivolity are guaranteed and we are hopeful of significant participation.

Hope all enjoyed the wonderful dusting of snow this morning.  While I know that traffic can be difficult under a blanket of white, I enjoyed the winter wonderland that greeted us this morning.  Smiles all around as snowmen appeared on the playgrounds.  May we all embrace the season!