Our Lower School Community of Learners

Our Lower School Community of Learners - and the work we must do to foster relationships to support student success!

We celebrated Back to School Night in person last Thursday. With some “Clean Motown'' playing in the Berry Performing Arts Center, we started the evening. It was great to finally address parents and teachers together to start the school year with a little bit of “normalcy” during Opening Remarks of BTSN. In the Spirit of continuous improvement, I am keen to get everyone’s feedback regarding the evening. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts in this short survey: W+H LS Back To School Night 2022-23

After nearly 30 years in schools as an educational leader, I find there is something quite special when a community comes together for the same purpose and collective why. For us, at W+H, our “why” and common purpose is our Mission.

Thank you for entrusting our Lower School Team with your children. I appreciate the opportunity to work with them and to spend some time getting to know them. Below are a number of slides that highlight the presentation shared with everyone during the Opening Remarks of Back To School Night.

In my quest to gather some data to start the year about our students, I asked students in Grades 3 through 5 to share their Star and Wish.

As I presented during the evening - the purpose of asking these questions is for the following reasons:

·       Try to get to know our students more. 

·       Find out their strengths, passions, what they are working on, how they may want to help.

·       Have them consider their added value proposition to the school or the world.

After sharing some student samples with everyone, I highlighted the astute nature of our students. Their profound wisdom and their pure desire to help our school and planet is sincere and real. 

I followed up my talk with students in class with this information. I made sure to put the United Nations Global Goals in front of the students and reiterated that the United States alongside many countries are focused on this work.  

Given this information, knowing our students…

Our Collective Challenge is below:

How do we as a learning community set the conditions up for students to succeed? 

1. “No significant learning can occur without a significant relationship.”
2. Be kind.
3. Three keys to Student Success: Relationships, Relationships, Relationships

While I shared these three points as a starting place for us, I invite YOU - our W+H Lower School Parent community - to consider ways that you can support this work through Time, Treasure or Talent.

It is an honor serving in school communities that are mission-driven with parents as partners. I look forward to a wonderful year ahead and our continued work together!

We closed with an introduction of our Lower School faculty, staff and students for the 2022-2023 school year highlighted in this video.

Once again, in the spirit of continuous improvement, I am keen to get everyone’s feedback regarding the evening. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts in this short survey: W+H LS Back To School Night 2022-23