September 17, 2020 | Vol. 20-21, No. 2 A MESSAGE FROM OUR HEAD OF SCHOOL
Andrew Webster, Head of School, shared a meaningful message during his welcome at today's 138th Convocation Ceremony. Below is an excerpt:
Welcome to Convocation 2020. It's a year like no other as you know. Usually, we start the year together in Laidlaw Gym crammed into the bleachers, often in very hot weather. But we get to start with a sense of community. We get to reconnect with each other on the first day of school and kids from the youngest to the oldest get to be together as part of our community at Wardlaw+Hartridge. Today, some of you are at home, while others are joining us electronically from advisory and classrooms, so I want you to take a moment in your mind and call up a visual image. I'd like you to think of friends, teachers, acquaintances – people you would ordinarily connect with on the first day of school – and call them to mind and connect with them.
SCHOOL CALENDAR SCHOOL NEWS CONVOCATION KICKS OFF SCHOOL YEAR The Wardlaw+Hartridge School officially opened the 2020-2021 school year with its 138th Convocation Ceremony. This year's ceremony was held virtually in a webinar presented to the full W+H community.
PEER LEADERSHIP RETREAT HAS NEW LOOK For three days, our 12 senior peer leaders moved their yearly retreat a little closer to home, here on our W+H campus! Normally, the kickoff to the Peer Leadership program resides on the wooded property of the Fairview Lakes YMCA in upstate NJ. However, this year our team building and leadership activities were reimaged and spread across the almost 40 acres of our campus. Much remained the same: campfires, meaningful discussions and group meals filled with laughter. One slight change was the transition from sleeping in heated cabins to individual tents. All in all, the retreat was another wonderful experience and a great start to what will be another successful leadership program year!
UPPER SCHOOL STUDENTS TUTOR REFUGEES The global pandemic and the need to work remotely has not stopped The Wardlaw+Hartridge School's partnership with Interfaith RISE of Highland Park and the W+H student-to-family tutoring program. MIDDLE SCHOOLERS THANKFUL FOR BOOKS The Middle School is grateful for a very generous W+H Parents' Association mini-grant that supported the expansion of our Middle School Library. The Middle School was able to order several dozen new books representing a wide range of voices, perspectives and experiences. From historical fiction and memoir to magical realism, essay and graphic novels, these many additions to the library will be enjoyed by Middle School students for many years to come. SAGE PROVIDES FOOD SERVICE GUIDELINES Sage Dining Services has developed guidelines to provide food safely for students, faculty and staff in the 2020-2021 school year. Highlights include: • Encouraging students to check menus in advance using the Touch of SAGE Mobile App Chef Anibal Rodriguez provides more specific instructions in a video below:
W+H ATHLETICS SET TO PROCEED SAFELY Karl Miran, Athletic Director, recently shared two letters with Middle and Upper School families outlining the expectations and procedures in the ever-changing landscape of scholastic athletics for the upcoming school year. The first provides an overview and the second addressed more specific procedures.
SEPTEMBER CALENDAR SAVE-THE-DATES The Wardlaw+Hartridge School made some changes to the original September calendar. Below are some key upcoming dates to mark for the first few weeks of the 2020-2021 school year.
Sept. 22 - WHPA Welcome Meeting (Virtual) Sept. 28 - SCHOOL CLOSED - Yom Kippur Sept. 29 - Lower School Back to School Night (Virtual) Sept. 30 - Middle School Back to School Night (Virtual)
From the W+H Parents' Association Our WHPA Executive Board welcomes everyone to the 2020-2021 school year! A Message from the W+H Parents' Association We hope your children's school year is off to the best possible start. We look forward to hearing your stories at our first virtual meeting of the year on Tuesday, Sept. 22. Here's the Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3198110157?pwd=bmUxYXdlMUtUYVFPek53cDN0UVR2UT09 Get to Know Your WHPA Executive Board: With two moms of seniors to a PreK dad, this year's Board represents the full spectrum of W+H. In the top row from left, President Marci Bowman (Henry '21) served in 2019-20 as US Vice President. Vice President Roshanna Bracy (Taylor '32) brought her energy and enthusiasm as Volunteer Coordinator last year, establishing that role as being critically important to the success of the WHPA. Nalini Parsram (Shaan Jasti '21 and alum Lara Jasti '19), returns as Recording Secretary, having been a vital part of the PA throughout her children's W+H careers. Shelly July (Samaiya '28) also returns for her second year as Treasurer, having served as LS VP prior to that. In the second row, Communications Chair Kevin Kornecki (at left) begins his second chapter here at W+H, having graduated Shane in 2020 and now watching as Chase enters PreK. Each division is served by a VP and a Volunteer Coordinator, with Vandana Puri (Naischa '23) and Catiline Thiesen (Brian Machado '21 and Julia Machado '25) handling those roles, respectively, for the Upper School. For the Middle School, Youlin Tsai (Giselle Lee '23 and Corelle Lee '27) is VP and Anita Nair (Aryan '26), who is pictured at left to begin the bottom row of images above, is Volunteer Coordinator. The Lower School is represented by VPs Marcella Addison (Macayla '30) and Youme Sajous (Alain '26 and Avaery '28), with Ashley Brazoban (Chanel '32) as Volunteer Coordinator. Our bench strength is further deepened with the addition of Assistant Recording Secretary Kerry O'Neill (Emily '27) and Assistant Treasurer Mona Sampathkumar (Akira Vijay '32) is not pictured. Watch this space for WHPA news each week. We will also post frequent updates on the Parents section of WHschool.org and the Wardlaw+Hartridge Parents' Association Facebook page. We will strive to keep our email blasts to a minimum, so please open and read when you see one as we promise it will hold important information. |