Thank you to Laura and the 4th grade for an exceptional week of morning meeting presentations! Students studied whaling to demonstrate that they could discuss a topic in a presentation like an expert (no talking point memorization allowed!), and also created small group presentations on tornadoes, floods, and the dust bowl. It’s been amazing to watch this group as they’ve grown into public speaking and presenting this year!

A big thank you to Tim, Valeria, and the 8th graders for hosting a hugely successful Italian dinner. Thank you to Chef Joe Hsu P’23 for the delicious meal, and Nantucket Wines & Spirits for donating the amazing wine! This event is one of my favorite New School traditions- it’s casual and familiar, and feels like a dinner at home with close friends. It’s a great opportunity for us to gather with eighth grade families, some of whom have been together for 11 years, in their final spring. Lots of hopes for the future, some tears, and a lot of laughs.

Everywhere you look, there's artifacts and rituals that show what we value here. In Morning Meetings, the eighth grade are honored with special chairs to sit in to honor their position as mentors to our youngest students. But, they're little chairs, which I love because it reminds me of how far they've come. Students are center stage, running the meetings, always. We sing a special birthday song written by our founder, Linda Zola, accompanied by Magic Mark on guitar. At the end of the meeting, students close with a moment of mindfulness, and I'm always amazed at how quiet this very full building becomes when students bow their heads. 

Around the building, our students have used every little nook and cranny to display their artwork, essays, and anything that they're proud of. The Great Hall is overflowing with projects- STEM-X displays from the Upper School, “Beautiful Oops” watercolors by the first grade, and world maps from the kindergarten as they begin their “travel around the world” project.

As we roll into April, and the year is almost over, I think of how far we've come, but how much the core of what we value as a school is growing stronger than ever.