On one of my first days as a teacher, a colleague who later became my mentor asserted that what teachers can refer to as “knowledge” can become a forgettable patchwork of adult sayings in the absence of questioning and verifying. She went on to comment on how important it is to test if an idea presented in class illuminates student experience or provokes new thought—that, she said, is the true standard for our instruction.
Even in my short time at Crossroads, I have been struck by just how many true teaching moments I have witnessed. Teachers cover important knowledge and help students learn new material, for sure, but then take it one important step further when they make it real, personal, and something that matters.
How do our teachers do that? First, I have seen how carefully they listen to our students and gain a sense of what they know as well as the areas that need support. They then formulate the specific questions to clarify a student’s idea or point of view. This is done in a respectful manner, one that remains open to new and unusual perspectives that are worth our attention. And throughout, teachers are inclined to not simply accept the standard answer that may hide assumptions. During our professional development day on January 19th, many conversations revolved around how best to do each of these essential steps for the students we serve.
As you hear from your children about their experiences and develop a heightened sense of our program this year, I hope you also get a glimpse into this particular side of the art of teaching. At Crossroads, having the time to drill into how students think and perceive the world is key to our Core Knowledge and Core Virtues programs, and, also one of the most exciting and rewarding parts of working with your children at our school.
—Yours truly, Brad
Follow me on Twitter @CrossroadsHead
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* Head’s Note: Admissions Knowledge
* Admissions Office News: Discover the Difference
* Virtues for This Month: Diligence and Perseverance
* School News
– From the Health Office
– Passport to Winter Fun 2016
– Hats Off, Congratulations Anna Testorf
– Crossroads Places First in Northern New England on AMC-8
– Classroom Clips
* Parent Association News
– February PA Meeting (2/4)
– Lunch Program
– Occum Pond Snow Sculpture Contest (2/13)
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* ADMISSIONS OFFICE NEWS
Greetings from the Admissions Office! Our first Discover the Difference last Thursday was a great success! Five families visited from a variety of Upper Valley communities…Ryegate, VT, Peacham, VT, Littleton, NH, Lyme and Hanover…and there seemed to be a lot of genuine interest in Crossroads from the attendees. The word is spreading about our gem of a school! Thanks to all of you who helped with this event in any capacity. Your support is greatly appreciated! Our next Discover the Difference morning will be held on Tuesday, March 1, 9:00-11:00 am. Please invite your colleagues, friends, and neighbors to our lovely campus. And let me know if you would like to join us for the morning to welcome our visitors to Crossroads. Enthusiastic parents are the number one way to attract other families to our school community!
Reminder…
We have changed the Crossroads Brown Bag Café to once a month, rather than every Tuesday morning. Please bring a friend and join us for coffee and conversation at our next Café on Tuesday, February 9, between 8:00–9:00 am in the multi-purpose room in the Klee Building. We plan on discussing ideas for after-school activities that would encourage more physical movement for our students. Come and join in this important conversation!
Have a wonderful week! —Warmly, Marilyn
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VIRTUES FOR THIS MONTH
February: DILIGENCE AND PERSEVERANCE
Diligence is doing what needs to be done with devotion, dedication, and determination.
Perseverance is pushing on despite difficulty and hardship.
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* SCHOOL NEWS
* FROM THE HEALTH OFFICE
There are a number of seasonal safety tips related to keeping your family, home, and friends safe during the winter months. Please visit the January 2016 NH Department of Safety Newsletter for more information:
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* PASSPORT TO WINTER FUN 2016
What is the “Passport to Winter Fun” Program? Presented by the Upper Valley Trails Alliance, the Passport program is an elementary school fitness program that encourages children and their families to remain physically active during New England’s long winter season. It emphasizes outdoor activities such as sledding, skiing, ice skating, snowshoeing, or just playing in the snow, but it also includes indoor exercise.
Participants track the days on which they have engaged in at least sixty minutes of physical activity in a booklet resembling a travel passport, progressing through levels of achievement when they have completed ten, twenty, or thirty days of activity within the six-week program period. At each of these achievement milestones, the children receive their choice of a fun incentive prize.
Students in grades K-5 received their passports on Friday, January 22. If your child would like to participate in the program, please make sure they complete the front flap and return it to their homeroom teacher by Wednesday, February 3. —Thanks, Mrs. Grenier
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* HATS OFF…..
On Sunday, January 24, Anna Testorf won first place (U12 girls) at the Bob Skinner Memorial Giant Slalom Ski Race at Mount Sunapee. Congratulations, Anna!
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* CROSSROADS PLACES FIRST IN NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND ON AMC-8
This past November, thirty Crossroads students participated in the national American Mathematics Competition exam for students through eighth grade (AMC-8).
Congratulations to all of the students who participated—more than half of our students placed in the top 20% of the country on this highly competitive exam taken by more than 110,000 serious mathematics students across the United States.
The Crossroads Team placed first in New Hampshire and first in northern New England, and Crossroads had more students than any other school in northern New England on the National Honor Roll i.e.; (students that scored in the top 5% nationwide).
The students on the National Honor Roll are Katherine Duan (8), Andrew Huang (7), Jonathan Li (7), Maxine Park (6), and Alex Zitzewitz (4).
The AMC-8 school-level awards for Crossroads go to:
Gold: Maxine Park (6)
Silver: Alex Zitzewitz (4) and Jonathan Li (7)
Bronze: Andrew Huang (7)
Congratulations to our students for their amazing performance! We appreciate the support of Alison Gorman, Crossroads Academy parent Wayne Chin, and Daryl DeFord, the Dartmouth graduate student who volunteers his time to work with our students every week.
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* CLASSROOM CLIPS
Classroom Clips is a weekly space for students and teachers to share their writing with the Crossroads community. Today’s entry is from fifth grader Audrey Lewellen, and it is a journal page from her report on Ferdinand Magellan. Please click here to read more.
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* PARENT ASSOCIATION NEWS
* FEBRUARY PA MEETING (THURSDAY, 2/4)
Please join us this Thursday, February 4 at 8:15 in the Art Room of Bancroft for our next PA meeting. A highlight of the meeting will be a discussion of some possible parent education activities. Of course, as always, there will be coffee and food; we look forward to your input! Please contact Deb Hoffer with any questions.
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* LUNCH PROGRAM
This week follows the “Week A” menu of the new, spring term, which will run through June 10. Please be sure you are following the correct week. In addition, please consider sending in a set of silverware for your child to keep in his/her cubby; we are trying to avoid the waste of disposable silverware.
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* OCCOM POND PARTY SNOW SCULPTURE BUILD
Join us in building a snow sculpture designed by a Crossroads student for the Occom Pond Party in Hanover. This year’s winter carnival theme is “Seuss on the Loose.” All students are welcome on any of the days and 2-3 parents are needed to help on each of the days (not necessarily all days). The festivities are as follows:
- Saturday, Feb 6, 11-3 pm–Big Snow Build Day: Pizza and treats will be served.
- Friday, Feb 12, 3:30- 5pm–Snow Carving: Hot cocoa and munchkins await!
- Saturday, Feb 13, 12-3 pm–Occom Pond Party: Judging is at 11:00 am and medals are awarded to those who participated.
Please contact Christine Foley if your child would like to participate and/or you are interested in helping. Or just meet us on Occom Pond on any of these dates!
Note: Dates and times are dependent on the weather! Please contact Christine Foley to confirm if the weather and ice conditions are questionable. Additionally, the Howe is hosting a “Make a Snow Sculpture” event on Sunday, Jan 31, 2-4 pm.
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KEY LINKS: http://www.crossroadsacademy.org/
