Reminder of School Communications for Delay and Closure: With potential inclement winter weather on the way, parents are reminded that any notification of school delay or closure will be made through email and, where applicable, via text message. Please note:
• We will not send a notification unless there is a delay or closure.
• Phone calls will not be made with these emergency notifications.
• International numbers will not receive a text.
IIIrd Form Leadership Update: On Tuesday, January 9, the IIIrd Form will head to the gymnasium after drop off for another round of leadership and team-building exercises. As a team, students will work through some interactive games and build commitments around safety and experience. Last term, we talked about being patient enough to allow some to have their experience. This will play out literally with the culminating activity, The Swing Shot, which requires a large group of students to haul another student into the air for a fantastic pendulum ride. This is more about shared leadership and responsibility than the act of the swing, as the team makes it safe for one student to get to great heights, literally!
IIIrd Form (5th Grade) Robot Petting Zoo: Join us in the IF and IIIF Lower School classrooms on Thursday, January 11, from 8-10 a.m. for our first annual IIIrd Form Robot Petting Zoo. This event highlights our students' work in robotics, programming, and their understanding of Connecticut's local wildlife. Students have built 3D robots modeled after native species, showcasing their skills in coding and robotic design. Viewers interact with these robots and see how they sense, think, and act. This is a great opportunity to see our students' progress in STEM and support their learning. We look forward to seeing you there!
Our 16th annual Lower School Winter Checkers Tournament begins next week. There are two divisions: The Primes Division includes students from Kindergarten through Primes, and the Forms Division includes students in Ist through IIIrd Forms. In each division, Reds play Reds and Blues play Blues in elimination rounds until a winner is determined to represent their color teams in the coveted Red vs. Blue finals. The winner in each division will earn 250 points for their color team. Last year, over 60 students participated, fostering a great deal of healthy competition among all involved. Mr. Brenner will post the game schedule for Round 1 on Monday, and games will begin during recess on Wednesday, January 10. Important things to remember:
• Standard checker rules apply; for instance, "if you have a jump, you must take it," although only the opponent, not bystanders, should point this out.
• Students cannot get help from "the stands".
• Black pieces move first. Students will do rock, paper, scissors to decide who plays which color.
• If a player is not eliminated by the end of recess, the person with the most points left on the board at the end of recess is the winner. Kings count as 2 points, other pieces count as 1 point.
• Win or lose, good sportsmanship is imperative.
Keep posted for more information as well as a host of entertaining photos!