It happens every year, but it always surprises me.  Summer wraps up and the school year begins.  We are so fortunate to be able to start our school year all together as a community with our camp trip at the Fetcher Barn.  I appreciate that so many families were able to make the time to join us and I enjoyed meeting many of you and your children.  Thank you, too, to the many of you who helped out on the camp trip and are helping out now in so many ways.

Because of our community start, we were able to move right into our weekly schedule on Day 1 last Monday.  Hopefully, your children shared many of their highlights, but I will share a few of mine.

• Welcoming families in the morning and seeing kids off in the afternoon.  So many smiles and such a good vibe!
• Joining kids at recess.  It was safe, playful, and inclusive.
• Getting to sub in grade 1, grade 5, grade 6, and grade 8.  I particularly enjoyed practicing my Spanish in both grade 1 and grade 8. Me llamo Greg y me gusta sushi. (I might be missing an article there, but it’s okay.)
• Hearing the K’s and 1’s returning from a field trip on our first Friday together.  Yes, you could hear their excitement and energy.
• Seeing all of our students together in our first all school meeting on the fields.  It was great to hear them describing what it means for us to be living our new school norms.

As we move steadily into our second week, there is a lot to look forward to.  Back to School Night is this Thursday evening from 6:30 – 8 pm.  More details will come in a separate email tomorrow.  On Friday, your kids will learn who their “siblings” are and then get to enjoy a Friday recess playing with them.  Pairing older and younger students together is one of our best traditions and is a great opportunity to build our K-8 student community.  We’ll also be back out on the fields for this Friday’s All School Meeting to spell out “SCHOOL” for another drone shot.  That means pick up will be from the fields again, too.

Next week, be on the lookout for our first of many Biweekly Classroom Updates in grades K-5 as well as work and feedback appearing on MySMS in the Middle School.  We also have MAPS testing next week for most classes, so please pack enough food for your child to stay focused during the day.  Finally, we also have trips beginning soon with our K-2 going on a strings field trip, our 8th graders going out for an overnight adventure, and 6th grade taking their fall trip the week after.

While the end of summer can be bittersweet, the beginning of a new school year is always exciting and busy.  If there is anything I can do to support you and your family, please do reach out.

 

Take care of yourself and others,

Greg Friedman, K-8 Director
friedmang@steamboatmountainschool.org