We are OFF and running and it feels amazing!

Dear Friends,

The "official" Bulletin, where we share Center School pedagogy at its finest, will begin next week. One change we are making this year is that Important Dates for parents and guardians will be shared in the weekly letters from classroom teachers, rather than in the Bulletin, which is designed for a wider audience: parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, alumni, founders, former teachers and more!

For today, it's just me writing to you with great news to share: We are OFF and running and it feels amazing! After a wonderful August of professional development for teachers, which included reading the book Me and White Supremacy together, kicking off our work on the First Conversations curriculum, beginning a new math curriculum, looking as a staff at the school's new strategic plan, and assessing our teaching practice through the lens of the Making Learning Visible and Universal Design principles, the staff was ready for students to join the fun. With our first few days under our belt, and our first All School a huge success, we are elated to be settling in.

It takes some of us a while to shed the anxiety that a new school year can produce. Naming that, and holding kids lovingly while they get used to new routines is crucial. Our new School Counselor, Meaghan Carr, is already in classes getting to know students and providing gentle support. The teachers are leaning into the First Six Weeks approach, which was started at the Center School and is now a world wide process that thousands of schools use to help build democratic, nurturing classroom communities. In the First Six Weeks students are offered a myriad of strategies for strengthening their independence and their empathy. When we build these skills early on in the year, students feel a true sense of purpose and agency and we set the stage for deep learning to take place.

I could go on and on, but will stop there for today. Next week, the teachers will "make learning visible" right here in this space. I am so proud to be among this community of learners. It actually gives me goosebumps.

Oh! A please enjoy the first day video as well!

Hooray for the Center School!

Love,

Charlie