Teachers understand that educating a child integrates both social and academic learning.  Both must go hand-in-hand to ensure the development of the child socially, academically and emotionally.  Piaget laid the ground work in understanding child cognitive development. Vygotsky defined the important role that social interaction plays in this process.  Since that time studies and research have born this fact out.  Current brain research also shows that the brain works best with other brains.  Students achieve better when they are given opportunities to work with others.   At our core, we are social creatures that need to be able to live and work together.

In our Preschool and Lower School Divisions, our teachers frame everything they do using the Responsive Classroom approach.  Based on sound educational and developmental theory, Responsive Classroom recognizes that social and academic learning are both critical, that social interaction does promote cognitive growth, and that “children need to learn cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, and self-control if they are to be successful socially and academically.”

In addition, with the ongoing national concern for bullying in the schools, our Lower School teachers have used a research-based,  nationally recognized and highly respected program, Quit It.  This program is designed to promote civility and respect among children and addresses topics of teasing and bullying.  Teachers have incorporated elements of this program into their curriculum as it complements and supports the work of Responsive Classroom.

This past summer several Lower School and Preschool teachers took the initiative to evaluate our social curriculum and find ways to broaden and enrich the work being done.  What came out of their work is a wonderful curriculum that is now embedded in each grade.  This program of study focuses on three major themes to be studied throughout the year: Cooperation, Courage and Compassion.  Each trimester, a theme is taught, modeled and practiced every day throughout the curriculum.  At the end of each trimester, the Preschool and Lower School students gather to celebrate and share their work.  The goal of this work is to support our overarching efforts to create a culture of caring and learning. 

This fall, we celebrated our first theme of Cooperation the morning of Thanksgiving Soup.  The two divisions gathered in Furey Hall to celebrate their work and what they learned.  In February, we will be celebrating Courage and in May we will celebrate Compassion.  Below are highlights from our Celebration of Cooperation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preschool demonstrated cooperation as they worked together preparing and enjoying their Friendship Lunch.  At the Cooperation Ceremony, the Preschoolers wore Native American head dresses. On the feathers of the head dresses, each student had written an example of how they had cooperated with a friend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Kindergarten, the students created a beautiful mural.  Each student designed and painted a panel illustrating ways in which we work together.  This colorful mural is on display in the Kindergarten classroom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First grade participated in several projects throughout the term.  The class created a book, The Right Things to Do.  Included is a recipe card listing the ingredients for cooperation.  At the Ceremony, they performed a skit depicting two students, now much older, rediscovering the wisdom of the book.  The class handed out cooperation recipe cards to all in attendance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Second Grade performed a play based on the book, Raspberries: An American Tale of Cooperation by Mary Newell DePalma.  It is a story of animal friends working together to safely cross a road to reach the raspberry bushes on the other side.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Third Grade wrote and performed the song Cooperation.  The audience was tapping feet, clapping and singing along with the Third Grade.  Many, including myself, could be heard singing the song as they returned to their classes at the end of the ceremony.  The Lower School will be adding this song to our repertoire of songs we sing together when we gather.

I admire the dedication of the faculty to create a culture where caring for each other and learning together is a natural part of every day.  I am proud of our students who truly embody these values.   This important work being done indeed enriches every child’s learning and their lives.   

Paul W. Frantz

 

 

Every year BCD accumulates an enormous amount of lost and found clothing.  Even with heroic attempts to reunite these lost items to their owners, at the end of the year BCD makes a generous donation to one of Berkshire County’s charitable organizations.  As a parent, I have lamented the loss of many, often expensive, items of clothing.  I am sure that our children mourn the loss of a favorite jacket, sweater or hat.  It is hard to understand why it seems so difficult ( nay impossible)  for all these clothes to make their way back home.

Do not dismay, there is hope.  I have found a sure fire way to ensure that any (yes, any) lost and found item can find its way back home – name tags.  I can guarantee that if an item of clothing or other personal item has a child’s name written on a tag, it will get returned.   There are several options available to make this happen.  With some items, you can write your child’s name with a permanent marker or fabric pen.  Some clothing, like jackets, even supply a specific tag where the name can be written.  One of my favorite methods, being a summer camp person, is iron on name tags.  These are personalized, iron on tags that are available through several online stores.  I have provided links to a few of sights.

http://www.labelyourstuff.com

http://www.namebubble.com

Http://www.oliverlabels.com

What should you label?  Here are just a few thoughts:  jackets, sweaters, shirts, pants, shoes, gloves, hats, calculators, ipods, packpacks, and lunch boxes. Edible items, friends and family pets are not a good idea.

We will continue to work diligently to return lost items to their rightful owners.  My hope is that someday, lost and found will be a thing of the past.

 

On Saturday, November 19 BCD is hosting a visit from well known author Kathryn Lasky.  She is the author of the popular Guardians of Ga’Hoole series that was recently made into a movie Legends of the Guardians.  Our connection with Ms. Lasky is through parent, John Orloff who adapted her books for the movie Legends of the Gaurdians.

In preparation for her visit, several grades have been learning about owls, spiders and wolves which are the topics of many of her books.  In addition, students have learned more about her as a person and her interest in writing.  It has been a great opportunity to illustrate how we can pursue our passions.

This Friday, as a kick off event, the Parents Association will be showing the movie Legends of the Gaurdians at Family Movie Night.  The movie will be shown at 6:30 p.m. in the Furey Hall Music Room.  So come in your jammies, bring a blanket and join us for popcorn and a movie.

Ms. Lasky will be on campus Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. to give a presentation on her work.  The presentation will be Fitzpatrick Hall.  To learn more about Kathryn Lasky, visit her website:  www.kathrynlasky.com/KK/Home.html

We are fortunate to have Kathryn Lasky visit with us and I hope that you all will be able to attend. 

Paul W. Frantz

This fall, Preschool and Lower School Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held Thursday, November 3, from 3:15 to 8:00 p.m. and Friday, November 4, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.  There will be no school for Preschool and Lower School students Friday, November 4.

These twenty minute conferences a great opportunity to meet with the core classroom teacher to learn about your child’s progress this fall and to look at goals for the coming months.   You will learn about your child’s progress in the areas of academics, work skills and habits, as well as personal and social develpoment.  You will have an opportunity to meet with your child’s special teachers (art, French, library, music, P.E., and science) in early December.

You may sign up for our November conferences online.  An  e-mail will be sent to you no later than this Tuesday, October 25 with a link to the sight.

These Parent-Teacher Conferences are the first in four report periods throughout the school year.  Below is the schedule of dates:

November 3 and 4, 2011     Parent-Teacher Conferences                                           December 1 and 2, 2011      Parent-Teacher Conferences for specials            January 20, 2012                   Profiles and Comments mailed                                     March 1 and 2, 2012              Parent-Teacher Conferences                                        June 22, 2012                           Profiles and Comments mailed

 Please remember that communication is important to us.  We encourage you to reach out to your child’s teachers any time you have a question or concern. 

All the best,

Paul W. Frantz                                                                                                                             Associate Head of School                                                                                                    Preschool and Lower School Divisions

 

                                                  Lower School  Mountain Day 2011

                                                       Wednesday, October 12, 2011 

This coming Wednesday, October 12^th, the Lower School students will hike Kennedy Park in Lenox.  The students have been learning the history of Kennedy Park when the grand hotel, Aspinwall Manor, stood on the property.  The students will see several remains of the building and gardens.  This is an event for students only. 

Students should arrive to school at the normal time.  We will depart BCD at 10:00 a.m. and arrive back to school before 2:00 p.m.  Students will need to pack a lunch, water bottle and beach towel (to sit on for lunch) in a lightweight backpack.  Students should  wear comfortable shoes and dress appropriately for the weather.

A rain date is scheduled for Thursday, October 13^th.

 

 

Dear Parents,

It is wonderful to see families enjoying the beautiful afternoons on the school playground.  I have reposted some playground safety guidelines below to ensure that you and your children have a safe and  fun experience on the playground.

It is not uncommon, at the end of the day, for a student to beg their parent to stay and play on the playground with friends.  It is not uncommon for parents to welcome this request as it provides a nice social time among adults and time outside in the sun and fresh air.  It is a wonderful sight seeing our BCD community of children and parents enjoying time together after school on the playground.

During the school day, our faculty are vigilant during outside time to ensure that our students are using the playground equipment safely and are playing with each other respectfully.  It is easy for there to be an injury or injured feelings when children are playing and socializing together on the playground.  To ensure a safe experience on the playground, there are some rules and expectations that the students are expected to follow.  It is important that these rules are followed after school as well to provide a consistent message for our children and most importantly to keep them safe.  Below are a few playground rules that we ask you follow to keep our children safe.

• Please keep your children in sight at all times
• Children are not permitted to play near or in the stream
• Please make sure children stay well away from Rt. 183 and the driveway
• Children are not permitted to climb trees
• Children are not permitted to climb on the rocks around the tunnel on the berm
• Please use all playground equipment properly
• The tall playground structure is for grades 1 and older
• Children are expected to go down slides feet first only
• There should be no climbing up the slides
• Children should not climb on top of the swings, elevated tunnel, or playhouse
• Children should leave sticks and rocks on the ground
• When children are playing together, please make sure they are being respectful to each other

Please also be aware that children in our After School Care program may also be using the playground in the afternoons.  Our instructor, Julia Hobart is responsible for the children in her care.  It is difficult to expect her to be responsible for children not in her direct care, though she will step in if she deems a situation as unsafe.

Again, we love having all our families enjoy the acccessibility of such a wonderful play space.  I hope that these expectations are helpful as you plan your next time on the playground. 

Play Safe and Have Fun!

Paul Frantz

Dear Preschool and Lower School parents,

We are off to a great start this year and are excited for you to have an opportunity to learn more about the wonderful opportunities that are in store for your children. Thursday, September 22 is Back to School Night.  Back to School Night is a great opportunity to get into the classroom to experience, first hand the rich curriculum we provide and to meet your child’s teachers.  Below is the schedule for the evening which begins in your child’s homeroom.  I look forward to seeing you all there.

Paul Frantz

Preschool and Lower School Back-to-School Night

Thursday, September 22, 2011

 

Preschool and Kindergarten

Lower School Division

 

Homeroom Time 6:15 – 7:15 p.m.   Morning Meeting- Responsive classroom Curriculum Overview: Language arts Math Social studies Field Trips

Homeroom Time 6:15 – 7:15 p.m.   Morning Meeting- Responsive classroom Curriculum Overview: Language arts Math Social studies Field Trips

 

7:20 p.m. All parents gather in Furey Hall Music Room Paul Lindenmaier Welcomes Parents

 

Specials Presentations 7:35 p.m. Furey Hall Music Room- Lower School                                                          Band Room – Preschool Science – Jenney Smith/ Tim Gore                                                                      Music – Amy Hilliard Art – Laura Gratz/ Marilyn Cromwell                                                                  French – Maria Whalen Theater – Amy Brentano                                                                                       Library – Jilly Lederman Music – Amy Hilliard                                                                                           Physical Education – Gail Heady French – Maria Whalen/Elizabeth Downes Library – Jilly Lederman Physical Education – Gail Heady

 

8:15 p.m. Dismissal

Alaska Day was the brainchild of second grader Kevin Hirt. It has grown from a second grade event to a wonderful Preschool and Lower School celebration.  This has been an annual tradition for over 10 years.

It is a great opportunity to learn about the state of Alaska, its ecology, wildlife and indigenous people.  It is also a day of fun games and activities that serves as a mid-winter break in the routine.  Students work together in “buddy groups”, mixing the age groups.  It is a great way of building and maintaining a sense of community.

The day begins with a Power Point presentation on Alaska followed by an all campus scavenger hunt to find many fun and interesting facts. For the remainder of the morning students have choices to play traditional native games, make traditional crafts, as well as, sled, snow shoe and roast marshmallows to make smores by the pond.  Our faculty supervise and run the various activities.  The class parents graciously prepare fun and healthy snacks for our mid-morning break.

We all look forward to a great day of fun, education and community building.

*Please remember that all students will outside for the morning and will need a warm coat, snow pants, winter boots, gloves or mittens and warm hat.

At Thanksgiving Soup, students recited the message, “May Peace Prevail On Earth”, carved on the peace pole located in the courtyard.  Each student recited this message in the language connected to his or her family culture.  Twenty separate languages representing several different continents.  This recitation illustrated a rich diversity among our community.

Paul Lindenmaier spoke of diversity as being defined by a set if identities: race, age, gender, socio-economic, religious, cultural and ethnicity.  It is these identities that make us unique, give us our character.  It is these identities that make us diverse and create a rich community.

In nature, we admire its beauty because of the rich diversity of geography, plant and animal species.  Too often, as human beings, we look for the security of sameness.  This can lead to prejudice, intolerance and hatred towards those who are different from us.

In school, with younger children, conflict is most often due to miscommunication and misunderstanding.  A good strategy to solve these conflicts is to give students the opportunity to resolve these conflicts on their own with the help of a teacher.  If students are given the opportunity to listen and talk with each other they can find common ground.  Another solution is to give students a chance to work together, collaboratively, learning about each other and working towards a common goal.

Too often the fear of the unknown can lead to intolerance and hatred towards others. It is important for us to take time to know and understand our friends and neighbors.  We can see this at a global level.  If we took time to educate ourselves and understand each other, our cultures, ethnicity, religion and other identities, we would see that within this rich diversity, there are common threads that connect us all.

It is important for us to embrace and celebrate our diversity as well as our commonalities.  We must educate our children so they can see and understand that different, like nature, adds richness to our lives.

At BCD, we strive to educate, support and encourage our children to work through differences by communicating and getting to know each other.  We extend this throughout each grade in our studies, exploring, gaining understanding and appreciation of our many different identities.  We see this in our studies of peace, geography, social studies, and literature.  Most importantly, as adults, we strive to model and practice this ideal, each and every day.

So it is during this season of giving thanks, remembrance, and new beginnings that we focus on reaching out to others, and hopes for peace.  Our hope is to maintain this focus of peace and understanding throughout the year.

I wish for you and your family a wonderful and joyous holiday season.  May Peace Prevail on Earth.

 

Last Monday, October 11, the architects from Centerbrook, met with BCD community members in the first of three workshops working towards creating a campus master plan.  When each individual in the group had an opportunity to share what is important to them in this planning process, the importance of a campus that promotes a sense of community was prominent.  Several students at the workshop spoke to the desire to have more opportunities to connect with students from other grades and across all divisions.  This sentiment  is central to why I love BCD.  Community.  

Throughout the year we see a number of opportunities that help to create a sense of community.  Teachers and administrators look for ways to create and maintain a sense of community at all levels: class, division, sports, and all school.  Some of the opportunities include soccer intramurals, Fun and Field Day, Alaska Day, peer reading and Lower School Mountain Day. This past Wednesday, the Lower School (K through Grade 3) took their annual walk through Kennedy Park in Lenox.  Students learn about the history of the Aspinwall Hotel and the creation of the park.  The hike allows the opportunity to look for the remains of the grand hotel and to enjoy a nature hike during one of the most beautiful seasons in the Berkshires. More importantly, this event exemplifies the best of community at BCD.  Other than weekly division meetings, Mountain Day offers the first real time that all students from kindergarten up through third grade to interact and work together in small groups.  Students are divided into “power buddy” groups with children from all grades in each group.  The third graders take on a leadership role, looking after the younger students in their groups.  The third graders also organize and lead small group activities to help students to get to know each other better.  The third graders embrace this responsibility and are wonderful working with the younger students. The events of the day are all designed to allow students to work and have fun together.  Throughout the day we observe community building at its best.  

We can and should continue to find ways to build a community that encourages respect, nurtures friendships and allows students to be leaders and role models and for younger students.  As we develop a campus master plan, how we re-imagine our campus, we must consider how design can maintain and promote what is central to who we are as a school – community.