The start of a new year is often daunting in Northern New England: cold nights, cold days, and, depending on your perspective, either too much or too little snow.
But there’s something refreshing about this wintry moment, too, a chance to shake off old habits and dig deep into our hopes and dreams. January is the month where I’ve often noticed the biggest leap in learning for young students: the fulcrum of the year where what they’ve mastered tips them into new territory, consolidating skills and forging new ones.
So as we honor the past year by looking back and anticipate the potential for what 2016 might bring, we can also appreciate just how far our children have come. And we can consider how best to create the necessary space and focus for all of the possibilities of what might come next.
Part of that “what’s next” includes creating ways to celebrate our school’s first 25 years as we prepare for the next quarter century. In short, I hope we use the precious months ahead to reflect not just on where we’ve come from, but to chart a course that makes us even stronger as a school and a community.
—Yours truly, Brad
Follow me on Twitter @CrossroadsHead
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* Head’s Note: Greetings for the New Year!
* Admissions Office News
* Virtue for This Month: Courage
* School News
– Snack Friday Thank You
– GeoBee Congratulations!
– How Should Teachers Build Their Mastery?
– A Jedi, a Princess, & Darth Vader Sit Down at a Piano
– Student Art Work at the Howe
– Summer Programs 2016
– From the Health Office
– Classroom Clips
* Parent Association News
– Spring 2016 Lunch Orders
– Lunch Program
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* ADMISSIONS OFFICE NEWS
Greetings from the Admissions Office! The admissions season has officially begun, and already I have several applications and campus visits scheduled. There are many ways for you to get involved to help “grow” Crossroads. The number one way we attract new families is through enthusiastic parents talking with their friends, neighbors, and colleagues. So, keep it up! The word is spreading…
Another way you can help is by inviting any interested parents to one of our Discover the Difference open house mornings, 9:00–11:00 am. The dates are Thursday, January 28, Tuesday, March 1, and Monday, April 25. Volunteer parents are needed for each of these mornings, so please let me know if you would like to help greet and chat with our prospective families for one or all three of these open house dates.
You can also help to get the word out about the Discover the Difference dates by hanging our posters up in your community. There are poster kits available in the foyer of the Klee Building. Each kit contains two posters and six pushpins and can be hung up at libraries, post offices, stores, town halls, churches, and business offices. This is an easy, inexpensive way to invite the Upper Valley community to visit Crossroads.
On another note, we are very happy to welcome a new student to Crossroads! Dylan Landgraf joined the kindergarten class on Monday, January 4. He is the brother of fourth grader, Brandon Landgraf, and his parents are Natasha and Gregory Landgraf. Their family lives in Orford, NH. Welcome, Dylan!
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 tomorrow, Tuesday, January 12, between 8:00–9:00 am in the multi-purpose room in the Klee Building. We’d love to see you there…the more the merrier!
Have a wonderful week! —Warmly, Marilyn
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* VIRTUE FOR THIS MONTH
JANUARY: COURAGE
Courage is finding the strength to venture and persevere.
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* SCHOOL NEWS
* SNACK FRIDAY
Thank you to the fourth grade parents for the delicious snacks last Friday.
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GEOBEE CONGRATULATIONS!
Congratulations to eighth grader Tucker Briglin for winning the 2016 Crossroads Academy National Geographic GeoBee championship! Tucker will now compete for the New Hampshire State Championship on April 1st at Keene State College. We wish him all the best for that upcoming competition. Congratulations are also in order for the second place contestant, seventh grader Miriam Viazmenski, and in third place, sixth grader Cole Gueldenzoph.
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* HOW SHOULD TEACHERS BUILD THEIR MASTERY?
Please click here to read Brad’s Op Ed in the Valley News from January 5.
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* A JEDI, A PRINCESS, & DARTH VADER SIT DOWN AT A PIANO
In honor of the new Star Wars movie, NPR’s From The Top created a musical mash-up of Star Wars themes and classical music with three New England area piano students, including Maxine Park (6th grade). Click here to view.
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* STUDENT ARTWORK AT THE HOWE
During the month of January, artwork by Crossroads students in grades 1, 3, and 5 will be on exhibit in the children’s department of the Howe Library. —Thanks, Lee Emerson
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* SUMMER PROGRAMS 2016
We are delighted to share course descriptions and registration information for the 2016 Crossroads Summer Programs. Taught by Crossroads faculty, other local teachers or in collaboration with educational organizations in the Upper Valley, all of our programs are designed to be both engaging and fun. Most programs run from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm daily with a free extended-day option from 3:00-5:00 pm, but please see the program descriptions for the exact times. All programs are open to both Crossroads students and others in the area. Please click here to sign up.
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* FROM THE HEALTH OFFICE
Throughout the fall we enjoyed balmy weather and many recesses without coats and winter gear. As we return from the holiday break with colder weather, please be sure to send your child to school with warm coats, hats, and mittens, and if there is snow on the ground, include snow pants and boots. Recess is lots of fun when our students are warm and dry and ready for snow, wind, and low temps!
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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 written and illustrated by fourth grader Noah Branchflower. He wrote a cartoon written response to the book Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson. Please click here to read more.
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* PARENT ASSOCIATION NEWS
* SPRING 2016 LUNCH ORDERS
Hopefully, everyone saw the email that went out last week detailing all of the changes—improvements!—that we’ve made for the Spring Lunch Program, which will run from February 1 to June 10. As a reminder, the lunch program is the largest single PA fundraiser of the year. We had a record number of participants in this year’s Fall Lunch Program and raised as much money as the program did all YEAR last year. So, please, contribute significantly to enriching your child’s school experience while decreasing your workload! To preview the menu and ordering survey, click here. To order lunches, click here; orders are due by Friday, January 15. Please contact Deb Hoffer with any questions.
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* LUNCH PROGRAM
This week follows the “Week B” menu. 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. Contact Deb Hoffer with any questions.
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KEY LINKS: http://www.crossroadsacademy.org/
