When we think of courage, a variety of images of strength might occur to us. A civil-rights protester refusing to leave a seat on a bus. A doctor working with contagious patients in a remote region of the world. And these are indeed acts that require valor, conviction, and bravery.
But inside courage, other elements and qualities are present as well. After struggling with an assignment that really challenged her, a student once told me, “Courage is doing what you’re afraid to do.” This student understood that to be brave you needed to experience some degree of fear. And as teachers and parents, part of our job is to help students understand that fear is a natural partner to the new, a regular part of what goes into learning, trying, thinking something you’ve never done before.
By accepting that fear makes a regular appearance in the world, we can help our students and children learn ways to manage and overcome this very normal part of what it means to be human.
Courage is the Core Virtue of the month, but since the beginning of the year, many faculty members set goals for developing a “growth mindset” when approaching new situations, even ones that might rattle them! Here’s just one example: In September Marj Martin talked to her class about her desire to learn something new. After some group discussion, she chose to learn how to walk on stilts. During a Lower School assembly, Marj demonstrated her new skill by doing the Hokey Pokey 18 inches off the ground! Anyone who has tried walking on stilts will tell you that at first, it may be a bit scary. But Marj gave us the chance to witness her courage firsthand.
This kind of courage is contagious. Seeing other people try new ways of thinking and learning and doing can serve as a wonderful inspiration for us all. So what would you like to do this year that may require some combination of fear and courage? I’d love to learn about your courageous goals, large and small, and to have our community support them.
—Yours truly, Brad
Follow me on Twitter @CrossroadsHead
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* Head’s Note: Courage
* Admissions Office News: Discover the Difference (1/28)
* Notes From The Board
* Virtue for This Month: Courage
* School News
– Welcome to our New Spanish Teacher
– Welcome to Crossroads Middle School (5th grade parents and students)
– Summer Programs 2016
– Classroom Clips
* Parent Association News
– Occum Pond Snow Sculpture Contest (2/13)
– Lunch Program
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* ADMISSIONS OFFICE NEWS
Greetings from the Admissions Office! Our first Discover the Difference open house is less than two weeks away! Please invite your friends, neighbors, and colleagues who have young children to our lovely campus on Thursday, January 28, 2016. This is a great opportunity for them to find out more about our incredible program and see our classrooms in action. The Open House will be held in the Lora Robins Library between 9:00–11:00 am. 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 on January 28. Thank you for helping to get the word out about our special school!
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 at our next Café on Tuesday, February 9, 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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* NOTES FROM THE BOARD
Believe it or not, the Finance Committee is already hard at work on the 2016-17 budget. Each winter, the Finance Committee, in consultation with the administration, prepares a draft budget and shares it with the full board. The board provides feedback, which leads to successive rounds of revisions, which are then sent back to the board. The final budget is approved in the spring.
The Development Committee is grateful to everyone who has donated so far to this year’s Crossroads Annual Fund, which is so important to the school’s ability to thrive. A special thank you to the parent volunteers (one each for grades K-2, 3-5, and 6-8) who have been reaching out to other parents to explain why we have an Annual Fund, and why full participation in the Annual Fund is so critical.
This year, the Board marked a milestone by electing its first three trustees emeriti: Dennis Logue, Mark Richardson and Margaret Rightmire. These three individuals each served on the Crossroads Board for many years and distinguished themselves with their wise counsel, strategic thinking, and deep integrity. We are grateful that they have agreed to make themselves available to Crossroads on an ongoing basis, and you will see their names on a handsome new plaque in the southeast corner of the Lora Robins Library.
As always, the Board welcomes your feedback on all matters relating to the direction and mission of the school. At least one board member is in attendance at every Parent Association meeting, and you can always reach any of the trustees via the contact information in the Crossroads Family Directory.
—Sean Gorman, President
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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
* WELCOME TO OUR NEW SPANISH TEACHER
Crossroads is pleased to welcome María Clara de Greiff to our faculty. Maria Clara was born in Colombia and grew up in the city of Puebla, Mexico. She earned her master’s degree in Spanish and Iberoamerican Literature. Maria Clara has over ten years of experience teaching Spanish, most recently at The Sharon Academy and the Rassias Center at Dartmouth. Maria Clara is also an award-winning journalist and contributes regularly to the cultural sections of Spanish language newspapers and magazines.
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* WELCOME TO CROSSROADS ACADEMY MIDDLE SCHOOL (1/22)
Fifth grade parents and students are invited to the Crossroads Academy Barn on January 22nd at 8:15 am to hear about the Middle School “Strong Minds, Kind Hearts” experience. A panel of students and teachers will present program highlights as well as answer any questions you or your child may have about the Middle School program, events, and activities.
We hope that you will be able to join us for this informative event!
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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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* 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 by third grader Claire Uiterwyk. She wrote about her experience with dissecting a cow’s eyeball in science class in December. Please click here to read more.
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* PARENT ASSOCIATION NEWS
* OCCOM POND PARTY SNOW SCULPTURE CONTEST (2/13)
This year’s Occom Pond Snow Sculpture theme is “Seuss on the Loose.” We’d love to have a crew of parents and kids design and create a Crossroads submission for this wonderful event. In order to do so, we will need another parent to join Christine Foley in coordinating the effort and a few more strong parents to work alongside the kids in the actual building. The Party is Saturday, February 13; building would begin the weekend before (February 6 or 7) and likely continue on Friday the 12th. Please contact Christine Foley with any questions and to convey your interest in participating.
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* LUNCH PROGRAM
This week follows the “Week A” 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/
