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April: Self-Control, Self-Discipline
Self-control is stopping to think about my actions before I enact them!
Self-discipline is giving the best of ourselves and saying "no" to our weaknesses.
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Over the last week, we were able to conclude two additional searches for next year. We have now hired new faculty for first, fourth, and fifth grades as well as our new art teacher and new Lower School Assistant. Currently, we are focusing our efforts on searches for a Middle School Assistant and a Middle School music teacher. Crossroads was fortunate to receive over one hundred-eighty applications for these positions and we conducted interviews with close to fifty applicants, some of whom visited the campus several times as part of their interview process. Our three new homeroom teachers have been invited to return to campus this spring to meet with the parents and students who will be in their classes next year. As the schedules for these visits are finalized, room parents will share the dates and times to welcome these talented educators to our community.
I would like to thank Marj Martin, Bruce Freeberg, Marilyn Wanner, Cindy Williamson, Doris LaMontagne, Scotty Harris, Heather Verheeck, Gena Doyle, Megan Helm, Kate Harrison, and Terry Samwick for serving on one or more of these search committees this winter and spring. I greatly appreciate all these individuals' insights and contributions to our decisions and their assistance recruiting a fantastic group to our school.
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Greetings from the Admissions Office! There is very beautiful learning going on here at Crossroads. I know this might seem to be an unexpected adjective to use to describe learning at a school, but I know it to be true. In my position in admissions, I am fortunate to be able to go in and out of classrooms while giving campus tours to prospective families, and I see the magic of learning in motion, so to speak.
One of the most amazing moments unfolded last week when I was in the English classroom on a tour. It was between classes when one of the seventh graders stopped to ask Mr. Glazer a question. He had just been describing the Robert Frost unit of study to a prospective family and asked the student if she would recite one of Frost's poems--and she did, beautifully, right on the spot. She revealed confidence and pride in her recitation and eagerly shared with the visitors about the upcoming celebration of Robert Frost's birthday at the Howe Library. The investment, the love of learning evident in that moment, spoke volumes about the culture of learning at Crossroads. There are seventh graders who have memorized up to seventeen Robert Frost poems; there is one student who is on track to memorizing 212 lines of Frost's poems. Students proudly sign the back of a large, framed photo of Robert Frost with the titles of all the poems they've memorized, and every inch of it is filled. These students are inspired. And inspiration is happening all over the school. Beautiful learning, to be sure!
Have a wonderful week! -Warmly, Marilyn
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UVM Latin Day
The Crossroads Academy Latin students participated again this year in the UVM Latin Day held on Friday, April 7. The students competed against eight schools, seven of which were high schools. It was a great success and lots of fun! Crossroads Academy won the competition for "Best Dressed-Up School" and first place for the mini probatio and the skit "Julius Caesar." Students enjoyed the lunch at Skinny Pancake. Thanks to all the parents who helped make this event so rewarding!
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Snack Friday Thank You
Thank you to the first grade parents for the delicious snacks last Friday!
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Introducing Tina Nadeau, Our New Art Teacher
Tina Nadeau was born and raised in an artistic family, and she ultimately earned a degree in graphic design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. She relocated to the Upper Valley in 2000 with her husband and started her own family while working as a graphic designer, first at the Valley News and then at Dartmouth College. In 2010, she left Dartmouth to pursue K-12 certification as an art educator at the Upper Valley Educators Institute (UVEI), interning in both elementary and middle school art rooms as part of this intensive program. She has since taught part-time elementary art at the Ray School in Hanover (where she also started and led the Ray Art Club) and mixed-media and clay courses at the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen (where she is also a board member). While still active in graphic design and technology as a freelancer for the Hood Museum of Art, among other clients, Tina also heartily embraces the tactile pleasures of hands-on art making, including pottery, papier-mâché, jewelry design, and fiber arts, among other things.
Tina believes that, in teaching art to children, the process is as important as the product. She also believes that engaging young minds to think, act, and explore creatively fosters learning in any discipline. Art has always been an integral part of her life and career, and her goal is to encourage others to find the same sense of validation, as well as their own rewards, through art. As a student, she always felt comfortable, excited, and challenged in the art room--self-expression is a powerful thing. As an educator, she feels the same way.
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Introducing Michele George, Our New Fourth Grade Homeroom Teacher
Michele George has been teaching for the past twenty-six years. She earned her BA in English from Boston College, immediately followed by her MEd from John Carroll University. She has taught a wide range of students (1st-12th grades as well as adults) in a variety of settings: an independent boys' school, a Navajo reservation, Shady Hill School in Cambridge, MA, a public school in Cumberland, ME, and Waynflete School in Portland, ME. Midway through her academic teaching career, Michele trained as a yoga instructor and has been teaching yoga in schools and in studios for the past twenty years. A lifelong learner and teacher of many subjects (English, history, French, outdoor education, yoga, philosophy), she is honored to bring her enthusiasm, warmth and collaborative nature to the Crossroads community. E.M. Forster's words, "Only Connect," have been her motto since her first day in the classroom. With great excitement she looks forward to fostering student connections to the curriculum, to each other, to nature, and to their best selves.
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Upper Valley Business and Education Partnership Job Shadow Day
Last Tuesday, April 4, Crossroads eighth graders were among over 430 students from eleven schools who participated in an event coordinated by the Upper Valley Business and Education Partnership (UVBEP): Job Shadow Day. Job shadowing enables youth to observe workplace hosts as they go through a normal day on the job, providing an opportunity to see how skills taught in the classroom are applied beyond school walls. Students can also gain insight on careers they might pursue in the future.
Of nearly one hundred Upper Valley employers that support this program, our students were welcomed at the following organizations for the day:
Northern Stage
Oxbow Vet Clinic
Mascoma, LLC
Smith and Vansant Architects PC
Mount Ascutney Hospital and Health Center
Dartmouth College Thayer School of Engineering-Biotech Lab
Dartmouth College Rockefeller Center for Public Policy
Dartmouth Child Care Center
To learn more about UVBEP, you can check out it's Facebook page here.
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Introducing a New Club at Crossroads: Design, Build, Topple!
Description: The domino builders club is an enrichment activity for children who love designing and building structures. Our goal is to promote the passion and practice of engineering-oriented collaborative design across ages. The sessions will be comprised of guided building tips and tricks along with free-form collaborations. Dominoes and props will be provided. This club is limited to ten students per session and free to Crossroads students. Please click here to register.
Dates: 4/26/2017-6/07/2017;no session 5/31/17
Time: Wednesdays 2:45-5:00 pm
Where: Barn Basement
Ages: Grades 1-8
Cost: Free for Crossroads students
Availability: Registration is open now and will end on 4/20/2017.
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Soccer Club is Coming to Crossroads!
Introduction
Indoor soccer club was so successful that we needed another club to continue the fun! Students will practice and refine soccer related skills and learn new tactics and strategies. Depending on field conditions, students should bring proper soccer footwear (cleats) and shin guards. Students can be dropped off and picked up at the Crossroads Academy Bancroft parking lot.
Description:
This Soccer club will include skill building, team building, and game play. Students that have never played soccer are more than welcome to come! There are only fifteen spots available, so please sign up ASAP!
Grades
: 5-8
Dates:
Tuesdays - May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, June 6
Time:
3:00-4:30 pm
Location:
Bancroft
Cost:
Free for Crossroads students
$25 fee for non-Crossroads students
Coaching Staff:
Matt McGuigan
What to bring:
- Cleats
- Shin guards
- Water, snack
- Athletic wear
- Jacket or sweater
- Soccer ball (optional)
For more information and to register
:Please click
here
.
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A sign of spring is finally here! The 170 garlic cloves that were planted by the students in October are sprouting out of the ground.
The greenhouse is being used for the first time this year. High Mowing has donated seeds, and we will have vegetable starters for the kids.
Happy growing!
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Join author and former Crossroads parent K. Heidi Fishman for the Upper Valley launch of her new book Tutti's Promise, with the possibility of an appearance by special guest Ruth "Tutti" Fishman.
Thursday, April 27 ● 7:00 pm
Crossroads Academy's Bancroft Campus Center
Appropriate for ages 10 and up
Synopsis: In the early 1930s Margret and Heinz Lichtenstern flee Germany with their parents and daughter, Tutti. They move to Amsterdam, where Heinz is able to continue his work . . . and where there seems to be hope for the future. But in the pre-dawn hours of May 10, 1940, the Lichtensterns suddenly learn that they have not moved far enough.
This is the true story of what the Lichtensterns endured under the Nazis. Told by Tutti's daughter, Heidi, and filled with historical documents and photos, it vividly recreates how one family conquered fear and heartbreak to survive. Theirs is a tale of both unimaginable devastation and lucky surprises--raids, sabotage, helpful friends and strangers, and a very special gift.
One family. One remarkable story. And in the end...a promise kept.
Tutti's Promise
is a gentle introduction to the Holocaust for middle school students and a perfect teaching tool. The author's website provides video clips from Tutti's Shoah testimony, family pictures, primary source documents, and discussion questions:
www.kheidifishman.com
. To sign up for a drawing for a free copy, please click
here
.
Tutti's Promise
will officially be available on April 24, but a "soft launch" has been made so that you can go to the Norwich Bookstore,
amazon,
or
barnesandnoble
to buy it now!
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Covered Bridges Half Marathon (6/4)
If you were hoping to run in the Covered Bridges Half Marathon on June 4 and were not able to register (it filled in the first fifteen minutes), remember that several charities still have openings like David's House, The Family Place, Positive Tracks, The Haven, and WISE. Running for one of these great community non-profits is terrific in two ways at the same time: you can enjoy a fabulous race AND raise funds for an organization doing important work in the Upper Valley!
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Summer Programs 2017
We are delighted to share course descriptions and registration information for the 2017 Crossroads Summer Programs! Taught by Crossroads faculty, other local teachers, or in collaboration with non-profit organizations in the Upper Valley, all of our programs are designed to be both engaging and fun. Most programs run from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm daily with a free early drop-off beginning at 8:00 am and a free extended day option from 3:30-5:00 pm. All programs are open to both Crossroads students and others in the area. Please click here to sign up. Additional programs are now being developed and will be available for registration soon.
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April PA Meeting (4/11)
The second-to-last PA meeting of the year will be held on Tuesday, April 11, at 8:00 am in the library.
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Please Save the Date (5/20)
Please plan to attend the Parent Association's Benefit on May 20, 2017, from 6:00-8:30 pm in Hanover. Enjoy complimentary hors d'oeuvres and wine while you mingle with Crossroads parents, grandparents, teachers, and adult alumni. Admission to this philanthropic and social event will be free of charge. The funds raised will help cover events and gifts for our school community such as those listed here. Child care for children that are potty-trained will be available for a small fee at the Richard Black Center during this adult event. More details to follow in the next Weekly. Would you like to help make this event a success, or do you have questions? Please contact Juliette Madan or Supreet Bauer. Thanks!
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Lunch Program
This week follows the "Week B" menu. Please consider sending in a set of silverware for your child to keep in his/her cubby or locker, as an earth-friendly alternative to disposable silverware. Contact Gwen Martin with any questions.
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Gold Rush lesson in the Second grade
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Crossroads Academy
95 Dartmouth College Highway
Lyme, New Hampshire 03768
603 795-3111
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