- Head's Note
- Covid-19 Update
- Health Resources
- Parent Support Link
- Lower School Update
- Middle School Update
- You Come Too" Zoom Event
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- April Vacation Update
- PA Lunch Update
- Faculty Intros for 20-21 School Year
- March Madness Fun at Home!
- How to Stay Active at Home
- eBook and Audio Options
- Brad's Blog
- SmugMug Photo Galleries
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Head's Note
Each March, families across the island of Bali in Indonesia celebrate the holiday Nyepi, the last day of the Balinese calendar and most important holiday of the year. Nyepi is a day of silence, often accompanied by fasting and prayer. The airport closes down, people are not
allowed to drive cars or motorcycles, shops and restaurants are closed, and most people stay close to their home within each community.
For the people of Bali, this day is about connecting with something larger than themselves to which they pay homage. The Balinese I worked with at Green School also described Nyepi as a time of purification for the earth. As we walked around our school’s campus, it wasn’t difficult to envision this. A silence descended across the land and the island seemed to take a deep breath and become still.
While this current moment away from school, work, travel, and other daily routines is hardly motivated by a holiday, it does allow us to use this time in ways we may not have anticipated. We have the chance to turn inward and reconnect with what is important in our families and in our communities. We can hit a “reset” button with the people we love and with ourselves. Even washing our hands can become a new ritual!
There are so many unknowns right now, including the length of time we will be separated from each other in our school’s community. Within broader society, there seems to be a shift underway as well. There are fewer cars on the road, jets in the air, large ships on the seas. Maybe some of these changes will be better for the earth. Maybe this experience will help us live in less impactful ways that are kinder to the environment and to each other. And maybe we can all take a deep breath and connect more deeply to what is most important—living with love on our beautiful, precious planet.
Yours truly, Brad
PS: Each week that Crossroads is closed, I will include a few tips for distance learning in my blog. I welcome your thoughts on these postings and any feedback for challenges you are facing or strategies that are working for your child(ren). As one colleague at Crossroads noted, just because we are physically isolated, it does not mean we have to be socially, emotionally, or intellectually isolated!
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COVID-19 Update from Ms. Barth
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I miss seeing our students in the Health Office but I know they are safe at home with their families, doing school work and practicing social distancing.
Below are updates on recommendations from NH Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) as well as some clarification of terms. I will try to communicate new information each week in the Newsletter.
At all times, please stay at home and practice
Social Distancing as a family, except to shop for food and other essentials, or to go to work if necessary.
Please assist our healthcare workforce by practicing these important measures with your family.
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Parents, are you looking for resources or do you have something to share with other parents?
Click here
!
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A Message from Ms. Harris
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Our teachers jumped into
distance teaching
with lessons, activities, calls, and videos. This new style of instruction will require patience and reflection as we navigate uncharted waters. Thank you for your flexibility as we practice Zoom, FaceTime, Screencastify, and experiment with the best ways to teach our students. We are modifying plans and online platforms daily- this is all about embracing a growth mindset! As we commit to continued learning, perhaps your children would also enjoy making a pledge from home. You’ll find the
optional
Lower School Distance Learning Pledge below.
Read it together. Sign it to make it official!
And let us know if you need anything--your Lower School team is here for you.
Pledge for Distance Learning
I am a Lower School student at Crossroads Academy. I pledge that during this time of
distance learning
, I will do the following:
- Put my best effort into all at-home assignments.
- Complete all required assignments.
- Read every single day.
- Exercise every single day.
- Practice using a strong mind and kind heart in all that I do.
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A Message from Ms. Gardner
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We are off to a good start in the Middle School. All teachers are now on Google Classroom and are utilizing platforms like Zoom and Google chats to communicate with students. Students should continue to use their planners to help them organize their work. Today, the Pledge of Academic Honesty was sent out. English teachers went through the pledge this morning, and students are required to fill out the Google form agreeing to abide by the pledge. Finally, please remember that distance learning is new territory. We're all learning together. Reminder to you and your children…...don't stress! If you need help, just let us know.
Pledge of Academic Honesty
Distance Learning is new for many of us. While distance learning presents many challenges, one benefit is that this process can help us become "leaders of our own learning." The present circumstances, in fact, require us to accept greater responsibility as students. These responsibilities include a number of challenges: reading through emails, finding assignments on Google Classroom, reaching out to teachers, asking clarifying questions, ensuring that we understand the course material, and meeting established deadlines. Furthermore, assessments will be sent online. It is essential that your assessments reflect your best efforts so your teachers can effectively gauge your present understanding and support your future learning. Unless clearly specified, you may not refer to texts, class notes, classmates, parents, siblings or online aids.
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"You Come Too" Zoom Event
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- What: You Come Too
- When: Thursday, March 26
- Time: 6:30 pm
- Where: Zoom Meeting
- How: See below!
Link:
- Meeting ID: 727 618 368
- Password: 014026
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April Vacation Update
As you know, April Vacation is scheduled for the week of April 13. If we are able to reopen Crossroads prior to that date, we may elect to move the vacation earlier and have classes during this week in order to make up valuable classroom time. We will communicate this decision by April 3. In the meantime, please consider rescheduling any travel plans so your child(ren) can be present should it become possible to reconvene classes by mid-April. Thank you for understanding and please be in touch with any questions.
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Important Letter from the PA Lunch Coordinator
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Dear Crossroads Parents,
As communities across the country come together (virtually) to make every effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and support our communities, I would like to ask for your help in keeping our local lunch vendors in business.
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Staff Introductions for 20-21 School Year
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Over the last several weeks, the school was fortunate to make progress on our searches for the next school year, including interviewing teachers on campus and asking the most qualified candidates to conduct teaching demonstrations. Though some of these searches have now paused, we are pleased to announce two new faculty hires for the 2020-2021 school year!
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Rick Frey
Sixth Grade Homeroom,
English, and Composition Teacher
With a degree in history from Dickinson College, Rick Frey began his career in education promptly after graduation as a fifth grade humanities teacher at the Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island. He went on to teach and then lead the fifth grade team at the Greenwich Country Day School in Greenwich, Connecticut for eight years. He taught in three independent schools in New York City, including The Allen-Stevenson School, The Town School and most recently at The Chapin School. During his years in New York, he received his masters from The Bank Street College of Education. He also taught fifth grade humanities at the Belmont Day School in Belmont, Massachusetts. Rick’s desire to be a lifelong teacher evolved early on because of his twenty-five year association with the Aloha Camps in Fairlee. After four years as a camper at Lanakila, he moved up the ranks as a counselor, unit director, and musical director. Rick is thrilled to be joining the Crossroads community, partly because he is returning to his roots and home. He grew up in Orford and has maintained a home there throughout his teaching career. Over the years, he’s marveled at the mission, educational philosophy, and important purpose that exists at Crossroads and is thrilled to finally have the opportunity to join the community and teach at Crossroads!
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Hannah Sobel
World Languages Teacher
Hannah Sobel is an Upper Valley native who specializes in foreign language instruction. She is a graduate of Hanover High School and matriculated to Middlebury College where she earned her BA. She is currently enrolled at the Upper Valley Educator Institute where she is earning her Master in Education, expected in 2021. Hannah is a polyglot, and speaks ten languages. She truly enjoys sharing her love of language with students of all ages. She also has previously worked with Crossroads Middle School students over the last few years as a Program Instructor at the Hulbert Outdoor Center. In the classroom, she has taught Spanish, French, and Mandarin. Among many other achievements, in 2016 she created a Nepali Heritage Language curriculum for the Vermont Hindu Temple. Hannah is thrilled to bring her many talents and interests to the Crossroads community.
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We may not be on campus, but we can still participate in our March Madness fun! Last week was "wear your class color day," and we received many photos of your outfits from home! Shout out to the third graders for their participation!
This Wednesday is
"pajama day!"
That's an easy one. Send
Ms. Drury
a picture of your student in their PJ's for our weekly gallery and/or facebook post!
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Mr. McGuigan wants to make sure we're all continuing to get our exercise at home. In addition to getting out the jump ropes, frisbees, or taking a nice nature walk outdoors, we recommend trying "GoNoodle" when you're stuck indoors.
GoNoodle
benefits kids' physical wellness, academic success, and social-emotional health.
Please contact
Mr. M
for more tips on how to stay active at home!
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If you're looking for more ebook and audiobook options for your distance learning adventures at home, try downloading the app "Libby" pictured here. Search for your public library and gain access through your library card number. "
Audible
" is another great resource for listening to eBooks. Please contact
Amanda Brodsky
with any questions about reading resources for your home.
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Distance Learning: Week 1
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In an article titled, “Dispositions by Design” from this month’s
Educational Leadership
that was recently summarized in a
Marshall Memo
, authors suggest ways to apply the Understanding by Design framework to
Sixteen Habits of Mind
. As we are working with children at home, I thought it would be helpful to share essential questions for each of the
Habits of Mind
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Be sure to check out all of our photos from this school year on
SmugMug!
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