Month: September 2021

Learning About Our Identities

Posted on by Stephanie Jayakanthan

Identity. What are the characteristics that shape both how we see ourselves and how we see others?

Our WES Middle School (MS) students delved deeply into these topics during their summer reading assignments, exploring issues around race, gender, culture/religion, and neurodiversity. On Friday, they divided into groups, based on the books they chose to read over the summer, to explore one of the areas in greater depth. The goal was to facilitate deep thinking in our Dragons around hard but necessary topics in the real world.

The summer reading assignment was facilitated by Librarian Mr. Pané and MS English Teacher Katie Hopper.

“These discussions showed the students’ maturity for grappling with issues within the text and showcased their insightfulness, thoughtfulness, and empathy,” said Mr. Pané.

MS Division Direction Kristin Cuddihy and Grade 6 English Teacher Dr. Burkhardt led one of the group discussions about neurodiversity. “I was very impressed that the children chose this topic, because they didn’t know what it was, but wanted to learn more, and that’s a brave move—their curiosity is impressive,” said Ms. Cuddihy.

Chaplain Pitts led the discussion about culture and religion. In this group, one of the books students read included The Librarian of Auschwitz. The students shared their learnings and profound understanding of religious prejudice surrounding the Holocaust and concentration camps.

Chaplain Pitts was impressed by the students’ depth of empathy to characters in the book. “I was surprised, but equally happy, of their understanding about historical events,” she said.

At the conclusion of the discussions, the students enjoyed a virtual visit with author Lisa Fipps, who wrote Starfish, another selection from the summer reading assignment.
Through this conversation, our Dragons explored the hardships faced by those who are body-shamed. They learned the importance of and the empowerment behind the right to be seen, heard, and be different. Similar to the book’s title, our Dragons also learned how to starfish, which Lisa Fipps described as “being you.”

Our summer reading assignment was an important part of our work to help our Dragons understand and embrace their own identities while also celebrating the identities of those who are different from them. These discussions around identity will also continue to be revisited throughout the school year.

The Importance of Social Emotional Learning During a Pandemic

Posted on by Stephanie Jayakanthan

As we enter into the third school year that has been impacted by the pandemic, the mental wellbeing of our Dragons continues to be of the highest importance to us.

Social-emotional learning (SEL) has always been a critical part of the WES curriculum, as it provides the foundation for helping our students become kind, confident, and prepared. But SEL becomes even more critical in light of the pandemic’s impact on our daily routines. Students are returning to the classroom after 18 months of hybrid or virtual learning, unpredictability, and uncertainty.

Our students’ capacity to learn is directly impacted by their social-emotional wellness. Strong academic achievement is built on strong social and emotional skills. Students can only be available to learn when they feel calm, safe, and secure in their environments.

This year, students will have an even greater need to be seen, connected, and known by their teachers and adults. They will also need time to practice following classroom norms, navigating social interactions, and being part of a larger community.

At WES, we are committed to helping our Dragons thrive and to creating a joyful learning environment. During the next several months, we will take a closer look at how we incorporate social emotional learning into our curriculum across all divisions, but today I will share one of the components of our SEL curriculum we are using with our youngest Dragons in Early Childhood (EC).

As part of our SEL curriculum, EC Counselor Debbie Weinberger will be introducing and teaching mindfulness, and our teachers will be reinforcing these concepts and practices throughout the day. Mindfulness is a research-based approach that helps students build both attention and emotional regulation.

Mindfulness allows us to pay attention to our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment. It can be defined as noticing what’s happening right now. It also includes the intentional nurturing of positive states of mind such as empathy and kindness.

Mindfulness helps our youngest Dragons learn to pause when they feel upset or overwhelmed, during which thoughtful responses can replace impulsive reactions. Our Dragons are learning how to notice and name their emotions, practice mindful listening, and use breathing techniques to calm anxiety and improve focus. Studies find that these practices can bring improved attention, emotion regulation, behavior in school, empathy and understanding of others, social skills, test anxiety, and stress.

It will take some time for our students to adjust as we return to a more normal school year and routine. But the entire Early Childhood team is here to support your family, and please do not hesitate to reach out if you need anything.

Danny Vogelman
Head of School

Parents Association Hosts Outdoor Potluck Dinners

Posted on by Stephanie Jayakanthan
This autumn, we are changing our tradition of having grade level dinners for parents by bringing them on campus, giving parents the chance to spend more time here at WES – and in a safe, outdoors setting.
Parent Association reps at each grade have probably already reached out with your date, asking for people to help and to sign up to bring food and drinks. In addition, because daylight and warm weather will only last so long, we are combining grades into pairings, which should make the dinners that much more fun and interesting:
  • Grades 3 and 4 – Friday, September 24
  • Grades 5 and 6 – Friday, October 1
  • Nursery, Pre-Kindergarten, and Kindergarten – Thursday, October 7
  • Grades 1 and 2 – Friday, October 15
  • Grades 7 and 8 – Friday, October 29

Dinners will run from 6-7:30 p.m., with Head of School Danny Vogelman and others in attendance. Your PA reps will reach out to you with more information and a sign-up sheet. See you there!

Making Math Fun for Middle School Students

Posted on by Stephanie Jayakanthan

Math. It can be a source of stress and anxiety for some students, but at WES, we believe it can also be a source of tremendous fun.

In addition to offering a comprehensive math program that meets children at their skill level, we have two Middle School Math Clubs designed to help our students sharpen their skills in an engaging way. 

The Middle School Math Club and Middle School Competition Math are both registered with the MathCounts national programs.

You might be thinking, “What’s the difference between the two clubs?” Here’s the breakdown. 

For the MathCounts Math Club, we offer a fun and easygoing time for our Dragons to engage in solving math problems, work through logic puzzles, play games that promote reasoning, and the opportunity to create their own fun games. All students are welcome to join and will be eligible for the MathCounts National MathClub Award, depending on participation and completed activities. Another important thing to note is the club meets on Mondays from 1:45 to 2:30 p. m.

Then we have the MathCounts Competition Series Club, which provides a collaborative environment for math enrichment that prepares our students for the MathCounts Competition Series. For this club, no commitments are needed for the first 3 sessions. Following that, we do ask Dragons to commit in order to prepare for future competitions. This club will meet on Thursdays during lunch.

Please note that we will continue to host/participate in The ISMAW Math Meets, where area independent schools participate three times a year. Additionally, after-school Math Labs are offered for any students needing support with their math homework.

Please encourage your student(s) to participate and please let Ms. Girgis (sgirgis@w-e-s.org) know if you have any questions.

Growing Together

Posted on by Stephanie Jayakanthan

Redwoods are fascinating trees especially in regard to how they support their enormous size. One would think that trees that grow up to 380 feet would need deep root systems to stabilize themselves and help them weather strong winds and fierce storms. On the contrary, redwoods have very shallow root systems and instead of those roots running deep into the earth, they run close to the surface and interlock with the roots of other redwood trees. This also allows the trees to share nutrients. Through their connections, redwoods are given strength and the ability to support other redwoods and for hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of years, the trees grow together.

Growing Together is our school’s theme this year. Together in the coming year, our students will grow as learners and thinkers, creators and problem solvers. Together, our community will grow in our virtues, including kindness, forgiveness, inclusiveness, generosity, and more. Together, we will continue to build our resilience muscles as we find ways to do important work even when circumstances are challenging. Most importantly, we will support one another along the way. 

We will be talking to the students about our theme during chapels and classroom discussions throughout the year. 

We are incredibly excited for the year ahead as we seek to learn and grow together as a community.

Danny Vogelman

Head of School