August 1, 2006
Dear Parents:
If you are like me, a time came in your life when you no longer listened to current pop music, then when your children arrived they reintroduced you to it. When my children grew up, they left me to my own devices again; but with my oldest daughter’s wedding this August, I have been reintroduced to “their” music and discovered the Indigo Girls – Get Out the Map and Galileo in particular.
Thinking about my daughter Abby and her sister Sarah, I am struck by how important it has been for their lives and learning to “get out the map and put your finger anywhere down.” Abby traveled to the then Soviet Union in fifth grade and again (Russia now) in college. She went off to a 4H camp in Maine and ended up as a camp counselor for several years. She took a job in Tbilisi, Georgia, and spent three years there. Guests at her wedding will come from many parts of the world. Sarah has similarly worked in Edinburgh, in Paris, in Senegal, and briefly in Thailand (and in California, not exactly a foreign land but different!).
Their experience has reinforced for me how essential it is for our students, in an increasingly virtual and (borrowing from Thomas Friedman) “flat” world, to have a deep, thorough, real understanding of the diversity of other countries, cultures, and perspectives. They need to develop this so they can understand their world better and so they can compete more effectively in it. Gaining this knowledge happens in a variety of age appropriate ways, not simply independent travel; and it is aided by a strong sense of confidence in a home base. Each family has its own tolerance for separation and travel. As a school we help develop that comfort level by our camp trips, our curriculum’s focus on “the other,” our emphasis on community service, and our opportunities for foreign travel in Upper School. And we also provide a very stable, safe home base from which to explore, both intellectually and literally.
We have recognized in our AISNE reaccredidation Self-Study that we can be more intentional about how we incorporate an understanding of diverse perspectives into our curricular and co-curricular programs to help assure a genuine understanding of the world. The Self-Study has also reaffirmed the value of expanding diversity in our student body and faculty. At the same time, it also re-emphasized the importance of communication skills, mathematics, science, and of seeing connections among disciplines. In order to be competitive in a flat world, our students will need both strong academic preparation and the interpersonal skills to be able to understand varied backgrounds and adapt creatively to change.
Travel also helps students learn to adapt by developing independence and competence. Ironically, this happens in part because students are likely to face challenges – at a minimum the adversity of being in an unfamiliar place, of fending for themselves, of creating their own relationships. If our children are going to be able to compete effectively in this flat world, they need to become resilient problem solvers. This means that we equip them with the tools to sort out their challenges, which is a focus of Responsive Classroom and the Upper School Advising system. We intentionally create a safe, respectful home base in which students can learn how to confront and solve challenges themselves.
We have been sprucing up our “home base” this summer. Among the projects have been painting in Marshall and Ansin buildings, remodeling the fourth grade classrooms, installing updated software for student and faculty research, completing the heating and ventilation system in Simonds, and installing a new phone system. With regard to the latter, most extensions remain the same; there will be a few additions and/or changes.
Our faculty has also been involved in a wide array of summer professional development opportunities, among them a fascinating five-day workshop at Lawrence Academy about how Neuroscience and Cognitive Development can inform the practice of teaching and connect these disciplines. The workshop organizer, Arthur Karp, was impressed that so many from Applewild attended. He noted at the end of the conference "It was very special to have [eleven of us] attend. You were obviously interested and wanted to be here. It was a pleasure to see how engaged you were as a group." Artie’s praise captures well the commitment that the Applewild faculty brings to staying current with their profession – well over 600 hours have been logged this summer.
The recently mailed issue of the Cider Press details the Wish List contributions. Thanks to the Parents Association, under the leadership last year of Lexi Ladd, Susan Noone, Sharon Cronin, and Pamela Penna, for its generous support of the school in the past year. Our new Parent Association leadership will be sending you its plans for enhancing our Applewild experience in two weeks. We decided to send the August school mailing first, followed by the Parent Association materials. I want to thank in-coming President Beth Lindstrom for her cooperation.
You will find several important pieces in this August mailing, among them
- The School Calendar
- Extended Day letter and Contract
- Reminder about Dismissal
- Division Specific Information
Please read through the materials carefully and return any necessary paperwork promptly. In that regard, please assure that your emergency contact information and child(ren)’s physical(s) will be provided to us by the opening of school. Thanks for helping us assure a safe environment!
I look forward to the AISNE reaccredidation visit at the end of October, to how that will help us continue our planning for Applewild’s future, to reporting to you on that progress, and to beginning our preparations for our fiftieth celebration (in 2007 and into 2008). I hope that your summer is bringing you and your children opportunities to become more comfortable with new people and places and for creative, unstructured play, another age-appropriate way that children can “travel.” I hope that it also brings you all some crystal clear memories (Galileo’s “night vision and insight”) – and even shared music – that you will find increasingly meaningful as you enjoy your own family milestones. I look forward to having all of us back at our “home base” when school starts, on the same point on the map, and to working with you to prepare your children for exciting travel of all kinds, this year and in the years to come.
Sincerely,
Christopher B. Williamson
Head of School