TA News

Dear TA Families,

My email today focuses primarily on our upcoming student roundtables, to share details and context with you and to send out the sign-up link. On Wednesday, April 6, the school day will be dedicated to student roundtables. The day will be a fully remote one for students. The primary time obligation for students that day will be to participate in their own roundtable and attend peers’ roundtables, if they have been invited to one by a classmate. Classes will not meet on April 6.

Here are few key details about the Student Roundtables on April 6:

• They will take place virtually, using Google Meet for the videoconferences.
• Roundtables will be scheduled on the hour and half hour, and each meeting will take approximately 20 minutes.
• The student’s advisor will help to coordinate and facilitate the whole process.
• Every student at TA this year is working on a portfolio and preparing for a student roundtable.
• Parents and family members are a vital part of the roundtable experience and are strongly encouraged to participate.
• Parents and family members do not need to prepare for the roundtable – just show up and be fully present and ready to listen.

For a more in-depth look at what students are working on currently to build their portfolios and prepare for roundtables, I encourage you to watch a video prepared by TA counselor and educator Rebecca Walter. Students watched this video in advisory during the Community Day on March 9. The video was designed for students and could be a helpful resource for parents and guardians too. It is 14 minutes long, but worth the time – perhaps something to watch and discuss together as a family. One section features a roundtable roleplay with a 12th grader. Link to instructional video.

Students had an opportunity earlier this week to sign up for a roundtable. Check with your student to see if they did so, and confirm if the time they selected works for your schedule on April 6. Most students have not signed up yet, however – and this weekend is a good time to do so as a family. The initial deadline for sign ups is March 28. To sign up for a roundtable, go directly to the link for your student’s advisor (not your student’s teachers) and select an open time slot that works for your family. [Link available in original email to families.]

Thank you for taking the time to absorb all of this information about roundtables. To learn more, check in with your student at home to hear their perspective on the steps we are engaging in with portfolios and roundtable prep. You might get a grumble or two in response to your questions, but I encourage you to help students explore their resistance (if that’s what you encounter), consider the benefits or insights they might have gained from the process thus far, and help them see how this could be a really useful experience as they look ahead to college, career, and life after middle/high school.

In other school news:

• The spring athletic season starts on Monday 3/21 for high school teams and the following Monday 3/28 for middle school. For more details, review the March 3 email from Athletic Director Blendon Salls. To sign up, please review and submit the athletic handbook and related commitment form.
• The TA community is invited to attend the upcoming performances of the one act play, The Insanity of Mary Girard, on March 25 and 30. Ticket registration is required. To secure a seat, please fill out this RSVP form.

On behalf of all of the TA educators, I want to thank you for the time today to meet, plan, connect, and focus on our professional learning. Inservice days are vital to support our growth and effectiveness, provide time for collaboration, and help with implementation of schoolwide initiatives. 

Happy sugaring season,

Carrie Brennan, Head of School

Featured photos: Teachers took advantage of the springtime temps to meet outdoors today. Lots of action this week in the sugar shack, including an introduction to the art of making maple syrup for our international students last Saturday.