TA News

Dear Families,

Let me start with one nuts and bolts item and then get to the fun stuff. If you haven’t registered yet in our new student information system, Alma, please take time to do so this weekend. We hope you will find it to be a very user-friendly program. Here is a link to a parent guide about Alma with lots of screenshots to help you.

And now to the heart of our time at TA: teaching and learning! The weather has been a perfect ally these first weeks of school to take teaching and learning outside the classroom walls. Students and teachers have been out and about around campus and in the community.

Student Learning Spotlights

• Nick Pasterino’s 7th grade science classes were out exploring the South Campus last week, collecting pillbugs, and creating ‘roly poly’ habitats.
• Students in Rachael Brown’s physics class have been conducting acceleration experiments with balls, bikes (including my own!), and other objects.
• Stacy Barton’s economics class headed off campus this week to King Arthur Baking Company to meet and learn from the CFO, and expand their understanding of price elasticity and how it plays out in the real world.
• Middle school students in Ehrin Lingeman’s outdoor leadership class have started heading up the school-wide composting efforts, with crews weighing, documenting, and doing the hard physical labor too. 

Ninth Grade Retreat

The 9th grade experienced a morning full of outdoor team-building activities today, led by their advisors and counselors. There was a lot of running, problem-solving, balancing, jumping – and time to enjoy ice cream together too. The retreat is a TA tradition to bring all students together from their many middle schools and connect as the Class of 2028!

Mountain Day – Friday, Sept. 20

Next Friday the whole school will all be out and about for Mountain Day – another awesome fall tradition at Thetford Academy. (Look for more details in recent emails from Scott Ellis, our outdoor learning coordinator.) We need parents to fill out the permission form by Monday.

Saturday Soccer & Concessions

We invite everyone to come out to campus for a Saturday soccer game, cheer on athletes, and show your panther pride! Coming up: Sept. 14 (girls varsity), Sept. 21 (boys varsity), Sept. 28 (girls varsity), all games have an 11am start time. Bring some snack money, too! The Class of 2026 will be running concessions to support their class fundraising. Speaking of which, we need some more volunteers! Junior parents Melissa Thaxton and Tippi Oshoniyi have kicked things off and are recruiting help – Here’s the LINK to sign up. 

A Couple of Community Spotlights

• Tunbridge World’s Fair: For those heading to the Fair this weekend, look out for the TA students, alums, and families showcasing their animals, skills, and farms – and you can find a few featured in the Herald’s 2024 official fair guide (hint: pages 14 and 28).
• Cirque Kikasse: We had a blast hosting the band and circus with The Flynn – it was great to see many of you there! Check out this gallery of photos taken by a TA neighbor.

Lastly, we enjoyed meeting many of you at Back to School Night on Thursday. For those who couldn’t make it, please know that you can reach out at any time to your student’s advisor, teachers, counselor, or school leaders with questions throughout the year.

Thanks,

Carrie Brennan, Head of School