TA News

Dear TA Families,

Winter is here! The snow and chilly temps change up our routines – but don’t deter us from heading outside during the school day. Some early winter season spotlights (featured in this week’s photos):

• Kathy Hooke’s forestry class has been taking advantage of TA’s hilltop yurt to continue their outdoor studies into December. This past week they ventured off campus with classmate Dempsey McGovern in the lead to learn more about one Thetford family’s forestry planning and tour their land.
• Scott Ellis’ environmental studies and outdoor education class will embark on their winter overnight next week, a culminating experience of months of preparation and learning about the forest, shelter and fire building, and outdoor survival skills.
• We enjoyed some informal outdoor time with a fire and hot chocolate into Friday’s schedule of activities, for older students to enjoy during lunchtime and middle school students as a way to wrap up their day. 

One of the (cozy indoor) ways we kick off the season is the winter concert. On Wednesday evening, the middle school chorus and high school band students performed for a packed house of family members and friends in the Martha Jane Rich Theater. A few highlights:

• The middle school chorus looked great, decked out in a coordinated red and black theme, and they sound great, too! A favorite song was the closing number, ‘A-B-C’, the 1970 hit by the Jackson Five – which the students chose to perform on their own without their teacher Jeff Seabaugh conducting.
• The high school bands wowed the crowd with pieces they’ve been studying this semester. Band members AJ Foster ’27 and Ava Hayden ’25 added to the spirited performance, with vocal solos. The TA stage band was the final act, featuring a small ensemble of five advanced juniors and seniors, accompanied by their teacher Whit Van Meter on drums. 

One of the challenges of this season is making the weather-related decisions about school closures and delays. If school is to be canceled or delayed, we post an alert on WCAX and send an emergency message before 6:15am. Notifications go to the primary phone number and email address for each family member in our Alma directory. (Additionally, we often send a courtesy email to confirm regular school on mornings when we anticipate families might be wondering about the status.)

Another topic I want to spotlight this week, one that transcends seasons and is woven in throughout the school year,is college and career planning. This process looks different at different grade levels, but also has common themes. It’s important to build in time for students to reflect on who they are as a learner. identify what particular areas of study spark their interest, consider potential career pathways, and set related goals for their future. We built in some time for this in our special schedule on Friday.

• One tool we use at the high school level is Naviance, a college and career planning platform that each student can log into and explore. Naviance review sessions for 9th-11th graders were disrupted with frustrating technology issues yesterday. However, please know that this is a resource that students can access on their own at any time, by following the unique log in directions recently sent to their email. Also, our counselors will follow up next week to share guidance with families. 
• Middle school students have been working on their personal learning plans (PLPs) as part of the English curriculum and middle school portfolios. Check in at home with 7th and 8th graders about new insights they might have about themselves and their futures as they go through the process of identifying strengths, interests, challenges, and goals.
• The counseling department page on the TA website is a go-to spot, always available, to access resources related to college and career planning.

Lastly, next week is our last before we take off for winter break. Friday, December 20 is a half day. School will resume on Thursday, January 2. Visit the calendar page on TA’s website for a full list of special days and events, including athletics.

Thanks for keeping up on school news – and reading to the end of this longer than usual weekly email!

Carrie Brennan, Head of School