TA News

Dear TA Families,

Three Appreciations to Spotlight:

As the fall season shifts into its final stretch, I want to share my appreciation for all of the coaches working with our panther athletes. For many students, athletics are an important extension of the daily school experience. Over 36% of TA students are participating on a team this fall. Coaches play a big role in students’ lives, as they build community on their teams, help students train and hone skills, travel across the state to away games, encourage and keep spirits high in the face of challenge and loss, and celebrate the wins and breakthroughs. Coaching is a labor of love. Thank you to our TA coaches for sharing their time, passion, and guidance with our students and teams!

The teacher inservice on Friday provided valuable time to connect as educators. We covered a range of topics – exploring math and reading data, taking stock of our connections with the whole student body, reflecting on our progress with proficiency-based teaching and learning, setting up annual professional goals, and orienting to the new licensure system. As counterintuitive as it might seem, we need occasional time away from students in order to hone our craft of working effectively with students. I appreciate the opportunities we have built into the school calendar for adult learning and collaboration. We know families have to pick up the slack when students don’t have school, and we are grateful.

School will be closed on Monday, 10/13. I appreciate Vermont’s recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day, a bold move made in 2019 as one of the very first states to do so. We took time at assembly to acknowledge the upcoming holiday, with Scott Ellis sharing a reading of the Abenaki creation story from Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book Braiding Sweetgrass. Meanwhile, the 7th graders are exploring Abenaki culture and practices in their social studies class with Stacy Barton this month, including hands-on lessons about the ‘three sisters’ agricultural method of integrating squash, corn, and bean crops in our school garden. (See attached photos.)

And, Three Invitations to Share:

– October 16: The TA Counseling Department will host an in-person workshop on the FAFSA (free application for federal student aid) geared toward senior families. Event contact: [email protected]

– October 19: We will host our annual Fall Admissions Open House at 2pm, geared toward prospective students and their families. Please share with friends and neighbors. Event contact: [email protected].

– October 20: A team of teachers working in collaboration with a Dartmouth class invites parents and students to participate in input sessions about proficiency-based teaching and learning. Event contact: [email protected].

We will see everyone back at school on Tuesday,

Carrie Brennan, Head of School