Head of School Weekly Email: Q2 Launch!
November 03, 2023
Dear TA Families,
November is here and the first snowflakes fell this week. The cold doesn’t stop us though. We had lots of exciting learning happening around campus this week – including outdoors, despite the chilly temps – as we launched our 2nd quarter of learning.
Student Learning Spotlights at the Start of Quarter 2
Middle schoolers started the quarter off with a new rotation of afternoon electives. Throughout the year, the 7th and 8th graders will experience classes in drama, visual art, design tech, outdoor leadership, digital literacy, chorus, instrumental music, and the culinary arts – two classes per quarter. This provides rich exposure for students in the middle grades to a variety of creative fields and the foundational skills for deeper exploration in their high school years.
The high school ceramics class did a raku kiln firing of their recent pottery projects. This has become an annual collaboration between arts faculty Karyn Neubauer and Chris Schmidt. Check out the first story (and video) about raku at TA from 2021 on our website – and look for photos of this year’s process and beautiful products on the TA Facebook page.
Eighth graders were out and about again today, with headphones on and mics in hand, interviewing classmates and teachers and recording ambient sounds in their environment. Perhaps some of you observed them a couple of weeks ago at soccer games with their recording equipment interviewing community members. Students are working on ‘sonic ID’ projects for their English 8 class; these are very short pieces, like photographs for radio, that feature specific memorable moments in time. We look forward to sharing their finished work in the future.
Juniors and seniors in physics took their latest design-build projects out to the soccer field this week to test their performance. The goal was to create devices capable of accurately launching a projectile. From small trebuchets to large launchers, students took many approaches to the challenge. The focus was on accuracy – not distance – but there were some mighty powerful contraptions that sent objects flying the length of the field.
Work Parties Tomorrow on the South Campus: Garden & Disc Golf Course
Volunteers are invited to join two parallel efforts tomorrow, Saturday 11/4, as we continue to develop our south campus into an amazing resource for outdoor learning and leadership. Learn more at the links below:
In Other News …
- Congratulations to our cross country teams for a strong finish to the season! Check out State Meet details and their awesome team photo: link.
- Get ready for the fall play, Radium Girls! Read more and buy tickets online: link.
- Best of luck to our inaugural TA debate team, who travel to Hanover High School tomorrow for a scrimmage with other teams in the region! (Debate at TA is one of many club and interest offerings happening on ‘sign-up days’ during Power Hour. Check out my weekly email from Sept. 30 for more details.)
Thanks,
Carrie Brennan, Head of School
Featured photos this week: Spirit Week was a hit, including twin day. Juniors and seniors in physics test out their devices. Middle schoolers start new electives, including outdoor leadership. Chris Schmidt manages the raku kiln firing process, while students in his design tech class and Karyn Neubauer’s ceramics class look on and help out. Top of the page – eighth graders interview classmates for their sonic ID projects.
