From the Head of School

Welcome to TA’s website! Whatever brings you here – whether you are a current or prospective student, a panther parent or grandparent, a TA alum, a community supporter, a curious educator, or just an interested Upper Valley neighbor – we hope you find stories, facts, and program information about Thetford Academy that are useful and compelling and that capture the unique and inspired nature of our school.

I use this page to feature my communications. Each Friday I send out a news update to the TA community, including parents, students, trustees, and faculty and staff. The Head of School page allows me to share my weekly letters and other blog posts with our wider world of TA supporters, alumni, and website visitors. Topics range from school reminders to program highlights. This past year or so, I’ve had to focus a lot on the logistics of how TA is navigating teaching and learning through the pandemic – but I promise it’s not all about COVID.

You can read more about me and my experience as an educator here: Carrie’s bio.

Thank you for visiting TA’s website and the Head of School page. Please be in touch with questions, suggestions, and ideas to share!

Carrie Brennan, Head of School
Thetford Academy
  • Dear TA Families, Culminating ExperiencesThis past week was a busy one with many classes taking their learning beyond the classroom walls – showcasing projects, performing for public audiences, and putting their skills and knowledge to the test in real world settings.  Drama students delighted audiences with a high-energy and colorful......

  • Dear TA Families, The school year is reaching a crescendo, as students work on and finish culminating projects in their classes. Two amazing examples are highlighted below, with this weekend’s musical and a new timber frame structure that was raised on campus yesterday.  We have two more ‘regular’ weeks of......

  • Dear TA Families, Lots of gratitude to share, looking back at this full week: • For our amazing teachers and staff as we wrap up Teacher Appreciation Week.  • For our generous parents for their help providing goodies and flowers for the week. • For the hardworking students who provided......

  • Dear TA Families, May is (almost) here. But before we jump ahead, let’s savor our April days. Student Appreciation Week This past week our school hallways were adorned with joyful, personal, and heartfelt notes – one for every student in the school – written by faculty advisors. Check out this awesome video......

  • Although it feels like spring has just arrived, it’s already time to start planning ahead for next school year! The Counseling Department has been hosting sessions for each of the grades to guide students through the planning process and provide instruction on the high school course registration steps. We invite......

  • Dear TA Families, Here is a list of events & opportunities coming up this spring – for students, for parents, and for everyone: Quick state testing re-cap: I want to thank our 7th, 8th, and 9th grade students for their patience and participation with the English/Language Arts testing on Wednesday......

  • Dear TA Families, Roundtable Reflections Congratulations to all of the students who did their portfolio presentations during our first of two roundtable days on Wednesday! Students in grades 7, 8, and 10 presented to their peers in advisory, and students in grade 9 will do the same next month. Meanwhile, our seniors had......

  • Dear TA Families, Despite the lighter nature of today’s subject line, I’d like to start my weekly memo with some reflections on a really serious topic – school shootings in America. As we all know by now, there was another violent attack on a school in our country earlier this......

  • Dear TA Families, The days are lengthening, this afternoon the sun is shining, and under the melting snow today a few daffodil shoots appeared on the quad. As we transition between seasons, it has been a busy time in the sugar shack with the wood stove cranking and lots of boiling......

  • Dear TA Families, A few highlights to share with you as we come to the middle of March … Spring Inservice The teacher inservice today included a variety of topics, from doing a deep dive into the TA professional standards to practicing for upcoming student roundtables and participating in restorative justice circles.......

  • Dear TA Families, Lots of events coming up at our awesome community theater at TA. Here’s the line up! And at the Flynn Theater in Burlington next week: In other news … Happy Friday, Carrie Brennan, Head of School Featured photo this week: TA fans are the best! Thanks to......

  • Dear TA Families, Congratulations are in order! TA was a force to be reckoned with at last weekend’s NH/VT robotics championships. TA teams took half of the six spots to go to the VEX world championships in the spring. Check out the photos below and read all about the meet on the......

Upcoming Events

June 2023

Friday June 2

8:10 am – 9:30 am
Sophomore Anthology Presentations
11:30 am – 12:00 pm
Power Hour - Assembly
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Quarterfinal Baseball vs Bellows Falls
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Quarterfinal Softball vs Fair Haven

Sunday June 4

7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Baccalaureate

Monday June 5

11:05 am – 11:55 am
Power Hour - Advisory

Tuesday June 6 – Thursday June 8

Final Projects & Exams Week (Half Day Schedules)

Tuesday June 6

All Day
Exams A & C

Wednesday June 7

All Day
Exams B & D

Thursday June 8

All Day
Challenge Course Presentations
Make Up Work & Exams

our VALUES

Excellence

We set high expectations. we challenge all members of the school community to reach their highest potential.

Commitment

We value initiative, courage and dedication. We take personal responsibility for the goals we set and work hard to achieve them.

Cooperation

We work and learn together. We see teachers as coaches, students as team members, families as partners, and learning as practice and action.

Caring

We provide individuals with personalized support and guidance. We care about each other and the larger community.

Diversity

We respect differences among people. We welcome the contribution of varied perspectives to a rich and flexible school culture.