Here We Are In June!
Dear families,
We started the draft of this letter in mid-May, when some of us were wondering, “How did that happen?”, while others were thinking about how the summer feels close and far at the same time. And yet here we are in June! We have found ourselves in the months of many changes - as children and adults alike spend time, both consciously and unconsciously, pondering the transitions before us. And now, we will enter into a season of culminating events - shares and celebrations, highlighting a school year’s worth of hard work and learning. Your children will have so much to share with you, and so much to reflect upon.
Too, these days of joy bring with them uncertainty. We know that anytime we approach a point of transition, any time we see or feel a change on our horizon, we are unsteadied by the unknown. At school, we do as much as we possibly can to ease towards the end of the school year in a way that honors the year of work leading up to it. We know that many children will spend these next weeks swimming in big feelings, with all of the coping mechanisms we don’t plan for playing out. Some children will find themselves weepy or grumpy and not be sure why, some will find themselves pushing away good friends and caring adults, with our minds aiming to bring things to an end before they end outside of our control.
And amongst all of that, we strive to continue the daily task of holding each other, the community work, the appreciation for each other - and the kindness at the center. In classrooms in all grades, there are final projects underway - presentations, models, written papers and painted works - all capturing a year of growth in the many important categories of learning: the reading and writing modalities, the numbers and sciences, the studies of culture and arts, and our ways of being together. We have learned more about who we are, how we react and respond, and where our growing edges are right now.
We know it has been a while since we last wrote, and it is with great joy that we share Malika and her wife Genna excitedly welcomed their first child, Hudson, into the world on April 21, during spring break! Malika will be home with Hudson in the weeks to come, but we will see her again soon! This year, with its many waves and curveballs, is a first for us as a new leadership team, and one we could have never imagined or prepared for in any way beyond living it, and working together to careen forward.
On June 17th, we invite you to school, to share in the joys of the year with your children. Your child’s teachers will be in touch with specific details for the share in your grade level, but every space of our school will be alive with the sights and sounds of a year of learning coming to an end. June 17th will be a half day for children, with dismissal at 11:30, as we encourage families to scoop up your children and celebrate them after coming in to school to enjoy their share. The staff will spend the afternoon starting the process of breaking down the classrooms, cleaning up and planning forward.
The work of the month of June for school staff is immense - they are holding the communities they’ve built, they are doing a LOT of paperwork to prepare records for next school year, and they are building new classes knowing your children well - knowing things like who makes a great friend at recess, but perhaps not a great learning friend, and who might be a good friend your child has yet to spend some time with in school. They are striving for balance and integration, windows and mirrors in these new communities that will be developed over the course of next school year. And you, families, will learn about these new groupings when you get your summer packet, near the midpoint of the summer. You will hear from your child's new grade team and teachers, hear a bit more about the curriculum, and be reminded of all the nuts and bolts of school life - emergency contact cards, bus forms, AfterSchool registration, and so much more.
Before this year comes to an end, we do have one more invitation to extend - to join us for Fourth Grade PBAs. Performance Based Assessments are a hallmark of a BNS school experience, student-centered panels following lengthy units of study in the upper grades. You can read more about them here, and sign up here if you can! There are still some spots left.
Before we close, we do want to share some words of thanks. This year has not been easy, and our families and our staff have come together again and again to be supportive, kind, and caring. We have worked our way through some very tough moments in our lives, in our world, and we have always managed to keep our kids and our hearts front and center. The Gratitude Party Saturday, June 11, promises to be a happy event for us to come together and enjoy each others’ company in the beautiful outdoor air.
Cheers!
Diane (& Malika and Hudson!)
Check Konstella and the website calendar for updates:
