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Dr. Derrick Gay's Visit
Dear families,
This week, our students continued building their stamina—stretching their learning through conversations, hands-on math and writing activities, and connections that help them grow both academically and socially. As part of this growth, Dr. Derrick Gay led an inspiring assembly for Grades 3–5 on the theme of belonging. Students explored what it means to build a community grounded in empathy, respect, and understanding differences. They reflected on how they are both alike and different, practiced empathy as “experiencing and caring about others’ feelings,” and discussed the difference between jokes that are funny and those that are hurtful—reminding us that humor should never come at the expense of someone’s dignity or sense of belonging. While on campus, Dr. Gay also met with staff and parent focus groups, extending these important conversations across our whole community.
Next week, we are excited to welcome Michael Follett, founder of Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL). Michael will work with our K1–G5 teachers to deepen practices around meaningful play. Please join us for a special Parent Education Session with Michael on Thursday, October 16, from 9:00–10:00 a.m. in the Auditorium. He will share insights on the importance of play in children’s development and how play nurtures both learning and well-being.
Enjoy the long weekend!
Warmly,
Dani
Digital Citizenship Week- Oct 20-24
Digital Citizenship Week is just around the corner! It will kick off our year-long lessons in the library and classrooms, designed to help students develop healthy and safe habits for using technology. This initiative is part of a broader focus on digital literacy, well-being, and responsible tech use. This year’s theme is Digital Well-Being in the AI Era. Here are some resources to support your learning:
Positive Discipline Flyer .pdfFall Learning Conferences
Our Fall Learning Conferences will be held virtually on October 30 and 31. On October 22nd, you will receive sign-up information from our tech department.
Halloween Parade: Wednesday October 29th, 9:30-10am
We will have a Halloween Parade on Wednesday, October 29 in the lower school gym from 9:30-10am. Parents are invited to come. Students may wear the costume of their choice to school!
In order to ensure that Halloween feels good and is respectful to everyone, we ask that you and your child make sure the costume they select avoids portraying stereotypes or specific cultures. Help your child to make sure that their costume is not based on or offensive to any racial, ethnic or religious group, people with disabilities or illnesses, or any other group of people. Please reinforce the importance of not darkening skin or using makeup to change one’s skin color to match the person they are dressing up to be. Students are often unaware of the long history these traditions have of causing harm and need help understanding why it can be hurtful and problematic. Some examples of problematic costumes include: Native American costumes involving headdresses or feathers or dressing in any costume that portrays a stereotype about a specific ethnicity, religion or race.
If you are looking for further resources in order to better understand this issue, a great place to start is the #IAmNotACostume Campaign which can be found at: http://www.lspirg.org/costumes.
We look forward to celebrating Halloween in the Lower School! Thank you for your support!
What's Coming Up?
Please be sure to check our October Lower School Events Calendar.
LS MAP TESTING
Grade 3 through Grade 5 students took MAP tests this week. Makeup tests will continue through next week. Results will be sent home through email at the end of October.
If you have any questions, please contact your child's teacher or the K-12 Curriculum Coordinator at JasonDavis@asmadrid.es.
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