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Dear families,
Thank you to the parents and Board members who were able to join us for the family session on Thursday morning with Michael Follett, founder and director of OPAL, our accredited Outdoor Play and Learning Program. Here is a link to Michael's valuable parent resource, The Power of Playtime.
We were delighted to have Michael back at ASM for our reaccreditation to the OPAL program. Michael worked with our K1–G5 Play Facilitators, our entire staff, as well as our students. As part of his visit, the Lower School completed a rigorous reaccreditation assessment and proudly received a double platinum award for our high-quality Outdoor Play and Learning program during our Lower School assembly! Several of our OPAL Council students had the honor of introducing Michael. A huge thank you to Ms. Em, our OPAL coordinator, and the entire Play Team for their incredible work in bringing quality play to our students!
Fall Learning Conferences
For K3–G5, our Fall Learning Conferences bring together students, parents/caregivers, and teachers. These conversations are designed to build strong partnerships among everyone supporting the student’s learning. Together, we celebrate achievements, identify challenges, and explore next steps.
During the conference, students reflect on and share their strengths, goals, and hopes. Parents contribute their perspectives on their child’s learning, and teachers share insights from the classroom. Together, the student, parents, and teacher collaboratively set goals for the year.
For K1-K2, our Fall Learning Conferences will be between parents and teachers only. These conversations give parents a chance to share their hopes and goals for their child, as well as their child’s strengths. Teachers will share what they have observed so far. Together, parents/caregivers and teachers will set goals and plan next steps for the year.
These Learning Conferences will be held virtually on October 30 and 31. There will be no school on these days.
Sign-ups for Learning Conferences will be open next Thursday, October 23 (2 P.M.) and will close on Tuesday, October 28 (5 P.M.). Please make sure to sign up for a conference with your child(ren)'s homeroom teacher(s). You will be receiving an email on October 22, with the link and sign-up information.
Since our Specialist (Art, Music, and PE) and Spanish teachers work with many students across different grade levels, they will be meeting with specific families. You will receive an additional email with a sign-up invitation if any of these teachers request to meet with you and your child.
Lockdown Drill - On Tuesday, October 21, ASM will conduct a school safety drill to help students and staff practice what to do in the unlikely event that we ever need to stay safely inside the building.
During this drill, we will practice locking the classroom door, turning off the lights, and sitting quietly until we're told it’s safe to resume normal activities. The goal is for students to understand that these steps help everyone stay calm and safe, just like our fire drills help us know what to do if we need to leave the building.
We approach these drills in a calm, caring, and age-appropriate way, using language such as:
“We practice this to make sure we all know what to do to stay safe.”
“Just like we have fire drills for leaving the building safely, this is a practice for staying safely inside.”
“We sit quietly and follow our teacher’s instructions so everyone stays safe.”
These drills are an important way to help our community feel confident and prepared. If you’d like to talk with your child ahead of time, you might echo these messages at home, focusing on preparedness and safety.
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:
Halloween Parade: Wednesday, October 29, 9:30-10 A.M.
Parents are invited to a Halloween Parade on Wednesday, October 29, in the Lower School gym from 9:30-10 A.M.
Students may wear the costume of their choice to school!
We want everyone to feel good and be respectful this Halloween. We ask that you and your child select a costume that avoids portraying stereotypes or specific cultures. Help your child to ensure that their costume is not based on or is offensive to any racial, ethnic or religious group, people with disabilities or illnesses, or any other group of people. Please reinforce the importance using makeup to change one’s skin color to match the person they are dressing up to be. Students are often unaware of the harm these traditions have caused throught our history. We wnat to help them understand why it can be hurtful and problematic. Some examples include: Native American costumes with headdresses or feathers or wearing 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.
We look forward to celebrating Halloween in the Lower School! Thank you for your support!
What's Coming Up?
Check out our October Lower School Events Calendar.
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