Dear Parents,

We have had a return to school after the Semana Santa holiday. The students have adjusted well and returning to healthy and studious routines.

As mentioned in last week's Parent Weekly, the April 17 spring learning conferences are just around the corner. The conferences are virtual, and all MS and LS students remain at home on this day. All students in grades 6 and 7 have an obligatory "Advisory Conference" with their parents on this day. We have a different format for our grade 8 students. We are offering "Subject-area" conferences for teachers who request to meet with parents. Parents also have the opportunity to request a subject-area conference with their child's grade 8 teacher. General conference sign-ups opened on April 9 and will run through April 15. Please check out this document for more detailed information: MS Spring Learning Conferences Overview 

Middle School overnight class trips have long been part of the student experience, offering opportunities for learning, independence, and community building outside the classroom. As we look ahead, we want to take time to reflect thoughtfully on the role these trips play in the Middle School program. This survey invites parents to share their perspectives and experiences related to overnight class trips. Your feedback will help us better understand how these trips support students and how they fit within the broader goals of the Middle School. Here is the survey: MS Overnight Class Trips Parent Survey. We will use the results of this survey to reflect more deeply on the role of overnight class trips in the future and to help inform our thinking moving forward. We kindly ask that you complete the survey by Wednesday, April 15.

Finally, I would like to emphasize the importance of regular school attendance and punctuality. Recently, we have seen an increase in requests for absences outside the established school calendar. While we understand that circumstances sometimes arise, frequent absences can disrupt students’ learning and their connection to the school community. As a reminder, we contact families when a student’s absences reach what we consider a critical level—18 days.

We have also noticed a growing number of students arriving late in the morning. When tardies accumulate to a critical level, students receive a school consequence and may lose recess time. Additionally, we often find that the office is not notified when students are absent or when families plan extended absences. Clear communication helps us support students and maintain accurate records.

I kindly ask families to make every effort to follow our school policies regarding attendance and punctuality and to communicate promptly with the office when absences occur. Regular attendance and arriving on time each day play a vital role in students’ success and in maintaining a strong learning environment for everyone.

As always, please check out This Week in Advisory and the weekly announcements below.

Kind regards,

Mike Nugent

GRADE 6 ADVISORY 

This week in advisory, students  reconnected after spring break while also continuing our work on building a caring and connected community. On Monday, students reflected on their kindness and caring challenge, thinking not only about whether they completed it, but also about what impact their actions had on others and what may have gotten in the way. We used this time to rebuild community, check in with one another, and reinforce the idea that small actions can shape the culture of a group in meaningful ways.

Later in the week, students began preparing for their student-led conferences. On Tuesday, they were introduced to the purpose and structure of the conference and started organizing their presentation slides. On Thursday, they continued by identifying meaningful evidence of their learning, growth, and effort. The focus was on helping students move beyond simply sharing grades and instead begin telling the story of themselves as learners by reflecting honestly on their progress, challenges, and next steps.

GRADE 7 ADVISORY

This week in Grade 7 Advisory, students returned from Spring Break and immediately began preparing for their upcoming Student-Teacher-Parent conferences scheduled for April 17. The week started with students organizing their academic agendas and sharing creative highlights from their time off using unique formats like "Six-Word Memoirs" and "Movie Trailers". A significant portion of the week was dedicated to self-reflection, as students conducted a trend analysis of their Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills across all subjects to identify personal strengths and areas for growth. By setting specific action plans and reflecting on their "wins," students are taking ownership of their learning journeys to finish the school year strong. The week concluded with the monthly Middle School Community Meeting held on the steps. 

GRADE 8  ADVISORY

This week in Advisory, we started looking ahead to the Upper School transition by giving students some practical tools for academic success. We explored five study strategies rooted in neuroscience — things like active recall and spaced repetition — to help students move past passive reviewing and actually retain what they're learning. Understanding a bit about how the brain encodes information goes a long way in preparing them for the greater independence and rigor ahead.

We also got into the practical side of staying focused — identifying what typically derails their attention and coming up with real strategies to combat it. Students thought through what works best for them personally, whether that's rearranging their workspace or carving out dedicated blocks of distraction-free study time. Ask your student which of these strategies they're planning to try first as they gear up for the next chapter!