6.5.17

Dear Parents:

The last few weeks of school showcase the best of GHCDS: students presenting projects in front of an audience; teamwork and collaboration; healthy competitions; silly competitions; student leadership; cross-divisional mentoring; students dressed formally (wow!); testimonials and reflections where faculty share meaningful words about students and students share meaningful words about faculty and their peers… the list goes on.

As you head off into summer, I wanted to share a few key messages:

Commencement. Last Friday’s 12^th grade graduation at Island Center was an elegant end to the year. Mr. Cesar Guerra, who is a current parent, former faculty member, alum, spouse of a faculty member, and new trustee, delivered the inspiring commencement address. Valedictorian Kira Griffith and Salutatorian Aiden Stevens also gave inspiring remarks. You can read their speeches as well as my own concluding remarks here:

2017 Graduation – Head of School Remarks

2017 Graduation -Kira Griffith Valedictorian Address

2017 Graduation -Aiden Stevens Salutatorian Address

8^th Grade Celebration. On Thursday our pavilion was adorned with a red carpet, gold, and glitter for a dash of Hollywood fame to honor the “graduating” 8^th graders. The middle school team did a fantastic job of recognizing the individual talents and contributions of each student, while guest speaker, Ms. Bridget Klein, shared her own inspiring message.
New Faculty. Beside the new faculty members whose bios appeared in last week’s Weekly News, we are delighted to welcome Ms. Anneliese Cerni to our faculty. Ms. Cerni will be leading our kindergarten after many years running the preschool at St. Mary’s. Ms. Cerni brings a global perspective (besides living abroad she is a graduate of the United Nations International School – UNIS – in New York City). She is also the proud parent of Daniel Garriga-Cerni ’17 and Nadia Garriga-Cerni ’19.

Although the school year has ended, we are abuzz with activity. Today and tomorrow our lower school teachers are training with an expert from Columbia University on the Writer’s Workshop Units of Study. Our tech team is beginning the installation of our new wireless network. Our last board meeting of the year is this evening. And more!

We wish you all a wonderful summer and look forward to seeing you in August!

Kind regards,

Kari

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“Why remote work can’t be stopped” By Christopher Mimms, WSJ.com, June 4, 2017.

Although this is geared toward the workplace, the reality is that the same shift is happening in education. A key question for us is how are we leveraging technology to allow student to manage their learning…from anywhere?

“The Diminishing Returns of a College Degree” By Richard Vedder and Justin Strehle, WSJ.com, June 4, 2017.

I shared with junior parents a year ago that colleges were more competitive than ever, more expensive than ever, and less valued than before. This article highlights some of those key trends. The bottom line for us is that we want to make sure our students get fantastic life and work experiences – through meaningful projects in Mini-Gusto, over summer break, etc. – so that they will have more to offer prospective employers than just their coursework. Let’s help our students find their passions!