March 23, 2023
It has been a pleasure welcoming everyone in the Lower School back from a wonderful Spring Break. So many students have lovely stories of their travels and I believe we have a couple of students who returned from Europe on the same plane as our very own Dr. Hudson!
Lower School Student Art Featured At State Capitol
Several of our students also returned to the great news that their art will be displayed at Minnesota’s State Capitol building as part of Youth Art Month! Youth Art Month (YAM) was started in 1961 by The Council for Art Education (CFAE). Youth Art Month encourages support for quality school art programs and promotes art material safety. The honored works are:
Kindergartener’s artwork: Lisa Congdon Inspired Shapes
First grader’s artwork: Northern Lights
Second grader’s artwork: Heart Art
Third grader’s artwork: Jellyfish
Fourth grader’s artwork: Untitled
Fourth grader’s artwork: Notre Dame
Thank you to Ms. Scharfenberg for creating this opportunity for our students!
Lower School Art And Music Show: Thursday, March 30, 6-8 PM
Our whole community is getting excited for the annual spring Art and Music Show. Families are invited to view artwork prior to entering the Nicholson for musical entertainment from kindergarten through fourth grade. We look forward to seeing all families and extended family members there!
Middle School Matters: A Community Book Study
Thank you for your flexibility in delaying the start of our book study together. Below, you’ll see our new dates with a TBD for our final meeting. I’m hoping we might plan an evening, in-person gathering to celebrate our learnings together and the end of the school year. Until then, keep reading and we’ll see you after spring break in ZOOM world!
Middle School is a time of rapid changes, new experiences, and sometimes, perplexing encounters in a new world in which we (parents!) did not grow up! In partnership with Ms. Cooper, our school counselor, and Ms. Meras, our new Middle School Dean, I will be hosting a community book study this spring. We will do a shared reading of Middle School Matters: The 10 Key Skills Kids Need to Thrive in Middle School and Beyond–and How Parents Can Help by Phyllis L. Fagell.
We will meet four times, in alignment with the four sections of the text, via ZOOM, to discuss, share, wonder, worry, ponder, and problem-solve alongside teachers, experts, and other community members the mystery and magnificence of the middle school years. We invite you to have dinner with your family, put your feet up, pour a drink of something you enjoy, and meet us online, on the following dates at 7:30 PM, from the comfort of your living room!
Thursday, March 23, 2023 (Values and Integrity)
Wednesday, April 19, 2023 (Social Skills)
Thursday, May 18, 2023 (Learning)
Final Session–TBD (Empowerment and Resilience)
We will have guest speakers and experts for each of the four sections of the text and will share our own personal journey in raising spirited, well-balanced, resilient, kind, and good humans.
You can purchase the book in any format of your choosing, and in whatever way you’d like. Here are a few options:
- Paperback from AMAZON
- AUDIBLE (Audiobook)
- YouTube (not a book, but a great presentation)
- Or you can check it out at your local library!
You can also just drop in for a listen, join the conversation, and build community. I am hoping with a later evening gathering time, and the flexibility of Zoom, that we’ll have the opportunity to connect and grow our community in a way that makes space for the various family and scheduling demands we all juggle.
Join Zoom Meeting >
Meeting ID: 332 737 0417
Password: MSMatters!
Please RSVP to let us know if you’ll be joining us here.
Warmly,
Ann Jurewicz
Important Dates And Upcoming Events
March 30: Lower School Arts and Music Program
April 3: Grading Day–No classes for students
April 27: Fourth Grade World Language Day
April 28: Professional Development–No classes for students
May 1-5: Lower School Sports Week
