May 30, 2024
from Jennifer Le Varge, Lower School director
Mark Your Calendars
- Thursday, May 30: Retirement Gathering, 4-6 PM, Martin Lenz Harrison Library
- Friday, May 31: LS G4 Mr. Wilson Class Play, 1:15-1:45 PM, Black Box
- Friday, May 31: LS G4 Ms. Kimmerle/Stacy Class Play, 2:15-2:45 PM, Black Box
- Monday, June 3: LS End of Trimester 3
- Monday, June 3: LS G2 Ms. Scalia Class Play, 8:15-8:45 AM, Black Box
- Monday, June 3: LS G2 Ms. Fisher Class Play, 9:15-9:45 AM, Black Box
- Monday, June 3: LS/MS Grades 4 and 8 Moving Up Ceremony, 1:30-3 PM, Nicholson Center
- Tuesday, June 4: Last Day of School, All School Yearbook Assembly and Signing, 8-10:30 AM, Nicholson Center
- Tuesday, June 4: Dismissal, 10:30 AM, no afternoon care or transportation home
- Tuesday, June 4: Kindergarten Graduation And Class Picnic, 9:15 AM-2 PM, Family Commons, Gallery, Playground
- Wednesday, June 5-Friday, June 7: No PreK Classes
- Monday, June 10: First Day of Summer PreK
- Tuesday, June 18: LS Playground & Popsicles Tour, 6-8 PM, Battlecreek Park
- Wednesday, June 19: No PreK Classes, Juneteenth
Thank you for the wonderful first year that I have experienced in the Lower School! It has been amazing to get to know children, colleagues, and families since September. I am excited for all we have in store for our final days and fun plans for the upcoming school year. Thank you for also celebrating your child’s learning and the hard work of their teachers as we cap off the 2023-24 academic year and look ahead to a sunny summer ahead.
Grades 4 And 8 Moving Up Ceremony: June 3
The Moving Up Ceremony will be held on Monday, June 3 from 1:30-3 PM in the Nicholson Center. During this special assembly, we will celebrate our eighth graders as they begin their transition to Upper School, and our fourth graders will celebrate their Lower School experience and will be welcomed to the Middle School. At the end of the ceremony, the fourth-grade students will convene with the Middle Schoolers on the West Lawn, just outside the Gallery doors, for popsicles and fun. You’re welcome to join us!
Last Day Of School, Yearbook and Assembly, And Early Dismissal: June 4
On the last day of school, we all meet for our annual Yearbook Assembly at 8:15 AM in the Nicholson Center—our entire community, PreK-12! Parents and families are welcome, and it’s often standing-room only. Once our assembly has concluded, students move to their advisories to pick up their yearbooks (if one was ordered) and commence our community-wide signing, celebration, and joy-fest! Kindergarten will be celebrating graduation as well.
NOTE: This is a very abbreviated day. The school day begins at 8 AM and all students are expected to be picked up at 10:30 AM. There is no Panther Care provided on the last day of school. Please plan with friends, classmates, or on your own to pick up your student no later than 10:30 AM, as our teachers, staff, and administration are eager to begin their summer break, too!
Looking Ahead: Semesterly Reports in 2024-25
The Lower School will begin to follow a semester reporting system starting next school year, connecting with the reporting structure already in place in the Middle and Upper Schools. From September 2024, we will transition from reporting on a trimester basis (three reports per year, two of those with comments) to reporting on a semester basis (two reports per year, both with comments). This will mean that families will experience a parent-teacher conference in the fall, a report card with comments in January, a conference in the spring, and a report card with comments in June. Our goal will be to report on each child’s learning in detail and to focus on face-to-face and hands-on communication of their learning. We will share more details at the launch of the next school year!
