"Challenges are what make life interesting and

 overcoming them is what makes life meaningful." 

Joshua J. Marine

Creativity comes naturally to our youngest students.  Nurturing their creativity as they grow older is
one of our greatest challenges.

Plan to Attend the Grade Level Curriculum Nights:
(This is a chance for you to participate in learning activities that engage your children!)

Preschool, kindergarten and first-grade parents 

7:00-8:00 p.m., Thursday, January 30th

Second-through fifth-grade parents 

7:00-8:00 p.m., Tuesday, February 4th   

On Not Doing Everything

Fourth and first-grade partners working together

One of the first lessons we want our children to learn is that they can do anything they put their minds to. We want them to take risks, try new experiences and activities so they can find things that truly interest them. This can lead to full afternoons of athletic practices, followed by music lessons, volunteer meeting and homework.  We teach them organizational skills so they learn to plan ahead, be efficient and handle an increasingly demanding workload.

But wait! Just because one can do anything doesn’t mean that one should try to do everything. Part of growing up should be learning that one has limits, at least on the number of things one can juggle simultaneously. Learning to deal with a certain amount of stress is useful preparation for what life will inevitably throw one’s way. However, equating busyness with self-worth is a sure route to high levels of stress and leads to what is a uniquely American frenetic superficiality.

Preschool students brought the snow indoors!

As children get older, the oboe piece that they are practicing gets more complicated and requires more practice. It may no longer be possible to juggle town and school soccer along with taekwondo at the same time. But what about the college resume that needs to be chock-full for those Ivy applications? Actually, colleges see right through the long list of “activities” and are looking for students who demonstrate deep and sustained interests, individuals who have taken risks, experienced failure, made choices and pursued their own interests to a high level.

The reality is that all the experiences, education and encouragement we give our children  should be less to make them attractive to colleges and more to prepare them for life. Lower School is not too early to help children begin to understand that trying everything is important, but finding a limited number of true interests to pursue is essential. Learning to make choices, set priorities and establish preferences lays a foundation for happiness.

Fifth-grade math students work on very
challenging problems with mathematics
specialist, Mrs. Gottling.

There are other realms in which it is essential to understand that one cannot do everything. The laws of physics do not allow us to be in two places at once. Having invitations to two sleepovers on the same night can be as stressful and unsettling to our children as our having work deadlines conflict with family obligations. Learning to make rational choices and proceed with little regret has to start early. This is not easy. Even in my own advanced years, foregoing a school obligation to support my mother during her recent illness, or missing this year’s Lower School Spring International Festival for my daughter’s college graduation is very stressful, even though my priorities are clear. The world tries to pull us in many directions, but we all are the ones who have to take command of our own lives. 

It is both difficult and important to remember that a primary job of parents and teachers is to help those who started out as helpless infants prepare for a life of self-sufficiency, full of confident risk-taking, problem-solving, and choice-making. This will allow children to decide on what they do want to do by realizing they do not have to do everything.

Opera Update:Composers

By: Ellie 

Hi, I’m Ellie, a 5th grade public relations officer. I’m here to tell you about the composers. There are three composers: Emily, Ryan, and Zachary. It is part of my job to interview them. 

Each composer had a different response to my questions. “I joined the composers because I like playing instruments, like the piano.” says Emily. “ I joined because I enjoy playing music.” says Zachary. The composers have been very busy learning to compose music for the opera. “ So far, I’ve been practicing learning to play the melodies on the piano.” says Emily. “We’ve been taking the writer’s lyrics and making melodies for the songs.” says Zachary. Although some of the composers have musical experience, they have learned things they never knew before. “I learned that people prefer the C scale, and that some people compose music by ear.” says Ryan. “ I learned notes on the piano.” says Emily. Since the opera has not yet been completed, the composers still have a lot of composing to do and many other things to look forward to. “I can’t wait for the final performance!” says Ryan. “I’m looking forward to getting more lyrics from the writers so we can compose more music.” says Zach. I hope you enjoyed learning about the composers! Stay tuned for next time when Salmaan will tell you about the electricians.

The fifth-grade opera composers.

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Interesting reading for parents on how inactivity changes the brain. 

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There is a new post on Mrs.Milbauer's Music Blog, including preschool 4 students singing!

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 Fifth Grade Soccer Player Competes at a Very High Level 

Royce

"From my experience, soccer is not about winning, it's about trying your hardest until the game is over. I thought that winning was the most important when my team won the gold medal in the 2012 Winter Indoor League Championship, placed 3rd in the NJ State Indoor Maps Championship, placed 3rd in the 3 v 3 LVU Tournaments and was placed 1st in the 2013 Northern County Soccer League. As I experienced a lot of loss in the game as well, I got to know that winning is not everything. In Florida this year even if my team got beaten by Italy and Columbia, my team should be proud of trying their best. Another thing that is important in soccer is confidence. I always try to believe that I will win because it maximizes my performance and makes focus on the game only. Finally, teamwork is the most important thing in soccer. Well at least in my mind, It lets us win games." Royce

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