JANUARY 19, 2018

HEADSHOTSWEEKLY UPDATE FROM HEAD OF SCHOOL

Andy Fields, Interim Head of School

Teaching deeply, learning fully, cultivating responsibility— one mind at a time.

COMING UP NEXTSUNDAY 1/21 TUESDAY 1/23 WEDNESDAY 1/24 THURSDAY 1/25

OPEN CHOICEALL DAY

EARLY RELEASE1:45 PM

MAZAMA /TUMTUMFIELD TRIP

TAHOMAFIELD TRIP

OPEN HOUSE1-4 PM

BOARD MEETING6:00 PM

A SEASON OFTRADITIONS

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I once asked a kindergartener if he knew about the seasons. He replied “there are four seasons: deer, elk, smelt, and Christmas.” Independent school administrators have different seasons, too: back to school, holidaze, enrollment and end of school. There is summer of course, but I don’t count that since the students aren’t here. The season of enrollment has begun. The season has many traditions: Open Doors Days so you can look ahead at what classes will be like for your students in coming years; Open House so prospective families can learn about the school; Class Visits so that prospective students can see how it might feel to be a Gardner student; and Reenrollment so that you can secure your student’s place for next year, and the school can plan for staffing.

When we have visitors to Gardner, we intentionally take advantage of the opportunity to support the Character pillar of our curriculum. Students have many chances to represent their class, their school and themselves. As visitors enter the classroom, our designated student ambassadors greet the visitors, introduce themselves, and tell a little of what is going on in the class. At Open House, student (and alumni) representatives are on hand to help guide prospective parents and to answer questions. Community engagement and student leadership is evident in these encounters.

Faculty, in the meantime, are focused on progress reports in their time outside of classes. One distinguishing characteristic of a Gardner education is “authentic assessment.” The process of capturing the essence of each student and creating an individual Have a great weekend!

narrative description of their accomplishments, skills, challenges and victories across academic, social, and artistic arenas takes weeks to complete. The end result is not a grade or score, though objective measures may be included, but a custom report on the progress and learning process of your student in the first term. This tradition is one way we demonstrate achievement of our mission, “Teaching to the uniqueness of each individual, we focus on the process of learning...”

What would YOU do if you ran a country? Tahomans practiced their critical thinking and negotiation skills today during the World Peace Game. Through the weeklong simulation, students must work together to solve a series of international crises, from ecological disasters to escalating religious tensions, with the ultimate goal of achieving world peace.

Treasures of the Sea

2018 GARDNER SCHOOL GALA & AUCTION

MARCH 3, 2018 THE HEATHMAN LODGE

REMINDERSPARENT SOCIAL sponsored by the Gardner PTO is scheduled for Saturday 2/3 at English Estate Winery.

FINANCIAL AID applications for 2018-2019 are due NO LATER THAN February 5th in order to be considered.

AUCTION MEETING has moved from Wednesday 1/24 to Wednesday 1/31.

PIZZA FRIDAY for 2nd Semester begins 2/2. Bring a $75 check to Melinda if you would like to participate.

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The Auction countdown has begun: six weeks until we are undersea celebrating this treasured school!

The success of this year’s auction depends on your help!

Attend the next Auction Team Meeting: Wednesday, January 31 at 8:45 in the Farmhouse

Volunteer to help. Can’t attend the auction meeting but still interested in diving into a project, have some time to do a task or two, or want to help set up on event day? We have tasks big and small that you can help with. Please contact Sarah LePage, Auction Chair, at gardnerschoolauction@gmail.com to sign up.

Donate or Procure items to be auctioned at the event. Here are a few donation/procurement ideas:

Hotels - are you a rewards member of a large hotel chain? You can gift / donate points for a stay (we will bundle into a package)

Restaurants – have a favorite restaurant in Portland, at the coast, or in Seattle? Gift cards make great additions to a travel package.

Experiences – unique experiences make for some of the most successful auction items.

Auction item donation forms can be found in the lobby, on the gardnerauction.org website, or directly HERE.

• Toapplyforfinancialaidforthe2018-2019school year, complete a Parent Financial Statement (PFS) through School and Students Services (SSS) online no later than February 5th.

• Go to solutionsbysss.com/parents

FINANCIAL AID APPLICATIONSDUE FEBRUARY 5TH

SIMPLIFIED REENROLLMENT PROCESS

PIZZA FRIDAY FUN

To reserve your child’s space for the 2018-2019 school year, bring your deposit to Melinda in the school office before February 28th.

Deposits are based on 10% of the tuition amount for next year. Watch your e-mail for your student’s deposit amount.

We will build the classroom lists beginning March 1st and open up any spaces for new students at that time.