10.17.2016

Message from the Directors

Dear Families,

School is an amazing learning place, a topography of different experiences, social experiments, cognitive excellence and social and emotional scaffolding.

We want our kids to be happy, productive, stimulated, and have the ability to navigate the social landscape of school. Consider what happens when your kids aren’t successfully navigating the friendship landscape. What do we do as facilitators and parents to get them back on track?

At school we… coach our learners on social skills, offering specific guidance and encouragement to get them back in the game, arrange social interactions, i.e., orchestrate peer involvement, we learn about our students’ interests and strengths and work to find peers who share the same interests and facilitate partnerships, and encourage parental involvement in fostering peer relationships through social experiences outside of school to build more intimate friendships.

The social experience of school is incredibly important, as peers represent the various personalities our learners will experience throughout their lives; it’s important to know how to work with, or work around those personalities. To further the conversation, we’ve included articles on how you can help your kiddos navigate their social experience.

Helping Elementary Girls Navigate Friendships
Understanding Middle School Friendships
Emotionally Strong Boys

We hope you have a fantastic week!

Lisa Latimer and Kimberly Matthes
Lower and Upper School Directors