Spring has sprung at Seabury, as you can see in the trees that surround our parking lot.  Children are blossoming in our classrooms as well, and lots of exciting things have happened this week as you will see below.  Discovery, exploration and creation are the hallmarks of learning at Seabury, and they are clearly in evidence in every classroom. 
 
Seabury's teachers all have websites or blogs to document many of the activities taking place in their classrooms.  If you haven't looked at them lately, I'd encourage you to check them out at http://myseabury.org/classrooms.htm.   
 
Thanks to all of you who have returned contracts for the 2009-2010 school year.  We look forward to continuing to work with your children next year, and appreciate you entrusting us once again with your child's education and growth.  In spite of the challenging economy, recruitment for next year is strong and several classes are nearing capacity.  If you have not yet returned your contract, you are encouraged to do so as soon as possible.  If you have friends or neighbors interested in Seabury, we'd love to talk with them about what Seabury can offer their child.
 
It is a privilege serving Seabury!~Sandi

 

 

 

This week we were lucky to have Garry Bush, Lucas and Sebastian's grandfather, on campus as Toussaint Charbonneau, the French fur trapper and trader that traveled with the Lewis and Clark expedition on their historical trip across the United States.  Garry Bush is a certified First-Person Living History presenter, with degrees in Geography, History and Photography.  He brought with him many of the traditional furs and gear, along with wonderful historical information, to share with the classes.  Please visit www.myseabury.org/classrooms to see some of the pictures of Garry.  Mr. Bush will be back this summer to teach a Photography class for our Summer at Seabury program.  Our classes have been studying the Lewis and Clark Expedition; we were very lucky to have such a wonderful contribution to the students' education.  Thank you, Mr. Bush! Or, should we say, "Merci, Monsieur Charbonneau!"

 

 

During the week of April 20th to April 24th, Seabury students in grades 3-6 (Navigators to 6th Graders) will be participating in our annual standardized testing.  Added to the regular assessments of various types that take place daily in classrooms, our annual testing gives us information about student learning trends, about how our kids are doing compared to national norms, and also provides feedback about individual student progress. 
 
In previous years, Seabury fourth grade-age students took the math, reading and writing WASL test.  This year, the decision has been made to discontinue the WASL and give fourth grade students the ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills) instead.  There are a number of reasons for this decision which will be laid out in greater detail in a letter going home to parents of fourth graders on Monday.  The key advantages of giving the ITBS are that we receive test scores much more quickly (in the spring rather than mid-September of the following school year), and the results give us information that is much more detailed and useful in analyzing individual student progress.  In addition, parents wishing to apply for various young scholar programs such as the UW Talent Search and the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth JHCTY) can use ITBS scores as part of their application process.  WASL scores are generally not accepted for those programs.
 
If you have questions about testing at Seabury, don't hesitate to contact Sandi Wollum. 

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 Head Lice Update

 This year, Seabury has been plagued with repeated outbreaks of head lice.  Each time a case has been reported in a classroom, Seabury has notified all in the school parents because so many of our children play together with children in other classrooms at recesses and during before and after care. 
 
Seabury's procedures for dealing with head lice are based on guidelines from the health department as well as other public health agencies including the Harvard School of Public Health which did extensive research on the issue.  We have contacted the local health department and are working to arrange to have a professional review our procedures and offer additional information to our families.
 
If you have questions or concerns, contact Sandi Wollum at director@seabury.org.