GREETINGS FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL
It was wonderful to see so many TGS parents and students at Work Day on Saturday. It is always a pleasure to work with you as we improve TGS for our students! Thank you all for your help. Our campus looks beautiful and your collective efforts on Saturday made a tangible and meaningful difference.
This Thursday evening we are excited to host all of our new families for a new parent orientation at 5pm in the auditorium, and on Friday we look forward to seeing many of you for conference day, as well.
TGS is holding its annual Secondary School Fair on Wednesday, September 9 at 5:30pm in the school auditorium. The event will be attended by representatives from eleven different secondary schools and there will be a short panel discussion outlining the admissions process.
Faculty are back at school this week for a rich and intensive inservice program, focusing on initiatives and programs to continue our process of improving TGS in all areas.
New Initiatives
- Homeroom teachers in grades K-3 attended a Wilson Language workshop in August. This workshop provided our early elementary teachers with an in-depth training in language based learning disabilities and additional tools to identify and address them in the classroom.
- This fall teachers in grades 3-5 will participate in the Open Circle training program. Open Circle is a social and emotional learning curriculum for grades K-5 and has been in wide use by schools throughout the country. We are drawn to Open Circle because the premise of the curriculum is to empower students to use tools of their own to problem solve and cultivate a culture of empathy, and we are excited for our teachers to begin this process.
- Students in the eighth grade will again have the opportunity to travel abroad this spring on a service learning trip. In March Gogi Abroad will offer a trip to Peru for TGS students in the eighth grade who choose to go. Gogi Abroad is owned and operated by Liz Jackson, and we are excited to continue to work with Liz this year.
- Last June we began the faculty inservice work with a Skype conversation with educational thought leader and author Grant Lichtman. Faculty and staff are reading Grant's new book #EdJourney, which chronicles his year spent visiting many schools across the country in search of innovative best practices in education, and we will Skype with Grant again this fall. We appreciate the collective conversations inspired by his approach to education as we continue to examine our own teaching and learning at TGS.
- Apple and the middle school teachers are engaged in a review of middle school curriculum.
- We are very excited about this year's Global Education Theme (GET). In the recent past, we've focused our GET activities on a country and taken an integrated approach to studying that country as a lens for cultural and diversity education. The integrated and interdisciplinary model of GET is a tremendous vehicle for tackling large topics as a whole school. This year we are following a similar model to examine a global challenge as we ask, "How does water shape our world?" We have a variety of in depth activities planned as we study this broad and relevant topic.
- Over the summer, a group of 10 faculty and staff participated in a Summer Institute on Equity. During several meetings, this group used social justice as a lens to examine issues of equity in the classroom and our world. Social justice and equity are central to our mission, and the institute supports teachers in helping our students think critically about these important issues. The Middle School Student Council will use equity and social justice as themes for their work this year.
- TGS will continue to participate in the Putney Food Bank and also the local sustainability initiative that will combine the efforts of several local schools and institutions.
- Students in the eighth grade will again have the opportunity to travel abroad this spring on a service learning trip. In March Gogi Abroad will offer a trip to Peru for TGS students in the eighth grade who choose to go. Gogi Abroad is owned and operated by Liz Jackson, and we are excited to continue to work with Liz this year.
Thank you all for your partnership and we look forward to seeing you all on September 8, if not before.
Dan
CONFERENCE DAY SEPTEMBER 4
Please contact Tammy to schedule a conference by email or at 802-387-5364, ext. 101. PIZZA ON WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 9
Pizza (tomato sauce and cheese) will be available on Wednesday at lunch for $2/slice.
AFTER SCHOOL SPORTSSoccer assistants are needed for all ages. Please email Mary if you are interested in helping with after school sports or refereeing soccer games this fall. Practices are held at TGS from 3:00-4:30pm.
Games and meets (subject to change!) are listed on the TGS Main Calendar.
First practice Wednesday, September 9!
Practices for K-8: Wednesdays from 3:10-4:30pm
RUNNING MEETS
Kurn Hattin: September 16
TGS Fun Run at Green Mountain Orchards: September 30 (tentative)
Kurn Hattin: October 7 TGS Invitational: October 21 (tentative)
SOCCER PRACTICES AND GAMES Practices begin Monday, September 14
Grades K-2: Mondays from 3:10-4:00pm Coach Tammy Neathawk(No scheduled games) Grades 3-5: Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 3:10-4:30pm Coach Mike TholenGrades 6-8: Mondays, Tuesdays,and Thursdays from 3:10-4:30pm Coach Ezlerh Oreste Please email Mary to sign up for after school sports. There is a $45 fee per student, which covers all fall sports.
PUPPET SHOW FOR K-6TH GRADE
Grades K-6 will ride the bus to see the puppet showEl Patico Feo (The Ugly Duckling) at Latchis Theater on Thursday, Sept. 17. This show is presented by Sandglass Theater's 9th International Puppets in the Green Mountains Festival. We are delighted to support this art performance. For more family shows and information about the festival see puppetsinthegreenmountains.com
AFTER SCHOOL CARE
While official state approval is pending, TGS will likely offer extended care for students in Preschool-grade 2 this year until 5:00 Monday-Friday. For specific details, fee schedules, and information, please reach out to Director of Admissions Justin Altman. Libby McCawley and Tracy Rodriguez are excited to offer this needed and fun program this year and we appreciate all they will do to make it a success for our students!
COFFEES WITH DAN IN THE LIBRARY
Coffee with Dan will be held the second Thursday of every month at 8:30am.
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