The Tire Swing Newsletter
    Happenings at High Meadows School
 
August 25, 2014     
 

Preschool Playscape Encourages Learning through Play 

Sixth grader MacKenzie Paschal and eighth grader Hayden Shickler cut the ceremonial ribbon as Roswell Mayor Jere Wood and Roswell Councilwoman Betty Price offer enthusiastic support.
High Meadows School celebrated the opening of its one-of-a-kind, nature-based "playscape" with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 20. Roswell City Mayor Jere Wood, School Founder Jody Holden, and members from civic organizations were all in attendance for the event.

 

From the beginning, High Meadows' mission and curriculum have been rooted in outdoor experiential play. When planning the transformation of its preschool playground, creating a space that encouraged connection to nature, discovery, and exploration were vital elements.

 

The ceremony had a celebratory feel to it thanks to the participation of Roswell Mayor Jere Wood, High Meadows Co-Founder Jody Holden, High Meadows Former Teacher Marge Magee, Head of School Jay Underwood, and Board Chair Steve Shlansky.  

The planning committee wanted to create a space for the school's youngest students to climb, build, balance, and imagine in a space that reflected the school's core values. High Meadows employed HGOR, a landscape architectural firm, to design the playscape based on those values. The work was completed over the summer under the supervision of Bill Kolbrener, a former High Meadows board member and parent.

 

"A play area for young children is much more than a place for slides and toys; it is an integral part of a child's academic and social curriculum," said Head of School Jay Underwood. "A well-planned play area engages a child's imagination, creativity and thinking skills. Unlike in traditional play areas, our children balance on logs, climb on hills and boulders, and portray imaginary characters on an outdoor stage. Our Preschool Playscape encourages our youngest children to live our values of experiential and environmental education...and, of course, have great fun along the way!"

Preschoolers Jamie Cox, Eva Sur, and Carson Cohen use flip-flops to create and discover sounds using tubes.  
Taking advantage of the tallest tree stump, preschoolers J. R. Rhoden, Paige Vandenbussche, and Mikayla Horne search for friends on the new playscape.
Parents Tip Patsy and Margaret Eldridge and fourth and fifth graders Owen Stone, Will Youngblood, and Nicholas Shulz prepare the beds for the fall planting.
Volunteers Dig Annual Garden
Event

On a perfect August morning, volunteers came out in what seemed to be record numbers for High Meadows' fall garden work day event. Accompanied by unseasonably cooler temperatures and a fall-like blue sky, parents, students, and teachers harvested summer vegetables, cleared neck-high weeds, and prepared the beds for the fall planting. Classes from preschool through fifth grade plant and harvest in their own garden beds throughout the year. This is a long-standing High Meadows tradition. 

 
Meet New Teacher Jami Vance: Parent, Juggler, and Kind-Hearted Art Enthusiast
The High Meadows community welcomes Jami Vance as an Early Years teacher, co-teaching in a first/second classroom with Annie Swanlaw. Jami is no stranger to High Meadows; her daughter Blake came to High Meadows last year as a fourth grader. She also has another daughter, Rose, who is an eighth grader at Palmer Middle School. Their home is also home to three cats, two dogs, a rabbit, and a hedgehog.

Jami earned her undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Georgia and her master's degree in teaching from Oglethorpe University. She has seven years of teaching experience, most of which was in a progressive school where she taught in a multi-age classroom. 

Jami loves to read, garden, collect art (mostly oils and pastels), and rehabilitate injured animals (mostly squirrels, birds, rabbits, and kittens). And, she knows how to juggle!

When asked what she likes best about High Meadows Jami said, "The abundance of outdoors -- it's good for me and it's good for the children. They are able to explore and learn about the world around them. It's just a healthy place to be." 
 

City of Roswell Recognizes HMS Environmental Contributions
During the first Community Gathering of the academic year, Head of School Jay Underwood accepted a certificate from Vicki Culbreth, a representative with the city of Roswell. High Meadows was recognized for a third grade community service project. The class labeled storm drains last year as their culminating activity for their government unit of study. 
Spotlight Graphic
Staff Spotlight
Did you know ...
  • Head of School Jay Underwood is president of AAAIS, the Atlanta Area Association of Independent Schools;
  • This summer, First/Second Grade Teacher Annie Swanlaw attended the Teacher's College of Columbia University's Reading and Writing Project, led by renown writer and author Lucy Calkins. Annie is now training the kindergarten team in the Writer's Workshop methods she learned.
  • Eight of High Meadows faculty members attended Primary Years Programme training this summer: Andrea Faria, Kim Platnick, Rebecca Drage, Kerri Irwin, Gail Albert, Debby Beacham, and Liz Thompson. 


Parent Night I 
(Preschool Parents) 
August 25
6 - 8 p.m.
Community Center

Parent Night II 
(Kindergarten - Fifth Grade Parents) 
August 26
6 - 8 p.m.
Community Center

Eighth Grade Retreat 
August 27 - 29 
 
New Parent S.H.A.R.E. Coffee
Friday, August 29
8:45 a.m.  
Community Center

Labor Day:
No School 
September 1

Parent Night III 
(Middle Years Parents) 
Tuesday, Sept. 2 
6 - 9 p.m. 
Community Center

IB Parent Meeting 
(Preschool - Fifth Grade) 
Friday, Sept. 5 
5:30 - 6 p.m.

Fall Family Picnic
Friday, Sept. 5
6 - 8 p.m.
Lower Meadow 

 
Apparel Sale

All High Meadows t-shirts and sweatshirts currently in stock are now 50 percent off. Sizes and colors are limited so come early for the best selection. High Meadows merchandise is available in Franklin House.
 
camera.jpg Photos Available for Purchase 
When we have events on campus, you might notice a photographer lurking around. More than likely the individual will be from Studio 7. They capture photos for us to use on the website, in The Tire Swing, and for marketing pieces. The images are available for purchase on a password protected server with Studio 7. For the password, please email your request to Danielle Wright.
Photos from the Preschool Playscape Ribbon Cutting event are currently on the site.