Dr. Finells Shabbat Shalom message, 4/25/14: Spring is definitely in the air. Flowers are blooming. The days are warmer and getting longer. What a glorious time of the earth coming back to life. What a wonderful time of growth! There is a wonderful feeling of renewal as well, which is very much present at Rockwern Academy. This is the time of the year when things start to really come together for our students. We see such enormous growth in them and delight in how all of the learning that has taken place during the first part of the year really begins coming to fruition. As I walked around the school yesterday, I saw great learning taking place in every classroom. In kindergarten, I was so impressed to see the writings and drawings of the children on the topics of: If I could go to the Antarctic, and In the spring I like to... When did they learn to write like that? 5th grade was working on grammar and figurative language, as well as learning the steps involved in writing a play. I had also seen them earlier in the computer lab doing research into planets for their astronomy unit with Mrs. Ouziel. 3rd grade had finished up their biography reports and 1st grade was working on persuasive reasoning in writing with Mrs. Baldwin. A number of different classes in Judaic Studies were already learning about the upcoming days of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Israel Memorial Day and Israel Independence Day. 4th grade was having a heartfelt discussion with Mrs. Diekmeyer about the book: The Capture, and earlier I saw them busy at work learning modern Hebrew with Mrs. Sadeh. Our 8th graders were studying plate tectonics with Mr. Guess as part of their current unit on Earth Science. In every class I went into today, at every grade level and in every subject, I saw engaged students, skilled teachers and great learning taking place. When I think back to the beginning of the school year it is hard to imagine these are even the same children. They have grown so much in mind, body and spirit this year and it is miraculous to see this transformation. Spring is in the air in another way: our school is growing by leaps and bounds. Next year we will we will have over 190 students attending Rockwern Academy! Most of our classes have robust enrollments, and due to high demand, we have even had to start wait lists in some grades. Wonderful young families are coming to the school as there is more and more excitement building in the community about the vibrant and unique education we offer here. The other day Dorey and I took a hike at Rowe Woods and I ran in to someone whom I had met last year. I had only met him that once when he had come to the school to speak with me about the possibility of his company helping Rockwern with our marketing efforts. The first thing he said to me when I saw him at Rowe Woods the other day was: So, I keep hearing really great things about what is happening at Rockwern! I told him he had heard correctly but it also made me realize that now people who are even tangentially connected to the school are hearing the good buzz about what a special school we have. In addition to local families who are coming to Rockwern from other independent and public schools, we have new families coming next year form such places as Israel, Brazil, and even the far off lands of Boston, Massachusetts and New York City, New York. There are many exciting activities taking place over the next 7 weeks of the school year. Please check your emails, your childrens teachers Weebly sites, and the Shabbat Shalom newsletter. From celebrating spring Jewish holidays and days of remembrance, to our annual dinner on June 8, it is going to be a busy and intense time. There will be final instructional units to complete and major assessments to take. There will be our middle school trip to Israel and our 8th grade graduation. There will be our Annual Meeting and the completion of our first phase of our accreditation self-study. We will be saying shalom to some teachers and administrators who have devoted many years of their lives to this school and we will be welcoming some new teachers and staff who will continue adding their own measure of excellence to our wonderful school. A time of excitement. A time of renewal. A time of growth. Spring is definitely here! Shabbat Shalom. Dr. David B. Finell Head of School
Posted on: Mon, 28 Apr 2014 13:00:05 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015