The Principal's Page

End of the 2006-07 School Year

taking a break

Dear Families,

It is time to say goodbye to another school year. It is a bittersweet time for most students and teachers. Everyone is excited about having a break and living a slower pace for a few months, but they are also sad to say goodbye to schoolmates and their year together. Ending a school year takes a great deal of thought, planning and time. How we provide closure is an important marker for every child, every year. In these fast paced times I am especially appreciative that The School in Rose Valley allows our children to have a less hurried and more considered experience of ending a school year. It helps highlight challenges and successes in meaningful ways.

To support this transition the staff has made a concerted effort to have time to talk about the journey of the past nine months: of books read, plays performed, skills mastered, challenges taken, and friendships deepened. They have taken trips, gone on hikes, and held reflection circles as ways to honor and celebrate the effort and struggle, initiative and achievement, as well as the growth and opportunities that they have experienced both collectively and individually.

Each of these closing rituals offers eloquent evidence of the power and meaning behind the relationships and connections among and between adults and children here at SRV. I have seen examples of this over and over again these past few weeks-a group of Main Circle boys working with some tentative kindergartners to learn and practice how to jump rope, a teacher working one on one with a child to finally "get" that missing decoding skill, or Oldest Group students negotiating and planning their camping trip together. It is this kind of reciprocity and trust what makes learning sizzle, ideas grow bigger, and challenges seem surmountable.

It is that quality of relationship that sets The School in Rose Valley apart from most other schools. Mike is one of those trusted teachers who helps children believe in their own abilities and to persist through challenges. His patient guidance, respectful stance, and wicked sense of humor have left indelible marks on hundreds of children through the years. He has helped several generations of children learn the pleasure of working with their hands, of creating something out of nothing, and developing a cooperative attitude towards play and sports. Several weeks ago, The New York Times had an article about the lost culture of simple neighborhood games and one man's attempt to bring some of those back; he should have interviewed Mike and our kids to see how it is done. Please join me in congratulating Mike for 25 years of outstanding teaching at SRV.

I wish you all a relaxed and enjoyable summer with your children. The staff will be busy unwinding and recharging their batteries as well. They look forward to spending more time with their families, doing some traveling, and taking advantage of professional development opportunities both near and far. I will be going to China for the month of July to visit my husband who is in Beijing until Thanksgiving. I'll spend my time traveling the countryside, visiting a few schools, and soaking up the culture.

As you leave for the summer I encourage you to unplug and slow down a bit, as well. It is all too easy to live from one alarm clock or one lesson, to the next. Imagine your own childhood and those things that you held dear and try to recapture that for your own children. Offer your child or children a summer where they have time to muck around the neighborhood, stay up a bit later than usual, catch fireflies and toast marshmallows, have long lazy afternoons of reading a book, or cook a family meal together. Give them time to learn how to jump off of the diving board into the deep end of the pool, pitch a tent in the back yard, or plant a seed that will grow into a tomato. It is in those simple things that we reconnect with our families, ourselves and our surroundings. Knowing how to play, how to manage their own time, how to be self-reliant and resourceful are gifts that will last your child a lifetime.

Have a fabulous summer full of fun, rest, relaxation and plenty of adventures. We'll be in touch over the summer about groupings and plans for the coming year.

In partnership,
Carlye

Carlye

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20 School Lane : Rose Valley, PA 19063 : 610.566.1088 : office@theschoolinrosevalley.org