Happy New Year!

I write to welcome everyone as we prepare to begin a new school year at BCD!

A flurry of activity has occurred on campus during the past few weeks, including the following projects:  The long-anticipated fence project was completed around the pond.  The Preschool cubby room was completely renovated.  The Ninth Grade homeroom was moved to Ryan 2.  Major projects were completed in the Spanish classroom, the Sixth Grade homeroom, the Peterson Hall tutoring room, and the Second Grade and Albright Hall entryways.  The library floors were refinished and the walls were painted to provide a brighter and more welcoming space.  Areas in and around Clemons Hall were reorganized, and the gardens and pathways were carefully tended.  Fields were lined in preparation for soccer season.

The faculty returned this week, participated in a professional development day, engaged in a variety of meetings, and thoughtfully transformed their classrooms in anticipation of the students’ return.  A heartfelt thanks goes to the faculty, staff, administration, and Parents’ Association for their energy and enthusiasm as we prepare for the year ahead, and to Dan Lee and Chris Perelli for their hard work and caring concern for our campus.  Everyone is committed to providing a wonderful environment for learning.

As I have posted in the past, the first two weeks are “the most important time in the school year for all children,” wrote University of Kentucky professor Thomas Guskey in his column in The School Administrator. “What happens during this critical period pretty much determines how the rest of the year will go.” Students return from summer vacation to find new classes, new teachers, new books, and new friends. “All of these novelties come with the hope that this year could be different and better than all previous years,” says Guskey.

While Guskey’s column primarily focuses on teachers, classroom interactions, and test scores during the first few weeks of the year, parents can support their child(ren) during this important time in countless ways.  As the faculty will also do, be on the lookout for opportunities to speak with your child(ren) in support of their work, both at school and at home.  The suggestions are too numerous to include here, but consider the possible yearlong impact of the following phrases:

• “I spoke with your teacher.  They are so excited to be working with you, and they feel you are a terrific member of the class.”
• “I can see you are really committed to doing your best on your homework.”
• “It’s impressive that you know how to ask your teacher for help.”
• “I really notice how carefully you worked on that picture that is hanging in your classroom.”
• “I’m noticing how things seem to be more comfortable each day.”
• “I see that you have interesting ideas to contribute.”
• “I can hear that this is hard and new, and I admire how you want to learn this.”

The beginning of the year is truly an exciting and fertile time filled with the promise of success and positive achievement: academically, socially, physically, creatively, emotionally, musically, etc.  We can all work together to ensure that our appraisal of each child during the first few weeks is sincere and meaningful, based upon authentic examples of their efforts and abilities as learners, individuals, and community members.  We can all help them frame and/or re-frame their sense of themselves while bolstering their confidence and excitement about the learning process and the year ahead.

As always, please be in touch with your child’s teachers or advisors with any questions or special communications.  Associate Head of School Carmen Dockery Perkins and I also stand ready to assist you in any way.  We look forward to greeting everyone on Tuesday morning!

Until then, Paul Lindenmaier, Head of School