Dear
,
High Meadows is a place that provides numerous meaningful experiences and yields countless powerful outcomes for students. Of all the wishes we have for our children, we ultimately want them to be happy people--no parent would disagree with that. And High Meadows is certainly a happy place with happy children.
 But what is it about High Meadows that creates happiness? I have observed that the reduction of fear is something our school does exceptionally well, and it is a key factor to living a happy life. How do we fight fear?
- By encouraging innovation and reasonable risk-taking, our teachers reduce children's fear of failure;
- By building a classroom community with ample nurture and empathy, our teachers reduce children's social fears and anxieties;
- By challenging students to experience academic and social situations that are just a bit beyond their comfort zone, our teachers reduce children's fear of the unknown.
Of course, not all fear is bad--we need a healthy dose of it to keep ourselves safe. But if we can help a child grow to be a fearless person, one who does not hold back from experiencing both the joys and hardships of life with confidence and resiliency, then we have done our job as teachers and parents.
In my latest blog post, I reflect on fear in the context of some recent events, and put some thought to how we can help our children thrive in a world in which fear seems to be a constant reality. There's much hope, and what we are doing at High Meadows is at the core of how we can teach our children to take positive, transformational action in a world that desperately needs their fearlessness.
Cheers,
Jay Underwood
Head of School
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Don't miss these great opportunities to join us at High Meadows!
Fall Admission Open House
Sunday, November 8th 2:00-4:00 pm
Register now to join us for an introduction to High Meadows School presented by our administration, faculty, parents and Ambassadors.
Independent High School Admission Fair
Thursday, November 12th 6:30-8:30 pm
Register now to j
oin us as we welcome admission representatives from independent high schools from the Atlanta metro area and beyond, including Galloway, Lovatt, Paideia, Westminster, and Wesleyan. For a full list of schools represented, please click here. Admission is free and open to the public.
Speaker Series: Kevin Carroll
Tuesday, November 17th 7:00 pm
Register now to join us for a thought-provoking evening with Kevin Carroll. An agent for social change, Mr. Carroll is the founder of Kevin Carroll Katalyst/LLC and author of three highly successful books: Rules of the Red Rubber Ball; What's Your Red Rubber Ball?; The Red Rubber Ball at Work.
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Becoming Compassionate Global Citizens: Eighth Graders Begin Year-Long Service Project with STAR House
By Middle Years Teacher Anne Lovatt
Empowering our students to be active, compassionate, and responsible global citizens doesn't just happen in a classroom. Sometimes it requires reaching out into our local community to see how we can contribute and make a positive difference. With this view in mind, the eighth-grade class has begun a year-long service connection with the
STAR House Foundation, a non-profit after-school tutoring and mentoring organization that serves at-risk students in the Roswell area.
Imbued with the compassionate, respectful attitudes of High Meadows students, our eighth graders have jumped at the opportunity to help work with STAR House students at both Esther Jackson and Mimosa Elementary Schools. Whether it's listening to first graders read aloud, or playing Math Fact games with third graders, our STAR House visits have been incredibly rewarding for both the Elementary students and our HMS eighth graders.
In December, we will expand upon our relationship by bringing a modified version of the High Meadows Secret Shop to the STAR House children. Our goal is to provide gifts so that every STAR house student has the opportunity to make selections and to give a quality present to several family members for the holidays. After the gifts are gathered, eighth-grade students and parents will help set-up the STAR house Secret Shop at the two Elementary school locations and assist the younger children in making selections and wrapping their gifts. We will also bring milk and cookies to share with everyone.
If anyone in the High Meadows community would like to help support this project, we will gladly accept any donated gifts (new or gently used), or wrapping supplies (wrapping/tissue paper, bubble wrap, etc.), or anything else that you think might help us with our grand undertaking! If interested, please contact Anne Lovatt,
[email protected].
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May the Force Be With You
By 1/2 Teachers Annie Swanlaw and Jami Vance
Our first/second grade class recently studied an exciting unit of inquiry focusing on forces. The Charming Cheetahs spent the first portion of this unit learning that all movement and change in the world is caused by force. Through some experimentation, we learned that forces work by either pushing or pulling. We also learned that forces like friction and gravity impact the movement of all things. The students investigated the pushing and pulling that happens all around us, and even inside of us, by experimenting with everyday items, such as legos, marbles and dice, and noting the force involved in using them.
We then moved on to investigating simple machines and learned that they allow us to move things with greater force than we could produce on our own. The students built inclined planes out of foam tubing; levers out of rulers and blocks; and pulleys. Through hands-on exploration and play, the students developed an authentic and meaningful curiosity about forces and simple machines.
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Reading Rocks!
By Technology Integration Specialist Amanda Korrell
In our Information and Technology Literacy classes, the first/second grade classes and the fourth/fifth grade classes have been reflecting on themselves as readers and practicing strategies to read more widely. The first/second graders have been using tools, such as the "Five Finger Rule," to find "Just Right" books for independent reading, ones that are neither too easy nor too hard. The students are also sharing what they have learned with iPad PicCollage posters.
The fourth/fifth graders are exploring a variety of book genres, including biography, autobiography and mystery, as well as using data collection tools to examine their reading patterns.
The students produced tally data tables to create digital genre charts to review and share their reading habits. They will use these charts along with other reflection pieces to create a personal reading plan so that they can become risk-takers with their reading.
Using technology to reinforce reading skills has encouraged the students to read a greater variety of books and to share their reading strategies with their peers.
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Pre-K Parent Partner Days
By Pre-K Teachers Glenda Broder and Janie McCabe
The Lizard Class had the first of our Parent Partner Days, when parent volunteers come into the classroom to work with their children on a variety of fun projects. Recently, four parents came to our class to help us celebrate Fall. The most delicious project was making a healthy--and spooky--snack. We decorated bananas and clementines to make edible ghosts and pumpkins. We also practiced our fine motor skills by decorating canvases with stamps dipped in paint and by creating bat silhouettes with paint. We also created funny pumpkin faces by etching through black pumpkins. For our students, having mom or dad in the classroom is always exciting. For our parents, spending time with the class allows them to become more familiar with our classroom routines. More importantly, however, parents gain a greater understanding of how preschoolers learn through play.
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Apply Now for the 2016-17 School Year
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Planning to submit an admissions application for the 2016-17 school year? It's not too early to get started! To apply, click here and follow the directions to set up your application account.
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Help Wanted!
Volunteers
Needed for Open House this Sunday
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Want to share your love of High Meadows with potential new families? We need parent volunteers for Fall Admission Open House this Sunday, November 8, from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. Sign up
here!
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Fall Admission Open House
Sunday, Nov. 8
2:00-4:00 pm
Community Center
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Middle Years Basketball Game vs. The Cottage School
Tuesday, Nov. 10
3:30 pm
Community Center
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Independent High School Admission Fair
Thursday, Nov. 12
6:30-8:30 pm
Community Center
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Speaker Series: Kevin Carroll
Tuesday, Nov. 17
7:00 pm
Community Center
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Middle Years Students Only:
No School
Conferences Begin
Wednesday, Nov. 18
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All Students:
No School -
Conferences
Thursday, Nov. 19 and Friday, Nov. 20
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Thanksgiving Break
Monday, Nov. 23-Friday, Nov. 27
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Put your 2016 Taxes to work now!
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Nearly all High Meadows eighth graders are accepted to the high school of their choice. High Meadows alumni can be found at a variety of private high schools, including Pace Academy, Galloway, Blessed Trinity, Westminster, and Holy Innocents, as well as public schools, such as Milton, Roswell, Lassiter and Pope.
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