Dear
,
I called High Meadows co-founder Jody Holden last week to seek her sage wisdom about our new High Meadows Center for Progressive Learning. In Jody's inimitable way, she gave me advice that was simple but powerful. "Don't forget the importance of play! We tend to lose that as kids get older, and it's just as important for them as it is for the preschoolers."
Jody's wisdom is being echoed loudly by recent research and scads of supporting articles in the popular media about the importance of unstructured play in the development of young children. It's how they learn to understand the world, acquire social acumen, and build problem-solving skills.
But what about older children? What about grown-ups? Are there any benefits to continuing to play once those basic foundations are established? Absolutely. Play makes adults and older kids happier, more creative, and even smarter. And when adults and children play together, magic happens. So take a break from the pressures of work. Play more. Play with your kids. Just play!
Cheers,
Jay Underwood
Head of School
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Embrace Your Spirit of Play: An Evening with Kevin Carroll, Author of Rules of The Red Rubber Ball
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7:00 pm, Tuesday, November 17
High Meadows School Community Center
All are Welcome!
Renowned speaker and author Kevin Carroll will speak about the role of curiosity and play in maximizing human potential and sustaining more meaningful personal and organizational growth. An agent for social change, Mr. Carroll is the found 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. CLICK HERE to see Kevin Carroll's TED Talk.
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Apply Now for the 2016-17 School Year
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Now Accepting Applications for Next Year
If you're planning on submitting an application for the 2016-17 school year, it's not too early to get started! To apply, click here and follow directions to set up your application account through Ravenna Solutions.
Haven't toured campus yet? Join us for our Fall Open House on Sunday, November 8th from 2-4:00 p.m.. To register or to learn about other upcoming admissions events, click here.
We're always happy to answer questions about High Meadows School and the admission process. Feel free to call or email Laura Nicholson at 678-507-1170 or [email protected].
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 Play: It's Not Just for Preschoolers By 4/5 Teachers Debby Beacham and Nancy Smith Are 4th and 5th graders too mature to "play?" The Beacham/Smith "Legendary Llamas" class discovered that not only do they still enjoy play, but they can also learn about themselves and other cultures through play. Recently, the class was studying the Maasai tribe in Africa. In order to experience how the Maasai men and women share information about themselves, the class delved into making beaded bracelets with colors that helped describe who they are as individuals. Conversations were plentiful as the students chose their different beads and shared what they learned about themselves. Each color they used represented something about their likes and personalities, such as blue representing energy or the sky. Another choice was yellow, which stands for hospitality. The students enjoyed the project so much they voted to have it as their craft for Fall Festival. |
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Kindergarten Celebrates The Letter "P" with Pancakes, Pajamas, and Play
By KindergartenTeachers Sarah Mannear and Amanda Ray
Last Friday was a very special day in the Kindergarten classes! Students came to school in their pajamas with a "bedtime buddy" in hand, ready for a fun day of learning through play, pajamas, and pancakes! To celebrate our learning of the special sound that the letter "P" makes, the students made and played with pumpkin-scented puffy paint; investigated different properties of pumpkins like size and height; made pattern bracelets; crafted pajama people, and of course, prepared pancakes. Finally, students enjoyed listening to many pajama-themed stories, like Bernard Waber's Ira Sleeps Over, and eating our palatable pancakes.
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Fall Family Photo Day
Saturday, Oct. 10
by appointment
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School Holiday
Monday, Oct. 12
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IOWA Testing
Grades 3-8
Tuesday, Oct. 13-Friday, Oct. 16
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Fall Class and Individual Photo Days
Wednesday, Oct. 21
and
Thursday,
Oct. 22
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Halloweenie Roasts
Wednesday, Oct. 21 and
Thursday, Oct. 22
6:00-8:00 pm
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Connections Curriculum Carousel
Friday, Oct. 23
9-10:30 am
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2nd Annual
Independent
High School Admission Fair
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Thursday, Nov. 12
6:30-8:30 pm
High Meadows Community Center
Join us as we welcome admission representatives from independent high schools from the Atlanta metro area and beyond. Admission is free and open to the public.
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Put your 2016 Taxes to work now!
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High Meadows students spend nearly a quarter of their school day outdoors! This includes daily unstructured free play, or "Meadow Time," but having 42 acres of natural landscape also invites teachers to use the campus as a classroom. On most days, visitors to High Meadows will see students and teachers engaging in project-based learning activities outdoors: reading; journaling; math activities (counting, finding patterns); gardening; and art.
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