September 17, 2021 Newsletter

The Power of Good Questions

While most of our teachers growing up were always kind enough to teach us (or at least tell us) that there is no such a thing as a dumb question, it turns out there is such a thing as a good question. The Right Question Institute (RQI) has been working for 25 years to help people of all ages and backgrounds learn to ask better questions. The benefit? Good questions can enrich our lives in so many ways: to deepen understanding, to propel scientific investigations, to connect more meaningfully to others, to bridge differences, to advance democracy. The RQI has even gone so far as to develop a surprisingly useful Question Formulation Technique, which some of our classes have been walking and working through as a way to develop the skill of good-question asking. Follow us on Facebook to see how our teachers use good questions in our classrooms!

Family Social Nights!

Although for reasons relating to public health and logistics our Back-to-School Nights will be remote this year, Peabody is very happy to announce a new series of different opportunities for our families to come to visit the school in the coming weeks for more intimate and casual evening(s) of food, friendship, a school tour, and other activities.

Beginning September 23rd, families from adjacent pairs of Peabody classes will be invited to join us from 6:00-7:30 to eat, mingle, tour, and play. We will have food for all, opportunities for parents to tour classrooms, and outdoor activities for families to enjoy together. More details will come in a separate email closer to the date(s) your family could attend, but for now, we hope you will save the following dates:

Pre-K and Kindergarten families: September 23
1st and 2nd-grade families: September 30
3rd and 4th-grade families: October 7
5th & 6th-grade families: October 21
7th & 8th-grade families: October 28

Families with children in multiple grades may attend any or all of the scheduled evenings for the applicable grade levels. This is a child-friendly event!

RSVP!

Grades 4-8 Health and Wellness

As we navigate this new school year, we aim to be proactive in our support of students' mental, emotional and social health needs. Students in grades four through eight will be meeting with our school counselor, Ms. Jones, once a week to learn about social-emotional health issues and develop strategies for coping with life's challenges, as well as build class community support. To better serve our population, Ms. Jones will be administering an anonymous School Climate Survey in the coming weeks. This survey will gather information about students' health and experiences at Peabody and be used by our leadership team to build initiatives to promote social, emotional, and mental health in our student community.

Please email any questions about this survey or plans for the Health & Wellness class this year to Ms. Jones

Celebrating Each Other...

We are fortunate to be part of a school community with families representing many different cultures, faiths, and backgrounds. Our annual "International Day" celebration has been on hiatus for a few years, but we are looking to expand the ways that we honor and celebrate various traditions and cultures here at Peabody. If you are interested in participating, sharing, or learning about more ways to get involved in this community effort, please email one of our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Coordinators:

([email protected] or

[email protected]).

Debate Club

Peabody Debate club will be kicking off the year on Tuesday, September 21! Students in grades 6-8 are eligible to participate in the debate club. Meetings will be held on Tuesdays from 3:30-4:30 pm in person in the Batten building. Middle schoolers will have the opportunity to learn debate and public speaking skills from UVA's Charlottesville Debate League. Each semester we will explore a new form of debate and compete in a district-wide tournament!

More information and registration at this link: https://forms.gle/7TyEFdkifP2Z2Jsz7

Middle School (Grades 5-8) Mid Quarter Reports

Quarter One Mid-Quarter reports will be sent home the week of September 27th for students in grades 5-8. Parents should expect to receive an email from teachers only if their student is currently not meeting expectations (missing or late assignments, poor quiz or test grades, etc.) in a core subject class.