April 5, 2024

Dear Lower School Families,

Solar Eclipse on Monday

The solar eclipse will be taking place this upcoming Monday, April 8. As you read in our Head of School’s letter on Wednesday, Academy will have a half day of school with all students dismissed at noon. Please click here for details about where you can join Academy’s science department and other families for the viewing party at a Dublin park within the path of totality.

Placement Information for Next Year

Our faculty will soon begin creating class lists for the 2024-25 school year. The process incorporates many factors and requires significant time and attention to detail. Once the classroom teachers have created the class lists, Vanessa Taglia, Brelle Farrenkopf and I will add a faculty member to each section. The school welcomes your input. Please complete this short form to help us in this process. The school does not accept requests for specific teachers. If you have multiple children in the Lower School, you will need to complete a separate form for each child. If you choose to complete the online form, the deadline is Friday, April 12. Submissions received after April 12 cannot be considered for placement purposes.

Lower School Art Show

Come “Into the Garden” and experience a look into our lower school spring artwork on April 17 from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at an open-house-style art exhibit, where we welcome families to see what our artists have created this spring. A staggered start will help move families through the exhibits quickly and allow every family to see their artist’s spring art project, tour the art studio, meet lower school art teacher Kerry Abraham and step into the garden to view our new ceramic garden installation. You will also be welcome to visit the Senior Art Show the same evening in the Morris Hall Art Gallery. We look forward to seeing you there!



• Explorers, PreK, Kindergarten and Grade 1 families can come explore the art starting at 4:00 p.m.
• Grade 2-3 families are welcome to arrive around 5:00 p.m.
• Grade 4-5 families are welcome to arrive around 6:00 p.m.
• The event will continue until 7:00 p.m.

Lower School Parent Podcast Discussion Group

Our planned meeting on Tuesday evening was postponed due to the inclement weather. Our rescheduled date and time is Wednesday, April 24, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the Trustees’ Room in Academy Hall. For our first podcast discussion, we will discuss an episode from the podcast Flusterclux entitled “Parenting Phrases We Love to Use All The Time.” It is just 45 minutes long and can be found using this link. Lynn Lyons is the podcast host, and she spoke here at Academy this winter. She also recently held a virtual book club meeting for Academy parents. Please register using this link. Light snacks will be provided.

LS Spirit Week & Show-Your-Kindness Week Are Later This Month

Parenting Article

This week’s article is from The New York Times and is entitled “This Parenting Book Actually Made Me a Better Parent.” It can be read by following this link. We discussed this book in our Parent Book Club a few years ago, and it is an excellent parenting resource.

Rising Grade-Level Meetings for Parents & Guardians

Rising Grade-Level Meetings for Parents and Guardians begin next week. Parents and guardians can learn about the programs for their children in the grades they will be enrolled in next year. These will be on the fireside of our dining hall. Each grade level will have two homeroom teachers share details about the year ahead and highlights and expectations. There will also be time for questions. Please see the schedule below.

Celebration of Accomplishments

This celebratory event will be held on Tuesday, May 28. This is a time for you to meet with classroom teachers to hear from your children their perspectives on their various accomplishments and growth throughout the school year. This is a time to celebrate and reflect on all the wonderful achievements that they have made. There will be no school for students on May 28. A signup schedule for parents will be sent on May 1. Please note that it is not possible to make up this conference, and it will only be offered on May 28.

Upcoming Events

• April 8: Solar Eclipse – noon dismissal for all students
• April 9: Rising Grade 5 Parent Coffee (8:15 a.m.)
• April 10: CASE Registration for 2024-25 Opens
• April 11: Grade 4 Changemakers Fair (8:30 a.m.)
• April 16: Rising Grade 3 Parent Coffee (8:15 a.m.)
• April 17: Lower School Art Show
• April 18: All Day 4 CA (more details to come)
• April 18: Rising Grade 2 Parent Coffee (8:15 a.m.)
• April 22: Professional Development Day – no school for students
• April 22-26: LS Spirit Week (more details to come)
• April 24: Parent Podcast Club (6:30-7:30 p.m.)
• April 25: Rising Grade 1 Parent Coffee (8:15 a.m.)
• April 30: Rising Kindergarten Parent Coffee (8:15 a.m.)
• May 1: Grade 3 Concert (8:15 a.m.)
• May 2: Rising PreK Parent Coffee (8:15 a.m.)
• May 2-3: Fifth Grade Cuyahoga Overnight Trip
• May 7: Rising Grade 4 Parent Coffee (8:15 a.m.)
• May 9: Rising Explorer Parent Coffee (8:15 a.m.)
• May 6-10: LS ERB Standardized Test Week (Grades 3-5)
• May 10: PreK Music Performance (8:15 a.m.)
• May 24: Grade 5 Shakespeare Day
• May 28: Celebration of Accomplishments – no school for students
• May 30: Lower School Closing Program (2:00 p.m.)
• May 30: Lower School Carnival (following Closing Program)
• May 31: Grade 5 Celebration (9:00 a.m.)

Warm Regards,

Mark L. Hansen

Head of Lower School