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IN THIS ISSUE:
message from the board / 22-23 school year calendar / giving gala news / program spotlight / pick up reminders / no school friday / summer camps / yearbook baby pictures / snapshots / health screening reminders / events
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Dear Gardner School Community,
Happy March! I had the good fortune to visit the Gardner School soon after mask restrictions were relaxed, and it was pure joy to see all the students’ smiling faces. Those faces were inspiring and joyful–reminding me of the resilience we have built these past two years.
In our most recent Board of Trustees meeting, we celebrated a major milestone in Gardner’s evolution: on Friday, March 4, Head of School Emily Davis submitted our candidacy application for accreditation to the Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS). The accreditation process will allow us to reflect on our practices, compile a comprehensive self-study, and identify ways to implement initiatives that further our Gardner’s mission and values. In late March, we will be visited by leaders at NWAIS, and from there we will learn more about the process to become a fully accredited school. Much work has gone into the process to get here, and current and past Boards and Heads of School have laid the important groundwork for this new phase of our evolution.
We also are thrilled to join you on April 23 for the Gardner Gala: Beneath the Stars. There will be constellations of celebration and support for Gardner during this evening event, and we can’t wait to connect with you in person. If you would like to be a sponsor for this event, make sure to click the link on our event page or email auctionsponsor@gardnerschool.org. Many thanks to our Development Chair, Anamaria Bambaren Call, Head of School, Emily Davis, and our Development Committee for all they are doing to make this event shine as brightly as the north star.
Our Board of Trustees is actively recruiting for its committees and for trustees for the 2022-23 school year. If you would like to give back to this community in ways that are inspiring and fulfilling, and if you like to work alongside dedicated and generous people who love the Gardner School, consider joining us. You’ll have an opportunity to support this incredible school, and in return, you’ll gain a deep understanding about how nonprofit organizations and independent school boards work; receive skills and organizational tools for effective agenda design and meeting facilitation; develop leadership skills and habits that are transferable to your jobs; and work with people from a range of professions and backgrounds, people you may not get to meet in your current roles. Please email Head of School, Emily Davis (edavis@gardnerschool.org) and Board Chair, Lori Cohen (boardchair@gardnerschool.org). We’d love for you to take part in keeping Gardner a special place where every child knows they belong.
Thank you,
Lori Cohen, Board Chair
Anamaria Bambaren Call, Vice Chair
Paula Savage, Secretary
Aaron Christian, Treasurer
Kevin Fischer, Trustee
Denise Case, Trustee
Saumya Kumar, Trustee
Brynnen Guthrie, Trustee
Juna Kim McDaid, Trustee
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We can't wait for this unique evening with our community to have fun together and raise vital funds for our school. We're excited to see that many parents, grandparents, and community members have already signed up to attend on April 23rd at 6:30pm. Check out www.gardnergala.org for more information to register to join us!
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Program Spotlight
Cultural Connections
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Our students benefit from learning about other cultures, and during this Winter Thematic, classrooms have been connecting with art, music, and stories from around the globe.
In Loowit, parent Jess Marcello came to share with students about how her family celebrates Losar, the Tibetan New Year. Jess told us about Buddha and some of the history surrounding Losar, teaching students about mandalas and leading them through creating their own based on the elements, colors, and emotions associated with them.
Our Spanish classrooms have been learning about cultures from Latin America, including the Mayans and the Incans. Classrooms learned about the Lunar New Year earlier this winter, connecting the stories with the art form of calligraphy in this example from Mazama.
The Ora Nui Tahitian dancers have brought a rich experience to our Wy'East students by teaching them about dance, and teaching our students a special hula to share at the Wy'East Celebration of Learning.
Examples like these show the special connection our students get to expert guest speakers, intersecting our experiential learning approach with our commitment to preparing our students to be kind, curious, and open world citizens.
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Pick Up Routine Reminders
Early Childhood Families
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Our Tumtum and Mazama parents are invited into the Imagination Playground to pick up their children!
This gives you time to say hello to other parents, get a quick update on your child's day from the teachers, and to collect all the creative projects coming home with the kids. Parents do need to exit with their children by 3:15 (or 1:15 on Wednesdays) when After Care begins to help with a calm transition for all!
All parents need to park, walk all the way into the Imagination Playground, and sign their child out with their teacher. No child will be brought to the gate or out to the parking lot by the staff, as they are needed to supervise the group of children playing at this time.
Note: Do you pick up your younger child at the same time you pick up an older child? Please park, walk into the Imagination Playground to sign out your younger child, and then connect with the K-6 teacher to pick up your older child.
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Pick Up Routine Reminders
Kindergarten- 6th Grade
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Option 1: From the entrance road, parents should drive into the left lane (alongside the garden) if they're driving through for pick up. For safety reasons, only choose this option if your child can load themselves safely and independently from the passenger side of your car. Teachers will supervise your child as they get from the class group to their car, but are not available to walk your child to the car. This is the green option on the picture.
Option 2: From the entrance road, parents parking for pick up should park head-in to the parking spots alongside the field. You can also park and walk in from our staff parking lot or pull into the spots directly across from the swingsets if space is needed. Please do not park in the spots where through traffic would be impeded alongside the garden from the main entrance. Walk over to the class group, getting within the area by the swing sets or onto the blacktop play area to connect directly with your child's teacher to release your student. You are welcome on campus to chat with other parents and teachers! The yellow lines show where to park, and the blue area is where parents should come to pick up their child.
Note: Do you have a child to pick up from the Imagination Playground at the same time you pick up an older child? Please park, walk into the Imagination Playground to sign out your younger child, and then connect with the K-6 teacher.
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Missing something?
Don't forget to check the Online Lost and Found page!
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This Friday 3/25
Teacher In-Service Day, No School
Our teachers will be busy preparing for Celebrations of Learning, designing curriculum, assessing projects, and more! Enjoy the long weekend!
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Summer Camps
Registration is Under Way!
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We're excited to be able to offer so many exciting camps, run by our wonderful staff. Camps have been popular, and are starting to fill up! Make sure to get your registration in before Monday, 3/28 to secure your spot. Remember, please pay your invoice upon receipt to finalize registration.
More information can be found on our website here, including the full schedule of classes, cancellation policy, and more. You can download a PDF of our class offerings here.
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Baby Pictures for the Yearbook
Deadline is Friday, April 1st!
It's that time again! If you would like to submit a digital baby photo for the yearbook's "Guess Who?" section this year, please send it to Jared Renfro at jrenfro@gardnerschool.org by Spring Break. |
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Campus snapshots
Math Olympics in Loowit, scaling trees in the wetlands, making masks of one another in Klickitat. It's been another rich week of learning at the Gardner School!
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Symptoms still need to be reported to health@gardnerschool.org, and children cleared, to return to school.
1. In the last 72 hours, has your child had one or more of the following symptoms: fever > 100.4 F, cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, chills, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea and/or vomiting, diarrhea, or loss of smell/taste?
2. Has your child been in close contact with anyone with confirmed COVID-19 or has a public health or medical professional told your child to self isolate or self-quarantine because of concerns about COVID-19 infection?
3. If any of the answers to these questions are yes, have you emailed health@gardnerschool.org and been cleared to be on campus? If not, please remain off campus until cleared.
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Upcoming Events
Friday, 3/25
No School, Teacher In-Service Day
Tuesday, 3/22- Thursday, 3/31
Winter Thematic Celebrations of Learning
Your children are ready to share their work with you at our Winter Celebrations of Learning! Stay tuned to the classroom newsletters for more details.
3/22 and 3/23 at 9:00 am- Tumtum Celebration of Learning
3/22 at 2:30 pm- Klickitat Celebration of Learning
3/29 at 2:00 pm- Mazama Celebration of Learning
3/29 at 3:00 pm- Loowit Celebration of Learning
3/30 at 1:00 pm- Kalama Celebration of Learning
3/31 at 9:00 am- Wy'East Celebration of Learning
3/31 at 3:00 pm- Pahto Celebration of Learning
Monday, 4/4- Friday, 4/8
Spring Break, No School
Monday, 4/11
No School, Teacher In-Service Day
Saturday, 4/23
2022 Giving Gala
Mark your calendars for a delightful event at the Gardner School's campus for our parents, grandparents, alumni families, and community supporters. The evenings program will begin at 6:30pm and include special open-choice activity sessions run by Gardner School teachers, an art auction and paddle raise, as well as delicious appetizers, drinks, and dessert. We can't wait to bring together our community again on our beautiful campus!
To see and subscribe to our calendar of events, click below!
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