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Summer 2017
Dear Parents,
I hope your summers are going well! June has been busy here. While administration is working on curriculum, teacher training, and preparation for next year, we are getting some face lifts in the facility. The Grammar School offices and a few classrooms are getting new carpet and paint. The Upper School is getting the same and we are remodeling the room across from the JK classroom as a conference room for multiple uses. These renovations are encouraging to all!
Personally, I have enjoyed extended family time at my niece’s wedding, along with a trip to the beach with my 3 children, their spouses, and 3 grandbabies. Summer always flies by and this is no exception.
We are excited about the 2017-18 school year and anticipating your children’s return. Let me give you updates in several areas:
New Staff
We are thrilled to be welcomingtwo new teachers to our faculty. Mrs. Sheri Fisher will be replacing Mrs. Peckham in the 1stgrade. Mrs. Fisher has a B.S. in elementary education and nineteen(!) years of experience teaching first grade in a classical Christian school in Pennsylvania. She is a mom of 3 children, married to Paul Fisher. Her family moved to Memphis a year ago from Pittsburgh. While Mrs. Peckham is sad to be leavingfirst grade, she is excited to be moving to the 5th grade, replacing Mrs. Dougherty who has returned to practice law.
Mrs. Sarah Dormois, our 5th-6th grade science teacher, will be teaching exclusively in the Upper School next year. Her replacement is Mrs. Brandy Miller. Mrs. Miller graduated from Samford University with a B.S. in Science Education/Biology and a B.A. in Spanish. She also has a Masters of Divinity from Princeton, specializing in the integration of science and theology. Her teaching experience includes 3 years of teaching middle school math and science, as well as teaching/discipling ministries with both moms and children. Her husband is pastor of Woodland Presbyterian Church. As she is a busy mom of 4, she will be teaching part-time.Both of these ladies are giftedteachers who love the Lord and love children. What welcome additions they will be!
We were sad to say goodbye to two of our K and JK aides, Mrs. Tasha Simmons and Mrs. Sarah Kimbro. We will be doing some rearranging of our remaining aides for next year. We are excited about the addition of a separate first grade WEE on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Mrs. Liz Nelms will be teaching that section of WEE.
Curriculum and Teacher Training news:
Our teachers are eager for professional development and we are intentional in pursuing training for them to hone their skills and effectiveness. As language development is a major emphasis in grammar school, we will be transitioning in a couple of areas of the language arts curriculum next year. We are still in search of the perfect fit for grammar that is developmentally appropriate and interesting to grammar stage students. The third and fourth grade teachers have chosen a grammar curriculum from Rod and Staff publishers. In the area of writing, we have discovered a recently published program that follows the steps of the classical “progymnasmata,” the Greek word for “pre-exercises” of rhetoric. The program is called Writing in Rhetoric. Next year our entire faculty development focus will be on rhetoric and this will tie in perfectly with that emphasis.
We are especially excited about a new reading program from an organization called Neuhaus Education Center. A week-long teacher training will take place in July. This program is intentional in teaching reading from an explicit, multisensory, phonetic, and integrated approach. It has been proven to be successful in teaching and reinforcing necessary reading skills for both strong and struggling readers. This summerour teacher training will focus on reading readiness for JK/K and reading instruction in 1st-3rd grade. Next summer we plan tofollow up with Neuhaus training in literacy strategies and comprehension for 4th-6th grade. The curriculum also includes a spelling component and a handwriting component that will integrate and transition well from our previous curriculum. Our kindergarten teachers attended a Handwriting without Tears workshop in late April, which we were already using in JK. We will apply those methods as needed in later grades.
In June about 20 of our faculty and staff, along with 9 of our board members attended the Society for Classical Learning conference in Dallas, Texas. It was a profitable time for all, both in professional development and in great fellowship as Christian and classical educators. We are all lifelong learners and are grateful for the opportunities we have for professional growth.
Carpool:
There are no changes for this year, but just a reminder. Please do not drop students off in the back parking lot corner by the fire hydrant. There is no supervision there. For safety purposes as well as traffic flow, students should only be dropped off at designated places in the mornings. Also, please remember that late students should not be dropped off at the door. Rather, we need parents to park and walk in with the students to ensure safe arrival to the classroom. We are grateful for God’s protection over these years, but we want to continue to be vigilant in holding to some strict practices here for safety’s sake.
Class Lists:
Just a reminder that, to ensure our students’safety, these will not be posted online, but will come to you in an e-mail.
Supply Lists:
All supplies on the list may be purchased through ClassBundl (with the exception of beach towels for those in WEE. If a seat sack is needed, Terri White will have them on Meet the Teacher Day. We have posted supply lists online for those who do not want to use ClassBundl.
Meet the Teacher Day- Monday, August 14
We are trying to simplify this day for you in Grammar School. Parents and students will go directly to the classroom to put away supplies and get organized. There will be no need to go to the cafeteria. As in previous years, we ask that you make other arrangements for preschool siblings on this day so that you and your student can focus on the details of a new year and get oriented to a new classroom. You will get more details about the morning from your classroom teacher.
I have loved being back in the Grammar School office this year and had a great year under Mr. Janikowsky’s leadership! It has been a pleasure to meet with many of you this year, hearing positive feedback, personal concerns, and constructive criticism. Your honest input is invaluable as we continue to examine what we do and how we do it. I continue to be grateful for you as faithful parents and supporters of our school. The Westminster Parent Association (WPA) has been a great blessing to the teachers and the school this year, orchestrating Teacher Appreciation Week, Game Night, and Grammar School field day, just to name a few events. Our parents work so diligently and faithfully behind the scenes to support and encourage our faculty, staff, students, and community. It is a privilege and a joy to partner with youall. May God give continue to give us all grace, wisdom, and energy for the journey!
Soli Deo Gloria,
Debbie Frazier
Head of Grammar School