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October 13, 2009
Dear Country Day School Community,
As we near the end of the first quarter of the 2009 – 2010 school year, it is rewarding to report the many fine educational experiences I see here daily occurring with your children. We are particularly happy to witness the enthusiastic work of our teachers. Their dedication and expertise are hallmarks of the Country Day School experience. They continue to report the fulfillment of working with the students, watching their achievements and successful ventures.
Communications:
I trust that you are all receiving news from the different divisions as needed. In the near future, each division will send out a short newsletter at the end of each month. These will also be posted on the website for reference. In order to communicate more often and even more informally in some instances, several of the administrators have created blogs for their divisions. I have done the same, and I will continue for a while sending my posts on the Director’s blog to all of the community – not just subscribers.
Further, we are updating the CDS website with changes designed to provide quick links for your easy access to needed information. We look for this to create easy access for our immediate community.
Facilities:
I recently posted photos on the Director’s blog that highlighted a few of the major projects undertaken last summer on the CDS campus. As you can well imagine, the elementary and early childhood children are thoroughly enjoying the benefits of the artificial turf installed on the playground.
We are also committed to the continual upkeep of our campus. We have a great variety of buildings, of different ages and different sizes, and they represent individual spaces that require our attention on different levels. In the elementary division, a number of renovations were completed over the summer to render better learning areas. We have also been attentive to the needs of the 5th grade classrooms in particular, as these students will be allowed to use laptops in the classrooms. The Elementary Library/Media Center was the recipient of a large infusion of tech equipment this past summer. The children are regularly working on projects 1:1 there, with the great increase in the number of new desktops and laptops now available for their use.
We are installing three additional security gates to protect the ELC children while they are outside playing. In addition to putting up two gates near the entrance of the facility, a large gate is being installed where the chain across the street is now used to cordon off the area. This large gate will be lowered at 8:30 am each day, and will be raised only mid day at pick up time. More information will be sent home by the Early Childhood division shortly on this and how it can affect your entry and exit of the area.
And our attention to the many needs of the campus continues. We will keep you informed on these monthly.
ID Cards
This coming Thursday and Friday ( October 15th and 16th) from 8:00 – 9:00 am, we are holding the last sessions to make ID cards. By “last sessions” we refer to designated times when a staff member can attend to a number of persons at one time. After these, you will need to make an appointment to come and have these completed via Isabel Quiros, CDS Receptionist. The photo ID cards sessions will be held in the small room adjacent to the Middle School Assembly Hall. We urge you to take advantage of this opportunity so that you are not required to present other documentation when you enter the school grounds.
We need your help!
After school activities – We are working on getting our activities teachers to complete their activities on time and to not keep children late. In the same vein, we need for you to pick up your children on time as well. We believe it is unfair to ask staff members to remain well beyond the daily schedule watching children who are not picked up on time. We understand traffic and particular situations, yet we ask that you make this special effort to be here by 4:30 at the latest. Thanks for your attention to this request.
As always, it is my pleasure to work here and to make Country Day School the finest school possible for your children. I welcome your visits and your feedback.
Best regards to all,
Dr. Gloria Doll, Director |
