Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Dear Families in the Middle,

We hope you're taking a few minutes to check out our NEW Communication Tool, composed each week by STUDENTS! Please click on the House Communication Tab at the top of the Middle Musings Blog. You'll also find a link to the blog on our Middle School website - top left corner.

Our House Communication Student Leaders (there are 28 of them!) would really appreciate your feedback. Please take time to comment or send us an e-mail to ask questions, offer suggestions, or tell us what you like about the communication. Thank you for taking the time to support student learning in this way!

One of my sisters recently sent me a description she said prompted her to think of me...and most likely many other parents! Someone she knows described parenting children as "Long hours, short years." She commented, "So true and bittersweet!" As I reflected on the description, I thought about how fitting it is for particularly these middle years. Staying up late to listen to them talk about homework or a conflict with a friend, racing from work to the rink, dance studio, gym, or piano teacher for activities, keeping them in shoes and clothes that fit, glasses and braces, taking them to the doctor for a broken bone or stitches, finding time for a meal with the family, helping a neighbor, visiting grandparents...and then suddenly, you realize the house is quiet.

As challenging and difficult as these long hours may be, we know the years pass quickly. We are enjoying being a part of your son's and daughter's lives during these "long hours" and "short years." While they try on variations of identity and explore their limits, their humor, insight and energy inspire us.

Warmly,
Mrs. Ann Mitchell

4 comments:

  1. I enjoyed the "Long hours, short years" quote as well...it's very accurate about life with any child. This quote helps us to remember what is most important during that time, and to me, it's the quality of interactions we have as we spend time with each and every child. Time is the one of the greatest gifts!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I don't know if this is the proper place to comment on the new House Communications pages; it it's not, I hope my comment will be sent to whoever created and runs this feature.

    What is there NOT to like about these pages? Parents get a nice look into the academic life of their children, via the perceptions of their children. The "Ask your student questions" part is a wonderful way to become an active and focused part of your children's education. I particularly enjoy seeing photos of the teachers. This let's us interact with an entity that has a face. Ever since the new parent's night system was introduced, parents don't have an opportunity to talk with each of their children's teachers. It's good to see the faces of those involved in the teaching and learning process. So thank for this innovative and helpful idea. I hope other schools offer similar opportunities for parents of their students.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think it would be nice to add a small bio for each teacher so we can see where they studied, where they've been since then, and what they've done.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lovely tool! Great information that allows me to ask my son about what is going on in his day. Thanks for getting this going!

    ReplyDelete