LOWER SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS

Upper School Director Jen Munnerlyn

What a year! As a Lower School, we were able to work together and in partnership with students and families to offer an in-person learning experience.

Our success was unique in the world. Many schools were unable to provide a learning program, let alone After-School-Activities, for the entire year. This success was due to a staff that followed safety guidelines and made sure students did the same.

In addition, parental support of our systems was vital. Our students benefited academically and, maybe more importantly, socially and emotionally by having in-person contact this year. We started the year hoping to make it two whole weeks and not feeling sure if the youngest students could follow the procedures. In the end, even our three-year-old Lancers wore their masks every day, all day! ASM

STEM Learning!

The Lower School teachers completed a three-year development cycle to ensure all grades were teaching STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) units. As a result, students love the hands-on, challenging curriculum and teachers feel more comfortable teaching STEM subjects. Future work involves the continued design of projectbased learning opportunities and the development of a “makers” culture in the Lower School and ASM.

Two Lower School Counselors!

With a second counselor in the Lower School, our ability to offer a social-emotional curriculum to all students became a reality this year. Our two counselors, Dr. Angela Tang and Melissa Marsh, taught classroombased lessons to all students, offered small-group sessions on topics such as friendship and acceptance, supported students (and families) with one-to-one sessions, and participated in team meetings throughout the year. As a result, students know our counselors and also feel that they have a support system of caring adults always ready to help them at ASM.

Due to Covid density requirements, our Specials and Spanish teachers relinquished their classroom spaces so that the fourth section in grades 1-5 could be realized. While this undertaking wasn’t always easy, the fact that these teachers found a way to continue to offer these unique programs is important to note. Teaching in students’ homerooms provided the required safety protocols. One hidden benefit to this work was the new collaboration between teachers as spaces and students were shared. In 2021-22, the Specialist team, in particular, is interested in developing a more transdisciplinary approach ensuring connections between subjects can be included in the curriculum.

Teacher Teaming, Collaboration, and Culture Work

Knowing that high-quality schools offer equitable access to learning opportunities to all students, the Lower School staff worked to further develop our teams and collaborative structures. A fourth teacher in grades 1-5, a second Specialist in Art and Music, and a second counselor all contributed to the need to focus on team goals. As part of our process, teaching teams created purpose statements and operational norms. This work will continue next year as new team members arrive and as we move forward with vertical collaboration and whole-division culture work.

Mutual-Respect and Anti-Bullying Agreement

With the start of school in early September, parents, students, and staff were introduced to the Lower School Mutual-Respect and Anti-Bullying Agreement. Not only did this agreement outline definitions for bullying in all contexts: physical, sexual, social, and cyber, it also clearly detailed the actions the school staff would take if bullying and harassment were reported. All students and parents signed the agreement. The commitment of all school stakeholders to recognize and stand up to bullying and harassment is something to celebrate. Unfortunately, schools cannot be “bully-free.” However, with this work, we have clearly outlined our expectations and how we will respond. MORE LOWER SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS

Not only did all of our students and staff work with an outside consultant to imagine our new playground, but we also worked together to improve the play offering in our current space.

For students in grades 1-5, the Lower Field transformed into a meaningful “play landscape” as we developed clear zones for play. These included a kitchen zone, a building zone, an art zone, a small-world toy zone, a ball zone, and a dance zone with a boombox on which students could control and select music. The Lower School Director introduced zones through short, informative videos. The staff recognized and promoted to students that developing a better play offering was one of our highest priorities. The Early Childhood Playground also added zones and materials, mirroring what was happening on the Lower Field.

Wanting to do the work as collaborative as possible, students were also part of the design process as they routinely offered suggestions for new zones. Finally, the grade 5 students took responsibility for cleaning up our new areas and keeping the multipurpose field usable for everyone at ASM.

The research on the benefits of play is well documented. Play is how children put the skills we are teaching into practice. It is how they make sense of the world. Therefore, providing a high-quality play environment is essential to our program at ASM. The fact that the entire Lower School community contributed to this work, a celebration.

Of course, everyone is excited for work to commence on our new ASM Play Landscape!

6-Day Schedule for Grades 1-5 and MORE Art and Music Education!

Even with the limitations presented by

Covid and the need for teachers to travel to classrooms to teach, our students’ art and music development flourished this year.

The main reason for this is that in 202021 students received almost double the amount of music and art classes than they had received in previous years. For example, students used to have one music and one art class in 5 days. This year, our staff offered students two classes of art and two classes of music in a 6-day rotation. This change allows for a more developed curriculum in the Arts and ensures that students at ASM are receiving a well-rounded education in the Lower School. In addition, the ability to cover more content and offer children a deeper understanding of the Arts will allow that interest and enthusiasm to lead into the

Middle and High School years, expanding the Arts program throughout ASM.