Indoor Soccer A Blast!

Rain has been tough on the athletic schedules this fall, including on the Hopper-Cricket and Crow-Canary games in the Lower School. The soaked fields forced last week's 9th Age Hopper-Cricket soccer game inside, to the Middle School Gym. The boys played two games simultaneously, and I must admit I found the games to be more exciting than the outdoor versions. Balls were flying around the gym and, because of the walls and center dividing curtain, there was rarely a stoppage in play. The crowd was really into the action, and it was just an action-packed afternoon for all involved. The setting reminded me of watching a Baltimore Blast game! The somewhat fuzzy picture below (taken by my Blackberry) gives you a sense of the environment. I was standing on the bleachers at a point where I could see both games at the same time.

Distance Learning Day on December 4!

On Friday, December 4, we are having a distance learning day for our 6th graders. The students will stay at home that day but will have class with their teachers through a variety of interactive, online technologies. Our hope is that this "test run" will help the School prepare for an unlikely closure because of public health issues and to test technologies that may be of benefit to our teachers and students in the short-term. Our home-schooling division, Calvert Education Services, is partnering with us in this effort. Check back for more details after December 4! The picture below is of a few 6th graders in Mr. Ewen's science class learning some of the technology they will need to use on December 4.

Spotlight on "Pirate" Mike Paul

Eighth Age teacher Mike Paul has been a member of the Calvert School faculty since 1976, making this school year his 34th at Calvert. In fact, Mr. Paul taught me in 9th Age in the 1979-1980 school year! At Graduation in June 2009, he won the Deborah Dorsey Albert Award for outstanding contributions to the life and mission of Calvert School. Mr. Paul and his wife live on a boat in the Baltimore Harbor, and, as you might have discerned from the title of this post, he uses a "pirate" theme in his classroom. In addition to his many wonderful attributes, Mr. Paul is now a published author! His recently released children's book, The Adventures of Tiller and Turnbuckle: Adventure One St. Simon's Island, can be found on amazon.com or in local Baltimore bookstores like The Ivy on Falls Road and Greetings and Readings at Hunt Valley Town Center. On Saturday, Mr. Paul had a book signing event at Greetings and Readings and drew a big crowd of both Calvert and non-Calvert families. The picture below shows Mr. and Mrs. Paul, in their pirate regalia, and some of the Calvert students who were there.

Calvert's Kitchen a Huge Hit!

This evening, we invited Pilot, 6th Age, and 7th Age families to "Calvert's Kitchen," a new event sponsored by the Diversity Council. Families were encouraged to bring a food dish that represented their cultural heritage. We had such a wonderful evening of fellowship and food! Approximately 125 parents, students, siblings, and faculty filled the Lower School cafeteria from 5:30 to 7:00 P.M. The food was so plentiful and delicious! The picture below shows the buffet line. We are planning a similar evening for 8th, 9th, and 10th Age families sometime later this school year.

Conference Day Thoughts and 2010-11 Calendar

The full day of conferences proved, in fact, to be a huge hit for all involved. The atmosphere of the day was significantly different and improved as compared to the old, half-day format. Everyone was focused--yet in a relaxed way--on a day of substantive, meaningful meetings. We are retaining the full day of fall conferences in 2010-11, but we are wrestling with whether to keep the day on the Friday before the AIMS Conference. Some parents took advantage of the four-day weekend to travel, thereby eliminating the possibility of having their conference on the designated day. We may put the Conference Day on the Friday after AIMS Day.

As for the rest of the 2010-11 calendar, we will have the required (by the State) 170 days of school, plus a few extra days scheduled for inclement weather closings. (Not that Calvert EVER closes for snow!). We generally like to "start early and end early," under the philosophy that a day in early September is worth more than a day in early/mid June. By basically rolling over the 2009-10 calendar into 2010-11 (same length of vacations, professional development days, etc.), it looks like we may start on Tuesday, August 31, and finish with Graduation on Friday, June 3. That is not official yet, however. More details to follow!

Quick Scheduling Note

We are closed (for students) on Friday, November 6, for Parent-Teacher Conference Day and on Monday, November 9, for the Association of Independent Maryland Schools (AIMS) Annual Conference. In past years, we closed at 12:15 P.M. for Parent-Teacher conferences. While helpful, the half-day format was really less than a half-day because most conferences did not start until approximately 12:45 or 1:00 P.M., after dismissal had ended and teachers had a chance to get a bite to eat. Under the new, full-day format, most teachers will be able to see all (or almost all) of their students' parents in one day, which is ideal.

The AIMS Conference, at over 2,000 attendees, is actually the second largest independent school conference in the country, trailing only the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Annual Conference.

So, in short, the students get a well-deserved four-day weekend while their teachers are meeting with parents on Friday and colleagues from other schools on Monday!