Happy Holidays!

It has been quite a week of activity on campus! On Monday, I hosted the 8th Annual Head Master's Inn in my office, which is our equivalent of a holiday party for employees. During the course of the day, close to 100 employees stopped by my office for fellowship, food, and cheer. The Middle School held a day of holiday festivities last Friday (December 9) before returning to exam review on Monday and Tuesday and then three days of exams to conclude the week and the calendar year. The Middle School students can now head into winter break with exams behind them. Their teachers, however, have some grading to do! On the Lower School side of campus, I remained very impressed with the focus of the students during the course of the week. Monday through Wednesday were essentially normal days, with some class parties beginning yesterday. Today, the Lower Schoolers are dressed in red and green holiday attire, and they will gather for a sing-a-long later this morning before heading home at 12:15 P.M. for a two-week vacation. School resumes on Tuesday, January 3. Best wishes to my readers for a joyous, safe, and blessed holiday season! This will likely be my final posting until 2012, so let me also wish everyone a Happy New Year!

Back in Philly at Grad School

The title of this post is technically correct, but it is slightly misleading. Yes, I was back at the University of Pennsylvania on Saturday, but this time it was as a teacher, not as a student. I must admit that it felt odd driving into West Philadelphia and onto campus. Did I owe any work? Were there any dissertation revisions to do? Alas, those fears were unfounded; my diploma was still valid! I was asked to present a case study to the third-year students in the program I completed in 2010--the Mid-Career Doctorate in Educational Leadership at the Penn Graduate School of Education (GSE). The class was called "Advanced Issues in Educational Leadership." I decided to discuss Calvert's one-to-one laptop program for Middle School students, which has been in place since 1999. Our technology committee has been reviewing the program for a year, and we are considering some alterations in the future. The class and I discussed successes, challenges, options, curriculum, vision, leadership, hardware, "apps," and communication. I found the 90 minutes to be very beneficial, as I gained valuable insights from over twenty sets of experienced and intelligent "fresh eyes." Yes, truth be told, on the way out of town, I did stop at Sarcone's Bakery in South Philly for a loaf of their incredibly delicious Italian bread. Without exaggeration, it is the best bread in the world!

Steve Broy Tree Dedication

This afternoon, we held a tree dedication in memory of faculty member Steve Broy, who died suddenly last winter. The tree and accompanying plaque are located on the "island" of grass just below the Middle School parking lot. The idea for the tree came directly from the members of the Class of 2011. My comments at the dedication are below.

Welcome everyone on this Sunday afternoon to this tree dedication ceremony here at Calvert School in memory of our beloved friend, colleague, and teacher Steve Broy, whose life was taken far too suddenly and far too short last winter. The turnout here is a testament to the power and influence Steve had over so many people—from all ages and all walks of life. And the fact that this event immediately precedes a Ravens young alumni event is perfect because of Steve’s affinity of sports. I am sure he is smiling down on as us and very happy that we are together and about to stay and see a game.

To be very honest, I am just getting to grips with the fact that Steve is not coming back. For months, I expected to see him in the gym, to bump into him in the hallway, or to see him in the Atrium having lunch. Although we do not have Steve with us anymore in body, we do have him in spirit, and we do have his memory and his legacy. And that legacy was of a man who valued simplicity and I say that in the most complimentary way. Steve knew what was important, and he focused on those things. First and foremost, he was a great father, husband, son, and brother. Family meant everything to him and guided his actions and words. He always bragged about his wonderful daughters and told the latest stories and showed the latest pictures. Second, Steve loved his students. He was so happy teaching at Calvert and forged genuine, meaningful relationships with his advisees, players, and students. And finally, Steve loved sports. He valued teamwork, competitiveness, effort, and physical fitness. Those three things—family, students, and sports—made Steve who he was, and I think we can all learn from that—to do a few things—a few very important things—very very well and to do them with joy, passion, and love.

Considering Calvert?

If you are, in fact, considering Calvert as a school for your child, I strongly encourage you to contact the Admission Office at 410-243-6054 x. 148. Our evaluation slots are rapidly filling up as we approach the application deadline of Friday, January 13, so I advise "not waiting" if you are thinking of us as a possible school for your son or daughter. This morning, we held our third "Considering Calvert" admission event of the season, and approximately 70 prospective parents attended. Our 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Admission Ambassadors continued to do a wonderful job speaking about their Calvert experiences and helping to tour the families around the campus. In my brief opening comments, I stressed Calvert's pre-K to 8th grade structure (affording our Middle School students greater leadership opportunities, among other advantages); the rigorous, challenging academic program; and the caring, nurturing community. In addition, I touched on "value" (our "bundled" tuition includes books, field trips, snack, and lunch, with no additional fees) and "values"--our four character "pillars" of respect, honor, compassion, and responsibility. Manning one of the tour stops, I had the chance to talk about extracurricular activities, interscholastic sports, fine and performing arts, clubs, as well as Calvert's "best of both worlds" gender approach that includes strong single-sex elements within an overall coeducational framework. Many thanks to the prospective parents for their time and interest!

Toy Drive

I hope that my readers had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Last Wednesday morning, we enjoyed a terrific Grandparents' Day (highlighted by the 10th Age Plays and the Pilot/6th Age Pilgrims and Native Americans "show") before recessing for Thanksgiving break. This week, Calvert will participate in a Community Outreach Toy Drive. We will collect new and gently used toys to donate to our outreach partners--The Hampden Family Center and Paul's Place--as well as other local organizations that serve the less fortunate. If Calvert parents would like to participate in this all-school drive, please have your son or daughter bring in a donation any day this week. Gifts should be wrapped and marked with a tag denoting the age, gender, and if the gift is new or gently used. We will provide gift tags for the students. Thank you in advance for your support!

Hopper-Cricket Football

The 10th Age held its annual Hopper-Cricket flag football game on Friday afternoon on the Middle School's Krongard Field. It was exciting for these Lower School boys to play on the "big" football field. PE teacher Brett Porter and our Grounds crew did a great job dividing the full field into three width-wise smaller fields. Thus, we had three action-packed games going on simultaneously, allowing all the boys to play the entire time. Several members of the Middle School football team gave up their club period to help referee the games, which was very thoughtful. As some of my readers know, we divide the Lower Schoolers into Hopper and Crickets (boys) and Crow and Canaries (girls). Throughout the year and on Track and Field Day, there are athletic competitions with the winning teams for the year being announced during the last week of school at our Lower School Awards Assembly.

Amazing Sunrise

Being a campus resident, I have the unique opportunity to see Calvert's beautiful fifteen acres at all times of day. This morning at approximately 6:45 A.M., while walking my faithful watchdog, Percy, I caught sight of a stunning reddish-orange sunrise over the Middle School. The picture below, taken with my BlackBerry, does not do the scene justice, but hopefully you can "get the picture" (pun intended).

Football Team Wins Final Game

The Middle School football team won its final game of the season this afternoon, beating a tough Friends School opponent by a score of 34-16. Both teams played hard until the final whistle as the sunlight faded behind the trees at Friends. Four different players scored for Calvert, including a 6th grade running back who scampered around the left end to reach the end zone on the game's final play. I heartily commend the team members and wish them good luck in their winter sports. Congrats and thanks are also extended to coaches Bennett, Mascuch, Murphy, and Hagel. The future looks bright for the football team, as just four players are currently in the 8th grade. Below, please enjoy three pictures: the whole team after the game, the four 8th graders with Head Coach Bennett, and a bonus picture of Assistant Head Master David Clapp in festive attire during a football and soccer "tailgate" last week at Calvert!

Important Date Reminders

I want to remind my readers about two important upcoming dates. First, on Thursday, we have the second "Considering Calvert Day" for prospective parents. I urge any families interested in Calvert to attend this informative, interactive session from 9:00 to 11:00 A.M. If you cannot attend on Thursday, please come to our final Considering Calvert Day of the year, on Friday, December 2. Second, I wish to remind current parents that school will be closed this Friday, November 11, that we can devote a full, uninterrupted day to Parent-Teacher Conferences. We believe strongly in the partnership with our parents, and we recommend that all parents sign up to visit with their child's teacher(s). This year, sign-ups are being handled online via the PCR Parent Portal, which has greatly streamlined the scheduling process. I look forward to seeing our current parents on Friday!

Hoop It Up!

I have coached 5th grade intramural basketball for the last five years. This afternoon, we had an unusually small group who wanted to play, and I was forced to come out of basketball retirement to "hoop it ip" with the students. For a solid 45 minutes, we played full court 3 on 3. Mind you, we were not playing "walk it up the court and look for the backdoor" Princeton (my college alma mater) style basketball. Rather, we passed and dribbled the ball at a breakneck pace similar to the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers! I must admit it felt very good to run up and down the court with the kids. I loved basketball growing up and played competitively through high school. As you know, however, there is a difference in the impact on your body between jogging (which I do fairly regularly) and sprinting (which I rarely do), so now, at 10:00 PM, the soreness is setting in. If you see me walking gingerly around campus on Wednesday, you will know why!

Pumpkins!

As part of our Middle School Spirit Week, we had a pumpkin carving contest, with each 7th grade advisory submitting a pumpkin to be judged. Some of the creations were excellent! Below you will find a witch (Madame Bofill-Polsky's advisory), Mike Wazowski from Monster's, Inc. (Mrs. Finnegan), a scary "smokin'" pumpkin (courtesy of Mr. Doss and his boys' fog machine), and the award-winning, first-place cheeseburger pumpkin from Senora Sachar's advisory! Friday is costume day. Any guesses as to my costume?

Book Recommendation

I highly recommend The Death and Life of the Great American School System by Diane Ravitch. It is one of the very best books on education I have ever read. Dr. Ravitch covers historical topics; reviews testing, accountability, and school choice in detail; and offers a compelling vision for what public education should look like in our country. Multiple case studies reinforce her key assertions. I am not going into any more detail because I want you to read the book! I have the exciting task of introducing Dr. Ravitch and presiding during her speech next Monday at the Association of Independent Maryland Schools Annual Conference, so I read the book to gain a greater understanding of her mindset and beliefs. If Dr. Ravitch's speech is half as good as her book, it will be outstanding!

Community Building

We have had multiple excellent and very well-attended "community building" events over the past several days: Fall Family Outreach Day (90 people), Race for the Cure (98 members on Team Calvert, which is a new record for us!), Lower School Calvert-in-Action Day this morning (50 parents) , and a "Fostering Resiliency in Children" Parent Workshop this evening (50 parents) led by our counselors, Tracy Hannah and Terri Merwin. Moreover, we hosted both a girls' soccer game and a 6th grade boys' flag football game on campus this afternoon. If you blink, you will miss a great deal of activity here at Calvert!

A Big Wellness Week Ahead!

We have a full seven days of wellness and outreach activities on and off campus, starting with our second annual Fall Family Community Outreach Day on Saturday, 10/22. During Outreach Day, Calvert families will beautify campus, clean up Stony Run, and make casseroles for Baltimore's neediest citizens. On Sunday, the Calvert School Race for the Cure Team--which is over 70 strong as of now--will run to support a cure for breast cancer. The Fall Food Drive will take place from Monday, 10/24, through Friday, 10/28. This year, we are collecting fresh foods for the first time, which will provide families from area city schools access to healthy food and produce. Great foods to contribute would be russet and sweet potatoes, squashes such as butternut, acorn and spaghetti, and root vegetables such as radishes, parsnips, turnips and beets. Other items needed include green beans, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, apples, and oranges. Moreover, on 10/24, Lower School classes will plant 50 trays of seeds in a collaborative effort with Real Food Farms and Constellation Energy. A few weeks after, some Middle School students will plant the mature seedlings in the ground at Real Food Farms, and then in a few months, students (and families if needed) will harvest the plants and sell at a farm stand. Many thanks to Calvert teachers Mollie Williams, Jennifer Yapsuga, Larisa Kamp, Erin Strom, and Jennifer Armstrong for overseeing the aforementioned activities! It should be a terrific, worthwhile week for students, faculty and staff, and families.

Ted Lord '89 Stresses Values

Ted Lord '89 spoke this morning at our Middle School assembly. After Calvert, Dr. Lord attended Gilman, the University of North Carolina, and then Harvard Medical School. He spoke about how Calvert teachers paid attention to him and stressed citizenship as well as academics. Dr. Lord told a story about how he did not receive a seal for citizenship one month because he had been unkind to a classmate. This lesson stuck with him, and he never missed another citizenship seal during his Calvert years. Dr. Lord discussed his extensive travels through Africa; the landscape, people, languages, and poverty all made a significant impact on him and his worldview. He also recounted his experience teaching English in Kazakhstan! Now, Dr. Lord serves as an anesthesiologist in Boston. In closing, Dr. Lord explained that there is no such thing as a self-made man. He has relied on his family and friends for support, and he urged the students to thank their parents for all their love and guidance. Thank you, Dr. Lord, for a wonderful assembly!

Another Friday in the Middle School

As on September 16, I found myself in the Middle School on a Friday afternoon amidst a rare stretch of unscheduled time. Here is what I saw as I walked around: 8th grade Spanish class using "Word Champ" software to study gender, tenses, and capitalization (1:15 PM), 7th grade American history class, with laptops out, working on an outline for an essay about the colonies (1:17), two teachers planning for a field trip (1:19), 8th grade Latin class conjugating verbs (1:23), a teacher preparing her "blast" email for the week (1:25), 7th grade English class, with laptops out, working on a character sketch essay (1:30), and a 5th grade PE class playing soccer outside in the brilliant sun (1:35). A few hours later, the 6th grade would return from five days and four nights at the Echo Hill Outdoor School (located in Worton, MD). The students were tired and, shall we say, a bit "rumpled," but they were very happy!

Emerging Issues Committee

As Vice President of the the Board of the Association of Independent Maryland Schools (AIMS), I have the pleasure of serving as Chair of the newly-formed Emerging Issues Committee, or EIC. The purpose of the EIC is to advise the Executive Director (Ron Goldblatt) and the Board on a broad range of emerging issues that are affecting or could affect member schools, including educational trends, finance, and demographics. The nine-member EIC seeks to identify, analyze, and “sort” emerging issues. This past Monday, we held our first meeting of the school year on the beautiful campus of The Key School in Annapolis. We were quite fortunate to have an outstanding guest presenter, Donna Orem, the Chief Operating Officer of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). Ms. Orem led a lively, interactive dialogue on trends that NAIS is following at a national level, including demographics and the economy, "disruptive innovations" such as distance education, a changing consumer base, and the new workforce. We met for two hours, and, quite frankly, could have used two more, as the discussion was so pertinent for all the school leaders at the table as well as for AIMS as a whole! Our next meeting will be held at Calvert in January. While the exact topic is TBA, I believe we will focus on one of the aspects of Ms. Orem's presentation and examine it in more detail. I will report back with a synopsis of future meetings.

Safety First

The adage that "safety always comes first" really is true in a school setting. Our first priority every day is that all 612 of our students are both physically and emotionally "safe" at Calvert. Our maintenance and grounds team takes excellent care of the campus, working hard to ensure well-kept buildings, fields, gardens, and pathways. We regularly evaluate and, when needed, modify our safety procedures and protocols. Even though it is still only September, we have already had two successful fire drills (one conducted by our staff and another "unannounced" drill from the Fire Department). Moreover, we will hold our annual "red alert" drill in October, in which teachers lock classroom doors, turn out classroom lights, and have the students sit on the ground in silence for a few minutes. This drill simulates our procedures in the highly unlikely event that an intruder gained access to a building and posed a threat. Recently, I communicated with Calvert parents about another important safety matter--dismissal procedures. Having all drivers put their cell phones away as they approach campus is an important aspect of a smooth pickup period. In addition, by arriving at the designated time (depending on the grade level of the child), drivers have a shorter wait time and the local streets are less congested. I thank Calvert parents for their ongoing cooperation and am pleased to report much improved dismissals in recent days. Look for details about students' emotional well-being in a future posting. Our Wellness Committee has been quite active over the past twelve months!

Moving!

Calvert has always been well-known for our focus on the fundamentals of education: reading, writing, mathematics, and public speaking. You may not know, however, that here at Calvert we pay a great deal of attention to physical education, fitness, and wellness. From Pilot Class through 8th grade, our students have an excellent physical education program as part of their academic schedule. Our 5th graders have the option of participating in after-school intramurals, such as basketball (I am one of the coaches) and winter soccer. In grades 6 through 8, over 90 percent of the students play on one of our 14 interscholastic teams. Furthermore, several Middle School clubs (offered the final period on Friday) are sports-related, such as field hockey and flag football for the 6th graders. Most grades have two recesses a day, and we now have 50-60 Middle School students a day taking advantage of our 7:30-8:00 AM before-school recess in the gym. Add all of this up, and we are, in the words of Middle School Head Matt Buck '87, "The Movement School." This movement promotes bone and muscle development and stimulates the brain as well! The maestra of this beehive of activity is Mary Alice Lears, our Director of Athletics and Physical Education. Last year, in recognition of her superlative work, Mrs. Lears won the Deborah Dorsey Albert Award at Graduation for "outstanding contributions to the life and mission of Calvert School." I encourage my readers to visit campus to (literally) see our boys and girls in action. I would be happy to provide a personalized tour of our athletic facilities and physical education classes.

Friday PM in the Middle School

I have always admired the ability of our students to focus in the classroom regardless of the day of the week, circumstance, or time of day. You might think that our students (and teachers) would be winding down on a Friday afternoon with only an hour or so to go before dismissing for the weekend. My walk-through of the Middle School on Friday afternoon (9/15) proved just the opposite. During a twenty-five minute stretch of time, I cruised around all floors of the building, typing notes on my IPAD2, and popping in and out of classrooms. I observed energetic teachers, engaged students, and productive lessons. My notes are as follows, with accompanying times: 7th grade English class discussing To Kill a Mockingbird (1:40 PM), 6th grade math class wrestling with a word problem about tickets to a circus (1:45), 8th graders taking a math quiz on integers and expressions (1:51), 6th graders enthusiastically turning in their carefully colored and labeled maps of Ancient Greece in history class (1:52), 7th graders describing people in a photo in Spanish class (1:53), 8th graders reviewing an Algebra II quiz (1:56), 6th graders making journal entries about a Ray Bradbury short story--"The Pedestrian" (1:57), a 6th grade science class watching a NASA video on the water cycle (2:01), and a 7th grade Spanish class working diligently to learn stem changing verbs (2:04). This school year, I plan to offer more reports of this nature to give my readers a snapshot of the exciting things happening at Calvert at a given point in time.

The Benefit of Mistakes

This may seem like an obvious statement, but students learn from mistakes. I think, however, that we tend to focus too often on avoiding mistakes in the name of reaching 100% accuracy the first time around. Mistakes are an integral part of the learning process. Don't get me wrong--I want our students to study diligently for their spelling tests and try their best to spell all the words correctly. However, mistakes can and will occur, and when they do, we all need to learn from them. Students can make the necessary modifications, and teachers can learn about a child's learning style and/or what material needs to be reinforced with an individual child or the whole class. (We tend to forget about how adults can learn from the students' errors. That is a mistake, no pun intended!). In the opening all-school assembly, I made a mistake on purpose in order to show the students that it was "OK" to err and fine (and often necessary) to be corrected in front of others. I welcomed the audience to the 2007-2008 school year, and Dr. Trusty, on cue, came to microphone and told me that I had the wrong year. The text of my speech is as follows: "Dr. Trusty, thank you for correcting my mistake. You are right. It is the 2011-12 school year, NOT the 2007-08 school year! The first thing I wanted to stress this morning is that it is OK to make mistakes, and it is important that your teachers correct you. That is all part of the learning process. Your teachers might correct you one on one, or they might correct you in front of the class, but that is fine, too. No one will be corrected in front of about 725 people like I just was. Again, I expect that all of us will make mistakes this year. We just need to learn from the mistakes and how to do things correctly, whether it is math, science, handwriting, music, or geography, to name a few subjects."

A Great Start!

We are off to an excellent start in the 2011-2012 school year! It is only September 6, but we have already had three full days of school, multiple assemblies, and a parents' night (5th grade, this evening). The excitement of the first day of school has transformed into a seriousness of purpose. Don't get me wrong--the enthusiasm is still evident--but we are now into the routine of classes. Middle School interscholastic sports begin tomorrow, and Lower School clubs commence next week. Please enjoy some pictures below from my travels around campus today. In the final photo, you can see the "character pillars" developed by our Wellness Committee last school year and painted onto prominent spaces in our main Middle School hallway. "Respect" and "Compassion" are readable in the photo; harder to see are "Responsibility" and "Honor."

A Wonderful First Day of School!

We have been quite fortunate on campus this week, as we had minimal damage from Hurricane Irene. We maintained our power, which allowed us to open school--as scheduled--this morning. There is simply nothing like the first day of school...the excitement, the smiles, the stacks of unopened markers, the pads of lined paper just waiting for a composition, the "buzzcuts," the hugs, and the handshakes. Dr. Trusty and I had to start shaking hands at about 7:52 A.M (rather than our normal 7:58 A.M.) to accommodate the LONG line of eager parents and students at the Lower School. Apparently, the crowd stretched all the way to Canterbury Road! At the all-school assembly, Letitia Elliott, our Lower School music teacher, delivered a rousing solo rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. It was a beautiful way to start the assembly and kickoff the school year! For the fourth straight year, we opened our doors with an all-time high enrollment (612 students this year). Below, you will see pictures of Dr. Trusty asking "Trusty Trivia" questions in the Lower School Lobby, two students speaking in front of English class, and a giant chocolate chip cookie! As Head Master, I had to try a cookie for quality control purposes, of course, and I am pleased to report that they were, in fact, suitable for dessert in the Middle School. :)

"The Hay is in the Barn"

As I write this post late Wednesday evening, the start of school is fewer than ten hours away. One of my college football coaches used to say on the eve of a game, “The hay is in the barn,” meaning that all the work had been completed. That is how I feel right now regarding the start of the 2011-12 academic year. Similar to the planning before a football game, all the preparations have been made here on campus, and we are ready to “kickoff” the school year. The buildings and grounds look terrific; I greatly appreciate the efforts of faculty, staff, and administration in preparing rooms, buildings, indoor and outdoor spaces, and accompanying plans and schedules. In my time here, I don’t think the overall classrooms have looked as great as they do right now in terms of the actual physical state of the classrooms coupled with the teachers’ decorations. We had a wonderful Pilot and Sixth Age "Popsicle Party" earlier today, and the enthusiasm from the students and parents was contagious. In fact, I do not think I will sleep well this evening...just too excited for the opening handshakes. Here we go!!

2011-12 Here We Come!

I hope that my readers had a summer full of enjoyment and rejuvenation. I had a chance to read, exercise more frequently, do some traveling, and plan for the rapidly approaching school year. Each summer, in mid-August, I get the "itch" for the school year to get started. Do not get me wrong--summer is wonderful--but I am ready. It is time. School needs to begin. Along those lines, the campus has been truly bustling with activity the past week. New teachers began their meetings on August 18, "veteran" teachers came back yesterday, and all-employee meetings commenced this morning. My remarks to faculty and staff centered on the importance of doing all the "little things" well and thoroughly, day by day, week by week, and month by month. We split into groups, brainstormed about crucial "little things" for each department, and then came back together as a whole group to share and to compare notes. I firmly believe that if we do all the little things well, then the overall goal of having an excelllent school year will take care of itself. It was a very productive morning, indeed. Meetings will continue through next Tuesday, August 30, followed by the Popsicle Party for Pilot Class and Sixth Age students on August 31. School officially begins on Thursday, September 1. I can't wait!

2010-11 "In the Books"

I am very pleased to report that the 2010-2011 academic year came to a successful and beautiful conclusion with the Graduation ceremony for the Class of 2011 on the Castalia lawn on the hot but (thankfully!) dry morning of Wednesday, June 8. We thank the graduates for their breadth and depth of contributions to Calvert over the past decade, and we wish them the best of luck as they transition to their eleven new schools in the fall. Leading up to Graduation, we celebrated an excellent school year through events and activities in classrooms, advisories, and by academic division, including multiple awards ceremonies, Lower School Closing Exercises for the Tenth Age (our largest in School history), and the Dixon Dinner for Eighth Graders and their parents. I would like to thank my loyal readers for all of their support during the past year. My blog will likely be on hiatus until school resumes. Have a great summer!

Class #60--6th Age Reading

Wednesday, June 1, 2011, 8:45 A.M. 6th Age Reading Class. Class #60 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” expedition. The warm temperatures have not affected the spirits of Mrs. Catlin’s eleven enthusiastic readers. Mrs. Catlin has created a “fish pond” on her rug. The “fish” on the rug have words written on them, as well as a paper clip attached. The students take their fishing rod (a stick with yarn and a magnet on the end of the yarn) and fish for antonyms. The first boy selects “open” and then has to find “shut.” A girl finds “light” and “dark.” Another pair is “asleep” and “awake.” This activity is a very effective way to teach the students about opposites! Mrs. Catlin is a source of constant encouragement for the boys and girls as they “fish” for the correct words. After all the fish have been caught, Mrs. Catlin passes out two cards to each student. Each card has a word on it. Mrs. Catlin then shows two pictures to the class. The students with the corresponding words put them together to create a compound word. For example, Mrs. Catlin holds up a picture of a stick of butter and then a picture of a fly. The children say excitedly, “Butterfly!” With Mrs. Catlin’s reading class this morning, my year-long “50 Classes or Bust” voyage comes to a close. It started way back in early September and finishes today, in the month of June. Oh, the classes I have seen—every grade level, every subject, and nearly every faculty member! My goal was 50 classes and I reached 60, which gives me a sense of great accomplishment. I am a bit sad, however, given that I have to wait three whole months before I observe my next class. In the fall, I plan to observe the five or six teachers whom I missed this year. I can’t wait!

Class #59--7th Age Reading

Tuesday, May 24, 2011, 9:45 A.M. 7th Age Reading Class. Class #59 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” journey. In 7th Age reading class this morning, Ms. Swiss explains the first activity, which is a “sequencing” exercise related to the book Thunder Cake. Each group of four students has a set of ten cards, with a paragraph on each card. The group has to place the cards in the proper order. For seven-year olds, this is an appropriately challenging activity, as it involves teamwork, reading, and comprehension. It is fascinating to see the groups in action! Ms. Swiss circulates to check on each group’s progress and to answer any questions that have arisen. After about 15 minutes of group work, Ms. Swiss reads aloud from the book, which has been projected onto a screen. The students have to listen carefully to see if they have sequenced their cards correctly. In the final few minutes of class, each pupil cuts out the ingredients for "thunder cake" from a worksheet and glues the ingredients, in the correct order, onto another piece of paper. Good job, boys and girls!

Class #58--6th Age Geography

Monday, May 23, 2011, 10:55 A.M. 6th Age Geography Class. Class #58 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” quest. Unbelievably, we are starting our final five-day week of classes! Mrs. Strand’s twelve students are excited to use the SmartBoard in 6-E. A map of the United States (without state borders) is projected onto the SmartBoard. The students take turns sliding the Northeast states into their proper location on the map. If the student manipulates the state correctly, it pops into place on the map. These six-year olds clearly know where the states are located! After turns on both the SmartBoard and a traditional map, the students sit on the rug and listen to Mrs. Strand read aloud from several books about United States geography. One clever book is called United Tweets of America and focuses on the various state birds. Did you know that the black-capped chickadee is the state bird of Massachusetts? In the final ten minutes of class, the boys and girls work on a packet of state-related worksheets. For example, the Michigan page is about finding missing car parts, while the Colorado sheet is a downhill skiing maze. In addition to learning about United States geography, the Sixth Agers have “travelled” across the globe this year, as evidenced by their excellent class play last week, The Sixth Age Trip Around the World!

Class #57--8th Age Math

Friday, May 20, 2011, 12:50 P.M. 8th Age Math Class. Class #57 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” voyage. There is tremendous excitement in the air today in the Lower School! It is Black and Gold Spirit Day and “Moving Up” Day, in which students spend time with teachers at next year’s grade level. In addition, we had an orientation for our new (for 2011-2012) students and parents. In the midst of these many activities and events, we are, of course, having academic classes. Mrs. Woods’s math class has finished lunch and recess and is ready to learn. Class begins with a review of three-digit addition problems on the chalk board. Mrs. Woods ensures that the students are adding correctly and saying the answers in the correct manner. Transitioning out of the warm-up, the class truly perks up when Mrs. Woods holds up a big Hershey’s chocolate bar. In the name of fractions, the class examines the candy bar, which can be conveniently divided into halves, quarters, eighths, and sixteenths. Each student has a small, sixteenth piece as a treat. (The leftover pieces are within my reach; will I be able to resist?). I look up from typing, and yarn is flying around the room! (See second picture below). The “pitcher” asks an addition fact (for example, 5+9), and the “catcher” provides the answer (14). The result of the yarn tossing is a variety of geometric shapes, which the class analyzes. In the final part of the period, Mrs. Woods reviews subtraction with regrouping. Each student works through a variety of problems on a small whiteboard on his or her desk. Mrs. Woods is unsuccessful in her efforts to stump the class! I commend Mrs. Woods and her pupils for a multi-faceted, successful period.

7th Grade Art Class

I was walking by the Middle School art room yesterday afternoon and was drawn in by the bright colors I saw on the canvases. Please enjoy some pictures of the students' animal paintings.

Class #56--7th Age Math

Monday, May 16, 2011, 11:25 A.M. 7th Age Math Class. Class #56 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” journey. As I walk in to Mrs. Crawford’s classroom, the students are diligently working on a four-minute addition “frenzy” worksheet. Yes, the age-old math facts sheets are alive and well at Calvert! As the students finish, Mrs. Crawford gives them their completion time to record. The class is studying fractions, and it happens to be Skittles day today! Each student receives a bag, which is quickly torn open and then sorted into five different categories, based on flavor. The students have to answer multiple questions, such as: how many Skittles are in the bag? What fraction are lime? What fraction are grape and orange? (And yes, the fractions will change if the students start to eat the inventory!). Mrs. Crawford enters the data into a spreadsheet, which is then projected onto a whiteboard. It was surprising to me to see such variances among the Skittles bags. For example, one bag had only four lemon pieces while another had twelve; another had seven grapes while a classmate’s had nineteen. This is an excellent activity, as the students have to demonstrate facility with numerators and denominators in an enjoyable, hand-on format. The pupils keep working hard; they also have to determine the fraction of classmates wearing a certain color shirt (yellow, white, or blue), as well as the fraction wearing jumpers. Next, the boys and girls design their “fraction” bedroom on a sheet of graph paper. They draw various pieces of furniture and indicate the appropriate fraction it represents in terms of the total space in the bedroom. Bravo to Mrs. Crawford and her students for a great class!

Class #55--8th Age PE

Friday, May 13, 2011, 1:45 P.M. 8th Age Physical Education Class. Class #55 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” quest. It is an exciting day here on the campus, as we kickoff Alumni Weekend. I just had the pleasure of hosting the annual luncheon for our older alumni—those from the classes of 1961 (50th Reunion) and earlier. We were fortunate to have about 50 alumni in attendance, ranging from the Class of 1931 to the Class of 1961. Lunch ends, and I hustle down to the Lower School girls’ gym to see Mrs. Sewell and her 8th Age girls in action. As my faithful readers know, Mrs. Sewell is retiring this year after over 37 years of exemplary service to Calvert. Given that Mrs. Sewell has only a few weeks of school remaining, it is a treat for me to spend a full period with her class. The girls immediately begin warming up. “Let me see some decent push-ups,” Mrs. Sewell exhorts. The girls begin playing a game called Line Ball. They are divided into two teams, and each girl has a number. Mrs. Sewell calls out a number, the appropriate girl runs to the middle of the gym, gets a ball, runs back to her side, completes a chest pass with each member of the team, dribbles to a basketball hoop, and then completes a shot from near the foul line. The girl who makes the basket first wins a point for her team. What enthusiasm I see! The girls scream words of encouragement, even chanting their teammate’s name as she tries to make a shot. Mrs. Sewell still has the magic touch. After seeing a girl struggle mightily to make a shot, she instructs the student to shoot underhanded. Lo and behold, the next shot goes in!

The Sprint to the Finish!

I am often asked at this time of year, "So, are things winding down at Calvert now?" My reply is typically, "Actually, we are not winding down. We are speeding up and sprinting to the finish." We truly want to finish the year in a strong manner; the teachers and staff members are focused to make the final four weeks of school both productive and enjoyable. The calendar is literally full of exciting activities and programs, including the following: Pilot Class Mother's Day Tea; 6th Age, 7th Age, and 7th grade plays; Pilot Class field trip to the Zoo; 8th Age field trip to Union Mills; 7th grade overnight trip to Philadelphia; 10th Age trip to Gettysburg; 8th grade overnight trip to Calleva Outdoor School and day trip to Washington, D.C.; Alumni Weekend and Calvert Day spring fair; 9th and 10th Age Crow-Canary games; Middle School "Battle of the Books," Lower School Spirit Week, and New Parent/Student Orientation and "Moving Up" Day! I encourage current Calvert parents to keep a close eye on the website and on on their e-mails for updates about upcoming events on campus. Also, let's keep our fingers crossed for no rain on Calvert Day on Saturday!

Class #54--Pilot Language Arts

Wednesday, May 4, 2011, 9:20 A.M. Pilot Language Arts Class. Class #54 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” journey. Mrs. Mollett wastes no time in having the boys and girls “circle up” on the rug. The students say the alphabet in succession (one boy says “A” then the next says “B”). Mrs. Mollett mixes it up by having a student start with a letter in the middle of the alphabet. Next, the students read aloud from a card, and then the appropriate person has to respond. “I have red. Who has yellow?” a girl asks. Then a boy responds, “I have yellow. Who has blue?” I am very impressed with the pace of the replies and with the students’ reading ability! The class transitions to the table area, where Mrs. Mollett reads a book aloud about a cat. The book, in keeping with the first activity, has many “color” words. The students are soon writing lower case letters on a "fish" worksheet and coloring in the sections of the fish with the right color. Mrs. Mollett checks in with each student to make sure the letter formation is correct. As the students finish, they take an individual "Spell-A-Puzzle" to the rug and hone their reading and fine motor skills. Amazingly, there is another activity before the period ends. The students will be illustrating a book; the first step, today, is to read the book. The eager pupils take turns reading pages aloud. Great job, Pilot Class!

Class #53--7th Age Math

Monday, May 2, 2011, 11:25 A.M. 7th Age Math Class. Class #53 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” marathon. May is upon us! Where did the school year go? There are only 26 days of classes left…maybe we should add a week at the end of the school year to be able to incorporate more teaching time. Don’t worry, students, I am just kidding, but we actually ARE tight on time, with much to do in a little over a month. Mrs. Pontier’s 11 math students are ready to work this morning. The class is studying a money unit; they have constructed a classroom store, ironically called “Money Tree,” which is stocked with such desirable items as lollipops. plastic balls, and liquid "bubbles" to blow outside. Each student decorates a shopping bag and a money envelope and then receives (plastic) coins--10 pennies, 4 quarters, 5 nickels, and 5 dimes--from the banker, Mrs. Pontier. Each student then shops at the store, with students taking turns as the cashier. One of the boys says with a huge smile, "I got to buy both of the things I wanted. I hit the jackpot!" The boys and girls also have to complete two worksheets to solidify their knowledge about coin value. Today’s class is interactive, hands-on, and very practical. The students have to budget their money and make change, which are life-long skills, for sure. Bravo to Mrs. Pontier and her enthusiastic students for such a wonderful math class!

Class #52--9th Age Composition

Tuesday, April 26, 2011, 11:45 A.M. 9th Age Composition Class. Class #52 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” voyage. Two weeks ago, the 9th Agers spent the day on a Living Classrooms boat trip on the Chesapeake Bay. When the girls in Ms. Preston’s class returned to campus, they spent some time journaling about their experiences on the water. At the start of class today, they sit in small groups (based on which boat they were on) and share some of their journal recollections. I hear “Chinese tanker,” “dissected oysters,” and “Francis Scott Key Bridge,” among many other comments. Although the conversations could go on for hours, it is time to learn some factual information about the boats. Ms. Preston passes out fact sheets about the vessels, and the girls highlight the most pertinent items for inclusion in their compositions. Now that the journals have been reviewed and the factual information has been disseminated, the girls move to the planner stage. Planners, which come in many different “shapes and sizes,” are extremely worthwhile tools to help students organize, sort, and sequence their thoughts before they put pencil to paper on the actual composition. The girls will be writing about their day on their water, but, on a higher, life-long level, they are learning the invaluable writing process. Writing is certainly an emphasis at Calvert; I can share that I am extremely grateful for the excellent writing education I received here as a student. I have two positive observations as class winds down. First, I think Ms. Preston walked a mile during class! She diligently circulated throughout her room the entire period, answering, encouraging, clarifying, and caring. Second, I was struck by how intently and seriously the girls worked on their planners. For a solid 15-20 minutes, the class members quietly and efficiently completed the task at hand; as a result, they are ready to write tomorrow!

Class #51--10th Age Reading

Thursday, April 21, 2011, 10:25 A.M. 10th Age Reading Class. Class #51 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” expedition. After snack is over, the boys and girls file into the classroom of Mrs. Szczerbicki (Mrs. S for short!) and very quietly settle down for the first activity, which is to read a story from their New Practice Readers book and then answer the accompanying questions. After five minutes of silent individual work, the class begins discussing “Katie’s Trunk,” which is a Revolutionary War-era short story they recently finished. There is a healthy give and take about the appropriateness of armies’ actions during a war, such as seizing the possessions of civilians. The class takes a few minutes to jot down main ideas for a poem they will write about the story. Given that April is Poetry Month, Mrs. S is making sure her students have plenty of exposure to the genre. To that end, the students come to the front of the room in groups of three and four to recite (from memory) a poem about dogs by Ogden Nash, “An Introduction to Dogs.” Why a poem about dogs, you might ask? The students are reading Shiloh, a book about a beagle named…Shiloh. Next, in groups of two, the students log in to Glogster, which is essentially an online collage maker. The students will create their own “glogs” about Shiloh, incorporating key ideas and themes in their own personal style. This is teamwork and technology in action! I am very impressed with how much Mrs. S and her students have accomplished in one period!

Class #50--9th Age Composition

Tuesday, April 19, 2011, 11:45 A.M. 9th Age Composition Class. Class #50 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” voyage. I made it to my goal of 50 classes! It has been such a pleasure for me to see so many students and teachers in action in both divisions. The 9th Age girls have just completed their egg drop. Each girl built a container (a modified shoe box) that was designed to protect an egg being dropped off the girls’ gym balcony. Now, in composition class, it is time to write about the activity. Mrs. Strom passes out the planner, cleverly entitled “Egg Drop Soup”. The girls work diligently at their tables of four to fill in the planner boxes, describing the order of events, how they felt at certain times, and, with vivid descriptions, what happened to their eggs. Mrs. Strom circulates throughout the room, checking on progress, answering questions, and encouraging the girls to be as specific as possible in their narrative. She then uses her laptop and classroom projector to display key words that the girls have suggested for the composition, such as: survived, balcony, disappointed, anxious. The girls then develop topic and concluding sentences, which are shared via the projector (see picture below). I liked this opening the best: “ ‘One, two, three. Release!’ That is how the egg drop started.” I commend Mrs. Strom and the girls for their hard work and productivity. In one 45-minute period, the girls filled out their planner, listed key words, and wrote opening and closing sentences. The students will write and edit the actual composition during the “compo” periods on Wednesday and Thursday. Even though I have now reached my target of 50 classes, I am going to continue observing given that there is still ample time left in the academic year. Class #51 is coming up on Thursday!

Class #49--8th Age Geography

Monday, April 18, 2011, 2:10 P.M. 8th Age Geography Class. Class #49 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” journey. The boys of 8-2, after a vigorous PE period, arrive back in their classroom and settle down nicely for geography class. Mr. Paul, who taught me in 9th Age during the 1979-80 school year, is still working his magic at Calvert, now with the 8th Age boys. A published author and the 2009 recipient of the Deborah Dorsey Albert Award for outstanding contributions to the life and mission of Calvert, Mr. Paul incorporates his love of boating into the lessons whenever possible. In class today, Mr. Paul helps the boys gain a greater understanding of magnetic vs. “real” North, latitude and longitude, and the workings of a compass. The activity involves using a parallel ruler to chart a course between three buoys. Working as a “ship,” each table must determine the proper direction and degrees to sail in order to complete the voyage successfully. Although this is geography class, the students are using math as well as working on their critical thinking and teamwork skills. “Pirate Paul” moves from ship to ship to see who needs a little extra help or explanation. The period was quite enjoyable and informative for both students and observer alike!

Latin Class in Molly's Garden

In this case, a picture IS worth a thousand words.

Class #48--10th Age Math

Thursday, April 14, 2011, 2011, 11:45 A.M. 10th Age Math Class. Class #48 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” expedition. My goal of 50 classes is in sight, and I am sprinting to the finish! I hope that my Baltimore-area readers had a chance to get outside, because it is a picture-perfect spring day. Despite the allure of the spectacular weather, Mr. McMahon’s class is already hard at work reviewing fractions as I enter the room. Mr. McMahon is making excellent use of the new ceiling-mounted projector; he shows the classes images that are readily divided into a variety of fractions, including a pizza, several flags (states, countries, and maritime), a football field, a window pane, and a Rubik’s Cube (the rage of yesteryear). The class builds on this knowledge in the next activity, which is to design a personal “fraction flag.” Mr. McMahon shows the students how to make various fractions by folding a piece of paper. The students practice their designs on “scratch paper” (a great school term, by the way) and then move on to the final copy, replete with an original “seal.” This hands-on activity allows the boys and girls to see fractions at work in the real world and not just in an equation.

Class #47--8th Age Technology

Monday, April 11, 2011, 2011, 10:45 A.M. 8th Age Technology Class. Class #47 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” journey. On this beautiful (and unseasonably warm) Monday morning, the girls enter the main Lower School computer lab and settle down quickly. Mrs. McGraw does not waste any time jumping into the lesson. She explains that the class will be using hand-held SMART response devices, also called senteos, to take a technology quiz. The senteos are designed for what is known as a formative assessment, which can provide powerful information about how much students know at a particular point in time before the final (or “summative”) assessment is given. Faculty can then alter their instruction accordingly. For example, if ten out of fifteen students in a math class miss both “percent” questions on a senteo quiz, the teacher knows she has to review that topic again. In tech class this morning, Mrs. McGraw asks eleven questions about computer and software functionality. The questions are projected on the board and read aloud; the girls answer anonymously using their senteo. Some questions are as follows: how many times do you need to click a piece of clip art in order to insert it into a Microsoft Word document ? True or false--you should always “x-out” of all programs before shutting down out of your computer? At the end of the quiz, Mrs. McGraw—and the girls—can see how the class fared in terms of correct responses to each question. Under Mrs. McGraw’s expert tutelage, the girls did very well. It is hard to believe they have so many technological skills at the young age of 8. Bravo to Mrs. McGraw and her class!