Creativity in Curriculum
Teaching at Parker is rewarding for many reasons: Small class sizes mean relationships between students and teachers are strong. Teachers have the freedom to delve deeply into topics of high interest and respond to each class, each year. The ability to exercise creativity and to be in control of their curriculum is very appealing. We …
A Published Author
One hallmark of a Parker education is that we encourage our students to share their time, talents, and energy with others. Our students know that the work they do in the classroom has implications that reach beyond the halls of their school. This sense of creating for an authentic audience inspires students to produce work …
Why Middle School Matters
Being in the middle is a position not often celebrated in our society. Middle children, middle of the back seat, a mid-life crisis — all are associated with the need to cope with a special set of circumstances that somehow impacts one negatively. The same can often be said of middle school…but NOT here at …
If You Build It
Nurturing a cohesive community is so integral to the culture here at Parker that it is written right into our mission. As such, the beginning of our school year is full of intentional events designed to strengthen our school community. In a typical year, many of these events would take the form of social gatherings and …
A Joyous Welcome Back!
This was a first week of school unlike any other. Although we all began last Tuesday anticipating many changes, we closed out our first week with overwhelming gratitude for how little of what truly distinguishes Parker has changed. Parker students are engaged, inquisitive, nurturing, and thoughtful — and nowhere was that more apparent this week …
Community Building in the 1-2 classroom
We had an adventure-filled first week and I am prepared for week two. In the week ahead, the children and I will begin our conversations to shape and agree on the guidelines we want to live by as a community. Community-Building As a Parker teacher, I do not come with a poster of rules I’ve …
Parker Update
Dear Parker Community, Parker has filed its plans for reopening school with the NYS Department of Health. As I wrote earlier in the month, our plan is for in person instruction if the governor permits schools to open in our area. We have been told that his decision will be announced next week. Many people …
Parker’s Fall 2020 Reopening Plans- Update
While many area districts are releasing preliminary plans for hybrid learning this school year, at Parker we have been proceeding with preparations to be fully open on campus for all students PreK-8th grade every day. As a small school with ample space both indoors and outdoors we continue to anticipate that we will be able …
Rays Of Hope
If there is one thing we are certain of here at Parker, it’s that we grow great kids. Character education has always shared the stage with challenging academic work at Parker for one simple reason — it produces intellectually vibrant students. Here at Parker, we are not only focused on WHAT kids will be when …