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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Dear Friends,As a writer, I am seldom at a loss for words. However, as the events of this past week have unfolded, the speed and profundity of change has challenged even my exceptional verbosity. Like many of you, I prepared to homeschool my three kids this week with a wary combination of apprehension and dread. …
Thanks to the outpouring of gratitude from our families, we are honored to bring you a second edition of our Friday Snapshot featuring the remainder of our family thank you notes. Here again are our Parker families, speaking in their own words… Nellie, Thanks to your endless preparation, perseverance, and loving presence, the 4/5’s continue to …
One of the most difficult things about our sudden school closure has been the loss of community traditions that we have come to treasure as milestones. This past Friday, April 3rd, would have marked our annual Shakespeare Night — a marvel of endearing and side-splitting performances by every grade in the school. However, the spirit …
These past two weeks have been laden with processing the news from our governor that school is closed for the remainder of the year. Although this news is difficult on many levels, it is wise to acknowledge that we do our students and teachers a grave disservice in interpreting it at face value. While there …
This past week, Parker’s PreK classrooms celebrated The Week of the Young Child, a nationally honored event amongst early childhood educators and the young children in their care. This week of acknowledgement was started by the NAEYC , and is held as much to honor the very young as it is to raise awareness about the importance …