Middle School
Thank you to everyone who joined us at last night’s BVR Community Event. It was wonderful to see so many of you in-person, on-campus (yes, we’re still celebrating the fact that we.are.BACK!)
Below, we share a few Middle School highlights from the evening as well as links to the resources mentioned. For the Upper School recap, click here.
- REMINDER: MS Open Studios is Thursday, September 23.
Head of School Kim Samson kicked off the evening’s first session talking about her excitement for the upcoming year and her goals for the community.
“It’s an amazing time to lead in the world of education. Education should look entirely different a decade or so from now, but we are really fortunate at Beaver because it looks different at our school today.”
— Kim Samson, Head of School
Some of the opportunities and areas of focus we are working on now, include:
Focusing on the skills that are unique to being human in a world where technology can take over many of the skills that have traditionally taken center stage in the workplace.
Finding real-world applications and building problem-solving skills that will make school feel relevant to students’ futures.
Inspiring students to be part of solutions by teaching history truthfully and inclusively through a social justice lens.
In addition, Kim talked about the evolution of the Beaver’s Core Senior Leadership Team, introducing Associate Head of School for Special Projects Zaira Santiago and sharing how they have been—and will continue to—work together this year. Their focus for the next 4 to 6 months includes faculty recruitment, board work, the Independent School Gender Project Symposium, and (of course) the ever-changing protocols and policies around the pandemic.
She also expanded on Kader Adjout‘s new role as Director of Teaching, Learning, and Innovation and highlighted the work he’ll be doing across both the Middle and Upper schools as well as the individuals and departments he’ll be working closely with. (Click here to read more).
After Kim’s introduction, Middle School families made their way to the Black Box Theater where Director of Middle School Tiffany Smith talked about “The BVR Student” and the role parents and caregivers play in helping develop and teach these skills.
“We want to support the Beaver MS parent as they parent the Beaver Middle School kid.”
— Tiffany Smith, Director of Middle School
Tiffany specifically called out the following:
TAKES TIME TO CONSIDER THE THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS OF OTHERS
Parent/Caregiver Role: When it comes to hosting parties outside of school, families are encouraged to consider the inclusivity of the event.
IS DISCIPLINED WITH TECHNOLOGY
Parent/Caregiver Role: Setting boundaries with technology is hard for most of us. Talk to your student about their tech use and about setting limits on what and when they use technology.
ASKS FOR HELP WHEN THEY ARE STRUGGLING
Parent/Caregiver Role: Model the behavior and acknowledge when you are struggling. It’s important for your student to see you asking for help.
INCORPORATES FEEDBACK BY REFLECTING, ASKING FOR HELP, AND TRYING AGAIN
Parent/Caregiver Role: The relationship between the MS parent and Beaver is an ongoing conversation—what we call The Feedback Loop (don’t worry: you’ll hear a lot more about the Feedback Loop on Thursday at Open Studio as well as in an email from Tiffany on Friday)
Acknowledging the challenges of parenting during the Middle School years (“What did you do today?” “Nothing.”), Tiffany reiterated the partnership and collaboration between Beaver and families. Parents/caregivers should reach out to their student’s advisor (the first point of contact), their teachers, or to Tiffany directly at any time with any questions or concerns.
MS families will hear more from Tiffany Thursday night at Open Studios as well as in an upcoming email.
This was just the first of many BVR Parent Association events we have planned for this year; check out all the dates here.