25th year is now drawing to a close

Just 20 more school days left in the 2012-2013 school year. Moving on to year 26! There has been so much growth and learning all over the school. We will miss our 7 graduates and wish them well in their highschool ventures and beyond. It certainly was a year to remember in so many ways.

I eat my words!

In an earlier post, I stated that school choice or charter schools would never come to our fair state of Alabama. Now I must eat these words, and boy, do they taste good. The Ala. Legislature just passed what is called the flexibility act which provides students from failing schools the ability to transfer to private schools with tax credits and/or scholarships. This is an incredible event in the educational options for Alabama children stuck in failing schools by their zip code. We applaud our brave legislators who somehow made this happen and our Govenor for taking a stand to give these kids a chance to meet their potentials. This bill will be a landmark for our state reaching for real educational reforms. bravo! Bravo!

2013 will be a very good year

The new year is here, and with it comes hopes for renewal and justice. We know what was meant for our harm will be turned for our good in this year. Our school family has stood strong and will continue to do so in 2013. Our guiding light has been and will always be providing the very best education and environment for our students. Parents are our partners in this process which strengthens our school. Happy New Year to All! God Bless us all.

Accreditation visit a success!

This past week three outside reviewers came to Country Day for our five year accreditation review. They observed in our classrooms, interviewed students, parents and teachers. They reviewed all of our self assessment plan and looked at artifacts to document this plan. At the end of the visit they gave us their thoughts and recommended us for re-accreditation for the next five years. they also commended our school for it's warm and caring environment and parental involvement. We are proud of the result!

NAEYC National Conference, Atlanta.

Just returned from several days at the National Assoiation of Educators of Young Children with several CDS teachers and administrators. It was a very stimulating few days of learning, discussion, and planning for future vision and projects. We spent many hours in sessions with presenters from around the world, and enjoyed the camadrie of colleagues who teach young children and are searching for better ways to do so. Our group sought out Reggio sessions which were plentiful and varied. We also explored sessions dealing with exposing Children to nature and natural playscapes. The topic of the Common Core curriculum was also explored in relation to CDS philosophy. We also spent time exploring the exhibits to find new materials to bring back to our students. Our group came home exhausted but pumped up to make our school even better for our students, and even more committed to learning as a lifelong adventure.

A Busy Fall

This Fall has flown by. It has presented many challenges and opportunities for me personally and for our school community. While these challenges are on-going, I have faith that the outcomes will be positive and that our school will continue to be blessed. This is our 25th year as our school was established in 1987 with just 7 students. It is also our year for our 5 year Accreditation review by Advanc-Ed, which used to be called SACS. The review team will be here Dec. 5-6 right before our Silver Bells 25th year Anniversary celebration. We appreciate all of the support our school has been shown by parents and community members.

We begin again....25th Year!

School opened again this week and we began our 25th year here at Country Day.  We had a great start and know this will be our best year ever. We will reflect upon our past, appreciate the present, and envision our future.  Stay tuned to the blog for stories about the history of the school!