As the Head of an Elementary School, parents of elementary students often ask me questions such as: “We are consistently tardy for school. Why is it so challenging for my child to get out the door on time in the morning?” and “They are taking so long to complete homework at night and causing stress for […]
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The middle school years are arguably the most important years in a child’s education. The combination of changing bodies, developing minds, and complex social dynamics create a vortex of possibilities where children – if not led, supported, challenged, and inspired – can quickly become invisible, their growth held back due to missed opportunities or misplaced intention. […]
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Coming out of several years of a pandemic has certainly indicated a greater need for mental, emotional, behavioral, social, and overall psychological support. As we search for effective ways to help ourselves, our students/children, and our family members navigate increased stress, depression, and anxiety (to name a few), there is a wonderful tool at our […]
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I began my teaching career in the fall of 1991. Gail had just gotten hired as the Director of Communications for a school in Virginia, and I was the “follow on” part of the partnership. In other words, the school didn’t really have a position for me, but they figured something out. I ended up […]
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In 2007, former Middle School Head, Scott Alexander, completed the final steps to make the BCD Middle School an approved International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (IB MYP) World School. At the time, IB MYP schools were relatively uncommon, especially in the Boulder area. While the roots of IB can be traced to Europe, today there […]
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American history has disproportionately reflected the experiences and achievements of those belonging to dominant groups within our larger American society. Within the last century, the efforts of many, including human rights and social justice advocates have led to gained recognition for various underrepresented groups through the establishment of events and celebrations that honor and promote […]
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In BCD’s Athletics program, students develop athletic skills, build self-esteem, and learn team leadership skills. They also explore the meaning of discipline, commitment, resilience, and hard work. The supportive team environment encourages students to be themselves and to take risks, powerful lessons that easily translate off the court or field. “Athletics, in general, has shaped […]
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Boulder Country Day has intentionally chosen to focus on preschool through eighth grade and we believe it is among our greatest assets. We firmly believe that a PS-8 school environment offers distinct advantages during the most critical years of a child’s intellectual, social, and emotional development. From the teachers we hire to the welcoming and […]
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Most importantly, remember and acknowledge that your kids are experiencing their middle school years in the midst of a pandemic. They have not had a normal school year since 2018-2019. For our 7th and 8th graders, that was in 4th and 5th grade, respectively. For some, the anxiety of just being around other people has become a normal way of life. There may still be some trepidation in getting together with friends and socializing like we did in 2019, and that is okay. We are extremely lucky to have been in person last school year, and we have had a successful opening to our current school year. Some students may still be adjusting to a more normal school year. It is helpful to create opportunities for conversations about day-to-day experiences to help them through this time in their lives. It is also important to know when to push the pause button and give ourselves and our kids the time they need when life becomes too overwhelming. We often hear that kids are resilient. As adults during this pandemic, our resiliency may seem to have waned from time to time. If this is true for adults, how can we expect our kids to be resilient? Resiliency is something that is taught. It is more than opening a math book and memorizing the times tables. It is being aware of the needs of your child. It is talking with your child about his/her needs and how to overcome them. With time, they begin to recognize and use those strategies on their own. There is no set curriculum to teach kids how to be resilient but continue to be patient and do what is best for your child. With time, our kids will not only learn to be resilient, they will thrive.
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I started my teaching career in the fall of 1991 at Foxcroft School, a boarding and day school for girls in Northern Virginia. The early 1990s were particularly interesting years to work at an all-girls school. We were at the forefront of a burgeoning movement to understand how girls learn, and my colleagues and I […]
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