New School Blog

Expanding Our Toddler Program!

2012-02-10T14:30:00Z

Beginning this Fall, The New School toddler program is expanding to enroll children as young as 18 months old. We’re excited to now offer our quality care to a wider range of NWA children and we need your help spreading the word! Admissions time is coming soon, so if you know a family who might want to join our family, tell them to give us a call and schedule a tour.

Fall 2012 Preschool Eligibility

18 months old by August 1st

Space in our preschool program is limited and enrollment for next Fall has already begun. If you have any questions about our preschool expansion, please contact Karen Beaton, Head of Preschool, at 479-521-7037 or send her a message through our contact form online.

Help Spread the Word!

We've printed some beatiful posters announcing our toddler program expansion. If you have a relationship with a local business that would be willing to display a New School poster, we'll be happy to give you a few. Parents may ask for posters in the main office.

Stages of Children's Writing

2012-02-10T14:00:00Z

From the Head of Preschool, Karen Beaton:

Our children have been very busy at the writing centers around the preschool by drawing, scribbling, and writing in preparation for Valentine’s Day. The pre-kindergarten classes have used “Post Office” as a theme to promote writing and literacy. The children enjoy their work at the writing center, whether is it drawing, scribbling, copying words, or writing names.

Stages of Children’s Writing

Educators look at writing very differently than they did a generation ago. The things that young children do naturally when given a paper and markers are now viewed as true forms of writing.

There are at least six different stages of writing:

Drawing: Children draw and “read” their drawing as a form of communication. They may draw an unrecognizable form and say, “I played ball with my friends today.” Or they may draw and treelike form and say, “This says remember to take me to the park.”

Scribbling: Young children believe they are writing when they scribble and often “read” what they have just scribbled. Children will often move their pencils like adults, making their scribbles from left to right.

Invented letters: Many young children make up their own letters. A circle with a line drawn down from the bottom is a common invented letter. Again, children believe they are writing.

Random letters: As children become more aware of the alphabet, they often write the letters in long strings, usually at random.

Invented spelling: Invented spelling takes many forms but is related to the sounds the child hears in each word. At the beginning of this stage, children may write one letter to represent one word. Later, words are represented by two letters, the initial and ending letter sounds. As the child’s writing continues to mature, most sounds are represented in their common invented spelling.

Common spelling: The child begins writing more and more words spelled as adults spell.

We support children’s writing stages in the following ways:

The classrooms have a well-stocked writing center with a variety of paper and writing tools.
Other materials that support writing development, such as lists of the children’s names, chalk and chalkboards, magnetic board and letters, flannel board, letter tiles and blocks, alphabet chart, letter and picture stamps and ink pads, scissors, and tape are readily accessible.
Art centers are well-stocked with materials for all kinds of art – paints, fingerpaints, crayons, chalk, many kinds of paper, items for collage, play dough.
Writing materials are available around the classroom (grocery lists, journals, sign making materials in blocks) to encourage writing for specific purposes.

Also, during teacher-directed times, we encourage writing by such activities as using clipboards for “writing around the room” (finding words in the classroom environment to copy), journal writing, and making class books with each child adding a page of drawing and/or writing.

My next blog post’s topic will be about how parents can support children’s writing in the home.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

- Karen Beaton, Head of Preschool

Middle School MathCounts Competition Results

2012-02-09T23:30:00Z

On January 31st, Middle School math teacher Willard Keirn hosted The New School's annual MathCounts School Competition, and the kids had a blast. Not only did our students get to work on math problems all day, but they also got to dress up for the occasion as "math aficionado's". The top eight students will have the opportunity to participate in the chapter competition on February 18th. The last two places are alternates in case any of our top eight students are unable to attend the chapter and/or state competitions.

Congratulations to our top ten winners!

1st - Connor F.
2nd - Rhett O.
3rd - Andrew L.
4th - Angela S.
5th - Nathan F.
6th - Andrew C.
7th - Emma L.
8th - Spencer S.
9th - Julia K.
10th - Jeremy K.

The final Countdown round (consisting of our top ten finalists), was quite entertaining with Rhett O. putting on a great show. He began the round in 8th place, but finished in 2nd...giving Connor F. a challenge to maintain his 1st place position. 6th grade students did well this year, placing in 3 of the top 5 spots.

Each year, the students who go on to the chapter competition have a wonderful time competing against other students in the area. If the students perform well at this competition, they will have the opportunity to compete at the state competition, which is normally held each year in Little Rock or Conway during the month of March.

Middle School Math Teacher Mr. Willard dressed up as a "Math Afficionado" for our school's MathCounts competition.

The MathCounts Chapter Competition will be held on Saturday, February 18th, 2012, at Bell Engineering on the University of Arkansas campus.

Are You a Math Aficionado?

Can you answer math questions under time pressure with only a paper and pencil? Here's the question that Connor F. answered to win the competition:

What is the maximum possible product of two integers whose sum is 30?

The Fall Review

2012-02-06T22:24:36Z

We've just released our Fall Review and many of you can be expecting it in the mail this week. This newsletter gives us a chance to look back on the Fall 2011 semester and highlight some of the great things that happened at The New School. The Fall Review is full of great photos and short features of New School classes. Enjoy!

Click to Read Online!

Why I Love My Job

2012-02-04T00:55:00Z

From the Head of School, Sara Stephenson:

There are many, many reasons why I love my job. One of them is the fact that so many daily snippets of conversation in the school make me smile. As I was sitting at my desk this week, I heard a mom saying to her small son as they left the building: "Did you just lick me? My hand feels awfully moist!" As this exchange drifted into my office, it made me chuckle, as I reflected on the hundreds of ways that love and affection are exchanged in our New School family.

Like many excellent schools, we are a community founded on a passion for learning; but one thing that makes the New School so unique is that we pride ourselves on expressing our love and passion in as many ways as possible, and in everything that we do. For all of our teachers, every exchange with a student is a chance to show support, to impart confidence, to reflect understanding and to model investment in listening and building a relationship. At our school, there is always time for a hug, for a high five, for a joke, for a tissue to dry a tear, and for a moment to listen to a triumph or a challenge. Even on those days when the world is moving at a mile-a-minute, we are committed to always making time to love and laugh.

My own sons show their affection for me in just as many ways: it's just as big a deal if I get offered the first bounce on the trampoline by my pre-kindergartener, as when he squeezes me so tight that I can't catch my breath. My 20-month old blows me kisses, but I love it just as much when he tries to brush my hair (usually with a tooth brush or a fork). In a busy, crazy world, it's important for us to remember that so many moments are a reflection of love. Raising and educating our children is a challenging job, that rarely runs smoothly or evenly. Along the way however, there are thousands of tiny moments that bring us light and draw us back to the joy involved in the process. Here at school, I constantly hear teachers sharing these moments with each other. They look for, and find, these loving moments every day. Just this morning, two different teachers stopped by to tell me something that had "made my day", according to one teacher, and "melted my heart" according to the other. We cherish these moments with your children. Thank you for sharing them with us.

As we head into the weekend, I look forward to being loved by being asked to dress up as a Jedi knight (bathrobe and cardboard wrapping-paper tube), by being smeared with maple syrup (Sunday breakfast), by sharing my hot chocolate (Saturday afternoon drive through, three straws, extra whip cream) and by being asked not to stop reading books (because that means bedtime). I'll probably get licked a little bit, too.

Five Alumni Named Presidential Scholar Candidates

2012-02-03T19:38:33Z

This week, Fayetteville High School announced that a 12 seniors have been named 2012 Presidential Scholar Candidates, making FHS the best represented school in the state. We couldn't help but notice that five of these 12 students are New School Alumni! Congratulations to Andrew Bakewell, Macy Manning, Emily Webb, Emile Blouin, and Hunter Latourette!

As explained in the FHS post, the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964, by executive order of the President, to recognize and honor some of our nation's most distinguished graduating high school seniors. In 1979, the program was extended to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, creative and performing arts. Each year, up to 141 students are named as Presidential Scholars, one of the nation's highest honors for high school students.

1st & 2nd Graders Create Nests with Natural & Recycled Materials

2012-01-26T22:24:24Z

If you've strolled the halls of The New School's main building recently, you may have noticed the nests. These hand-made, 3-dimentional nests were made by our 1st and 2nd graders during their art classes with local artist and New School Art Teacher Christina Marrioti. According to Ms. Christina, the idea for nests evolved naturally from the students' interests. They began with the idea of baskets and what they hold. This idea led them to nests, eggs, and birds. Their thoughts finally materialized in these beautiful nests made entirely of natural and recycled materials. The students decided to wrap everything in colorful yarn because, well... why not?

The nests serve as richly colorful, deeply textured reflexions of the individuality of each student. They embody the spirit of our arts and enchicment curriculum in allowing our students to express themselves creatively during the school day. Have a look below at a few photos of our favorite nests, and take a moment next time you're at school to see them for yourself.

Lego Robotics Team Wins Awards & Advances to State

2012-01-25T22:31:43Z

Last Saturday, The New School's Lego Robotics team attended the FIRST LEGO League Central Arkansas Regional Tournament at the The Clinton Library in Little Rock. Not only did our team advance to the state competition, they also were awarded "Best Robot Design" and "Best Project." Coaches Steve Turner and Drew Wallis couldn't be prouder of their affectionately named "Geek Squad" team.

About Lego League

Lego League introduces younger students to real-world engineering challenges by building LEGO-based robots to complete tasks on a thematic playing surface. The lego league team, guided by their imaginations and coach Steve Turner, discover exciting career possibilities and, through the process, learn to make positive contributions to society. Students will design, build, test and program robots using LEGO MINDSTORMS® technology; apply real-world math and science concepts; research challenges facing today’s scientists; learn critical thinking, team-building, and presentation skills; as well as participate in tournaments and celebrations.

Every Annual Fund Gift Earns $40 More!

2012-01-23T15:30:00Z

We're thrilled to announce a special Annual Fund matching opportunity made possible by the generous support of the The Pauline Whitaker Charitable Trust. For every gift made to the Annual Fund, $40 will be added in honor of The New School’s 40 years of excellence in education!

With this match, a gift of just $10 becomes $50, and a gift of $60 becomes $100. We hope all our parents will consider a gift of any size to this year’s Annual Fund . By giving as generously as your family is able to give, you can help us support the characteristics that set our school apart – unique enrichment activities, individualized academic programs, cutting edge technology and excellent student/teacher ratios.

Click Here to Pledge Online!

Questions about The Annual Fund? Contact Joy Morris, Director of Development at 479-521-7037.

Meet & Greet w/ Sara Stephenson

2012-01-06T23:29:39Z

All New School parents are invited to an informal Meet & Greet with our new Head of School, Sara Stephenson, this Thursday, January 12th at either of the following times:

Morning Meet & Greet

7:30 - 9:00 a.m. in the TLC

Afternoon Meet & Greet

3:00 - 5:30 p.m. in the Arts Annex

Sara will be available to meet and socialize with parents during both of these times on Thursday. If you haven’t yet had a chance to meet Sara, we hope you’ll take advantage of this opportunity to stop by, grab a snack & refreshment, and introduce yourself. Sara is excited to meet all of you!

Meet Sara Stephenson

Personal

I was born and raised in Bedford, a market town just north of London. My dad is a retired engineer, my mum is a retired administrator and my brother is a lighting designer. I attended Bedford School for Girls for 13 years, played lacrosse and spent a lot of my time in ballet and musical theater productions. I originally intended to study medicine at college but fell in love with teaching after volunteering in an inner city elementary school during my freshman year at Bristol University. I graduated from college as valedictorian of my class. I received my Masters in Education from Cambridge University, with a special interest in science education.

I credit my parents with instilling a strong work ethic in me: my father always taught me to do my best, and my mother always highlighted the importance of education. My grandfather was a big influence on my life as he embodied the spirit of open heartedness and positivity. Although he passed away many years ago, I still feel guided by his great love of life and energy.

My husband, Paul, works for Purina and we have been married for 11 years. We have lived in three different countries and 4 different states in that time. I love the life experience and cultural awareness that this has given us. After a decade of travel we are thrilled to call Northwest Arkansas home, and we are delighted to be raising our family in this wonderful corner of the world. I have known Paul since I was 15; he is my brother’s best friend. He is the rock and the light of my life. We have two sons: Jonah, who is 5 and in pre-k at The New School, and Jasper, who is 18 months old. My boys make our life sparkle and are a constant source of joy.

Professional

After receiving my masters in education I began my career in Dallas, Texas at Greenhill School teaching 7th grade science and serving as 7th grade dean. I then moved back to England to teach AP chemistry, environmental science and physics, and serve as dorm mother at the Bedales School. Living with students around the clock further cemented my instinct that the world of schools was my calling.

I moved back to Dallas in 2001, and returned to Greenhill School as an 8th grade science teacher, and Head of the science department. My career then took me to the Blake School in Minneapolis, Minnesota where I became Assistant Head of the Blake Middle School. I was later recruited to become Head of the Middle School at Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights, Ohio.

In each of these three senior administrative roles, I have crafted and introduced programs that support media literacy, financial literacy, personal and social education, global citizenship, cultural competency, service learning and community building. I have managed teachers and support staff, I have balanced budgets, and I have participated in major fundraising efforts.

I love to be in schools. I love kids and teachers. I always have. I always will. I love the “hurly burly” of the hallways, the bustle of the cafeteria, the changing pace of the school year, the laughter, the energy, the triumphs and challenges that each day in a school brings. I can’t wait to be in the heart of The New School and to feel all of this swirling around me. To this day, I feel lucky that I discovered and pursued the career that is my passion. I continue to consider it a privilege to be part of the lives of students, teachers and their families. Not a day has passed in a school when I have not learned something new, been surprised, and, best of all, laughed out loud at the wonderful world of kids. Pure and simple, I love it.

My Vision as Head of School for The New School

I feel very privileged to be following the wonderful Bill Mandrell as Head of School for The New School. I plan to celebrate and enhance the existing warmth and authentic love of learning that is so central to the school’s atmosphere and mission. I intend to work to get to know all the students, teachers and parents as soon as possible and to engage them all in on-going conversation. I am excited to begin to further cement and build the school’s community connections and to work to extend our service learning opportunities. I intend to work to try to connect each classroom with another peer classroom in the world, bringing the world of global citizenship into sharper focus for the students.

I commit to providing an environment where children, teachers and families feel known, heard, supported and valued. One of my main goals as an administrator is to foster an environment where all members of the school community belong. I want to ensure that all students can grow, succeed, laugh, imagine and dream. Equally as important is the chance to fall, get up again and go forward with courage and fresh determination. No educational path is ever completely flat or smooth, but I believe that it should always be an adventure for all involved.

I plan to listen, learn, laugh and love at The New School. I look forward to sharing the journey of education with the kids, teachers and families.

Warm Regards,

Sara