Private school spotlight: Charles River School in Dover
SPONSORED POST: Regardless of age or grade, students at Charles River School in Dover experience hands-on science with real-world applications as part of the curriculum. Experiences like these are supported by the school’s innovative curriculum and unique facilities like its Wetlands Lab and state-of-the-art middle school science lab.
For example, 5th graders are participating in a Citizen Science project supporting and monitoring the presence of salamanders in the CRS Wetlands Laboratory, and sharing their findings with the Massachusetts Audubon Society. Students measured a 10-meter by 5-meter transect near the school’s vernal pool, placed 50 untreated pine boards within the space, and monitored the areas beneath the boards for the presence of salamanders. Since salamanders are an indicator species that helps gauge the health of a wetland, the students have been excited to document the salamander sacs beneath the boards.
This fall, middle school students have undertaken a collaborative, cross-disciplinary study of climate change in their science and social studies classes. They have explored evidence of climate change and both human and natural causes of it, and researched climate-related policies in countries around the world. “The students are gaining an understanding not just of the science involved, but also the practical application of scientific knowledge,” explains teacher Chris Raskin. The unit’s culminating project will be a Model United Nations simulation held at the Dover Town Hall where students will represent points of view from various international governments, and also demonstrate a deep understanding of the science behind the policies.
Call the Admissions Office to learn more or to plan a visit:508-785-0068, or email [email protected] CRS is also hosting drop-in Information Sessions on December 14 and January 11.
Private school spotlight: Dedham Country Day School
SPONSORED POST: At Dedham Country Day School (DCD), we believe that balance matters—in learning and life. We combine academic challenge with support; pedagogical tradition with innovation. Strong scholastics combined with outstanding arts and athletics create a program that is balanced and whole. Here, a premium is placed on both academic and emotional intelligence. Children learn who they are as diverse individuals and how to be part of something bigger. Acceptance is a given, and children find encouragement in every connection they make. It’s a community that nurtures, nudges, and gives. That’s how we grow “whole” children—and, ultimately, adults who will thrive with the intellectual and emotional capacity to contribute to their world and enjoy meaningful lives.
Visit us, and you’ll get a sense of how our students learn to think creatively and critically. You’ll see that from Pre- Kindergarten to Grade 8, kids are being kids—and being themselves. You’ll witness them tackling hands-on projects, collaborating, taking risks, solving problems—and, most of all, enjoying their experience. Explore DCD through our admissions events and a personal tour.
Our 17-acre campus is just minutes from Route 128 in Dedham. Please visit our website for admissions event details or email [email protected]
Private school spotlight: Riverbend School Open House on Saturday, Nov. 3
SPONSORED POST: Riverbend School in South Natick hosts a true community of learners. Every member of the Riverbend community, from teachers and students to parents and other family members, is actively engaged in improving how we teach, learn, and inspire one another to embrace each new challenge. Take a tour on November 3rd with a current parent or teacher, chat with students and faculty, and learn what’s going on in each classroom right now.
Join Riverbend School at our Open House on Saturday, November 3rd
Children’s House (Ages 15 months through Kindergarten)
Elementary & Middle School (Grades 1 through Grade 8)
WHERE: 33 Eliot Street, South Natick, MA
WHEN: Saturday, November 3rd, 11:00am – 12:30pm
A true community of learners
Last Thursday, the Lower Elementary students were visited by their Upper Elementary “buddies” to share the love of reading. It was a wonderful experience for both groups of students. For Lower Elementary, this program allows students to practice their reading and listening skills with new audiences. For Upper Elementary students, they practice reading out loud, leadership skills, giving helpful tips, and showing empathy. In addition, it was wonderful to see many children reconnect, on an academic level, with previous Lower Elementary classmates. Both groups of students had a ton of fun and everyone is looking forward to the next visit. We hope this becomes a new weekly tradition.
Visiting Riverbend School is absolutely the best way to truly discover the many wonders of Montessori education and its community. Here at Riverbend every student of every age is inspired and nurtured to develop a lifelong passion for learning. It’s magical – come and take a look. We have many opportunities to visit.
Here’s what those Halloween teal pumpkins in Wellesley are all about
If on Halloween you see a teal pumpkin on a Wellesley doorstep, it’s not just a holiday decorating project run amok. To those in the know, teal pumpkins are purposefully placed, and they’re sending out a special code. I am here to crack that code as wide open as a vandalized jack-o-lantern.
Part of the Teal Pumpkin project, the blue-green symbols are all about making sure that trick-or-treating is fun and safe for everyone. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, 8% of U.S. kids have food allergies and other conditions that preclude them from joining in on the traditional autumnal candy bacchanal. Teal pumpkins serve as a signal to the treats-seeking community that here is a place where non-food loot is available such as glow sticks or small toys. It’s a simple act of consideration designed to promote inclusion for kids whose food allergies turn the fun of Halloween into a just another time when mom and dad are saying a whole lot of “no.”
Teal — it’s not just for 1980s bridesmaids anymore
Teal as the color of food allergy awareness and has been used for 20 years to raise awareness about food allergies — think bumper stickers and banners. The pumpkin add-on came in as a national initiative launched in 2014 by Food Allergy Research & Education to “raise awareness of food allergies and promote inclusion of all trick-or-treaters throughout the Halloween season.”
What got going as a social media campaign has spread to more and more communities. It’s something Wellesley mom and Mass General hospital allergist Kimberly Gold Blumenthal and her family have done for several years. “We have a teal fake pumpkin and a plastic teal pumpkin that we will fill with toys…Children with food allergies, especially those with anaphylactic-type allergies to peanuts and tree nuts, used to feel left out of the Halloween fun. What fun is it to collect a bunch of candies that may not be safe to eat? The teal pumpkin project helps ‘mark’ houses where food-allergic kids can trick or treat at safely, so they can join in the fun.”
It’s an idea whose time has come because let’s be real here. There’s nothing scarier than a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction.
Nobody’s trying to take candy away from a non-allergic baby
Candy is still king on Halloween, but the work-around of a toys option for some means a safe and happy Halloween for all. Rebecca Flanagan (those pics, above, are of her home) says, “My 5 year old has severe food allergies, so the Teal Pumpkin Project has really helped to make Halloween easier for my son and make him not feel different from the other children. In our family, the kids trade in the candy they collect for a LEGO set and are given a small bag of safe candy from home. With the inception of the Teal Pumpkin Project he is now able to keep the non-candy treats he collects trick-or-treating, making him feel more included on a day that can be a real challenge for food allergy kids and parents.”
If you’re thinking about joining in this year and don’t have the time to paint a pumpkin or buy a fake one, you can go to the Teal Pumpkin Project website and download a sign. And if it’s the first you’ve heard about all this and you know running out for a bag of el-cheapo toys just isn’t going to happen this year, no guilt allowed. Moms have enough of that. There’s always next year. That’s my plan.