“There is no such thing in anyone’s life as an unimportant day.” –Alexander Woollcott
Thank you to all who were able to attend our Community Meeting on Tuesday evening, May 14. I know how challenging it can be to squeeze in another event in an already packed month, but I enjoyed sharing a recap of my first year as Head of School, a glimpse of our early feedback from our accreditation, upcoming changes for next year, and the vision for the future of James River Day School. It has been a tremendous joy to lead this community, and I have appreciated the support I have received from parents, faculty, and trustees.
On Wednesday, May 15, our entire community received an email with one update that was shared at the community meeting–our rebranding and revised mission statement. As mentioned in the meeting and in the email, the rollout of the new brand will continue through the summer, and the new website will be live by July 1, 2024.
I also shared a small revision to the 2024-25 school year calendar. Please see the updated calendar here. The changes affect the end of the year, ending a week earlier.
I also shared several upcoming changes to programming for next year, particularly for middle school. One is that we will offer a new enrichment opportunity for middle school students outside of school hours–a competitive robotics team in partnership with Vector Space. This activity will be fee-based and offer flexible timing to accommodate student-athletes who also wish to participate. More information will be shared, and a parent informational session will be offered closer to the start of school with Adam Spontarelli, the robotics team coach. We will also bring back the Math Counts competition as a part of our club offerings.
Lastly, I shared the new middle school schedule with the group. Mrs. Wright and I will meet with current middle school students on Friday to walk through the schedule. We will meet with rising 5th graders the following week to discuss transitioning to middle school, including the schedule. Parents will receive information on Friday about music choices in preparation for the summer. You can read an overview of the schedule here.
Let’s Fly!
Jenn