From the Desk of the Head of School- October 18, 2019

10/16/2019

Dear Parents,

Tuesday morning I shared the top of the hook up line with Andrew Ballow, our Technology Integration Specialist and middle school Design class instructor. In our conversation he told me about a unit he is working on with our 6th graders that is titled Enable Disable. Through a study of various disabilities, students were challenged to come up with inventions that would enable the accomplishment of some simple tasks that aren’t at all simple for those with a disability. It turns out that Andrew saw this unit at work when he and 5th grade math teacher, Sara Neuss, visited The Nueva School as part of our Late Start Wednesday 21st Century Learning investigations. At Nueva, the school had designed ALL curriculum and instruction around the idea of enabling the disabled. Andrew and Sara took it all in and our design classes have been the beneficiary.

In this conversation it brought home to me just how critically important it is as a school to continuously strive for growth, to be nimble (and courageous) enough to try new things and to always be wondering what our mission looks like, not only for today but, perhaps more importantly, for tomorrow.

And so, the work we are undertaking in our strategic planning process this year becomes all the more important. And we need your help. The Strategic Planning Team has met and developed four broad categories of inquiry: Nashville Partnership and Connection; Social Emotional Learning; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; and Dynamic Teaching and Learning. On Monday, October 21 at 6:30 PM in the library and on Tuesday, October 22 at 8:15 AM in the Gym Lobby, we will be hosting Parent Think Tanks in which Ryan Burke, our lead consultant from Leadership + Design, will facilitate activities that will gather your input and insights into these inquiry areas. We will be having two sessions to try and facilitate as much parent attendance as possible. If you do plan on attending one of the Parent Think Tanks, we would appreciate a brief RSVP at this LINK.

Your insights are critical to the development of this next strategic plan, as it will guide our work towards what our mission looks like tomorrow - the tomorrow where our children will be working to enable others in whatever ways they can. It is an exciting time for Harding Academy and these Parent Think Tanks offer an exciting and engaging opportunity to ensure that Harding Academy remains a premiere PreK through 8th grade program. Thank you for your help.

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