From the Desk of the Head of School- February 18, 2022

Dear Harding Academy Learning Community,

One of the pillars of our Embracing the Strategic Plan calls for us to be thinking deeply about how we develop programs that meet the wellness needs of our students and faculty and staff. Another one of our pillars challenges us to seek out meaningful partnerships in the broader community from which our students will benefit. I am excited to announce one such partnership that moves our school closer to achieving the wellness goals of our strategic plan. 

Starting in January, we began a partnership with The Social Institute (TSI), which “offers a gamified, online learning platform that empowers students to navigate their social world positively — including social media and technology — to fuel their health, happiness, and future success.” Beginning this spring and ramping up next fall, students in Grades 4 through 8 will be engaging in their social emotional curriculum which addresses directly how they engage in social media. 

I am also excited to announce that our next Insight Series on March 25 at 10:00 AM will feature representatives from The Social Institute who will present via Zoom to interested parents who register. If you can’t wait until March, they recently sent out the The Social Student Report, which documents “the latest social media & tech trends impacting well-being, according to students” and I highly recommend you take a look. If you do take a moment to visit the link, you will no doubt see that this partnership helps us re-orient the way we engage our students around their social selves online and offers an amazing amount of resources and leadership in this ever changing landscape. 

Stay tuned for more information about the Insight Series event featuring The Social Institute and have a wonderful long weekend.