A PR IL– MAY 20 10
The Park Parent In this issue:
Cultivating Creativity: How Park Prepares Students for Lives Shaped by Change
SETTING PRIORITIES // 2 MEASURING SUCCESS // 3 TURNING GREEN // 4 STAYING FIT // 8
“I
SUMMER TUTORS // 11 EXPLAINING THE P.A. // 13
BY PAULA IV EY H ENRY, Park Parent Editorial Board
PARKING SPACE // 15
f I fold it this way, the plane flies backwards.” The Kindergartner manipulates a paperclip box and shows it to his
classmate. “Or the pilot could sit there and
see through the telescope,” the boy offers, holding up a straw. A girl whizzes by with a complicated construction of tape and paper, zooming a butterfly-shaped airplane. “Can I show you how it flies?”
Kindergartners explore physics, meteorology, and other
This could be the free play of kindergartners at disciplines romping around the playground with pinwheels. any school, but at The Park School, these children are inventors, and their teacher is preparing them for a style of learning that is intentionally creative – creative by continued on page 6
Putting a Lid on Bullying BY S TAN LEY SHAW, Park Parent Editorial Board
T
he media has been awash recently with reports of alarming cases of childhood bullying and the ensuing efforts by
schools and lawmakers to respond. But bullying behavior is not new, of course, and it has long been a concern for the faculty and
administration at Park. vo l um e nu m b e r A PUB LIC ATI ON OF THE PA R K S CHOOL PA RE N TS’ A SS O C IAT IO N
“Students must feel safe, physically and emotionally, when they come to school,” says Head of School Jerry Katz. That goal is realized through programs specifically focused on bullying, as well as a broad effort to reinforce values and shared expectations of the Park community. Notes psychologist Olivia Moorehead-Slaughter, “Kids should feel that the community accepts them for who they are; we help kids learn to be their best selves.” continued on page 7