A PRIL – MAY 2012
The Park Parent in this issue: FAMILY INFO UPDATE // 2 RESILIENCE THROUGH EDUCATION // 3 VISIT THE LIBRARY // 4 ARTS AND ASSEMBLIES // 6–7 GROWTH ED BREAKFAST // 9 SUMMER PROGRAMS // 10 SPRINGFEST // 11
New Research Points to the Benefits of Exercise on the Brain BY LAURA BARKAN, PARK SCH O O L PA RE N T
F
or decades, we’ve heard how important exercise is for the body. In the past few years, however, studies have proliferated showing the profound
effects exercise can have on the brain.
According to Dr. John Ratey, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and author of the compelling 2008 book, Spark, The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain,“…the real reason we feel so good when we get our blood pumping is that it makes the brain function at its best, and in my view, this benefit of physical activity is far more important… than what it does for the body.” What should we know as parents and educators as we strive to develop our children’s minds to their fullest and happiest? continued on page 5
Students in Kat Callard’s Grade II class practice vinyasa yoga poses.
Using Technology in the Classroom to Enhance Learning BY STANLEY SHAW, Park Parent Editorial Board
A
t the February Park Parents’ Association meeting, several faculty members took time away from their
classrooms to show parents how they are
incorporating technology into their teaching. “Our focus in technology this year is to create a new baseline for how technology impacts teaching and learning,” says Raymond Stewart, Director of Information Technology. “We are continuing to investigate how technology can really support a deeper understanding of information and the world around us.”
vo l u m e 4 4 number 5 A PUB LICATION OF THE PARK SC HOOL PARE NTS ’ ASSOC IATION
Proud third-graders demonstrate their new iPads. continued on page 8