I often marvel at our kindergarteners. They are naturally
interested in the world around them and full of curious wonder. When I walk
into the classroom, children with their wide eyes, smiles, and hugs, eager to show
their writing, greet me at the door. What better place to capitalize on the
rigor and enthusiasm of literacy learning than in a private kindergarten
setting.
When I spend time with our kindergarteners during reading
instruction, there is much focus on sight words, vocabulary, reading
strategies, initial and final sounds, spelling, blending, and comprehension of
text. All of these skills demonstrate a commitment to building a solid
foundation of literacy while teaching children to be excellent.
Equally important and unique to these lessons is our focus on
handwriting, organizing our belongings, demonstrating pride in our work, taking
risks, respecting our friends, and loving the learning of reading.
At Wood Acres, we value purposeful and developmentally appropriate practices in learning to read while trusting in high expectations for all of our students. Even in kindergarten, we foster a climate of high expectations. This is one of the seven correlates of effective schools noted by researcher Larry Lezotte. These correlates drive all learning and success for our kindergarteners and for all of our students ages 2-14. For a five-year-old, talking out the process of forming letters and perhaps carefully erasing if needed to make sure it looks just right, is just one of many ways s/he demonstrates an understanding of high expectations.
Our 50th celebrations are now in Wood Acres
history, captured in hundreds of photos, and now a part of our rich tradition
of inspiring young people to explore, discover, apply, and engage in
learning. It was a spectacular weekend
in every way and we were so fortunate to have hundreds of past and present
students, staff, and families join in the celebration.
The 50th anniversary photo book is completed and
we invite you to enjoy it any time in the school office lobby. Pictures are worth 1,000 words and this book
is full of tens of thousands! We also
have individual photo prints on display in the Newbery Room of the Stacks for
students and staff to enjoy. Sorry no
ice cream or popsicle leftovers!
Wood Acres certainly has a strong vibrant legacy as well as
a rich history of which we are both proud and humbled. Fifty years is a milestone any way you look
at it! But we are also looking toward
the future and the next decades of our unique “Ginkgo” school.
While strong instructional leadership is key to any successful
organization, it is completely ineffective if the rest of the team is not in
sync with that leadership and vision.
Wood Acres simply excels in this area.
We teach leadership classes and strategies to our students, we empower
our faculty and staff to be leaders in their classrooms and model effective
leadership skills, and we work together as a living organism that grows,
innovates, and improves with the times.
We got this… and it has stood the test of time… for 50 years!
At this time of thankfulness, I am so honored to be the Head
of this amazing school and the caretaker of your children’s education. I thank each of you for making this milestone
of 50 years possible! God bless us
everyone!
A private kindergarten experience at Wood Acres will nurture and challenge your child like no other. Kindergarten is the first big educational milestone of childhood. It holds all of the wonder of the age and the excitement for all of the formal learning that will occur over the next few years. This is the start of something big.
We know our young
kindergarteners will achieve at the end of the school year because we carefully
set high, yet attainable goals within the context of a challenging curriculum
for each age and stage. When you are fortunate to have a middle school on a
campus filled with preschool and grammar school students, this educational
roadmap allows our vision to be more focused and effective.
At Wood Acres, we often say we, “begin with the end in mind” from leading researcher Steven Covey of the “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.” If we look at what our oldest student knows, sees, says, and does, it becomes easier to translate these attributes to our younger students. If we value standards of excellence such as communication, effort, preparedness, respect, organization, among others, then we are able to break these down into their smallest parts and expect all of our students to achieve these at some level.
Our students participate in a day filled with strong academics but also for moments engaging in the arts, recess, physical education, STEM activities, Spanish, and areas of interest the children bring into the classroom. Seasoned faculty nurture a love of learning and strong sense self that children need in today’s challenging world. Click here to learn more about a Wood Acres Kindergarten curriculum.
Moments of magic, mastery, and the beginnings of a solid educational foundation is what you will find in a private Kindergarten classroom at Wood Acres.
As quickly as the school year begins for our Wood Acres 8th graders, we turn our attention to assisting them in the next steps in their educational career: high school.
This may seem daunting when you consider that many students in the Wood Acres private middle school have been a part of the Wood Acres family for their most formative years, but they are actually more prepared than they realize. If the amount of growth from 12-14 years old is equally significant to that from birth-2, when students are challenged with a rigorous curriculum within a supportive and familiar environment, they emerge as solid, confident leaders who are ready to take on this next phase.
Students already have high school thoughts in mind after coaching we offer to parents and families when they are welcomed into the Upper School. The varied options in this area allow families to be thoughtful about finding a school and a program that is the best choice for their student. Long gone are the days when you just register at the high school down the street. Choice is a wonderful option in today’s ever-changing world and we pride ourselves on helping our students make these choices.
Each fall, we invite our colleagues in area public, private, and magnet schools to our 10 acre campus to chat with our students and to give them an overview of what their school has to offer as well as to share tips on transitioning to any high school. In this area especially, high school is difficult and competitive no matter where our student’s attend. These relationships ensure that we are helping our students be successful no matter their choice.
When students ask questions, shake hands with these administrators and follow up with them via email, they are applying all of the skills they have learned as a student of Wood Acres. They are demonstrating to their teachers, peers, and families that they not only have the solid academic foundation that the Wood Acres private middle school is known for, but the soft skill set necessary to navigate today’s complex world.
At the Wood Acres School, we know that long stretches of time create maximum opportunities for student learning and we build our school calendar to facilitate this belief. I recently read an article from Susan Kruger, the creator of SOAR, a study skills program, who actually refers to October as the most difficult month of the school year because it is a long stretch of time without a school break. One of her teachers even referred to it as “shakedown” month.
Her feeling was that
the days are long and our students are growing and testing their boundaries
with us and with their peers. We are stretching our students and they are
facing new and higher expectations and learning new material. They are
challenging themselves daily.
So…how do we make
the most of this “shakedown”? How do we help our students be successful during
this time? Here are some tips from Susan Kruger that resonated with my faculty
and me.
We recognize that learning
can be challenging, is hard work and that is ok. We are not afraid to instill a
strong work ethic in our students.
We tell our students who
are feeling the stress and pressure of this time that it will not last forever.
The lovely holiday season is just around the corner.
We help our students
get ready for a day of learning. We help them relax, settle into the day,
feel comfortable, and reset any negative emotional thoughts they might be
bringing into the classroom.
We move around on our
spacious campus to get some exercise before starting a new lesson.
We always emphasize
the positive. We remind students not to give up, but to keep trying and
to stay the course. This is of course, the most important indicator of long-term
success.
On the occasion of the
fiftieth anniversary of The Wood Acres School, it brings me such pride and joy
to serve as the Principal of this amazing place. I am honored to be a
part of the front row seat to the learning of these amazing students and to get
a 360 degree perspective on what makes Wood Acres the place where I am able to
come each day to make a difference for our children, families, and faculty.
I am humbled by that,
each day and especially during this milestone year. All of us have been sharing
anecdotes about our connections to Wood Acres, the beginnings of Wood Acres,
and our feelings about why we love this school. My love for Wood Acres began
over ten years ago and together, we all love…
Working on our beautiful outdoor campus that
nurtures the learning process with an appreciation and respect for childhood.
Caring, educated faculty who make decisions
with administration and each other on what is good for students.
Honoring education and a rigorous curriculum
and the process of learning while keeping expectations high.
Recognizing children have the potential to be
leaders and providing opportunities like peer mentoring, book buddies, and
service to our school and community.
Encouraging students
to make mistakes as this is a supportive place and celebrating their successes.
It is essential to
know where you have been to know where you are headed. We know where we
have been, and like beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss tells us…..we are
certainly going places.
As we look forward to the next fifty years and our bright future, it is clear in this busy, and sometimes unsettling time, more than ever the Wood Acres School is relevant and needed. We are excited that you are part of this story. Our future is all of you and your children, and grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Together we will continue this legacy and our ideals. We will share the excitement that is a Wood Acres education. We will deepen connections among ourselves and our community. We will thoughtfully make decisions for the good of our students in these changing times based on what they need to be successful in their future.
When visitors come
onto our campus. They smile and look with wide eyes. They instantly
see how special it is. They feel part of that excitement that we see everyday.
When alumni proudly
visit us, they always share much they miss the beautiful surroundings of Wood
Acres and how much they treasure the uniqueness of this experience.
In the words of Dr.
Maya Angelou, people will forget what you said, people will forget what you
did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
Wood Acres, you have made all of us feel special.
Today we celebrate
fifty years of that legacy and look forward to the next fifty years of
students, families, and faculty that will undoubtedly feel special too.
At The Wood Acres School, we instill a love of learning and literacy in our youngest preschool students. Our curriculum is developmentally appropriate, yet challenging for children who are constantly engaging with the wonderful world around them.
Our two year olds are exposed to language through play and stories that are a part of building a solid foundation as they begin their academic journey. In the three year old program, our classrooms are filled with songs and rhymes and more stories as they meet reading “investigators” who become friends as a part of our reading curriculum. Our preschool learners are beginning to make more of a leap to understanding the format of books, learning left to right progression, sequencing, recognizing words on a page and in their world, and that those words carry a message.
We recognize our families play a key role in nurturing their children to be readers and that role is paramount to their children’s success. Taking time to snuggle with children to read or re read a favorite story demonstrates reading is comforting and special. Making time for your own reading encourages children to be just like mom and dad and pick up a book on their own. We invite you to celebrate reading with your families and to fall into a perfect book.
While not as globally grand as walking on the moon, or musically influential as Woodstock, or eternally entertaining as Sesame Street, The Wood Acres School shares its 50th anniversary with these 1969 trailblazers. Who would have known that The Wood Acres Country Day School begun in several rented cottages in what would become East Cobb would flourish into the 9+ beautiful acres and over 10 buildings that is the home of The Wood Acres School today.
Dreams do become reality with hard
work, team work and the providence of visionary faculty, staff, and
administration. Over the last 50 years
Wood Acres has shared its vision of teaching, learning, and caring with 5
decades of students and their supportive families. Just do the math- over 10,000 students have
matriculated here as well as thousands of summer campers who enjoyed the simple
joys of “fun in the sun”. We have used
the tools of learning well- hundreds of thousands of pages in text and library
books, crayons and markers, pencils and erasers, as well as 21st
century digital footprints- not on the moon- but in the minds and hearts of our
wonderful students. That does not even
begin to mention the snacks eaten each day, the lunches devoured at noon, or
the celebratory treats that come with birthdays, new siblings, campus wide
events, and a classic gumball machine each Friday.
5 Decades 600
Months 2609 Weeks 18,263
Days 438,312 Hours
26,298,720 Minutes 1,577,923,200 Seconds
It recalls the wonderful anthem from
the Broadway musical “Rent”. 525,600
minutes How do you measure a year? In LOVE- seasons of LOVE! We love what we do. We love that what we do matters. We love every opportunity when we can be an
educational role model for our students.
We love to learn from them. We
love acorns, oak leaves, Ginkgos, compass roses, books, rallying around the
flag, and celebrating reading, writing, arithmetic, respect and responsibility. We are a school for all seasons and all the
right reasons!
We celebrate our 200 seasons of love, laughter
and learning!
Today we welcomed our Kindergarten through 8th grade students as we began our exciting 50th year of serving the educational needs of students and their families. No small feat for an independent school!
Today we returned to a campus that is lovingly cared for and tended by an amazing team of faculty and staff.
Today we embraced our strong traditions of teaching, learning, and caring that permeate all we know, see, say, and do.
Today we honor our past, begin this new school year NOW, and anticipate the WOW that the future holds for The Wood Acres School.
SUMMERTIME… and the livin’ is easy… hopefully for YOU!
At the Woods we are like ducks in the water each summer, calmly paddling along on the surface, yet working diligently beneath the water to have a productive summer that contributes to a great start to the 2019-2020 school year, our 50th!
The “Honey Do” list is always detailed- including deep campus cleaning, repairs, classroom moves, curriculum orders, curriculum review, team meetings, annual inspections, grounds upkeep, inventory, supply replenishing, planning and prep for WA staff kick off and family Meet and Greet to name just a few. Layer over that the ongoing planning and coordination of all aspects of a robust summer camp 2019 (over 800 campers will have participated throughout the summer) and you can readily understand our “ducky” analogy! We are also well along with our exciting plans for a grand, family oriented 50th anniversary celebration! You are cordially invited. Details will be posted on the website soon.
We still find time to enjoy a popsicle with campers, squirt each other with water, walk around this beautiful campus, and “kid watch” as the summertime for them is certainly easy, fun, joyous and the reason we exist! Enjoy your summer-if not actually on the beach- through the lens of your child splashing in a puddle pool, digging in the sandbox, and enjoying an easy summer day.
