Upper School News, Middle School News, Lower School News
Teachers travel far and wide on professional development trips
This summer proved to be a well traveled one for many KCD teachers. Through KCD's summer grants program as well as special professional development awards such as the Alumni Association Excellence in Teaching Award, Fortnight Grant, or Cox Family Teacher Development Award, a group of teachers were able to travel both locally and abroad. By traveling to new places, teachers were able to deepen their knowledge in their subject area and to develop new ideas and concepts to bring back to the KCD community.
Fortnight recipient and history teacher David Apel traveled to New York City and Ireland to study Irish Immigration. In Ireland, Mr. Apel visited the port in Cobh, where many immigrants departed. In New York, a trip to Ellis Island filled in the other half of the immigration story. Mr. Apel is excited to share his experiences with his students.
Fortnight recipient and music teacher Jeannine Ary traveled to England to participate in an eight-day course with the Royal Opera House at Dartington Hall, where she attended workshops on writing an opera. Ms. Ary looks forward to beginning this process with her third grade students. She calls the trip a life-changing experience and her afternoon with composer Helen MacGregor a dream come true.
Summer grant recipient and honors program coordinator Michael Goldberg traveled to England's Cambridge University to present a paper on the US Honors Program. While in the UK, he also visited and researched sites in London and the Lake District that relate to the Honors/Humanities sequence he teaches.
Science teacher Kent Martin used his Fortnight Award to attend the International Hands-On Science Conference in Rethymnon, on Crete, Greece. The focus of the conference was to demonstrate techniques that help students learn by using a hands-on approach. Mr. Martin looks forward to using some of these hands-on lesson plans with this students here at KCD.
Fortnight recipient and fourth-grade teacher Brina Stephens was one of twenty U.S. teachers who attended the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute in Williamsburg, Virginia—an intense, seven-day immersion in early American History. While at the Institute, Ms. Stephens learned new methods of engaging students in history lessons. Ms. Stephens calls her trip a life-changing experience as an educator and a highlight of her teaching career.
Summer grant recipient and English teacher Clark Pollitt traveled with fellow teacher Matt Evans to Costa Rica to help develop the seventh grade curriculum. Mr. Pollitt documented the trip on his blog and plans to use his experience to introduce travel blogs in his classroom.
Geography teacher Matt Evans was the recipient of the Cox Family Teacher Development Award and he calls his week spent in lush Costa Rica the epitome of a living classroom. Mr. Evans spent his trip observing coastal ecology and mountains, hiking, kayaking, and zip-lining. He plans on sharing his experiences with his students as a means of extending the seventh grade social studies curriculum.
Fortnight recipient Margie Seely spent two weeks traveling in France, where she brushed up on her French through a one-on-one immersion program held at a restored sixteenth-century farmhouse. Ms. Seely is excited to share her cultural and linguistic discoveries with her students.
French teacher Jean Amick, who received the Alumni Association Excellence in Teaching Award, visited France as well as exploring the French cultural heritage of the French-speaking provinces of Canada. Ms. Amick says that her discoveries will help to enrich her French classes.
Carpool cookies on September 10
Introducing a more delicious way to spend time in the carpool line: the KCD Carpool Cookie Sale. On Friday, September 10, Najla's fresh-baked gourmet cookies and ice cold milk will be sold during lower school carpool from 2:30-3:00 pm. All proceeds from the sale benefit the Lower School Exploremore.
Najla's cookies are all natural and made with organic flour and Belgian chocolate with no preservatives, nuts, or trans fat. They are baked locally by KCD mom Najla Aswad of Najla’s Cookies and are a perfect treat for your child’s after school snack. Each box contains one-ounce cookies that are perfect for little hands!
Box of one dozen: $10; box of two dozen: $15; ½ pint of milk $.50.
Enjoy a time-honored tradition of milk and cookies after school and help KCD, the PA, and Exploremore at the same time. Thanks for your support!
Booster Club presents coaching and service awards
During halftime of the August 20 football game against Paris, the Athletic Booster Club recognized several individuals for outstanding service.
This year's Service Award was presented to athletic field superintendent Keith Kidd. Mr. Kidd has worked at KCD for thirty years and has recently supervised the installation of irrigation systems in five athletic fields as well as the transition of those fields from Bluegrass to Bermuda turf. Each week, Mr. Kidd meticulously measures and lines all of KCD's athletic fields.
The Middle School Coach's Award was presented to middle school boys' basketball coach Mark Smith. Coach Smith has brought immediate and unequaled attention to KCD's middle school boys' basketball program: during the last three years, his teams have won 57 games (against 13 losses) and have brought multiple invitational, league, and tournament titles to KCD. Coach Smith has also coached the fifth/sixth grade lacrosse team through an undefeated season.
The Varsity Head Coach's Award was presented to softball coach Dr. Tim Green. Dr. Green has rejuvenated the KCD softball program by recruiting new players to the sport, building KCD's largest squad in eight years, and developing a JV and middle school softball program. Last season, he led the Bearcat softball team to their first winning season in six years. Dr. Green also serves as KCD's head football coach.
The Booster Club also took the opportunity to thank last year's co-presidents, Jack and Dawn Resinger, for their tremendous service during the Booster Club's sixth year. Thanks go to Mr. and Ms. Resinger, and congratulations to Mr. Kidd, Coach Smith, and Dr. Green. Thank you for your contributions to Bearcat athletics!
School year begins with KCD Tailgate!
The Parent Association organized the first official event of the 2010-2011 school year with the KCD Tailgate before the kickoff of the KCD-Atherton football game on Friday, August 27. Special thanks goes to Carmen Mathis for chairing this event and to all of the grade reps, parents, KCD teachers, and staff for all of their hard work in making this event a huge success!
Division Director Meeting dates
All three divisions will soon be holding their Parent-Director Meetings. The first lower school meeting is Tuesday, September 14, at 8:15 am in the Head's Conference Room. All other lower school meetings will be held on the first Tuesday of each month.
The first middle school meeting was held on September 1 in the Head's Conference Room. This year, in addition to a division wide middle school meeting, Dan Ceaser will also hold a fifth/sixth grade meeting and a seventh/eighth grade meeting on the second and third Wednesdays of each month, respectively. These meetings will be at 8:15 am in the Head's Conference Room.
The upper school meeting will be held on September 21 at 8:15 am. These meetings are in the Wilder Room and are generally held on the third Tuesday of each month.
All of these meetings are posted as PA events on the KCD calendar.
Bearcat Festival advance ticket sales
Bearcat Festival is Friday, September 24. To order tickets in advance (and avoid long lines), please use the advanced ticket sales order form attached below. Forms must be returned to your division secretary no later than Tuesday, September 21. For any questions related to Bearcat Festival, please contact Elizabeth Partin at randypartin@insightbb.com.
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| Bearcat_Festival_Advance_Tickets.pdf | 74.66 KB |
KCDate brainstorming meeting is September 10
There will be a KCDate brainstorming session on September 10 at 9:45 am in the Head's Conference Room. This is a casual, come-when-you-can meeting to brainstorm new and exciting ideas for KCDate. Coffee and snacks will be provided.
If you have any questions. please contact Elizabeth Sherrard at 814-4332 or elizabeth.sherrard@kcd.org.
Mulan Jr. auditions
Students wishing to audition for the middle school production of Mulan Jr. must complete the attached audition sheet and return it to Ms. Wheeler before auditions begin on September 7.
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| MS_audition_form.pdf | 23.1 KB |
Lower School Parent Night Schedule
Lower School Parent Night is an opportunity to meet your child’s teachers, visit the classroom, and learn about the overall curriculum. We ask all parents to first meet in the Commons at the time listed below. Please be prompt and remember that this night is for parents only; please do not bring your children. Furthermore, this is not the evening to inquire about your child’s individual progress. Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held in October. Please call the Lower School Office if you have any questions.
Schedule for Parent Night on September 7
6:30-6:45: First and second grade families meet in the Commons
6:45-7:15: First and second grade families move to the classroom
7:00-7:15: Third and fourth grade families meet in the Commons
7:15-8:00: Third and fourth grade families move to the classroom
7:45-8:00: JK and K families meet in the Commons
8:00-8:45: JK parents move to the classroom
8:00-8:15: K parents remain in the Commons for presentation
8:15-8:45: K parents move to the classroom
Between 6:30-8:45 pm, refreshments will be served in the lower school hallway.
Try the bus for one month
If you are curious to see how the bus will save you time in the morning and afternoon, give it a try! Now that the bus is rolling, we are able to offer a monthly rate of $75 each way on a trial basis. If you want to continue using the bus, we will apply the one-month fee to the remainder of the year. Pick up locations are Mockingbird Gardens Clubhouse and The Temple. Drop off is at The Temple, 2nd Presbyterian Church, and the Mockingbird Gardens Clubhouse. If you are interested, please contact Susan Moss at susan.moss@kindredhealthcare.com.
