Dear Friends- A parent approached me last week to say: “Ben, I know you have a Faculty Development day this Friday, but I have no idea what that is”. Hmmm… sound like a good topic for the Weekly Note! At Randolph, we view our Faculty Development days as a chance for the entire staff to get together for some moments of enlightenment, reflection, innovation, organization and focus. Unlike larger schools, we are able to spend a great deal of time together in conversation as a wh

Hello Friends There was something sweet in the air at Maple Fest last Saturday. There was the soothing smell of warm pancakes mixed with the sap-infused smoke from the evaporator, and every time the flaps of the massive event tent by the amphitheater opened up there was an aromatic blast of fresh baked goodies that waited for visitors inside. The day was a culmination of months of preparation, organization, and hard work by the Parent Group, and it was wonderful to watch all

Dear Friends- In the top right corner of page 33 in the March/April issue of Scientific American Mind is a bright yellow box titled “What Makes a Good Preschool”. The answers are pretty straightforward. Good schools are environments in which: Kids have ample time to explore, play, and be creative using a variety of materials. Teachers are warm and responsive and encourage conversation and participation. Kids feel safe and secure. Teachers set limits about acceptable behavior

Dear Friends- I arrived to school the other day to an interesting scene. The front doors were flung open wide, and at first I thought it was to coax the warm breeze of the beautiful day into our hallways and classrooms. As I set foot inside however, I quickly realized the open doors were intended not to invite air in, but rather to invite air out of the building. A thick, smoky caramel smell emanated through the downstairs, and I soon discovered that I had missed a whole swar