The New School News

PROGRESS REPORTS and STUDENT-LED CONFERENCES: Progress Reports for the first half of our Fall Semester will be distributed at the November All School Meeting. Advisors will also be scheduling student-led conferences at the ASM. The New School does not use the traditional parent-teacher model for conferences about student academics, but instead places student in charge of a teacher-supported discussion with parents about their progress and learning. Student-led conferences encourage and support students to take ownership of their learning. Seniors will be holding their first Senior Round Tables during November, which will take the place of conferences for students in Phase 3.

NO CLASSES NOVEMBER 12: There will be no classes on Friday, November 12 because of student-led conferences.

TEACHER DAY: Wednesday, October 27 there is no school for students. Teachers will be meeting with one another to discuss their professional development goals for the 2021-2022 school year, develop curriculum for our Winter Intensives, and work on student progress reports. The monthly Teacher Work Days are invaluable time for our educators, allowing them time to collaborate, plan, and focus on supporting one another to become better teachers.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10: Please mark your calendars! We will NOT have an early release on Wednesday, November 10. Instead of Explorations and Student Meeting, we will follow a Thursday class schedule. School will run 8:30-3:30. Please plan accordingly.

AUGUSTA TRIP: The Public Policy class will be travelling to Augusta to tour the State House and meet some of the members of our state government. Possible Wednesday dates for this trip include November 3, December 1, or December 8. We will let you know as soon as we have confirmation for this trip. We will not have an early release on the day of the trip, but may have a late pick-up--around 5:00. More details to follow soon! Just wanted to give parents and students a heads up.

Thursday, October 28 the students in Ally's advisory will be attending the Thomas College Future Academy in Waterville. Students will be meeting Ally in Portland at 7:40 am. Students who need transportation from TNS need to be at the school no later than 7:10 am. We should be back to school between 3:30 and 4:00. Lunch is provided.

Volunteers: Thank you for the work you put into making Saturday's Open House a success!

November - Giving Back Month. We will be collecting household items, personal care items, and pet supplies to donate to Community Outreach Services (COS) of the Kennebunks. Stay tuned for more information.

Reminder that Monday, November 1 is Picture Day at school. Josie’s “Behind the Lenz” class will be learning to take portrait pictures for the school yearbook project.

Vaccine Documentation: Reminder to please submit documentation of any New vaccinations to Susan Blaisdell.

Our Community Match for Tuition Assistance Fund has currently raised $12,247 towards our $16,200 goal. Any size donation will be matched. Double your impact and support our ability to offer families financial aid. Share the link with friends and extended family members. Get the word out! thenewschoolmaine.org/match

Upcoming Dates for Your Calendar

• Wednesday, October 27: Teacher Day--students not in school
  

• Thursday, October 28: Juniors visiting Thomas College Career Fair

• Friday, October 29: Halloween Party after school 3:30-7:00

• Monday, November 1: Picture Day!

• Monday, November 1: All School Meeting 6:00 in-person at TNS

• Week of Nov 1-5: Spirit Week! (details below)

• Wednesday November 10th: Classes instead of Explorations
• Thursday, November 11: No School Veteran's Day
• Friday, November 12: No Classes, Parent/Teacher Conferences
• Wednesday--Friday November 24-26 Thanksgiving Break No School

Halloween Festivities: The student Activities Committee has planned during and afterschool activities for Friday, October 29 at The New School. Thank you Christine Knowles and MaryBeth Luce for agreeing to stay later and chaperone for us. Activities include pumpkin carving, donuts on a string, movies, and social games. Kennebunk businesses on Main Street are having trick-or-treating from 4-6 Friday evening as well. The school will be open until 7:00pm. Students planning to stay should contact Christine by Thursday afternoon.

Spirit week has been postponed until November 1-5 to enable more students to participate for more days. The Student Activities Committee will announce the new schedule of themes later this week, but posted below is the old schedule for planning purposes.

Both students and staff are invited to participate in “Spirit Week.”

Monday: Dress up as any movie or tv show character

Tuesday: Fantasy day--come as your favorite fantasy character or creature

Wednesday: TBA

Thursday: Wear your formal attire or prom formal wear

Friday: TBA

Remember that all of these are optional and just for fun!

CALL FOR AGENDA ITEMS: Our November All School Meeting will be in person at TNS from 6:00-7:30p on November 1st. We welcome input from all members of our community and are seeking agenda items for the November Meeting. When submitting an agenda item, please include a brief description of the topic and an estimate of the amount of time you would like to devote to it. Agenda items should be submitted on Fridays before an ASM. Send your Agenda Items to either Christine or Scott.

Missy King is doing a FABULOUS job tackling and reorganizing the Fish Bowl (our supply/copy/file room). With storage options at a premium, it's very helpful to have an organized space. Thank you Missy!

A huge shout out to everyone who participated in or contributed to Saturday's Open House. Thank you Eric and Ian Kruger, Jayden and Sharon Boyd, Effy, Katelyn, and Amy Tetreault, Cohen Arpino, Mandi Donegan for showing up and participating in our demonstration classes. Thanks also to those of you who donated food, shared info about the event, and helped support it in other ways--like cleaning the school. Special thanks to Josie for leading a great music class!

Thank you Noah Tetreault for leveling out the parking lot on Saturday afternoon!

Thank you Fern Brown for leading a delicious baking exploration last Wednesday. The devil's food cake was divine and the angel food cake was sinful--or maybe that was the other way around?

(click the quote above to learn more about Cicero)

The New School is an independent, democratically run private high school in Kennebunk, Maine. We learn by doing, and encourage not just academic achievement, but development of the mind, body, and spirit. Our goal is to give TNS students the tools they need to be active, informed citizens of a democracy.

“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.

Education, therefore, is a process of living and not a preparation for future living.”

― John Dewey

Email: thenewschool@tnsk.org
Website: thenewschoolmaine.org
Location: 38 York Street, Kennebunk, ME
Phone: (207) 985-3745
Facebook: facebook.com/TheNewSchoolMaine