Head of School's Message: Sept. 2
“It’s like opening day of a new sports’ season,” said a fifth grade parent on Wednesday morning as students streamed through the gate on the first morning of the school year.
“Everyone can win. Everyone is optimistic and raring to go,” he added.
“Dad, wait outside. I’ll go in first,” ordered one kindergartener complete with forceful hand gestures forsaking parental assistance as she entered Mrs. Gancedo’s room. Eyebrows raised, dad confided, “I’m taking bets my daughter will be the first name in Mrs. Cole’s naughty book.” I assured him that Mrs. Cole does not have a naughty book and that thinking and acting independently are tied to our mission. His daughter is a Chandler girl on day one.
The Labor Day weekend came at an opportune time after the excitement and heat of the first three days. With this week’s four day week followed by next week that features two half days because of the One Direction concerts it will not be until Sept. 15 that we experience an uninterrupted five-day week.
Drop-off and pickup have gone smoothly on both sides of campus. The parents of this year’s kindergarten class have made the fastest transition to curbside drop-off of any class in recent memory. I usually write to ask that after the first three days of walking children to campus, children be dropped off in the carpool line at the start of the second week to help keep the neighborhood as free of parked Chandler traffic as possible.
The long Seco pickup lines will shorten next week when the fifth, seventh and eighth grade classes are away on their outdoor education trips. With everyone being dismissed at the same time for the first two weeks, Seco Street gets crowded at pickup time. Following the outdoor education trips, once the seventh and eighth grade athletic teams begin, practices that run past 3 p.m. there will be a more staggered dismissal and congestion will ease. Being stuck in the Seco pickup line on a 95-degree afternoon during the first two weeks of school can be frustrating. It won’t last long.
The all school picnic tomorrow promises to be a festive, community gathering. Armada Drive and Prospect Blvd are likely to fill up with cars quickly. Many of you will need to park on Seco, Rosemont or in Lot I adjacent to Kidspace. We have rented a bus for the evening to shuttle people back and forth from Lot I to the Chandler campus. A suggestion would be for drivers to drop off their crew at the Armada gate and drive to Lot I to catch the shuttle back. We will have access to more parking on campus once the Tower project is complete by mid-December. For the time being we have to ask you to park in the Rose Bowl lots prior to a big Chandler event. Wednesday’s picnic will be one of the biggest. I look forward to seeing you there.
Assemblies
This Friday morning marks the first all-school assembly of the school year. Parents of students presenting during a Friday assembly are welcome to attend; otherwise assemblies are a student-only affair. Lower School will begin their own assemblies on Monday mornings next week; these too are for students only. Thanks for your understanding.
Most sincerely,
John Finch
Head of School
