Author Archives: Julie Rust

This post was contributed by Saana Watson. Saints@Home. I could write a book about this but I’ll try to keep it short! It was June 2020 when I was asked to help design and teach in this new, innovative program in which our youngest Saints (PreK3-1st grade) get a teacher to come to their houseContinue reading “An Inside Look at Saints @ Home”

Authored by: Hollie Marjanovic Here we are already into one month of school and talking about good intentions.  When I heard this topic, I thought about the saying “the road to hell was paved with good intentions.”  So, I hope that the choice of this topic was not because we are all thinking that theContinue reading “Best Intentions”

Submitted by Michelle Portera

Paul Smith, our fabulous new Senior Level English Teacher, is the kind of new community member that so easily and quickly became a part of the fabric of our school that it feels like he’s been here forever. So it didn’t come as a surprise when he shared a fabulous teaching strategy the other day,Continue reading “Reframing Student Work as Best Intentions: Reflection as a Pedagogical Tool”

Authored by Mary McCall McArthur August 1: Check email. Read Back to School Faculty Agenda. Make childcare and meal prep plans for days I’ll work in my room after PD time. August 2: Check email. Read they’re looking for breakout sessions. I might have something that can help? August 4: Thanks to childcare, by 7:30Continue reading “Thoughts & Fragments of a 1st Grade Teacher Mom: A Timeline Leading Up to Meet the Teacher”

Our esSAy is back for the 22-23 school year, and we are fresh-faced.  Welcome (from left to right) to Hollie Marjanovic (US), Kim Sewell (ECC), Michelle Portera (LS), Rachel Scott (LS), and Brad P–. ..I mean Buck Cooper (MS). (I promise to replace this image with the real Buck ASAP!) We are also fresh-themed.  AndContinue reading “We are back and we have themes!: September 2022 we delve deep into “Best Intentions””

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, itContinue reading “If this school year was a mixed tape: Top hits of 2021-2022”

If you really stop and think about it, teaching middle school is a pretty impossible proposition. Imagine convincing a room of 15-20 youth going through all the physical and emotional and social turmoil of puberty that complying with your plan for the next 75 minutes involving rigorous academic study is the way to go. AndContinue reading “Final Episode of Bridging the Faculty/Admin Divide: Discipline & Restorative Practices”

So many of the issues and misunderstandings that arise between faculty and admin result from long histories, things that happened in the past in an institution, habits of interaction, and a lack of adaptability or willingness to change.  Well what if you had a blank slate? A fresh start? All smooth sailing? We are goingContinue reading “Starting Fresh: Building Community with Admin & Faculty at Foundations (Episode 5)”

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to teach art to first graders or Spanish to seniors? Ever curious how a head of school spends their day?  In this week’s episode, we share stories and lived realities from three distinct vantage points: Nancy Rivas (Co -Chair of the Department of World and Classical Languages), JessicaContinue reading ““A Day in the Life”: Episode 4 in Bridging the Faculty/Admin Divide”

We’re back, and we’ve got an incredible, honest episode unpacking teacher support featuring two thought-provoking lower school guests: Michelle Portera (first grade teacher) and Shea Egger (lower school head).  Spoiler alert, I almost named this episode with various combinations of the following nouns: authenticity, vulnerability, trust and connection.   Check out snippets from host Rachel Scott’sContinue reading “Episode 3 Drops on “Bridging the Faculty/Admin Divide”: Unpacking Teacher Support with Rachel Scott, Michelle Portera, and Shea Egger”

As far as engaging learning activity tricks go, I’ve got to admit . . . . I have a soft spot for Shark Tank.  Simulating this “reality-TV-meets-business-board-room” has all the stuff I love about a great teaching/learning setup: collaboration, performance, speaking/listening, competition, role play, application, and authentic audience.  Typically, though, I see Shark Tank utilizedContinue reading “Shark Tank Meets HISTORY Class?!”

This week’s episode in our season of bridging the faculty/admin divide: Greatness.  What do faculty think make a good administrator? What do administrators think make a great faculty member?  And is there a way we can  all miraculously inch that direction together?  I was lucky to be joined by three incredibly great humans to discussContinue reading “Bridging the Faculty/Admin Divide (Ep 2): On Greatness”

Last month I blogged about the theme of this spring’s set of podcasts: bridging the faculty/admin divide. It’s a topic near and dear to my heart, and it’s one that has produced a host of complex topics of conversational focus, thanks to the faculty planning and hosting. In this inaugural episode of our fourth season,Continue reading “(Season 4) Bridging the Faculty/Admin Divide Presents Episode 1: Unpacking Graduation Requirements with Colin Dunnigan”

Authored by Julie Rust “I’m also trying to remember to just be kind. To each other. To our students. To our administrators. Side point: there’s a toxic sentiment in schools that places teachers and administrators squarely against each other. I don’t like that. Our administrators are dealing with *stuff* too, and sometimes it’s hard toContinue reading “No Villains Here: Bridging the Faculty/Admin Divide”

Students in David Bramlett’s statistics class put their learning on display this week through collaborative poster sessions this week. The project was a powerful way to put their semester’s learning to use, and presenting to small groups (rather than a formal speech to an entire class) was hugely preferred by the students. Of course, asContinue reading “Statistics Meets Academic Conference”

This post was contributed by Hollie Marjanovic. What better person to present on the topic of stress in a “high stakes” situation than Russell Marsalis, who coached in (and won) his first basketball state championship last March?!  Coach Marsalis did a fantastic job of explaining that every game you play is just a game–whether it isContinue reading “The Athletics-Academics Connection, and Why Preparing for Finals is a Lot Like Practicing for the Big Game”

I have a theory that we as humans need tribes.  As much as we all subscribe to the great unifying collectivity of our species, the notion of “we’re all in this together” can simply be too big for our small selves to contain.  We need groups the size of “I can hold you in myContinue reading “Why Teaching Two Year Olds is a Whole Lot Like Teaching Anyone: A Foundations Highlight”

In this final episode drop in our Parent Teacher Conference season, we feature a conversation about the oh-so-fraught topic of academic performance, facilitated by Rachel Scott, our new Lower School Technology Integration Specialist.  Tune in to get some perspective-shifting wisdom from Rachel Rice (mom of five young saints spanning Foundations to fifth grade), real talkContinue reading “Final Episode of the Season: Parent Teacher Conference, Lower School Edition, Academic Performance”

Fostering independence in three, four, and five year olds may sound like a paradox, but in this episode of Parent Teacher Conference, Kim Sewell (PK4 faculty member and mom of three not-so-tiny young adults) and Leslie Hambrick (parent to Jimbo, kindergarten, and Charlie, PK4) discuss the successes and challenges they have had both at homeContinue reading “(Ep. 3) Parent Teacher Conference, Early Childhood Edition: Fostering Independence at Home & School”