April, 2010

Spring break gives everyone a well-deserved chance to rest and revive. We’ve reached that point in the year where our students see themselves as bona fide old hands of their respective grades. Fifth graders, settling back down to earth after a triumphant Banquet of the Gods, have adjusted well to nearly every expectation. Sixth graders’ memories are still alive with their latest stage success, The Reduced Shakespeare Company’s Romeo & Juliet, as well as with their first experience of Discovery Days. On the upper end, the cast of The Line has been intensely stepping, kicking and leaping while rehearsing for the spring musical, and all seventh through ninth graders are eagerly anticipating their annual class trips in April. With the accomplishments and anticipation, it’s easy for students to forget that a final and pivotal trimester remains. Finishing strong depends on balancing a variety of academic and co-curricular responsibilities, working toward specific academic goals, and using all of that great energy in productive ways. Advisors and teachers are poised to help our students stay grounded in the weeks ahead, but ultimately it is up to your child to bring the year to a successful conclusion.

As we look forward to the third trimester, I cannot overemphasize the importance of regular and prompt attendance. Mostly, I am concerned about the number of students who arrive to school five to ten minutes late, which not only makes the beginning of the day difficult for those students who are late, but also often distracts the other students in a class. I also would strongly discourage parents from taking their children out of school when they are not sick for trips that do not coincide with PBDA’s vacation schedule. Teachers are limited in their ability to help students compensate for these absences, and so it is the children, in the end, who lose out. In the event of an illness, Upper School students are expected to talk directly with their teachers when they return to school to devise a plan for making up both homework and class work in a timely fashion.

Standardized testing in grades 5-6 over April 19-22, the Fifth Grade poetry competition, lacrosse matches, Field Day, The Line, the Fine Arts Festival, the Upper Campus Awards Assembly on June 3rd, and year-end exams for sixth through ninth graders from June 7-9 are just a few of the many events that combine to make this a challenging and engaging final trimester. Our year culminates with Commencement on Thursday, June 10th, which is required attendance for all sixth through ninth graders. Before then, however, there is much to be done. To bring it off, we encourage you to help your child find that key ingredient, balance, to help her or him cope with the demands of work and play. As always, thank you very much for entrusting Palm Beach Day Academy with the education of your child. Please feel free to call or stop by if I can help you in any way.

                                                                        Sincerely,

                                                                        Jim Gramentine

Head of the Upper School