Professional Development on Election Day

On Election Day, Saint David’s faculty attended a series of dynamic hands-on workshops, led by members of the tech department and fellow faculty, related to the incorporation of technology tools into their classes. Faculty were introduced to new digital tools, which they had the opportunity to explore hands-on. They discussed how their students might use these tools in ways that could make learning more efficient and/or deepen student understanding.

Among the sessions was one on 3D printing with the MakerBot Replicator, a 3-D printer. During this workshop, faculty experimented with manipulating two-dimensional shapes into 3-D and learned the steps to print an object or design from the computer to the MakerBot Replicator.

A particularly lively session on iPad apps included Sonic Pics, which allows you to take photos and record your voice over the photo to create a story or provide an explanation. Teachers experimented with the app, creating their own visual/audio narratives, and discussed how these might make for great projects, especially in the lower school reading classes.

In addition, there were workshops on online research and databases; and Scratch, a visual programming language developed by MIT, which enables users to create interactive stories, games, and animations. Teachers explored examples of Scratch projects and made their own simple interactive project relevant to their subject areas.

At the same time as these technology related workshops were taking place, our athletics coaches met to discuss the Positive Coaching Alliance workshop they participated in earlier this fall and to plan and refine the upcoming winter sports season.

Today's sessions underscore our commitment to professional development of faculty at Saint David's, STE(A)M initiatives, and our yearlong theme of critical analysis.

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OLIVER!

This morning our fifth graders continued a great year-end tradition at Saint David's, The Fifth Grade Musical. The boys performed Oliver! and they were fantastic, providing impressive performances and demonstrating great vocal ability. They have been mastering the dialogue and musical numbers for weeks, and clearly gave it their all. Congratulations to the cast on a job well done, and to their Producers/Teachers James Hubbard and Jamie MacNeille, Director Phyllis Clark, Musical Conductor Jeff Moore, and the Parent Committee of Cynthia Chapman, Susan Kissane, Tara Neumann, Joyce Restituto, and Ann Roberts. Musical theater is alive and well at Saint David's!

Fascinating Art Talk by Michelle Marder Kamhi at Grandparents Event

Yesterday evening, independent scholar and critic Michelle Marder Kamhi ( www.mmkamhi.com ), co-editor with husband Louis Torres of Aristos , an online review of arts; author of Who Says That's Art? A Commonsense View of the Visual Arts ; and grandmother of two Saint David's boys, gave a thought provoking talk on art for our grandparent community. An advocate of objective standards in arts scholarship and criticism, Ms. Kamhi focused her talk on the ways in which art critics such as Clement Greenberg promoted the shift from representational art to abstraction. Kamhi argues that the abstract and post-modern art prevalent today, which often requires explanation by docents in order to be understood, goes against art's purpose. Taking issue with Greenberg's contention that representation is an expendable convention of painting, she quoted the late art critic John Canaday: "Art is the tangible expression of the intangible values that men live by." ...

NE Patriot Tom Brady at Saint David’s

Last night, Saint David’s was honored to have one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, four time Superbowl champion and three-time MVP winner Tom Brady, as the guest speaker for our Alumni Parents Council Lecture Series. Tom, who is the father of one of our Saint David's boys, addressed a standing-room-only audience in Hyman Hall comprised of our eighth graders, alumni, alumni parents and faculty. Friendly, introspective, witty, and wise, he directed his talk to the delighted eighth graders in the front of the room, and focused on the topic of leadership. “You are the young men and leaders of Saint David’s,” he noted. Tom debunked the perception that leaders are born not made, and credited his leadership abilities to “standing up to and facing fears” and to “cultivating a mental strength,” which he cited as “more important than being physically strong.” He also stressed the importance of working hard, honoring teamwork, believing in oneself and being a good lis...

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