Christopher Academy - The Best Gift for Kids

Our Christopher Academy families are happily looking forward to our Winter Break to celebrate Christmas and other family traditions.  We have had such fun with our parties and programs over the past couple of weeks.  Our halls are decorated with Santa, Christmas trees, angels, and snowmen. Presents are being wrapped and eagerly given.  Simply put it is a fun time of year.

A couple of weeks ago, I spent the morning in "Santa's Room" during our Holiday Mouse Breakfast.  I love hearing all the special wishes for what the kids hope to find under their trees on Christmas morning.  Santa promised to do his best and to maybe have a few surprises.  You can't help but smile when you see the children having this magical moment.  As I listened, I began to think about what is the best gift for kids and I have some ideas.

This is what I know about our kids:  As much as they love to get presents, they also love to give.  Now giving doesn't necessary mean an actual present all wrapped up with a pretty bow.  Giving also is helping others.  CA kids like to know that they are making a difference.  We just need to give them the opportunities.  Through various community service activities, in keeping with our Be Kind Do Kind theme we have done just that.

In November, CARES Club students sorted and organized all of the personal hygiene items that had been donated for the American Red Cross "Holidays for Heroes" project.  We have multiple activities that afternoon, but this was the one they were most excited about.  In December, CARES Club students presented a delightful program for the residents of Churchland House.  But the best part of the afternoon, was the gift of a smile shared between a child and an older person.

Just last week, our K-Cub students were positively joyful when they spent the afternoon sorting, packaging and wrapping all the items donated for the Portsmouth Humane Society.   Again, you just had to smile watching their enthusiasm. It could have been done more quickly and efficiently by adults, but think what would have been lost if the teachers had not patiently let them do this themselves.

This is what it comes down to:  The best gift we can give our kids is our time, our patience and our encouragement.  Sometimes we live at such a frenetic pace, it is easier to do things ourselves rather then letting them do things themselves.  Household chores are a great opportunity to simply talk and work together.  And guess what...when you give your child this gift of time, you have also given yourself the best gift of all.

CA IS THANKFUL FOR...

Within the past month, our Christopher Academy community has experienced two major events:
our VAIS 10 Year Accreditation Visit,October 25 -28, and our Celebration of Grandparents and Grand Friends on November 24.  Both required considerable preparation and both gave me reason to reflect on what I am most proud of and thankful for when it comes to CA.

• I am especially thankful for our students. It is such a privilege to be a part of these young learners' lives.  I begin each school day greeting students as they happily arrive at school. They always make me smile.
• I am thankful for the parents of our students who have made the choice to chose an independent school like Christopher Academy.  It tells me that providing an excellent academic and social foundation for your children is a priority.  Your support and involvement makes all the difference in your child's experience at CA.
• I am thankful for the support of our students' extended family.  Grandparents support CA is so many ways:  volunteering, serving on the Board of Trustees, and supporting fund raising events to name a few.
• I am thankful for and honored to work with such an exceptionally dedicated and highly qualified faculty and staff.  They are specialists in preschool and elementary education. They are continuously striving to foster a love of learning.  They do such a great job of striking the ideal balance between our rich traditions and the educational challenges of the 21st Century.
• I am thankful for the individuals who serve on our Board of Trustees.  They are committed to ensuring that Christopher Academy continues to be an important asset to our community.
• I am thankful for and proud of our alumni.  It is so exciting to see how they confidently and successfully transition into their next experience.  Many of our more recent alumni frequently visit and volunteer to help. It is also fantastic when alumni enroll their own children at CA.
• I am thankful to be a member of the Virginia Association of Independent Schools.  VAIS challenges independent schools to continuously improve and provides many resources to support us.
• I am thankful for our larger school community which includes the members of both St. Christopher Episcopal and Centenary United Methodist churches.  They work closely with us to provide a rich experience for our students enhanced with special events such as our Grandparents Day.
• I am thankful that Christopher Academy can provide quality, affordable independent elementary education in the tri-city area of Portsmouth, North Suffolk, and Western Branch Chesapeake. I think we make a difference for the children who live in these communities.
• I am thankful that I know that each child who attends Christopher Academy will develop into a confident and lifelong learner who is well prepared for the challenges of the 21st Century.

BE KIND, DO KIND

Christopher Academy is proud to be participating in the Be Kind/Do Kind program.  CHKD and Kohl's Cares have partnered to provide resources and encouragement to area schools to promote treating others with kindness and respect. Sandra Fabian of CHKD commented to me that adults tend to repeatedly tell children what NOT to do, but spend far less time discussing with them what they SHOULD or CAN do instead. She said one of the goals of their program is to focus on talking about and modeling for our children better options for how we treat others.

Virginia Stage Company is also partnering with CHKD and Kohl's Cares by providing two programs free to all participating schools in our area. On September 24 they performed  The Selfish Giant at CA for K-5th grade students. Our students enjoyed a high caliber professional play, met the actors, asked questions, and received a positive message about the value of sharing, being respectful, and being kind. VSC will return later this year with a program for 4th and 5th grade students related to bullying.

Inspired by the play, our students created their own KINDNESS TREE that is filled with colorful leaves on which they have written ways they have or will treat others kindly and respectfully.  They are reminded of these ideas every time they pass the tree on the wall in the hallway.  CARES Club is using Be Kind/Do Kind as our theme for all our community service projects this year.

CHKD also provided activity booklets to stimulate thinking about positive ways to interact with each other. I have completed a couple of these activities with third, fourth and fifth grade students. I have been pleased and impressed with the discussions I have had with thes students. I know they don't always make the best decisions when they are out on the playground and at lunch. Unkind things happen and we have to intervene. But our students DO know the right thing to do and for the most part they know why it is the right thing. 

Our goal is to help them develop that internal switch that directs them toward doing the positive thing instead of the negative hurtful thing. This is tough when we live in a world in which what they see and hear from adults is more along the "in your face, one line put downs" that characterizes much of what is on TV and in videos. I am hopeful that our children will guide us adults to also Be Kind/Do Kind.

Miriam Terry Appointed Head of School Effective July 1, 2016

E. Warriner Atkinson, Christopher Academy Board Chair, has announced the appointment of Miriam Terry to the position of Head of School effective July 1, 2016.

Dear Christopher Academy Community,

I am very pleased to announce that the Board of Trustees has selected Miriam Terry as our new Head of School effective July 1, 2016. We are confident that Mrs. Terry is exceptionally well qualified and prepared to become the next administrative leader of Christopher Academy. During the coming year, Mrs. Terry will work closely with our current Head, Phyllis Shannon, to ensure a smooth transition. 

Miriam Terry has been a teacher at Christopher Academy for 18 years teaching math, science, language arts, social studies and physical activity to 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students. In addition, Mrs. Terry has two years of experience teaching public school in Fairfax County. She has served as Lead Math Teacher since 2008 and as part-­time Assistant Head of School since 2011. 

Mrs. Terry has a BS from Southern Illinois University and a M.Ed from Lesley University. In May 2015 she received a M.Ed degree from Old Dominion University in Educational Leadership in Administration & Supervision. 

She has taken an active role in the Virginia Association of Independent Schools by serving on VAIS Accreditation Teams in 2011, 2012, and 2014 and on the VAIS Annual Conference Committee. Mrs. Terry served as co­-chair of the CA Interim Accreditation Steering Committee in 2010 and is currently the chair of our Ten­-Year Accreditation Steering Committee. She has participated in many professional development workshops and conferences related to accreditation, math and science. 

While Mrs. Terry brings exceptional credentials and experience to the job, she brings something more. Mrs. Terry passionately believes in the mission of Christopher Academy and is committed to doing all that she can to ensure that CA is doing the very best to prepare our students for the 21st Century. She is highly respected by her peers, parents, students, and alumni many of whom keep in touch with her. With her leadership, Christopher Academy will have a bright and exciting future.

Head of School Retirement Announcement

Dear Christopher Academy Community,

On August 1, 1998, I accepted the challenge of being the administrator of Christopher Academy (then The St. Christopher School). I never imagined then that I would have continued in this role for so many years! It has been a great privilege and awesome responsibility for me to have the opportunity to be a part of our students’ lives. It is truly a joy to watch them grow and become confident, successful individuals. Much has happened since 1998 with the most important accomplishment being that Christopher Academy continues to fulfill its mission to “foster a love of learning”. This is due to the hard work of our exceptional faculty, staff, and trustees partnering with fantastic parents. It has truly been an honor to work with all of you.

It is time for a new chapter to begin in the life of Christopher Academy and for me personally. I have advised the CA Board of Trustees that I will retire at the end of the 2015-2016 school year effective June 30, 2016. By then I will have completed 18 years as Head of School plus 4 years of teaching here. I am very pleased that the Board has selected a successor with whom I will be able to work over the coming year to plan for a smooth transition. That news will be shared in a letter from our Board Chair, Warriner Atkinson.

I often think of Christopher Academy as the “little school that could”. Similar to the children’s classic story, The Little Engine that Could, CA is a small school that makes a powerful difference in the lives of our young students. I know that CA will continue to the be the little school that can do big things. I am looking forward to another year of greeting our students each morning in anticipation of another day of learning and growing. Then when the last day comes, I will put down my big red stop sign and turn the first page of my own new chapter.

                                                                                                  Phyllis Shannon

CA Pride - Danielle Terry

It is always quite special when we have an alumni join our staff. Danielle Terry graduated from CA (then The St. Christopher School) after completing 3rd grade. We all were excited for her when she graduated from JMU with a Social Work degree. I was especially happy when I found out that she was seeking an interim job for one year prior to going to grad school. She was hoping to have an opportunity to get experience working with children. Perfect! We had just the job for her as our Office Assistant along with doing some substitute teaching. This has given her quite a variety of experiences interacting with young children.

Ms. Terry has proven to be such a valuable asset to our staff. I have to commend her for being flexible and adaptable because she truly never knows what she will be doing when she arrives in the morning. Multitasking just doesn’t seem to be a problem for her which is a really good thing when you are working in a school. One of the first things I observed and appreciated about Ms. Terry is her ability to immediately put a child at ease. Whether the child is hurt, sick, or just having a difficult day, she has this warm, positive way of engaging the child in conversation and reassuring him or her. She is able help the child become calm and settled. Over the course of this year, she has gotten to know every student in the school.

During her studies at JMU, Ms. Terry worked as a counselor and mentor with foster children. I asked her to do a workshop with our 4th and 5th grade students on the topic of bullying. I sat in and I was impressed with the variety of ways she used to engage our students on this topic. The goal was to get them to think about their actions and how they treat each other as well as how to protect themselves when they are being bullied.

In addition to keeping up with all of the office activity and paperwork, Ms. Terry has lunch duty with third grade on Mondays and occasionally other days. She has probably subbed or helped out in some way or the other in every classroom this year. Teachers love having her come in as they know she is conscientious and will have a positive experience with the students.

Ms. Terry has also taught two Adventure Kids classes: Media Club and, currently, Volleyball. Her technology skills have been very helpful to administrators, teachers and students. She created a wonderful slide/video presentation for our recent auction and has begun the process of electronic storage of our records for us.

Ms. Terry will be leaving us on May 23 to begin a graduate program in Social Work at University of South Carolina. I know all of you join me in wishing her well as she continues her studies toward her goal of a career in Social Work. Having observed her working with our students (as well as our staff and parents) this year, I know she will excel in her chosen field. What a great role model she has proven to be for our young students. Now that is what I call fostering a love of learning.

CA PRIDE - BETH LYDON

I think Beth Lydon must really like a challenge! Late last spring I decided to create a new position, Director of Advancement, by combining two part time positions: Development and Marketing. Her job description basically says she is to handle everything that has to do with promoting the school through marketing, volunteer activities, and fundraising. Needless to say the task list for a job like this is long and varied. I am delighted that Mrs. Lydon not only accepted the challenge of taking on the newly created position, but she did so with a positive, determined commitment to advance CA in every way she can.

As is true with so many of our CA staff, I first got to know her as an active parent volunteer helping with class activities and PTO events. Eventually I became aware that she has a financial background through her JMU degree and previous work experience. As you might guess, the teachers enlisted her to become a substitute teacher. Last year, I found out what a conscientious, dedicated worker she is when the did some long term subbing for us. I was very excited that she was interested in the Director of Advancement position.

About 5 seconds after accepting the position, Mrs. Lydon immediately went to work on organizing our 8th annual golf tournament which was quite a success in October. Initial planning of the 12th annual auction began before the golf tournament was over. Simultaneously, Mrs. Lydon launched our annual giving campaign, sought advertising opportunities in the community, and began a series of meetings with parents to revitalize our CAPS organization. Obviously, she has to be able to keep a lot of balls in the air at the same time. She is just now wrapping up the auction which was a fantastic event for CA. The auctioneer had hardly cried out the last “Sold!” when she was already discussing ideas for future events. It is fair to say that her job is never done...she has to be able to keep moving on to the next event or opportunity.

I appreciate the fact that Mrs. Lydon takes advantage of opportunities to learn about new ideas for events, projects, and communication through professional development webinars and meetings, talking to people in the community, talking to our own faculty and parents, and researching online. She just recently joined me at a regional VAIS meeting which gave her the chance to network with her counterparts from other schools. She knows there are many great ideas and is on the watch for those that are likely to be best for our CA community

Through a series of meetings with parents, Mrs. Lydon has helped identify some of the types of events, activities, and means of communication that our parents want. She also has begun to work with parents who are interested in planning some of the CAPS events. Some of these ideas will be implemented before the end of the school year and during the summer. Preliminary planning is beginning for next year. Being a busy parent herself, Mrs. Lydon understands all of the demands on our parents and values the time and effort from all of our volunteers. Finding ways to facilitate our having family events so that we can grow together as a school community is a priority for her. Now that is what I call fostering a love of learning.