Sarah Schecter, Head of Lower School

November 8, 2024

Dear Lower School Parents, 

Last summer when Mr. Burgy challenged us to read The Anxious Generation, many of you joined the faculty and staff. The book detailed alarming trends of anxiety and depression in our young people. It also suggested ways parents and schools can help this generation be stronger, less afraid, and more capable. A recent article in The Atlantic, “Lighthouse Parents Have More Confident Kids,” offers succinct and practical parenting suggestions that are in line with The Anxious Generation. So, if you didn’t get a chance to read the book, or you could use a brief and easy to read refresher, this is an exceptional article. Some of the suggestions are simple and unexpected. 

Your child will be bringing home a permission slip from Language Lions Therapy regarding a speech and language screening. This screening is a valuable opportunity for your child to receive an assessment of their speech and language skills. The screening will help determine if your child needs further speech and articulation work. It will be conducted by a licensed speech-language pathologist and will take approximately 10 minutes. Please review the permission slip and should you choose to opt in, return it to your child's teacher. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me or Language Lions Therapy directly.

Our annual food drive is underway for Mission Arlington. Upper School students are organizing this event for us. They have challenged Lower School with collecting peanut butter, oatmeal, rice, mac & cheese, ramen noodles, etc. We have found that canned goods carried into Lower School, stacked in the hallways, transported to the Upper School, loaded and transported to Mission Arlington, can often end up dented. These lighter items or items packed in plastic seem like the best choice for our Lower School drive. Thank you so much for helping your children select items and being generous with those in our community who are in need.

Enjoy your weekend,

Sarah Schecter