As many of you heard in my Back To School Night speech, I had the pleasure of traveling to Denmark this summer. I was blown away by many aspects of Danish culture, but most importantly (well, maybe second to the bottomless hot chocolate and delicious pastries) was their mindset of “hygge”. Hygge is a bit hard to define; it’s about a feeling of coziness, creating intimacy, safety, and comfort, finding pleasure in simple things. But one thing about hygge is abundantly clear––- the Danish believe that relationships matter more than wealth. I couldn’t agree more!  

 

When I think about Danish hygge, I see so many ways it is real and thriving at Echo Horizon School. Hygge emphasizes social support, and our close-knit, caring community embodies this so well, prioritizing and valuing  social connections that extend across all ages and roles. These connections are broad at Echo Horizon–– not just  student to student, but also between adult and students, and adult to adult. Our students adore their teachers and the friendly staff at Echo Horizon, and welcome the opportunity to play, chat, and learn with the adults in the building. Students constantly stop by the reception desk or the kitchen to say hello and hang out with Ms. A, Mr. Tidwell, and Ms. Rodriguez and with Mr. and Mrs. Castellanos. One of my favorite meetings of the week is on Tuesday morning, where my team and I get to hang out with our Parent Association leaders to discuss upcoming events, how things are going on campus, and to problem solve collaboratively, when needed. I absolutely cherish this close relationship between Head, Directors, and parents/guardians. Finally, seeing our elder scholars take such good care of our littles just warms my heart.   

 

The Danish continually explore how to shape their society, communities, and their lives to allow social relationships to flourish, and that is a challenge I have charged our faculty and staff to embrace and master. Ms. Willens has taken this concept of hygge to heart, leading the Early Education team to design and re-envision their classroom spaces and the Small Yard. You definitely should stop by to see the beautiful new Pre-K classroom, complete with wooden furniture and the outdoor pergola! 

 

Mr. Young considered ‘hygge” as he and his 6th grade Purpose Learning scholars collaborated to design and build a pond, creating a calm, natural space for reflection and observation on the Small Yard. He even takes his advisees to this special spot some days for morning meeting time.

 

Mr. Alvarado and Mr. Toussaint (aka Mr. Batman) embrace “hygge” as they consider new games for recess and Recreation Program that will allow for more collaboration and connection. Ms. Enlow remains a “hygge” master as she implements mindfulness throughout the day in Pre-K to foster a calm, safe, and thoughtful environment for our youngest scholars. Mr. Bianchi spent many evenings last spring taking an extensive Yoga for Children certification class to add this important element of self-care and reflection to our Sports and Wellness programming.  

 

While Echo Horizon School is already thriving with a "hygge" mindset, the true "art of hygge" also involves expanding our comfort zones to include others. This is something I want us to focus on and grow here at Echo Horizon, and there’s no better time to start than at the beginning of the year. Let’s take a moment to be mindful of our new faculty, staff, and families who are still transitioning into the Echo Horizon community. They’re just getting their bearings, meeting new people, and learning the EHS culture and systems. We can all help make that process smoother and more welcoming. How can we shower them with "hygge"? Perhaps by checking in with them, sharing helpful insights, inviting them to join us at the park, or even sending a simple email to let them know how glad we are to have them as part of our community.

 

As we enter our Centennial year with the motto "100 Years of Building Dreams and Inspiring Bright Futures," this year promises to be filled with extra joy and celebration. And maybe, just maybe, we can take a page from Denmark’s book and infuse a little more of that old-fashioned Danish hygge into our school community, allowing happiness, connection, and belonging to flourish even more!

 

 

I awoke yesterday morning committed to spending time reflecting on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I have always been proud that my alma mater, Dartmouth College, hosted Dr. Martin Luther King on campus in 1962, and I remember the old photographs in The Rockefeller Center, where I frequently studied, commemorating this historic visit. I re-read his presentation, Towards Freedom, and imagined what it would have been like to be a student in Dartmouth Hall that day, hearing Reverend King’s impassioned remarks. May 23, 1962 was Dr. King’s third invitation and attempt to speak at the college, but the earlier two events had not happened for a variety of reasons due to “circumstances in the struggle for freedom and human dignity,” including Dr. King’s incarceration. During my four years at Dartmouth College, every time that I set foot in Dartmouth Hall, I felt the beauty and power of his presence and the responsibility to use my privileged education for good.  

 

In this speech, Dr. King spoke about the “myth of educational determinism,” which he describes as “the idea that only education can solve the problems we face in human relations.” While Dr. King does believe that education has “a great role in changing attitudes,” he is clear that education alone will not solve the problems and inequities our society faces, and that we must have legislation and leadership as well to tackle society’s biggest challenges.  

 

The second piece by Dr. King that I re-read was an article titled “The Purpose of Education” written in January 1947 at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. There are three quotations from this document that most moved me:

 

1. “Education must enable one to sift and weigh evidence, to discern the true from the false, the real from the unreal, and the facts from the fiction.”

2. “We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of education.” 

3.  “...the most dangerous criminal may be the man gifted with reason, but with no morals.”

 

I, and Echo Horizon’s faculty and staff, take our role as educators quite seriously. While we understand that education may not be the sole answer to a just and equitable future, we know that it is an important and powerful tool. We are continually on a journey to ensure that education is intentional and purposeful and serves the needs of the diverse students in our charge. We believe that learning and knowledge must be united with truth and goodness. We understand that our roles include not just teaching subjects like math, art, and literacy, but also tackling the teaching of character and values. Our lesson plans, our assemblies, our morning meetings, the books in our library, our 6th grade Purpose Learning capstone, to name a few examples, consistently challenge our students to reflect on their duties as an honorable scholar and citizen of our school, our community, and our global world. 

 

Please take a moment to pause and reflect on what you can do, both in our school and in your lives, to continue the legacy of Dr. King both with words and action. Our beautiful children deserve to grow up in a world where they are honored and valued for who they are and where all humans live with dignity, respect, and justice.  

References:

 

• Toward Freedom, a multimedia presentation of the speech the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered at Dartmouth on May 23, 1962: https://www.dartmouth.edu/mlk/towards_freedom_mlk.pdf

• King, Dr. Martin Luther:  The Purpose of Education; January-February 1947, Morehouse College, Atlanta, GA: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/purpose-education

 

 

Welcome to the 2023-24 school year and to my Head of School Blog! My aim is to share with you, on a monthly basis, an educational topic that is on my mind.

 

Each year, our marketing team selects a tagline that represents Echo Horizon’s values, and this year’s tagline is “We raise healthy empathetic leaders”. In today’s blog, I’d like to focus on the word “healthy”, as I believe there is nothing more important than the health and well-being of our children. The world we live in doesn’t make it easy, but our Echo Horizon community is committed to ensuring a healthy environment in which all children can thrive.

 

Unfortunately, in the past few years, which included a prolonged global pandemic, the research on the mental health of children is distressing. Data from the 2022 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report (NHQDR) shows that “20% of children and young people in the United States aged 3-17 have a mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral disorder” and that these trends were “exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic.” In the same report, a study conducted by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) lists depression and anxiety as the biggest two disorders, having risen by 27% between 2016-2020.   

 

While this data is worrisome, there is reason to remain positive about the state of well-being for our students at Echo Horizon School. We carefully follow the research of Challenge Success, a program of Stanford University’s Department of Education, that looks closely at the health and wellbeing of students K-12. Dr. Denise Pope, Senior Lecturer at Stanford and Co-founder of Challenge Success, has been an inspiring parent education speaker at Echo Horizon in the past.  Challenge Success has identified five categories of change that greatly impact positive outcomes in student well-being, belonging, and engagement, titled SPACE framework, and we believe that we are doing a great job in relevant key areas. SPACE framework means:

S - supportive schedule and use of time

P - pedagogy that engages

A - alternative and authentic assessment

C - climate of care

E -  education for everyone

As an elementary school and not a middle and high school, we believe that areas P and C are the two most important ones for us, and these are the areas that I will focus on for the remainder of this blog. That said, our directors and teachers are cognizant about ensuring that our schedules, use of time, and assessments are aligned with our commitment to student health and well-being.  Furthermore, our parent education program, Flourish and JEDI programs, and our generous budget for teacher professional development demonstrate our commitment to the “E”- educating the entire community.

 

Under Pedagogy that Engages, Challenge Success’s framework for success includes diverse teaching strategies, culturally responsive curriculum, assignments that allow for student choice and personalization, opportunities to make meaning and connection, and balancing high expectations with appropriate care and support for all students. I feel like they are describing our pedagogy with this list! Through our hands-on, project-based STEAM and Science programming, we set high expectations and utilize diverse strategies while empowering student voice and choice. Our Flourish and JEDI programming provides teacher training to ensure that the textbooks and literature that we use and the lessons that we teach are culturally diverse and responsive. We prioritize meaning-making and connection in our classrooms, challenging students to work both independently and collaboratively and to chase the “why” in their work.  We set high expectations, but don’t damage students’ self esteem and confidence through a grading system that can demoralize students unnecessarily. We hope that you saw at Back to School Night how dynamic, creative, and engaging our teachers are and that you will follow your grade level’s curriculum this year on class pages as well as join us for grade level showcases throughout the year to see this engaging pedagogy firsthand. 

 

Under Climate of Care, Challenge Success’s framework includes systems and routines that support student social and emotional learning, opportunities for students to develop and practice agency and advocacy skills, incorporating a restorative justice approach to manage conflict and emotions, fostering inclusive practices that enable all students to feel seen, valued, and heard, and embodying a warm demander stance by maintaining high expectations in a supportive environment. Again, I feel like they are describing our culture and environment perfectly. As you know, our teachers have created wonderful routines in their classrooms such as morning meetings, classroom chores, and learning centers. Our Echo Center was founded to provide opportunities for ALL students to develop self advocacy skills and our students feel safe and supported to bring their ideas and concerns to their peers, teachers and administrators. The majority of the changes that take place at Echo Horizon are because of our student advocates who see something they would like to change and bring that idea forward. We wouldn’t have Halloween costumes for students, a new food service, new activities on the yard, a Student Advisory board, or student clubs if it weren’t for the advocacy of our young scholars. And, as you have likely heard, our Directors are presently leading us through a year long professional development course in restorative justice practices to provide a framework for and to improve upon our community wide practices of conflict resolution. The definition of restorative practices are those that intentionally and systematically build the capacity, skill and motivation needed by everyone to: 1) actively engage with and be agents for change in the learning community; and 2) build the capacity to name, acknowledge, and repair harm. As we look at the social discipline window, restorative practices are strengths based, collaborative, and empowering, and they challenge us to employ a growth mindset. Last but not least in the area of climate of care, the goal of our FLOURISH program is to foster inclusive practices that enable every student, whether they are four years old or twelve, to confidently share their identities, backgrounds, and traditions, knowing that they will be valued and celebrated at Echo Horizon. Were it not for this sincere belief that identities and differences are superpowers that should be celebrated, we would not have our monthly JEDI days, our annual HOLI celebration, and our Winter Festival, celebrations that we love and look forward to.  

 

As you can see, Echo Horizon School is way ahead of the curve when it comes to ensuring that all of our students, despite expected ups and downs, are learning and growing in a safe and healthy environment. We could not be prouder of the tremendous work we have done and will continue to do to protect our children from unnecessary stress and anxiety and allow them to enjoy fulfilling and joyful childhoods.  

 

Resources

CDC:  https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/data.html

 

2022 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK587174/

Challenge Success: 

•  https://challengesuccess.org/resources/space-framework-for-school-change/

• https://ed.stanford.edu/faculty/dpope

Success with Less Stress Article by Dr. Denise Pope:  

• https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/success-with-less-stress

Restorative Justice:  https://www.starlingcollaborative.org/

Notes from Professional development sessions with Annie O’Shaughnessy of Starling Collaborative

 

What a week it’s been! Valentine’s Day, 100th day of school, and a visit from our CAIS accreditation committee, the team assesses how Echo Horizon is doing and makes recommendations for future improvements.

Throughout the busy week, I have been amazed at the joy and enthusiasm that I have seen, felt, and experienced.  I have noticed the joyful spirit that our students bring with them to school each day. Our students had a blast decorating cards for one another for Valentines Day to share their love of their friends and teachers. Our 5th and 6th graders on the Student Advisory Board were interviewed by the accreditation committee and they shared all the things they love and admire about Echo Horizon. The committee was truly blown away by their brilliance and kindness. Our parents brought their love to campus through the handmade bouquets they made for the faculty and staff, with flowers delivered by so many parents through the carpool line.  Oh, and not to mention the coffee cart we found in the faculty lounge. Our teachers were amazing as they managed the excitement of the day while planning amazing 100th day/Valentines' Day activities and celebrations for their students, demonstrating their sincere love of each and every child in their charge. I even had the opportunity to visit 3rd grader Lucerne Cohen in the hospital to deliver a handmade card and basket made by her thoughtful friends and teachers, thinking that my role was to bring Lucerne joy. And yet, from the moment I arrived, I saw how Lucerne’s presence, courage, and optimism was brightening the lives of the nurses and doctors who cared for her. Lucerne, the patient, was sharing her unique and beautiful light with others, with her family, and with me! Never has a hospital visit been so joyful!  

 

The beauty and pride that this week has given me made me reflect on the new book by Michelle Obama titled The Light We Carry, a gift I received so generously from an Echo parent.  Michelle Obama is someone that I have always admired for her tremendous kindness, leadership, and grace, for her commitment to the health and wellbeing of children, and for her courage as the mom, bringing up two girls in a divided America. I am channeling my inner Michelle Obama right now as I manage the “intricacies” of the parenting a ninth grade daughter.   

 

The first quotation that moved me from her book was this one.  “I believe that each of us carries a bit of inner brightness, something entirely unique and individual, a flame that’s worth protecting.  When we are able to recognize our own light, we become empowered to use it. When we learn to foster what’s unique in the people around us, we become better able to build compassionate communities and make meaningful change.”  Each and every one of our Echo Horizon students possesses this “inner brightness” and we are blessed to be in their presence. It is our role as educators and parents, as our children proceed along this complex and bumpy journey of finding themselves, to help them to identify and protect their inner brightness, and to never lose sight of who they are as their most authentic selves. Our teachers are masters at empowering our students to use their inner brightness for good - to be a good friend, a careful listener, a kind sibling, a thoughtful participant, and a respectful citizen. Just last week, our sixth graders participated in the Purpose Learning Human Library, where they interviewed professionals who are leading purposeful lives to gleen advice from them. In the debrief, these professionals - doctors, poets, psychologists, professors, architects, and special education advocates - spoke eloquently about the wisdom and thoughtfulness of our Echo Horizon scholars, children who had just barely turned 12! The brightness of our 6th graders inspired the adults around them and gave them the gift of feeling optimism and hope for the future. Our students truly exemplify the Flourish Traits we hold dear at Echo Horizon - empathy, optimism, gratitude, interconnectedness, and kindness.

 

And, as Mrs. Obama says, honoring and nurturing the inner brightness that each individual brings leads to a compassionate community.  Never before in my 30+ years of education have I been in a more compassionate community. Echo Horizon is truly one of a kind in the way it cares for, loves, and supports each and every community member, our neighborhood, and our world.  Our 5th and 6th graders take their roles as buddies quite seriously, serving as role models and sincere friends for our youngest scholars who are just getting to know themselves and the community.  Our parent association works hard to welcome and get to know every new family to ensure that they find ways to get involved and to feel a sense of belonging at Echo Horizon.  

 

In the complex world in which we live, at times we can feel helpless to solve the big problems that exist.  At times we feel like nothing that we can do will truly help.  But that is so far from the truth.  The small and individual acts of kindness and compassion that a person makes can truly change the world.  As Michelle Obama continues: “One light feeds another. One engaged community can ignite those around it.  This is the power of the light we carry.” Our Echo Horizon community abounds with love and light. Our actions can feed others, can inspire others, can ignite action and change in those around us.  It is our obligation and duty to seek, to bring out, to nurture and to protect the brilliant light that is Echo Horizon, believing that its impact is endless.  

 

 

I sat beside the glorious Salmon River, in a circle of four comfy camp chairs, preparing for my daily morning reflection session with four school heads. Yes, that’s right - I participated in a six-day Heads rafting trip in Idaho that involved Class 3 and 4 rapids, sleeping under the stars for five nights, no cell service, and no showers or bathrooms. And it was exactly what the doctor ordered! Peace, quiet, pristine nature, comradery, and adventure!

 

The topic of the morning’s reflection was joy and the discussion question posed was “Share with your group a recent example of joy from the Headship.” We had five minutes to jot down ideas in our journal. For me, five minutes wasn’t nearly enough, as I created a LONG list of incredible moments from Echo Horizon: dancing around cars each morning at carpool, Burger Truck days, supporting our 6th grade leaders at Movie night, playing Dr. Procter the veterinarian at K recess each Friday, the Leadership Team yearly Halloween costume, my awesome Parent Association leaders, defeating Mr. Alvarado and Ms. Blount’s teams in the 6th-grade Olympics, listening to graduation speeches, gratitude walks at faculty meetings, the pride and joy I feel each time I watch our students present their work at a grade level showcase, and the list could go on and on.  I had no idea how I’d pick just one to share, but I figured that when my turn came, one would inspire me.   

 

As we went around the circle, we reached the third Head of School in my group, and she paused.  She stumbled a bit, saying that she wasn’t quite sure of the definition of joy, and we helped out by sharing some of our thoughts on the multitude of meanings of the word, which included:  

• A feeling or state of happiness;

• Experiencing pleasure and enjoyment;

• Feeling at peace from a job well done;

• Enjoying the company of others; having fun, humor, and laughter. 

After our suggestions, the Head of School simply nodded and said, “I can’t really think of any moments like that.”  

 

If I hadn’t been trying to keep a straight face, my jaw might have dropped or I might have gasped.  I was befuddled, distraught, shocked.  A wave of deep sadness overcame me as I thought about an elementary school where joy felt scarce, as I thought of this Head of School who wasn’t experiencing the great joys of education and community.   

 

At our leadership luncheon this week, I raised my glass to toast my team of amazing Echo Horizon educational leaders, who work so hard and who bring so much joy, love, and learning to our community each and every day. These leadership team members support our teachers to build joyful engaging curriculum; they seek curricular programs and technology that make learning fun; they create supervision schedules that ensure that our children feel safe and included on the yards; they plan events for our students, families, and community that bring us all together to celebrate friendship; they create videos that help our parents/guardians to get a glimpse of the joy that takes place daily in the classroom, to name a few.  

 

While I do love the lazy days and long nights of summer, I miss the pitter-patter of small feet in the hallways, the laughter and shrieks on the playground, the collaborative buzz of our classrooms, and the warm greetings from parents/guardians at carpool. We have so much joy and engagement in store for each and every member of the Echo Horizon community this school year, and we cannot wait to get started!  

 

With love and joy,

Peggy

 

 

Each and every day, whether during an Admissions meet and greet or talking to a family in the park outside of my house, I emphatically share the many “superpowers” that make Echo Horizon such a spectacular learning community. While we possess SO many superpowers, there is one that stands out to me above the rest, and that is our beautiful diversity, founded on our Echo Center and representing the incredible mosaic of humanity that is Los Angeles. It is this incredible diversity of ideas, abilities, ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds, and family structures, to name a few, that allow our children, families, and faculty/staff members to reach their fullest potential as scholars, educators, citizens, and community members. It fills me with so much joy, enthusiasm, and optimism for our future, even in difficult times. It makes me work tirelessly each and every day to ensure that our children feel seen, valued, and respected so that they can believe that a bright future awaits them. 

 

Today, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson became the first Black woman to be elevated to the Supreme Court, “the pinnacle of the judicial branch”, bringing celebration to so many who have long awaited this historic moment. And, let’s think about the implications for the future. Senator Chuck Shumer of New York summed it up well by saying “How many millions of kids in generations past could have benefitted from such a role model?” I am thrilled by the positive impact she will have on the children of Echo Horizon and on all children, and especially on the children of color in our great democracy.

 

As a woman in my fifties, I was lucky to have a mother who graduated from college, moved on her own to the Big Apple, and worked in a chemistry lab at a New York hospital. She was gutsy, brilliant, strong-willed, and unafraid to challenge other people’s ideas. And yet, at age 32, under much pressure from those who worried that she was “getting old” and “missing out”, she dropped it all to marry my dad and promptly have three children, all daughters! For 20 years, she was an amazing mom and homemaker, until she decided to return to work, against my Dad’s wishes, as a part-time secretary at an insurance company. And I love telling the next part of the story, which is how, a year later, her boss begged her to join him full time because she was so talented, which she did, without telling my dad. He only learned of this move and her slight “omission of truth” when he did their taxes and questioned why her salary had doubled. As you can see from these stories of my #1 role model, I was destined to become a strong woman, and it’s little surprise that I possessed the drive and ambition to become a Head of School. 

 

And yet, I was, and will always be, surrounded by privilege for so many reasons—to be white, financially stable, well-educated, and able bodied, to name a few. (Though I am slowing down a bit in my handball game and the 5th and 6th graders, on occasion, can beat me!) I cannot even begin to imagine the barriers that Judge Brown Jackson faced, despite us being of my same generation, to achieve her dreams and goals. I cannot imagine the racism she faced as a child, young adult, and professional as she strove to get her degrees and to become a lawyer and judge, racism that continues to rear its head at her even today. 

 

In order to learn more and broaden even my perspective on this historic moment, I have invited the one and only Ms. Blount, Director of Upper Elementary and Director of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI), who identifies as a biracial Black woman, to co-write this blog and share her thoughts and perspectives with us below:

 

It has been an honor to have the opportunity to lead our school’s JEDI efforts in collaboration with Liza DeWitt this year. Today, I happened to substitute teach 5th Grade humanities, which includes a focus on United States history. We paused to review students’ study of civics and discuss the process of nomination to the Supreme Court. Then we watched a brief clip of today’s confirmation and spoke about the historic nature of Judge Jackson’s nomination. Students were surprised to learn that she is also the first former public defender ever to be nominated. While the purpose of acknowledging this moment was to bring current events into a social studies lesson (as always!) many students broke into spontaneous and authentic applause as the final tally was announced on screen. You may have seen the viral photographs of Leila Jackson, one of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s daughters, watching her mom at the confirmation hearings. Many of our own students wore similar expressions as they watched. I am proud that our graduates not only leave Echo Horizon with an age-appropriate understanding of our country’s complex history, they also graduate knowing the importance of celebrating resilience, joy, justice, and progress. 

 

Personally, I could not help but watch Vice President Kamala Harris as she announced the Senate’s final decision. I am sure that both Vice President Kamala Harris and Justice Jackson, like myself and Peggy in our own ways, have been “the only one” in a room many times. I see such power in a moment in time where there is not just one, but two Black women in the upper echelons of American government. Like Peggy, I could not help but think of all of the strong women in my life who have supported me in my journey, even when their own dreams were limited by the society around them. To see Judge Jackson’s expertise and excellence recognized and celebrated brought tears to my eyes.

 

Our Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Statement of Values reads: “Our beautiful diversity is a source of strength, excellence, joy, and creativity. We stand in solidarity with those who have been historically marginalized in our fight for a just and humane world. We celebrate you, we see you, we love you, and we are infinitely better because you are part of our community.” 

 

Today, we celebrate you, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, for your brilliance, your courage, and your willingness to fight, against all odds, to ensure that ALL of the children of our country can see themselves as leaders, changemakers, and valuable contributors in our society. We can’t wait to see how your leadership and modeling impacts our Echo Horizon students today and in the future. Thank you for helping them to change the world by making it a better place for all!

In a recent Parent Association Leadership Meeting and Community Conversation, parents/ guardians asked the Leadership team for an honest update on how our students are doing academically and socio-emotionally in light of the pandemic and the educational disruptions that have occurred in the past few years. While this is a BIG question and one that I don’t believe we can fully answer, we are happy to share some of our observations with you.  It is our sincere hope that we will continue to have a strong home-school partnership in order to support our students' growth and development in these challenging times.  

 

First, allow me to share with you some of the research out there.  

• Experts believe that students are an average of 5 months behind in math and 4 months behind in reading. That said, the gaps tend to hit under-resourced schools hardest, so likely the gaps of our EHS scholars who have the privilege of an excellent school with excellent teachers and access to technology are less. 
• 35% of parents are concerned about their children’s mental health; 35% of parents are worried about their children’s socio-emotional well-being.
• There was widespread disengagement from students during remote online learning which led to a loss of knowledge and skills.
• Students may be missing some key building blocks of foundational knowledge
• Students may be missing some important skills, behaviors and mindsets that are important for success at the next level
• Students may need a longer transition period to relearn the behavioral expectations of being in a classroom and in a school environment
• Students depend heavily on their teachers for both academic support and emotional security.
• Many experts recommend that, for the time being, educators focus less on student academic progress and more on the social and emotional needs of children.

 

While the above data may seem daunting, the good news is that the issues and gaps appear to be less in the data on elementary age students, as this age group appears to have received more adult support from parents/guardians, caregivers, and older siblings.  The elementary data shows that remote and hybrid learning may have had less impact on reading than on math.  

 

Anxiety and depression are on the rise with a 5-6% increase in the past few years.  From a socio-emotional and mental health perspective, research is showing an uptick in behaviors like social withdrawal, lethargy, self-isolation, and irrational fears.  Therefore, placing an emphasis on creating a safe, loving, and caring environment for our children is of the utmost importance, and it is something that Echo Horizon excels at. Building relationships, listening to the needs and fears of children, offering friendship and love, and treating others with respect and kindness will help our students to recover from the difficulties they have faced recently.  

 

At Echo Horizon, we remain optimistic about how our children are doing, in light of the challenges of the past few years.  Our Hawk scholars are resilient, hard working, determined, and kind.  Our Hawk teachers are the best out there, dedicated to the whole child - heart and mind.  We are in it together and we won’t give up - we are committed to giving our all to the beautiful children in our classrooms and school.  

 

I have asked our Directors and our student support team to share with you some thoughts and observations about the “state of our students”.  

 

Observations on academic progress:

• Struggles with independence - we are seeing increased difficulty/lack of patience with waiting for help - our students seem to be less resilient when they don’t know an answer or need support.  They are more likely to interrupt and demand immediate support from their teachers. 
• Additional practice and support may be needed to build fluency in foundational skills (math, literacy development, etc)
• Engaging with the “group plan”: cooperative learning requires different skills and behaviors than when students were isolated at home, students have less experience asking for help in the classroom setting
• Amplified disparities in students’ individual resources to approach new challenges
• Complaints about inability to focus; our students need to rebuild the stamina school requires without distractions that might have been available at home
• Students give up more quickly when things get hard - we are seeing this most in math.  

 

Observations on socio-emotional progress:

• During recess and lunch, students appear less resilient when they need support.  They are more likely to interrupt and demand immediate support, and less likely to utilize problem solving strategies they may have used in the past
• We are seeing an increase in attention seeking behaviors   
• Conflict resolution - at recess, students struggle to handle conflict situations on their own without adult intervention
• Social and relationship skills, such as sharing and taking turns, need consistent practice and review
• Students benefit from the continued development of their own “SEL toolbox” for how to help themselves when they are feeling overwhelmed, anxious or frustrated
• Students struggle with making negative assumptions about other childrens’ motivations or actions. They appear less likely to give each other the benefit of the doubt and to have less tolerance for others making mistakes.  
• Students may struggle to come up with creative play or games during recess, causing them to rely more on adults.
• Students are more easily overwhelmed by challenges, whether academic or social
• We see more sensitivity and defensiveness to feedback from friends
• We are seeing communication breakdowns. There is an expectation that friends should know what is wrong or what they need without communication.
• Students are afraid to share how they really feel / ask for what they need for fear of hurting others’ feelings
• Students need lots of practice in using “I-statements,” when asking for what they need
• Students need practice respecting boundaries
• Some students appear to suffer lower frustration tolerance.

 

In summary, while students grasp these concepts really well intellectually, they’re having a harder time implementing this knowledge into daily interactions. After a few years of less interactions and some isolation, they need practice in real-time to make different choices.

 

Thank you all so much for reading these observations as we continually assess where our students are and how the school can best support their growth and development.  We are committed to continuing to partner actively with our parents/guardians to support student improvement. As we said, our Echo Horizon students are incredible scholars and humans, and we have no doubts that in partnership, we can layer in consistent practice and messaging so that they thrive and excel despite these societal setbacks.  

 

With gratitude,

Peggy

 

*************************************************************

 

Resources

https://news.berkeley.edu/2021/08/11/as-k-12-students-return-schools-shouldnt-obsess-over-pandemic-learning-loss/

 

https://www.edutopia.org/article/too-much-focus-learning-loss-will-be-historic-mistake

https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/education/our-insights/covid-19-and-education-the-lingering-effects-of-unfinished-learning

  

 

 

Almost two years ago, I shared with the community a personal post about my eldest sister Prudy. It was a gratitude post, as we had just learned that Prudy, who was battling ovarian cancer, had been deemed “cancer free” after 7 months of aggressive chemotherapy. It was a joyous day in the Procter family. 

 

The joy I spoke about was short-lived; in early 2021, we learned that the cancer had come back and spread. Her fight continued, and it was scarier than ever. 

 

My phone rang one morning at 6:30am one morning in late October. It was my youngest sister Katie, who lives in New Jersey. The minute I saw the time and caller, I knew. My beautiful sister was gone. It was time for her fight and suffering to end. 

 

Over the past year, my sisters Ellen, Katie, and I have written weekly cards to Prudy, each focused on a different adjective to describe her. The three adjectives that come most strongly to mind are brave, humble, and authentic. As I think about my sister and these words, I am tremendously grateful to have had such an incredible role model in my life for so many years. Many of these traits are ones that I hope to embody, and I learned so much from her about the power of each of them. I know that Prudy would want me to continue her legacy by passing these traits along to all of the children I have the privilege to work with. 

 

Bravery: Not once during this two-year ordeal did Prudy complain. She took each day in stride, no matter how crummy she felt. She was always selfless, never failing to check in on others. In her final hours on Earth with her daughter Jennifer by her side, she paused and said, “Enough about me sweetheart, how are YOU doing?” 

 

Prudy taught me to follow my dreams and my heart fearlessly, to take risks, and to not let obstacles hold me back. It takes courage to be an independent woman and a mother, to teach, and to lead, and I wonder if I would be where and who I am today without her as a role model of bravery.

 

Humility: Despite my father’s love and support of Prudy, her childhood was far from idyllic. Her parents split when she was just three years old and her (and my) Dad went on to a new life—a new wife in a new city, and three additional daughters. Prudy grew up with a single mom and struggled mightily with dyslexia. She loved her mom, cherished their relationship, and never complained about the things she didn’t have. She was always grateful for her Dad’s visits and she loved her somewhat annoying younger sisters—demonstrating no jealousy, regardless of all the time and attention they took away from her. She loved the simple things in life, such as nature, trees, books, and animals. As a Quaker, she valued simplicity, peace, truth, and community. Materialism didn’t matter to her—she cared about people and the Earth and showered her love and goodness on the things that she believed were important. I was so lucky to have been a recipient of her unconditional love.  

 

I’ll never forget how worried our Dad was when I told him that I wanted to be a teacher. His fear came from the fact that he knew what a difficult and non-lucrative profession it was. What parent wants a child to struggle? And yet, thanks to my awesome sister Prudy, I did not share in his worry. I knew what I wanted to do, and knew that fulfillment would come not from wealth or objects, but from relationships and purpose. I have never looked back on my choice and can think of no profession more meaningful for me. 

 

Authenticity: Prudy was honestly one of a kind. She was unique, and kind, and direct, and she honestly didn’t care about putting on airs for anyone. She loved art, historic homes, museums, gardening, dogs, folk music, fall foliage, walks in the woods, and toads. She was a jeans and t-shirt kind of woman and couldn’t be bothered with make-up. She knew who she was, was comfortable with it, and surrounded herself with those who loved her as her authentic self. Her authenticity was refreshing, and I admired her for her self-assured confidence and ability to love herself and others so fully, without judgment. I credit dear Prudy for my comfort with my own silliness, my love of tacky headbands, and my inability to brush my unruly hair. 

 

Rest in peace, dear Prudy, knowing the tremendous positive impact you have had on our family and so many others whose lives you have touched. You will live forever in the unforgettable stories and beautiful gifts you have left us to pass on. 

 

It was exactly one year ago today that I made the difficult decision to close Echo Horizon’s campus for the first time due to a novel virus that was scaring the nation and the world. I still have vivid memories of being at carpool, sadly saying goodbye to every student and family, truly believing that I would see them again after spring break, and thinking that three weeks would be a LONG time to be separated from one another. The image of sixth-grader Eli staring out his window near tears as he drove away from Echo will never leave me. 

 

We’ve been through so much this past year—separation, loss, loneliness, fear—much of which I wish we hadn’t had to experience. Yet, I cannot deny that this year, despite all the challenges, has been one of growth, reflection, and lifelong lessons. I have learned so much about the power of the Echo Horizon community, and I’d like share my reflections on our one-year anniversary of learning during the pandemic:

 

Lesson #1: We are an exceptionally resilient community;

Lesson #2: We all rely on Echo Horizon school for much more than academic learning;

Lesson #3: We were reminded of the importance of growth mindset in order to adapt and learn new skills—flexibility, adaptability, patience, and responsiveness were a must;

Lesson #4: We were reminded during remote learning of the divides that exist in our world around equity and access;

Lesson #5: We learned to be more appreciative of life’s gifts and to live each day with gratitude.

 

Resilience, defined as “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties” and “the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, or significant sources of stress,” is a vital characteristic of healthy, happy, and successful people. As parents and educators, we hope that our children develop resilience, but we often do everything we can to protect them from pain, difficulty, and failure, thus taking away their chances to practice it. In this case, we couldn’t “take away” the pandemic, providing our children with a true opportunity to learn and grow their resilience. And boy did they! Our Echo scholars, whether 4 years old or 12, were champions. They embraced the complexity of Zoom learning by putting in great effort to maintain focus. They became more independent as they completed asynchronous work, advocated and asked for help during one-on-one teacher time, and were good participants and listeners during community meetings. Our faculty and staff were resilience rockstars, ready to pivot from online to hybrid to in-person to best meet the needs of the beloved scholars in their care. This year will be considered one of the most difficult years ever for educators, and our Echo Horizon faculty and staff never lost sight of the need to show up for the students. Our gratitude for all that they have done is overflowing. And our parents/guardians—what grace you showed as you pivoted with us, never complaining about the frequent changes, the odd drop-off and pick-up times, the times we sent your child home because of the sniffles even though it was probably nothing. Not once did I receive anything but kindness and gratitude from our parent/guardian community. 

 

The second lesson is really about the definition of school and why we chose to join Echo Horizon. In choosing Echo Horizon, of course, we chose a place that would masterfully teach our students reading, writing, and arithmetic, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. School closure made that clear. At Echo Horizon School, we place equal value on relationships, connections, creativity, advocacy, and communication. Echo Horizon is a school, but it is the community piece that makes it so much more. Community is defined as “a feeling of fellowship with others as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests and goals.” That fellowship, in which we work collectively towards common goals, creates a stronger bond and connects us on a deeper level. We hold ourselves and the school to high standards in support of those collective goals. We do not drop the kids at school each morning and ask the school to do all the work: we commit to working in partnership with the school and with other families to support all the children to become their best selves. The need and power of partnership was never more clear and vital than during this pandemic. Echo Horizon is love, friendship, laughter, fun, and lots of learning!

 

Lesson #3 is about growth mindset. I have been obsessed with growth mindset since it first came on the educational scene about 15 years ago with Dr. Carol Dweck’s incredible research. Dr. Dweck defines growth mindset as “a belief that success depends on time and effort. People with a growth mindset feel their skills and intelligence can be improved with effort and persistence.” (See Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.) It solidified a long-standing belief that I have always felt deep in my heart—that all children, all people, have infinite capacity to improve and achieve goals if they work at it, and that we must not limit them with stereotypes and assumptions. Remote and hybrid learning has required our students, parents, and faculty to be persistent, try new things, stay focused and put in extra effort. We have all been honing our growth mindset skills throughout the pandemic, and I believe that we will come out stronger and more committed scholars and educators because of these efforts. 

 

This past year has been one where the divides that exist in our nation and world have been at the forefront, challenging us to consider our role in both perpetuating inequity and in combating it. Equity and access were all the more prevalent during the pandemic, as we considered who our essential workers were and who had access to technology, vaccinations, and childcare, to name a few. We must not forget the ongoing struggle for equity in our nation as we laser focus on the pandemic, as these two are inextricably linked. 

 

Last but not least, no matter how hard things got with the pandemic, we always remembered the multitude of gifts that life has given us and faced each day with gratitude. We felt grateful each day to see the faces of our teachers and friends on Zoom. We felt grateful when our internet connection was strong. We felt grateful to enjoy lunch as a family. I have been so grateful to our Front Office and Business Office staff, who have been in the building every day since April, answering phones and making sure that school operations functioned smoothly. I have been so grateful to our Facilities team, who have worked tirelessly to keep our building clean and safe. And gratitude goes to our Nurse Laura Leyman, who supported our Leadership team in keeping up-to-date with all health and wellness protocols. Our community continually showed gratitude to the school for all our efforts, and we so appreciated your notes, emails, and calls. Oh, and yes, we really appreciated the brownie and coffee drop offs too! 

 

While I hope never to experience another pandemic or school closure, I can honestly say that I learned a ton. It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t fun, but I grew as a person, as a mother, as an educator, and as a leader in ways that I never thought possible. Thank you, Echo Horizon, for being beside me every step of the way, sharing your support and kindness.

 

While much of my 2021 has been spent in a world filled with telebriefings on the pandemic, best practices in cleaning and ventilation, and crisis management and decision-making, the beauty of Echo Horizon and the depth of our commitment to our core values continues to shine through. These daily “glimpses'' of Echo Horizon magic keep me whole, happy, and optimistic. There is nothing that can weaken our unbreakable bond and our unwavering commitment to providing our students with the best education possible through supportive relationships between children and loving teachers and adults. While there have been so many wonderful moments, there are three events in this new year that took my breath away, embodying our Echo Horizon spirit of joyful, engaged learning and nurturing and supportive relationships.  

 

On January 20th, I joined our Upper Elementary faculty and students for a shared viewing of the inauguration followed by guided discussion. Watching a presidential inauguration with our elder scholars in grades 3–6 was a gift. The event and discussion were carefully crafted by our amazing curricular leaders and teachers to ensure a broad and open dialogue about our American democracy in a space where all voices would be heard and honored. Core to our school and JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) missions is to create an environment where relevant and authentic discourse can happen safely. The themes and messages of the inauguration—diversity, respect, unity, dignity, and opportunity—were topics that our students were eager to reflect upon and discuss and I was so proud of their comments and their questions.  Bringing up respectful global citizens who listen, wonder, and advocate is central to our curriculum and to who we are and what we believe. I was honored to be in the presence of such masterful teachers and thoughtful scholars to celebrate this historic moment for our country.

 

The second event that warmed my heart was our Service to Echo Horizon Honoring Ceremony, where we recognized the faculty and staff members who have dedicated more than 10 years to our School. Having the opportunity to pause to celebrate, honor, and thank ten illustrious faculty/staff members with over 10 years of experience (a collective 204 years of experience at EHS!) was an uplifting and moving event for all who attended. What a gift it was to thank the teachers and staff members who guide and mentor us, who remind us of where we’ve been, who embody the values and mission of Echo Horizon and the Echo Center, and who have dedicated so much care and love to our school, and positively affected hundreds and hundreds of children. Those honored were:

• Ms. Alicia Camacho (13 years of service): our humble hero, whose incredible creativity keeps our community connected and who is always willing to lend a helping hand wherever needed.  

• Ms. Debbie Briggs (15 years of service): the secret to the library’s success, she keeps things running smoothly and is quick with a book recommendation or warm smile on a tough day.

• Ms. Regina Gusman (16 years of service): for her unwavering dedication to employee wellbeing and to keeping the business office running so smoothly.

• Ms. Ellis Enlow (17 years of service): who reminds us of a giant sequoia—mighty, magnificent, tireless, and extraordinary—whose brilliance, love, and kindness are too massive to be blown over in the wind.

• Mrs. Jennifer Mascolo (18 years of service): whose unconditional love of and commitment to our Echo Center students is a model to us all about the power of relationships (and she protects us from the Zombie apocalypse too!).

• Mrs. Cari Rosen (22 years of service): who brings wisdom and guidance to her colleagues and love and joy for learning to her students, whether in the classroom, at early morning care or as a welcoming light in morning carpool.

• Mrs. Claudette Brown (23 years of service): who instills in all of us a LOVE of books and a ZEST for living an authentic life.

• Mrs. Sheryl Udell (25 years of service): who like a sunflower has a sunny, bright, and cheery attitude and who is always optimistic in her belief in her students’ potential.

• Jose Figueroa (27 years of service) who takes such pride and works tirelessly to keep our beautiful building clean and safe for our children. 

• And last but not least, Mrs. Kristen Reyna (30 years of service): who inspires us to seek and create beauty and joy through creativity and a celebration of diverse cultures.

 

We look forward to taking time in an all-school meeting soon so that our entire community can share their respect and gratitude for these incredible educators.  

 

The third event that blew me away was our Purpose Learning Human Library event where so many community members came out and supported our 6th graders as they explored the topic of finding purpose and meaning in their lives. Students have spent the last month participating in a “Youth Purpose Summit,” led by our partners at World Leadership School and their Echo instructors Claudette Brown,  Julia Blount, Dr. Patterson, Jake Willens, Ryan Young, and myself.    On Friday morning, fifteen “expert human books,” many of them EHS parents, volunteered their time to be interviewed by our students about their life paths and career journeys and how they ultimately found purpose in what they do. While we are confident that our students benefited greatly from the wisdom of these adult experts, the adults shared that they were blown away by our students’ thoughtful questions, great listening skills, intellect, and maturity. They couldn’t believe that children this young were already deeply considering how to lead a life that positively impacts others and the world around them. I have no words to express how proud I am of our 6th graders!  

 

Without a doubt, our reopening day of February 22nd will bring me great joy as we welcome all of our grade levels back to campus at last! We have missed our students so much. That said, the glimpses I have each and every day of joyful, engaged learning remind me that there exists no distance nor obstacle that can get in the way of the excellence and joy that make Echo Horizon the best elementary school anywhere!

 

With love and gratitude,  

Peggy