Our March 2022 Newsletter
Spring forward
It’s that time of year for you to move forward in your planning for:
- Summer
- Trips
- Camp
- House projects
- Moving
- Doctor’s Appointments
- Outings with friends and family
And of course making an educational plan for your children.
March is also a good time to analyze the school year
- What have been the strengths and areas of growth for the year?
- What has been a highlight for each child?
- What has been the downside?
- Is this a typical year or what could have been better?
Take a piece of paper and jot down each child’s name. Do this for yourself as well. Make columns and evaluate the following areas, using “far exceeding expectations,” “great,” “met expectations” “approached expectations,” “significant room for improvement” or whatever terms you prefer.
Now think about these areas and evaluate –
- Academics
- Social emotional growth
- Friends & Community
- Activities
- Family dynamics
- Health
You are taking the pulse of your family. This is a critical piece of understanding and analysis for going forward. It will help you determine what may need to be done in preparation for next year.
What does the research say about learning this year? There is definitely more growth in our children’s learning this year due to how the schools have adjusted to teaching with new formats and teaching tools. There is still a gap and children are rebuilding stamina, so please be aware of what weaknesses your child is experiencing. We are still seeing socialization issues and anxiety. We repeat this information often for we hope we may reach one more parent who reads our newsletter.
Spring activities are here so get out and do them. Whether it is just going to the park, on a family walk, to the zoo, to Fernbank or the Atlanta Botanical Garden, take the family and get outside.
Advisor Spotlight: We want to highlight a member of our team who has given years to this practice and to the education world. Fontaine Draper started this practice with Barbara Levy over 20 years ago when they both saw the educational landscape in Atlanta changing rapidly. More independent schools were beginning, the educational formats were changing, and the demographics were growing and diversifying. Fontaine served as the admission director at The Lovett School for over 17 years and made quite an impact.
Fontaine’s knowledge in the field of admissions led her down the educational path to developing and making this practice what it is today. Her astute command of what an interview should be, how to meet with parents with limited knowledge of Atlanta’s educational landscape, as well as how to help those parents who have focused on one unattainable school has been an inspiration to her other partners. We have learned from this wonderful person and many of you who read this newsletter have known Fontaine from growing up in Atlanta, being admitted to Lovett under her wise counsel, or having been helped in some way. She always serves with grace and calm. Fontaine is our wonderful friend and continues to be an active educator while always constantly giving to others through her committed work at her church. When there is a team of specialists that care deeply for their own team plus caring for the broader community, then you know you have picked the right people to help you.
We will begin our new season unofficially in late April and until then, we want you to ‘spring forward,’ making your plans for the summer. You can count us in on helping you if you need us for school placement, boarding school opportunities, educational resources and school concerns.
So stay healthy, stay active, stay unplugged when you can. We care about what we do and we care about you.
Barbara, Betsy, Fontaine and Margo