June 5, 2018 e-Newsletter
Let the Celebration Continue!
Dear FIRSTNAME,
Can it really be June with the end of the school year upon us this week? It is hard to believe that summer is just around the corner. Thinking about how fast the year has gone by gives me pause and makes me realize just how much we have accomplished together.
What a great 40th anniversary year it has been!
We have continued to embrace blended learning with Lexia Core5 throughout our lower school, and the growth in our students has continued to be remarkable. The use of data to inform instruction has been truly transformative, and its success inspired us to consider the area of math for a similar approach. To that end, we have been piloting DreamBox math in some of our classes and plan to adopt it schoolwide next year.
We have spent the year looking at our spaces and urged our faculty to get outside and consider ways to use our amazing campus in our curriculum. This is leading to some exciting work and partnerships with both Stroud Water Research Center and Nature Explore. Stroud will be partnering with us in our use of our outdoor water opportunities and building our environmental science program. Nature Explore spent three days with us this spring as we worked toward the development of a concept map for an outdoor classroom on our current Early Childhood playground. There are definitely exciting things ahead for the Independence Community!
As well as giving a deep sigh that the slower days of summer are approaching, it is bittersweet as this time of year is always filled with goodbyes. We congratulate the 70 members of the Class of 2018 as they move on to a variety of high schools. It is an exceptional group of young women and men who will, no doubt, go on to great things in high school, college and beyond. We look forward to hearing all about their achievements! Speaking about high school achievement, I would be remiss not to mention our alumna Grace Gong, who was named one of Delaware's U.S. Presidential Scholars this year. This makes four years in a row that we have had an Indy Alum receive this prestigious award. We are truly proud.
We also bid farewell and happy retirement to four of our long-term faculty and staff members: Denise Axe-Bree, Dorothy Evans, Kathie Hanna and Tom Wayock. We thank them for their years of service and dedication to Independence. These are truly remarkable people who have impacted the lives of many children through the years.
We hope that you all have a memorable summer as we work to prepare for another inspiring year. Don't forget to sign up for Summer at Independence, and I look forward to seeing you around campus soon.
With spirit,
ON OUR WEBSITE
- Spring Sports Galleries - coming soon!
- Class of 2018 bonds in Boston
- Chess Club members participate in National Elementary Championships
- First-grade Mammal Zoo project enriched with incorporation of green screen technology (with photo and video galleries)
- Tennis undefeated for 7th season in a row
- Spring Concert Galleries:
- "Indy Insights" blog:
- Preventing the Summer Slide
(by Vita Biddle, LeApps™ Specialist) - Parental Involvement in Summer Reading: Preparing Your Child for Fall Class Discussions (by Illene Courtright, Language Specialist)
- Preventing the Summer Slide
REMINDERS
Alumni Volunteers Needed
We are looking for Indy Alumni to help run the stations for our 4th- through 8th-grade Field Day this Friday, June 8 from 8:30 a.m.-noon. If you have a child who is an alum and looking for volunteer hours, please sign him or her up! For questions, please email Mrs. Horsey.
Lost & Found
Misplaced items will be on display in the rotunda until this Friday, June 8. Anything left after that will be donated to Goodwill.
Summer Resources
Instructions for mandatory Summer Math assignments for grades 2-8 and the list of Summer Reading options for grades 4-8 are now available in the Parent Portal of our website, as well as on the 2018-19 Resources page (under "Student & Parent Life").
eBooks Available All Summer!
The Founders' Library's robust selection of more than 350 eBooks is available all summer! Please click here for complete details and log-in information.
Tonight's the night!
Delaware Orthopaedic Specialists proudly presents the 10th Annual Indy 5K & 1-Mile Color Us Kids Run this evening, Tuesday, June 5, on our beautiful 90-acre campus.
If you haven't signed up yet, you can still participate! Day-of-event registration begins at 5:30 p.m., with the Color Us Kids Run starting at 6:30 and the 5K to follow at 6:50. The main drive will close at 6:20, so all participants and their guests must be on campus before then. The weather forecast looks beautiful at 75 degrees and sunny, but this event will take place rain or shine!
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40 Things to Love about Independence
Independence will be celebrating its 40th Anniversary throughout the 2017-18 school year. As part of that celebration, we will highlight, in chronological order, 40 points of pride for our students, our families and the Independence community as a whole.
36. Indy 5K & Color Us Kids Run
Benefiting scholarships and the Tuition Assistance Program at Independence, the annual 5K celebrates its 10th anniversary this month and recently added a 1-Mile Color Us Kids Run to the festivities. Last year, this wonderful community event brought 300 runners to our beautiful course, which is spread out over parts of our 90-acre campus.
37. Field Day
RED vs. BLUE. Which side are YOU on?! Another of Independence's long-standing traditions, Field Day sees teams of fourth through eighth graders competing for school supremacy in a series of games and activities on the very last day! A day earlier, students in Kindergarten through third grade receive their own opportunity to participate in Field Day. Even better, our eighth graders and several Indy alums help oversee the two-day event.
38. Last Day of School
The last day of school means so many different things to so many people. For some, it's beach time. For others, it's more time spent with family and friends. At Independence, it signifies the end of another year of inspiration, dreams and achievement. Just as we cheer on our students when they are driven onto campus for the first day in the fall, we give them the same treatment as they are driven off campus for the summer. After all, they truly deserve it!
39. Graduation Ceremony
For our eighth graders, the journey at Independence concludes on one very special evening. Graduation night is a bittersweet time to celebrate the many wonderful achievements of our graduates but also wish them farewell and good luck as they prepare to embark on the next chapter of their exciting young lives beyond our campus walls.
40. Summer at Independence
Just because school has concluded for the summer doesn't mean the learning and fun stop at Independence! From exploration to academics, our nine-week Summer at Independence program provides options for all age groups and interests. Our camps inspire fascination while truly enriching and engaging young minds.
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Learning Beyond Our Campus
THIRD GRADE
On May 29, third grade visited the Philadelphia Zoo for their final field trip of the year. The students were excited to see all the animals, especially those about whom they had written their recent research papers. The third graders and their teachers greatly appreciate the opportunity each year to take this educational and fun trip, which is in coordination with the science program and the study of animal habitats, behaviors and anatomical structures for the life science portion of the curriculum.
SECOND GRADE
On May 29, second grade enjoyed the Herr's Snack Factory Tour in Nottingham, Pa. The trip brought an exciting conclusion to the students' project-based learning unit on factories and the classic children's book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." The second graders read the book by Roald Dahl and learned about chocolate making and factories, before drawing up plans for a 3D factory in art class. They then broke off into teams to build and present in the Innovation Station! The Herr's trip provided a real-life example of how a factory works and the areas of production found within. The warm chips were an added bonus!
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2017-18 Annual Giving Update
As of today, 61% of our Independence parents have made a philanthropic gift this year! If you haven't given this year, please consider making a tax-deductible gift. Every dollar that we raise goes directly to supporting our talented students and amazing faculty.
Click here to join our community of donors today and help us continue to create exceptional educational experiences for all of our students!
UPCOMING EVENTS
6/5 - 10th Annual Indy 5K & 1-Mile Color Us Kids Run: registration - 5:30 p.m., 1-Mile Run - 6:30 p.m., 5K - 6:50 p.m.
**This event will take place rain or shine!**
6/7 - Eighth-grade breakfast and graduation practice
6/7 - IPA Hot Dog Lunch for all students
6/7 - Field Day for Kindergarten-grade 3 from 12:30-2:30 p.m.
6/8 - Field Day for grades 4-8
6/8 - Last day of school for all students!! (dismissal at 11:30 a.m.)
6/11-12 - Extended Day open
6/11 - Eighth-grade graduation ceremony at 7 p.m. (Gore Auditorium)
6/13-15 - Extended Day closed
6/18 - Summer at Independence begins
Click here for the full 2017-18 school calendar.
Click here for the 2018-19 Calendar at a Glance.
REPORT CARDS TO BE POSTED JUNE 13
My BackPack is currently closed and will reopen next Wednesday, June 13, at which point your child's third trimester report card will be published for you to view. To access your child's report, please do the following:
- Log into your Parent Portal page through the school's website (www.TheIndependenceSchool.org)
- Click on My BackPack
- Under "My Profile," you will see "My Documents"
- When you click on "My Documents," it will take you to a page where you can select a folder marked "2017-2018." Inside that folder will be the Trimester 3 Report Card (2017-2018). Clicking on that will open the report.
The school will NOT be sending home printed copies of report cards. Parents can print copies of reports at home if needed.
Please click below for more detailed information regarding report cards by division:
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CELEBRATING ATHLETIC ACHIEVEMENT
Congratulations to eighth graders Justin Molen, top row – second from left, and Rachel Watt, top row – third from left, who were named the Patriots' Male and Female Athletes of the Year for the second-straight year at the annual Athletic Evening on May 30. Additionally, seventh graders Allison Barkasy, bottom row – second from left, and Taichi Namba, bottom row – third from left, received the William Braune Memorial Scholarships.
For action galleries from every sport throughout the school year, click here! Spring photos will be posted soon.
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In Episode 11, entitled "The Interview," your host, Defne, sits down with Mrs. Yatzus, Head of School, for a very special end-of-year interview. In Episode 10, "The Year in Sports," correspondents Maria and Reese are joined by special guest host Mr. Motta, Athletic Director, and an expert panel of four eighth-grade student-athletes to discuss the 2017-18 year in Patriot Athletics. Click the graphic above to check both episodes out!
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Please click on the logo to browse our diverse variety of 2018 camp options in one of three easy ways:
- By category
- By grade level
- By week
You will also find a helpful FAQ, and you can thumb through galleries from every week of camp last year to relive the excitement and memories or simply see all the fun your child can have this year.
Don't delay on planning your child's 2018 Summer at Independence!
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Have you checked out our official Alumni page? You can keep up with all the latest news on our talented graduates. If you have your own alumni submission, please fill out the new form on the page or email Tanya Godsey, Alumni Relations Coordinator.
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