The Courtyard: An Upper Division Newsletter

Dear Garden Families:

This week we broke 60 degrees for the first time since November and to take advantage we got outside to enjoy the sun whenever possible. We now see students eating lunch in the courtyard each day and we are setting up more tables to support this upturn in activity. We have also seen a steady increase in the number of students on campus and take calls each day from families slated to return in the coming days and weeks.

Indeed, our goal is to get as many students safely back to campus as soon as we can, and we are confident this is more possible than ever. With warmer weather we can leave windows open for longer stretches of time and hold more classes outdoors. Moreover, with positivity rates in Queens dropping, we have greater certainty our students are now as safe out of school as they are while at Garden, where the positivity rate has always been significantly lower than the positivity rate of the city.

With all this in mind, in advance of the fourth quarter, we request families let us know if they plan to have their child learning remotely or in-person. Further, we ask that families honor that plan for the entirety of the fourth quarter. While we have been very flexible all year, the best way for our teachers to plan for high quality instruction is to reliably know who will be in the room and who will join on zoom for the remainder of the year.

We fully understand some of our students are not able to return to campus due to underlying health conditions that impact members of their families, and these students are encouraged to stay remote. But for our students who can come to Garden in-person without endangering a family member with an underlying health condition, we hope to see them back on campus at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

Though this springtime policy represents a bit of a shift, we have given this decision a great deal of thought as student safety has always been at the forefront of our discussions about the pandemic. Therefore, we hope you will contact us if we can be of any assistance in answering any questions.

Brad Battaglia
Upper Division Head
Director of College Counseling

At Garden we are always eager to grow and improve as a school and community. This Friday our faculty will be taking part in a professional development opportunity that will surely benefit us all. Of key interest, we are going to be examining our course structure and how we might be able to allow greater freedom to our students in grades 7-12 as they navigate our college preparatory curriculum. In particular, we want our students to be able to take courses across grades more often, allowing them to get to know a wider range of teachers and students, which will lead to an even richer educational experience. We also wish to grow our offerings in areas such as the arts, music and computer science while expanding electives in mathematics, history, science and English. These discussions are not intended to usher in wholesale changes to our successful program, but instead to add even greater value to all students and families wishing for their children to continually find exciting and challenging new opportunities.

In Ms. O’Sullivan’s class this week our students prepared for their upcoming Civil Disunion test that highlighted the events that led to the Civil War. Throughout the unit, students examined major differences that impacted the eventual outcome of the war, such as population, economic strength, infrastructure, industrial might and political ideology. The photos below were taken the day prior to the exam as students reviewed key terms and concepts such as “Bleeding Kansas,” “The Kansas-Nebraska Act,” and “Nat Turner’s Rebellion” to name just a few.

Pi day is quickly approaching and while we can't celebrate in the same way we have in the past we still plan to have some fun activities for the students. Because the 14th is on a Sunday, we will celebrate on Monday, March 15th.

We plan to have the Pi bee (reciting as many numbers of Pi as possible) competition, which will be broadcast over zoom and take place 7th period. So, tell the kids to go ahead and start memorizing those digits! As we have done in the past, students will be grouped by grades (4-6, 7-9 & 10-12).

Second, students have already done an amazing job with this year’s Pi Day door decorations!! Judging of doors happened yesterday and the winning class will earn a Pie Party to celebrate!

Last, our seniors will have a pie bake sale to honor the day while raising funds for senior events and activities this spring.

Here’s to a great day!!

We want to take a moment to let you know new and re-enrollment contracts are coming in fast and furious! In fact, we are well on our way to growing Garden School for fall 2021. We are ahead of our projections from last year and continue to see steady interest in Garden School by way of scheduled visitors, applications and Virtual Information Session attendees. To date, we have held 38 Wednesday Open Houses over Zoom that have drawn over 200 prospective families, and we are eager to hit the road soon to continue spreading the message of this dynamic, exciting school of ours. As we anticipate a waitlist for the fall at Garden School, please be sure to connect with us if you still have an outstanding contract.

As a reminder to parents and students in grades 9-11, I will be hosting two college programs on Monday, March 22nd and Tuesday, March 23rd. The first event is geared towards 9th and 10th grade families and focuses on the early phases of the college process, highlighting the importance of working hard in the classroom, preparing for standardized tests, mapping out individual interests and planning summer opportunities. Tuesday’s program is specifically for Juniors and their families and will examine the nuts and bolts of applying to college, applying for financial aid, visiting and researching schools and drafting essays. And as I have met with most all junior families at this point, Tuesday’s program will also allow for broader questions and answers related to the timeline of the next 14 months.

Major thanks go to Sydney in grade 9 and Ms. Kelly Yang of the Language Department for their wonderful, guided tour produced entirely in Mandarin. As we have regular interest in Garden School from students living in China, it is important we offer a way for these prospective families to get to know us and our community. Please keep an eye out for future guided tours you can share with those hoping to get a sense of who we are and what a day in the life of Garden looks like!

Beginning Tuesday, March 6th, Garden will offer an SAT prep class to 10th and 11th grade students planning to sit for the May SAT. The course will include a diagnostic exam as well as 11 structured classes that will focus on the Critical Reading and Math sections of the test. The course will meet two to three times per week from 3-5pm and will be led by Ms. Lauren Little and Mr. Greig Roselli. To sign up, please contact Mr. Battaglia in the College Counseling Office asap as seats are limited.

Thanks to the Garden School Student Council, we can soon celebrate our first Game Night of the school year with students playing Badminton, Spike Ball and Call of Duty. Prizes and snacks will be provided along with music to make the night special for students in grades 4-12.

And not to be missed, we will holding a St. Patrick’s Day Bake Sale on Wednesday, March 17th with proceeds going to the senior class. Please note all snacks will be sold during 4th and 5th period in the main hallway.