With the weather getting warmer, nothing sounds better than a nice, cool swim, but Ashley Hall wants students to always keep safety at the forefront. This week, faculty members Maggie Laney and Missee Fox have been emphasizing safety tips to remember with Pre-Kindergarten through sixth grade students. A year-round effort, water safety instruction begins in the fall and incorporates activities to encourage confidence in the water and build life-saving skills, including treading water for 5 minutes, swimming in clothes, and survival floating. Today, Lower School faculty member Kendall Lee’s fourth grade class practiced retrieving distressed swimmers with rescue tubes. Keep up the great work girls!

Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week is just around the corner- April 30 -May 4. A week of treats is being planned for the faculty and staff we adore so much! Please plan to participate in whatever way you can, whether it’s volunteering your time, talent or treasure! For more information, contact lead parent volunteers Jenn Liberatos at [email protected] or Dionella Mendez Hassett at [email protected].

We love our Ashley Hall teachers and staff members!
Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week: April 30-May 4

An evening designed to educate parents about Ashley Hall’s humanities curriculum spiral and the teaching philosophy used at Ashley Hall to deepen critical thinking, foster language appreciation, and enhance cultural perspective.

Event Schedule:

Check in (Smith Street Gate) | 5:40pm-6:00pm 
Welcome and Evening Overview (Dining Commons) | 6:00pm-6:25pm

Welcome, Carolyn Newton, History Department Chair
The Ashley Hall Learning Spiral, Dr. Nick Bozanic, Assistant to the Head for Academic Affairs
The Student Experience, Natalie Smith, class of 2018

Early Education Center (EEC) and Lower School, (Pardue Hall) | 6:30pm–7:55pm

EEC Director, Dana Van Hook, and Lower School Director, Polly Rainey, introduce the manner in which literacy, language, and social studies are explored and studied in their respective divisions. After the overview, guests will have the opportunity to visit student- led stations showcasing projects, experiences, and techniques.

Upper School: Grades 7 through 12 featuring the History, English, Modern Languages, and Classics Departments, (Jenkins Hall) 

Session I | 6:30pm–6:55pm

1. Classics Department Panel Discussion (Jenkins Hall, Hoshall Room, 3rd floor)
2. Modern Languages Department Presentation and Discussion (Jenkins Hall, Room 300)

Session II | 7:00pm–7:25pm

1. History and English Departments: Grades 8 through 9, Harkness Discussion (Rivers Library, 2nd floor Conference Room)
2. History and English Departments: Grades 10 through 12, Harkness Discussion (Jenkins Hall, Room 302)

Session III | 7:30pm-7:55pm

1. Classics Department Panel Discussion (Hoshall Room, Jenkins Hall, 3rd floor)
2. Modern Languages Department Presentation and Discussion (Jenkins Hall, Room 300)

Departure | 7:55pm

Please be certain to leave your comment card in the baskets provided in Jenkins Hall or Pardue Hall. Thank you to all of the students, faculty, staff and parents who have contributed to make this a special evening of sharing and learning, and thank you to all of our guests for your interest in Ashley Hall.

If you’ve visited campus recently, you may have seen the newest Earth Loom installation, a hanging habitat made from recycled two-liter bottles. In a unique collaboration first grade students shared their knowledge of plants while second grade students provided insight on the world of insects in order to create a plant and insect habitat in each re-purposed plastic bottle. (Many of the habitats have even survived the recent winter weather!) A special thanks to Lower School art instructor Tina Hirsig, and Lower School science faculty members, Beth McCarty and Elizabeth Flowers. This is a wonderful example of collaboration across classes and disciplines. PQV to all!

Part angel and elf rolled into one, Dana Van Hook has spearheaded the Chicora Gift-Giving Project at Ashley Hall since 1999 and has helped share the spirit of this special season with approximately 3,000 Chicora Elementary students over this 18-year period.   
 
The Chicora Gift-Giving Project features a carefully assembled gift bag given to each student by Santa Claus himself at a special assembly at Chicora. The bag includes approximately 10 gifts: a new school uniform; toiletry items; new books based on the student’s reading level; and a special toy. Most importantly, the bags also include a personalized note from Santa with help from Ashley Hall students! “There is no agenda to the program and absolutely no overhead. 100% of everything is donated and comes from our amazing Ashley Hall community. The gifts given to these precious children takes pressure off their families during what is, for many, a financially challenging time of year. It fills my heart with a refreshed sense of joy every year,” said Dana.

This special holiday service project is embraced by students, faculty, parents, and Ashley Hall alumnae alike. Lively gift-giving assemblies are held in the Lower and Upper School with girls sharing presents and alumnae bring gifts to their Holiday party to contribute to the cause. Dana supplements contributions by shopping sales throughout the year, including buying Christmas cards the day after Christmas from the Dollar Store! Beginning the week prior to Thanksgiving, a special warehouse is donated for sorting of the inventory and bagging. Approximately 80 volunteers are involved in the bag assembly including Ashley Hall faculty/staff, 25 Upper School students, Chicora faculty members, and friends. Bags will then be transported to Chicora Elementary by bus—the large Ashley Hall 40-seater bus and 20 personal cars.

Thank you to all, especially Dana, for sharing your hearts with the children of Chicora Elementary School each December! 

Ashley Hall is pleased to announce that Polly Rainey will assume the position of Director of Lower School, covering our Kindergarten-6th Grade. A familiar and well-respected face on campus, Polly has been on faculty at Ashley Hall for 16 years with experience in nearly all facets of campus life, and, in particular, elementary education. She has taught 3rd and 4th grades, and she also has held the position of Literacy Programs Coordinator and Lower School Library Director. Most recently, Polly served as Dean of Students for the Intermediate Program. We are thrilled to see her leadership continue to grow and expand at Ashley Hall! PQV, Polly!