5-4-3-2-1 Blast off!  The year took off like a rocket ship! It has been amazing to see our community coming together again, after 18 months mostly virtual, and jumping into the year with both feet.  We have been focused on maintaining the CNH-ness of our school culture while ensuring safe practices throughout the day. The students have been troopers.  Above you see our flower ceremony where every student is given a wildflower upon entering the school.  They go to their classrooms and place their flowers in a glass vase representing the class bouquet -- they are all part of the [...]

The Family Work Day was amazingly productive last weekend -- our families moved 10 cubic yards of mulch to the playground, put together outdoor furniture, revitalized old furniture with paint, carried furniture all over the building, put together cleaning kits for teachers, helped to set up work spaces for kids, and laughed our way through it.  .  I am so deeply grateful for everyone who pitched in to help get the building ready for the students!!  We will be back at it THIS SATURDAY, 10:00-2:00. If you can stop by to lend a hand, we would deeply appreciate it! Have a [...]

I remember in Science class as a child learning about balance and symmetry in nature.  I remember looking for and valuing symmetry, as a result, in the world around me. A dragonfly’s wing is made up of a complex network of secondary veins creating unique patterns on each wing. Looking at the irregular pattern of this dragonfly wing makes me think about when symmetry and predictability is necessary and when idiosyncratic moments are most appropriate?  Considering this fall, and our return to school, we are focusing our attention on the structures and rituals that provide emotional safety through predictable routines as [...]

Here we are, everybody -- the last full week of the school year. Monday and Tuesday are the last full days of school. Wednesday through Friday (half days) are the last Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of the school year. Next Monday and Tuesday are our last asynchronous days for end of year celebrations, rain dates of events from this week, and final technology and materials returns. I started the year stating that “When the world is flipped on its head, at least you get a new perspective.” With this new perspective, we changed our daily schedule, rethought student groupings, built upon [...]

I hope that you were able to enjoy the gorgeous weather today for Memorial Day.  Thank you to all of our veterans in our community for your service. Wow, we are almost there -- the end of a school year for the history books.  What a year it has been!  Words cannot express how grateful I am for your partnership, flexibility, and trust as we navigated this school year. At every step along the way, the staff has tried to provide engaging online instruction, a variety of supports to suit each student’s idiosyncratic needs, and different points of entry for the [...]

The first Cohort of Physical Fridays ended last Friday. It was so amazing to see the students connecting with one another, their teachers, and the school again after such a long time! The second Physical Fridays cohort will begin this Friday. We will be having end of year events for the students in each grade band the last week and a half of the school year. We need to get approval from the district for each event. Once they are each approved, we will announce the exact plans. You might notice a new background with some of the teachers this week! [...]

This text was sent to me by a mentor of mine for the past 25 years, since I was in college.  She never raised children in her house, but boy was she a mother figure to me and many, many others: "Redefining the word “mother” changes the focus on Mother’s Day from honoring women with children to honoring all women who mother. The world is filled with mothers. A mother selflessly gives and helps those around them. She nurtures children. She helps those around her deal with difficult things. A mother can be a teacher, aunt, or friend. Mothering has less [...]

Saturday was a beautiful day -- great for the body and great for the soul.  It was so great to have CNHers here to celebrate Earth Day at CNH with social-distanced gardening, painting storm drains, and composting.  Brownie Troop #260 even came to help! Thank you to our Community Relations and Facilities committees for making this day a success!  As masks and social distancing have become a norm in our world, it is nice to find ways to still enjoy each other’s company and help the school together. (Please note, those who are close to one another in the photos are [...]

  Noteworthy Upcoming Dates: April 21, 5:30-6:30 Meet the Social Studies candidates! April 28, 5:30-6:30 Meet the Math candidates! Tuesday, June 15 Last day of school ************************************** Searches for 2nd Grade, Middle School Math, and Social Studies Clara Walter is moving from 2nd grade teacher to Intervention teacher for the school next year.  We were able to open up a new position in the Middle School so Humanities will not be split into ELA and Social Studies, thus creating a new position.  Randy Johnson is moving to Kentucky at the end of this year in order to be closer to family. [...]

  Being home the past 13 months during the pandemic has reinforced how important family is to the core of my being.  I have cherished every moment with my daughter, Aruna, have loved having my dad live with us half of the time (the other half with my brother), and melted when my sister and I were both fully vaccinated (she is a teacher) and could actually HUG each other after a year!!  I look forward to moments of normalcy in these abnormal times. A caveat to what I just wrote above is that the pandemic is far from being over [...]