XC, Debates and Ivy Leaves

Yesterday I made my way up to The Bronx to watch our gators run in the second Cross Country (XC) meet of the season at Van Cortlandt Park. This is the first year Lab School XC - it exciting to see how well our team is doing. The 1.2 mile was the perfect challenge for our young runners. A lap around the bandstand area and then path continued back deep into the woods. As a spectator I was not able to see what our runners faced but I was told harrowing stories of the mud and multiple hills. This race was much harder than our first and is great practice for the 5K in December. It was great to see so many families there to cheer on our Labbies.

Van Cortlandt Park (and a portion of the course that our students ran) is one of the most famous XC courses in the country. Each year there is a HS meet that involves students from across the country. It is also rated one of the most challenging XC courses. Kids (and adults) have been running races there since the early 1900's. We were in good company yesterday.


This week is a busy week for a school. It is Open School Week, Parent-Teacher Conferences and MS Tour Season. I have already gotten to see some of you and I look forward to seeing many more in the coming days.

This morning I was able to sneak into a few classrooms. 803 was having a "Big Chair Debate" in Humanities class with Ms. Woodburry. The students were debating the best way to be an activist (through literature, newspaper, rallies, revolution). The debate was a wonderful example of a student centered (and directed) lesson. The debate became very fiery and passionate - showing me that they have thought a lot about these topics.

703 is working on the Ivy lab with Ms. Cortes in Science. The students are given two ivy leaves to grow and monitor over the course of several weeks. One of the leaves is placed in a cup of water and the other is subjected to another variable of the small group's choosing. These variables ranged from soda to honey. Every few days the students make scientific observations on their Ivy leaves - measuring its length, mass and visual appearance. I love this lab because it challenges students to apply multiple steps of the scientific process in authentic ways. It also expects a high level of skill and diligence in data collection. It is great to see students take such pride in their work.

Our next Parent Book Club meeting is Monday, November 23rd at 5:30 pm. We will be discussing the first three parts of Last Child in the Woods. It was great to see so many of you at the first meeting (and hopefully even more will join for our second). The group had a thoughtful conversation about their own childhood experiences in nature. We also discussed how nature connects to other aspects of healthy living. To end today's blog I am going to give each of you a a little homework (from the last book group). Take 5-10 min to reflect and write about your first childhood experiences in nature (consider how these experiences have shaped you). Share your reflections with your children.

Warmly,

Meg