Institute Week

Welcome to the ’24-’25 school year. We were thrilled to see our academic year students back in the building today and look forward to what the year has in store for us. However, before the children returned, we took time as a staff and community to prepare, educate, reconnect, and refresh during last week’s Staff Institute.

What happens during Institute Week? Faculty and staff are re-certified (every other year) in CPR and first-aid training. All faculty and staff have yearly sexual harassment training. Elementary and Middle School teachers attended a Redwood Literacy professional development on assistive technology. All faculty and staff attended an Alcuin 101 presentation in which they learned about the history of our fabulous school, Montessori Planes of Development presentation, and an ABAR (anti-racist/anti-bias) presentation. Infant, Toddler, and Primary faculty and staff visited Kids Unlimited Therapy Services, LLC. for a presentation and training on OT/PT and self-regulation. And, all faculty and staff attended a two-day workshop by Val Schumaker on The Insights Discovery methodology which uses a simple and memorable four-color model to help people understand their communication style, relationship strengths, and the value they bring to their teams. This workshop opens us to deeper connections, understanding, and communication with our entire community.

The week's highlight was our staff potluck, which also afforded us opportunities for intra-level connections. Coworkers who may not have interacted during the school day have time to chat and build relationships. They discuss new ideas, collaborate, and seek guidance or advice. It’s all about growth and continuously raising the bar for our Alcuin teachers and staff. In this case, it was also about tasting delicious food lovingly made by Alcuin coworkers. (We all agreed the winning dish was Annette’s fantastic curry!)

As the children returned today with smiles, our faculty and staff are ready with open arms, hearts, and minds for what the school year will bring. Here’s to a great ’24-’25 school year.