To celebrate Black History Month students in S.H.I.E.L.D. thought it was important to discuss and bring awareness to "black beyond slavery" and they collaborated and worked to do just that! Their objective was to educate and discuss black history, depicting contributions and inspirations to American culture.

Save the Date for the 9th-Grade Capstone Fair on Monday, February 24 at 3:15 p.m. in the Colhoun Gymnasium. This is a favorite event for faculty, students, and special guests.

With today's busy lives and over-packed schedules, it is likely that you are not getting enough sleep. More than just a restful action that refreshes our body and spirit, sleep plays a crucial role in helping us store and retrieve information, which is crucial for learning.

Throughout the month of February, we will be honoring our faculty with special events and activities. We will also be asking you to make a gift to the Annual Fund for Rectory in honor of one or more of the teachers, tutors, advisors, coaches, or staff members who have made an impact on the child(ren) in your family. Please take a moment to watch our tribute video and see the recognitions that have already been received.

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube! So much is happening on social media and you don't want to miss a thing-especially when it's about what's happening at your child's school! We would love it if you follow us on all of our channels but for a quick peek into what's happening on Rectory's campus on a daily basis, be sure to check out our Social Media Mashup Page! Click Read More to see one of the videos our 9th-Grade Media Arts class created about Relationships at Rectory School!

Rectory students in grades 2-5 joined 4 million students from around the world in the Global Read Aloud program. The project was created by Pernille Ripp in 2010 with a simple goal in mind; one book to connect the world. Since then millions of connections have been made in more than 86 different countries. Share their experience by reading the full article.

Mrs. Finnegan's K-1 class had a great field trip to Sunset Orchards the first week of October. Students were able to pick apples, read stories, and taste apple cider at the orchard. The class also stopped for lunch at Mrs. Carpenter's house where they met mini-mancha dairy goats. Read more about this exciting day by clicking through.

Rectory School will be hosting a Magic: The Gathering Tournament on Sunday, April 7. Registration begins at 9:00 a.m., Deck Building at 9:30 a.m., and the tournament will start at 10:00 a.m. This event is open to Rectory and non-Rectory students in grades 5-9. Registrations must be completed by Wednesday, April 3. Go to www.rectoryschool.org/magic for additional information and to register.

I have the opportunity to peek inside our classrooms and see the work our teachers and students are doing each day. My visits to the classrooms are part of our professional growth and evaluation model. As part of this model, we actively observe our teachers through formal observations, classroom walkthroughs, and feedback. I see teachers having their students create connections in their learning, develop strategies to use when they may feel stuck, and dig deeper in building their understanding.

This fall Rectory will be expanding their computer science program to encompass all of the middle school beginning this fall.