Today each Primary Day class prepared small baggies of peanut-free snack mix for the homeless. The snack mix will be donated to Bethesda Cares, an organization that delivers food to homeless shelters throughout Montgomery County. Thanks to Sue Gordon and Kelly Derrick for organizing this important community service project.

First Graders had a great time exploring aviation at the College Park Aviation Museum. They learned about the Wright brothers' perseverance and the airport's many firsts in flight. They loved seeing the historic and replica aircraft on display, especially when they were allowed to climb in the cockpit and work some of the controls! Our classes enjoyed dressing up as aviators, playing with flight simulators, and experimenting with the power of wind.  We were lucky that the museum also had a special O-gauge train exhibit for the holiday season. Of course, they all came back to school with their own paper airplanes! The great trip was enjoyed by students and parent chaperones alike.

Even in the cold, 2nd Graders enjoyed learning more about Pilgrim History on their trip to Sharp's Farm. Guides in pilgrim dress focused on the daily life of a pilgrim family. Students learned about homes, games and chores, as well as about Native Americans and their relationships to the pilgrims.

Discover Primary Day at our first Open House of the season on Thursday, November 7, 2013 from 6:30-8:30 pm. Dinner and childcare will be provided while you explore our unique school. There are opportunities to talk with faculty, parents, and alums while learning more about our signature programs: Phonovisual, World Languages, EcoWonder & STEM, Technology, Math, and Art & Music. If you are unable to attend this Open House, please join us for an Open House on Wednesday, December 11, 2013 from 9:00-11:00 am or on Sunday, January 12, 2014 from 1:00-3:00 pm. Individual tours of the school are also available during the week.

It was a beautiful day to celebrate fall at Primary Day with cake walks, tattoos, crafts, moonbounces, hair chalk, and making cards and bracelets for children staying at Children's Inn at NIH. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this special event!

Our Pre-K students celebrated Pig (the first friend to move in on the Phonovisual Chart) this week. Pig's Parade was the perfect way to party with popsicles and popcorn! 

It was a beautiful day for a picnic on Sunday! Everyone had a wonderful time catching up with new and old friends and enjoying the playground.

We had a wonderful first day of school on Tuesday! Mrs. Geppert loved greeting everyone—it was a great way to start a new year at Primary Day!

Kindergartners had a wonderful time on their field trip to see Joe Romano and his Green Magic Show. At the show, the children learned how they can perform their own magic to reduce, reuse, and recycle.

On Wednesday, we welcomed Oxford University’s premier all-male a cappella group Out of the Blue! The group ran into the Beako room and took command of the stage with their singing and outrageous choreography. The concert was very interactive with the group even teaching the children motions and the refrain for “In the Jungle.” Out of the Blue is currently on tour performing at arts festivals around the world and conducting school workshops, all with the goal of instilling in kids a sense of courage and adventure when it comes to performing and engaging with music.

This year our Gala theme was the Disco Ball and over the past two weeks, PDS children and parents alike have been boogieing down in celebration of our annual gala. On Friday, February 22, the children celebrated with a disco, magician, face-painting, tattoos, disco themed photos, and dinner. As you can see by the pictures, there was much fun to be had.

Friday, March 1, parents, faculty and staff came out to Bethesda Country Club to support PDS at our annual Gala and Auction. It was a wonderful night, with many fun things to bid on, great food to eat, groovy music to boogie to, and fantastic friends to catch up with.

We had a wonderful visit with author/illustrator Jennifer O’Connell. She inspired all of our budding artists and writers!

Operation Welcome Home is an organization that greets 7,000-8,000 soldiers at the airport each month and gives them goody bags with treats and “Welcome Home” cards. These are just small tokens of appreciation for their heroic service which can help to fill some time for them while they wait for connecting flights home. A representative came in on Monday, October 22 to give a brief presentation about the organization and how the children can help. Following the presentation, the children returned to their classrooms to make their cards that will be given to the solders sometime in November. We will also be collecting candy after Halloween to accompany the cards. We are truly excited about this event and know the children will have fun being able to help a real soldier.

We ushered in a new day at Primary Day on Tuesday! Mrs. Geppert greeted each family and students eagerly headed to their new classrooms.If the first day was any indication, a wonderful year is in store!

The First Graders’ exploration of countries around the world came to a close last week with the production “It’s a Small World After All”.  The students in both First Grade classes performed the musical, written by First Grade teacher (and Primary Day alum), Ms. Claire Brown.

The musical follows students in a class who travel to Africa, Australia, Canada, China, Jamaica and Spain.  Through their travels they learn about various customs and traditions specific to each country and that children all over the world share more likenesses than differences.  Following the production the children enjoyed an international feast, prepared by parents, featuring the cuisine of the countries studied.

The Primary Day School’s Board of Trustees named  Ms. Mary Lisa Geppert as the next Head of School, effective July 1, 2012.

With 23 years of independent school experience, Mrs. Geppert comes to Primary Day from the Laurel School in Shaker Heights, Ohio. In the letter to the school community announcing the appointment, The Board stated Mrs. Geppert’s “vision for the future of Primary Day is innovative, insightful and collaborative while being mindful of the traditions and core values that have sustained Primary Day since its inception. We believe that Mrs. Geppert is the perfect person to lead the School into the next decade.” Her strong personal qualities were evident during her December visit to the school where the Search Committee was “delighted by the enthusiasm expressed across a wide spectrum of our community regarding Mrs. Geppert…She engaged the children in conversation, was interested in their work, and remembered their names when she saw them in the hall.”

The search process began last spring, when the school’s current Head, Mrs. Louise Plumb, announced her decision to retire at the close of the 2011-12 school year, following 14 years in that position.

For twenty years Primary Day families have generously provided holiday gifts for the children served by Chapel Forge Center in Bowie, Maryland. This year's donations included hundreds of new and gently used toys, books and articles of clothing.   The response to this year’s collection was overwhelming and served to remind us all that small individual actions truly do make a difference.