Primary Thoughts
Head of School Blog
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Primary Day’s Revised Mission Statement
You may have noticed if you have been on our website that Primary Day has a new, revised mission statement. Every ten years, when starting its AIMS (Association of Independent Maryland and DC Schools) self-study for reaccreditation, every school is asked to look at its mission statement and determine if it needs some updating. Thus,
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Striving Towards a Growth Mindset & Savoring
Primary Thoughts Neil Mufson, Head of School Cooler days with dew on the grass, the scent of fresh mowing aloft, and the need to close windows at night signaled the start of a new year when I was an elementary student and walked with my sister and our friends to our school in our
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Practicing PDS Values Over the Summer
Primary Thoughts Neil Mufson, Head of School In a few days you will receive a link to a PDS webpage that will host a wealth of summer academic learning resources, from math activities to reading suggestions, for each of our grade levels. Our classroom teachers and resource team have gathered these resources because we know
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The Lure and Language of Nature
Primary Thoughts Neil Mufson, Head of School As summer nears, one of its draws for me is the chance to spend unhurried time in nature. The lure of the island 12 miles off the coast of Maine that I have visited each summer for almost 4 decades becomes palpable once Graduation passes. Writers, poets,
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Developing Helpfulness in Children
Primary Thoughts Neil Mufson, Head of School This past Sunday I found myself thinking about the “royal treatment” my sister Nina and I would devote to my mother many, many years ago on Mother’s Day. We delighted in making and serving breakfast, doing the dishes, helping in her beloved garden, and performing various chores
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The Balm of Empathy
Primary Thoughts Neil Mufson, Head of School As I have thought over time about the many divisions that exist in our country, I have come to believe there is something we parents and educators must and can do for the sake of our children and the future of our world: a better job of teaching empathy
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The Unending Human Cost of School Shooting
Primary Thoughts Neil Mufson, Head of School Earlier this week I wrote to you about some of the steps we have taken and are considering at Primary Day to make the campus as safe as possible from intruders. What those steps don’t account for, though, is the human toll of the 129 mass shootings
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Responsibility & the Dream Remote
Primary Thoughts Neil Mufson, Head of School As I have been thinking about responsibility, the PDS value for March, and the children’s amazing responses to my question “What is responsibility and what does it look like?” at the recent Beakos, I thought of The New Yorker cartoon from about 10 years ago by Roz Chast
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The AIMS Accreditation Process
Primary Thoughts Neil Mufson, Head of School Next week I will be away from school through Wednesday chairing an accreditation team for the Association of Independent Maryland & DC Schools. Every ten years independent schools undergo an exceedingly thorough, two-year, inclusive self-study during which time every aspect of a school’s operations is examined – from curriculum
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Respect
Respect Neil Mufson, Head of School If you’ve seen the brilliant, glowing bulletin board just inside our front door, you know for sure that this month’s Primary Day value is RESPECT. The board makes this keystone practice very concrete by noting some simple ways our young friends can RADIATE RESPECT: Follow Beako’s Golden Rule. Think