Primary Thoughts
Head of School Blog
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Primary Points: A Strategic Plan for The Primary Day School for 2025-26
Parents whose students were enrolled last year will remember being invited to a few “listening sessions” aimed at gathering families’ ideas for the school’s new strategic plan which was formed last year with input also from the faculty and the Board of Trustees. A draft was approved by the Board of Trustees at its October
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Supporting the Development of Healthy Friendships
Neil Mufson Even though Primary Day’s children are only between the ages of 4 and 8, my eye was drawn this summer to a Washington Post article entitled, “Adults Undervalue Teen Friendships.” While the piece pointed to guidelines for helping parents support their teen’s friendships, the article actually pointed towards “the PDS years” in
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Honesty as a Cornerstone
Honesty as a Cornerstone Neil Mufson Why is honesty, the PDS value for October, one of the initial concepts we focus on during our year-long focus on character? Because, along with kindness, it is so closely aligned to trust, which stands at the root of almost all meaningful, positive, satisfying, harmonious, and productive human relationships.
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Partnering with RR & A for Psychological Services
Primary Thoughts Neil Mufson, Head of School This school year we are engaging in a pilot initiative to bring the services of consulting psychologists to Primary Day. In the past several months, I have worked with Dr. Rebecca Resnik and Dr. Rachel Singer of Rebecca Resnik & Associates (RR & A), an extremely well-regarded local group
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Small Acts = Big Impact
Primary Thoughts Neil Mufson, Head of School It was a crisp New England fall morning. As I was walking down to my classroom in the Henry C. Sanborn School as a fifth grader, a teacher I barely knew called me over. “Neil, Mr. Mirasola told me that you need more challenging math, and I can’t wait until
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An “Ice Age of the Heart”?
Primary Thoughts Neil Mufson, Head of School An “Ice Age of the Heart”? Last week I mentioned that this summer the faculty read the book The Power of Kindness by Piero Ferrucci. In it, the author states that despite the discord, violence, tumult, and devastation that often pervade the news, “The fabric of our life
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In My Beginning is Not Necessarily My End
In My Beginning is Not Necessarily My End Neil Mufson, Head of School Ever since discovering T.S. Eliot’s The Four Quartets while a comparative literature major in college, I have been intrigued by the lines in the poem East Coker that say, “In my beginning is my end… [and] in my end is my beginning.” While
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Raising Readers
Raising Readers Neil Mufson, Head of School In recently going through an old box of school materials, I came across a tongue-in-cheek “field note” in an old copy of The Hornbook, a journal about children’s books. Written by some friends and former colleagues, a husband and wife teaching team named Dean Schneider and Robin Smith,
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Enhancing Two of the Central Pillars of Primary Day: Teaching & Learning
Enhancing Two of the Central Pillars of Primary Day: Teaching & Learning Neil Mufson, Head of School As I have become familiar with Primary Day this year, gotten to know the faculty and students, seen the program in action, and reviewed past accreditation reports, I came to believe that two central areas of school
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Policy on Teacher Requests
Policy on Teacher Requests Neil Mufson, Head of School You will find that each year at this time, as we plan the next academic year and head into our spring parent conferences, I will remind families of an important school policy. As we set about formulating class lists for 2022-23, I ask that you not