PICTURED ABOVE: Panoramic shot of the Sierra Mountains taken by Head of School Earl Kim on his summer excursion. Aloha kākou!
My summer excursion took me to the High Sierras this year: a relatively "tame" 150 miles and 26,000 feet of elevation gain, all on foot! I canʻt tell you how cleansing and energizing an experience this was. It was cleansing in that I was off-the-grid for two straight weeks--no email, no news, no texts--allowing me reconnect with myself and re-focus on the work that matters. It was energizing in that I came off the trail knowing deep in my naʻau of the importance of the work that we're doing here at LJA. Our programs, partners, teachers, families and students are engaged in a process of nurturing incredible humans and making the world a better place. Whatʻs not to like about that! As we begin a new school year, I hope that you, too, are excited by the work...and the prospects as well. A Focus on Exemplary Teaching and Learning is at the heart of what we do, and we are continually honing our craft. We've demonstrated considerable success by most measures (e.g., IB diploma rates, postsecondary outcomes), but we aim to improve outcomes academically, socially and emotionally for all students. A priority area of focus for this year is to strengthen LJAʻs social-emotional learning and learning support systems in order to promote success for all students. Last year, we piloted several strategies in order to better support learners, and this year have allocated funds to begin to scale these efforts. It's messy and complex but exceedingly rewarding work to address each studentʻs unique challenges. It is also part of our DNA at LJA, and we look forward to this chapter of organizational learning and growth.
Situating Learning and Broadening Impact I'm also excited by the prospects of our community/global-mindedness and collective impact strategies. We all know that learning, especially deep learning, is highly contextual. Students learn as much if not more through their interactions with others (people and resources) as through their books. Weʻve seen the benefits of the IB programmatic efforts to cultivate community/global-mindedness through personal projects, experiential education and CAS. Weʻve seen greater benefits for students who might be struggling academically or socially all the while bettering the world in which they live. Through grants, LJA has had the opportunity to engage learners and leaders from other schools to broaden the impact of some of our marquee programs and, at the same time, deepen our students' experiences.
As we celebrate our 60th year, Le Jardin Academy reflects with appreciation on the legacy of committed and progressive educators across the decades and looks forward to continuing to make the magic happen with a fantastic group of educators and an incredible crew of students. On behalf of the faculty and staff, we look forward to a year of growing together.
All good wishes, CAR DECALS All families will receive two LJA 2021-22 car decals. The car decals will be mailed next week and are required for security purposes. Please place the new decal on the inside of your front windshield on the lower right corner of the passenger side. Please click the button below to submit your family's vehicle information. ILH ANNOUNCEMENT
SCHOOL CALENDAR For holidays and important dates, download the updated 2021-22 LJA School Calendar. HOST FAMILIES NEEDED Are you interested in hosting an international high school student from Germany? A family is needed to host a male from Germany (Grade 11) for one semester. Email admissions@lejardinacademy.org for additional details about students can be provided. The homestay payment is $1,500 a month ($7,500 total). Click here for details about host family expectations and/or to sign up. UPCOMING IMPORTANT DATES August 11: K-12 First Day of School September 6: Labor Day (Holiday) October 11: Discoverers' Day (Holiday) October 12-15: Fall Break |