One of our favorite times of the year as a K-8 campus is when we host our annual “Grand Days” in October…and our Grands sure are grand!
This year—and particularly this trimester—is a unique one. Our Lower School has embraced a “camping” metaphor to make the most of our temporary residence at the Grand campus, and we’re reminded that camping means going back to the basics and prioritizing what matters the most: our students’ education and our SLOCA families.
SLOCA has always been about the family. We pride ourselves in having a simple and deeply important goal—to educate students for life—but it has always been in the context of the family. Beginning first as a hybrid program, where teachers on campus and families shared the education responsibility, it was impossible for families to shy away from their duty as a co-educator with their child’s teacher. And with our full-time program developed in recent years, we continue to invite families into the journey of being meaningfully involved in their child’s learning by reviewing their grid, gathering for trimesterly Compendiums (formerly known as “History + Lit Experience”), volunteering, and participating in our regular all school events like History Day and Imagination Celebration. It’s pretty hard to send your child to SLOCA and not be learning alongside them.
Many of our families even comment that this is what they love the most about SLOCA. One SLOCA parent shared, “I find my own love for learning being kindled as I learn new things alongside my kids. SLOCA truly is a community that benefits the whole family!” SLOCA offers the education that many of our parents wished they could have had when they were younger, but it’s also one they can have now!
On top of this, research continues to defend the significance of parent involvement in student success and academic thriving. While SLOCA would use different metrics for success (i.e., developing a real love for learning is more important than having high test scores or getting good grades), we also see the fruit of families investing seriously in their child’s education. And this includes our Grands.
We know that many of our students have special bonds with their grandparents, and we are all about giving our students an opportunity to share the wonders about what they’re learning with some of the adults they adore the most. (This is a way for them to feel supported, grow in their love for learning, and take pride in their education!) On the other side, we love giving our Grands the opportunity to see the magic of our SLOCA education, be amazed by all their grandchild is learning, and have a better understanding of what kinds of questions they can ask their child.
“Can you tell me more about the Vikings? What is your timeline piece for this year? Which book have you enjoyed reading the most this trimester? How did last year help prepare you to understand the themes and concepts this year?” Etc. etc., the list goes on!
Hosting Grand Days continues to be a way for us to foster community as a school, strengthen the bonds between SLOCA families, and showcase our students’ excitement about what they’re learning, then you can bet that we’ll be inviting Grands back to our campus next year and the year after that and the year after that and the year after that.
RSVP for this year’s Grand Days (Oct 7 for Track A + Oct 8 for Track B) by Wednesday, September 30! We will see you soon!
