Gray Matters, November 2024

Family Engagement at Capitol Hill Day School

For those familiar with my writing, you will recognize the common theme of connection and relationship as a thread in my words. A sense of connectedness and belonging is essential to the way Capitol Hill Day School educators believe children learn best. For us, teaching and learning are relational; they are best done through collaboration and in cooperation with others; they are grounded in the social-emotional development of individuals and groups. 

 As Hunter Gehlbach writes in this Education Week article on this subject: 

“Psychologists increasingly appreciate the importance of social relationships for human functioning. Many scientists hypothesize that a portion of our brains evolved expressly to connect with others. This extra gray matter can pay big dividends in schools. Studies on thousands of students show that learners who are better socially connected to their teachers and classmates are significantly more engaged and achieve better than their less well-connected peers.”

While as a school, our primary focus is certainly the education of children, we appreciate that this responsibility involves supporting families. The research cited above applies equally across development stages. In other words, the essential importance of connection and relationship is no different for adult learners than it is for children.

Capitol Hill Day School has a long history of building community through family engagement. We believe that children benefit when the adults in their lives are well informed and educated about our mission and philosophy. And, we know that through a positive partnership we have much to learn from families. 

For these reasons, we are putting a renewed emphasis on family engagement this year. In the month of November there are several diverse opportunities to learn with and from each other as adults in this community. I hope you will consider participating. 

Thursday, November 7, 8:30-9:30 a.m. - Literacy Morning (Rose Window Room)

Join us for the first session of a two-part series on reading instruction at Capitol Hill Day School. 

Humans are hard-wired for learning to speak but not for learning to read and write. Therefore, these subjects must be taught in a very explicit and sequenced way. In this first session we will explore the following questions:

  • What is the Science of Reading and how is it used at Capitol Hill Day School?
  • What does reading instruction look like in EC, First, and Second Grades?

A second session will discuss our approach to reading comprehension across the EC and Elementary levels.

Monday, November 18, 8:30-9:30 a.m. - Coffee with Board of Trustees (Rose Window Room)

Interested in learning more about the role of a Board of Trustees in independent school leadership? Curious about what it means to serve on the Capitol Hill Day School Board? Join Jason and current members of our Board for an engaging presentation and discussion of these topics and more. 

Thursday, November 21, 6:30-7:45 p.m. - A Virtual Evening with Rosetta Lee (on Zoom)

Rosetta Lee has presented at Capitol Hill Day School on several occasions working with Upper Grade students, staff, and families. Her work in identity development, culturally responsive pedagogy, and creating a school environment of belonging spans decades. During our time with her, Rosetta will speak to the elements of a culturally responsive pedagogy and how those aspects support an environment of thoughtful and rigorous academics. We hope to see you there — RSVP here.