District and Community  

Dear Blackhawks,

Our school year is drawing to a close. Our end-of-school traditions, especially for eighth graders, are in full swing. Monday is our Celebration of Learning Luncheon. This is a time when the whole school celebrates the growth of our eighth grade students by viewing the samples of their work completed. For many of our students these work samples go all the way back to their kindergarten year. It is also an opportunity to see other important aspects of our students’ lives outside of their school experience such as hobbies, interests and clubs.

For students in grades 5-8, Tuesday is Spring Fling Day. This is a day filled with friendly competition and fun. A few surprises have been planned to make this event even better. Finally, our eighth graders graduate from Plainfield School on Wednesday night. This is a bittersweet experience. It will be the last school experience this group of students will have together. Some will go on to Lebanon High School and some will go to Kimball Union Academy or another high school. After up to nine years together, students are ready for a change, they are ready to spread their wings and experience something different and bigger than our small school, yet their gifts and challenges will be missed and remembered by those of us who remain.

It is also time for some new experiences for retiring teacher Brenda Johnson. Ms. Johnson has left her mark on Plainfield School. She initiated the AMC trip years ago. This trip remains a much anticipated sixth grade rite of passage. Brenda has chaired and served on many, many committees such as the Reading Curriculum Committee which was instrumental in organizing our first Partner-Up Days and the Professional Development Committee that married our professional development plan with the teacher evaluation plan and so much more. Her interest in the environment and waste free lunches helped inspire the student led purchase of a dishwasher. Brenda has left Plainfield School a richer place than when she started here so many years ago. We wish her many wonderful adventures ahead.

As we get ready to send our students off for the summer, we send them with the hope that they have enriching experiences, time with family, time to read just for the heck of it, time to grow, to play, to get close to nature--outside away from television, computers, and cell phones, and time to imagine the impossible.

Ellen