A Great Start to Second Semester

Welcome back for the second semester and a Happy New Year to all! Our Lower School students were eager and happy to be back in school on Wednesday.

The admission season is upon us and the Lower School is working diligently to fill all of our classes, including three sections of fourth grade. Parents are our best resource in making recommendations to our school. Last year, you stepped up to the plate and brought us 17 more families, helping us exceed our enrollment expectations. We also had a new first-grade student who enrolled over Christmas break.

This month, we are hosting a program that was very successful last year called “Light Up the Night.” Please mark your calendars for Jan. 12, 19 or 26 (all Thursday evenings). Each of these evenings will showcase two grades levels and highlight some of the exciting curricular changes
that have been implemented. 

Jan. 12 – first and second grade parents

Jan. 19 – third and fourth grade parents

Jan. 26 – PK and K parents

The program will begin at 6 p.m. and last approximately two hours. Our guests will have an opportunity to speak with the classroom teachers, faculty and staff, have a tour, and see the teachers teach a lesson on Reader’s Workshop. Prospective PK and K students can visit and spend the day in the classroom by calling Lea Duncan for scheduling (706-802-4378).

This is a wonderful opportunity for the Lower School to showcase our school to prospective parents. I hope that you will join in the excitement by bringing us one or two families that would like to know more about Darlington. Thank you for your help and support with this endeavor.

Next week, on Thursday, Jan. 12, the Lower School will host the National Geographic Bee competition for students in grades 4 through 8. Thirty-five students who will compete for the title of “Geography Champ.” The competition will start at 1 p.m. in the gym. Parents and friends are cordially invited.

There were 17 fourth-grade students who qualified for the Duke University Talent Identification Program (TIP) by scoring 95 percentile and higher on a recent achievement test. This program recognizes students who are in the top 5% in their grade level. Congratulations to Carter Anderson,
Lucy Bearden, Molly Brewer, Griffin Brewster, Hank Crawford, John-Prosser Deaton, Frances Fields, Will Kimball, Teagan Martin, Kate Monroe, Chandler Pittman, Spencer Shadday, Sophie Stepp, Karson Swiger, Camille Temple and Grace Watters.