Earlier this week, Far Hills Country Day School sixth graders had an exciting opportunity to work with research scientists from ETS (www.ets.org), world-renown experts in assessment and educational research, on an important pilot assessment project focusing on noncognitive characteristics in students.
Far Hills Country Day School, along with the Elementary School Research Consortium (ESRC), a collaboration of more than 20 national independent elementary schools, has been conducting leading-edge research on the newest assessments of skills deemed essential for success in the 21st century.
This past summer ESRC formed a partnership with ETS to develop an assessment tool and to conduct a longitudinal study of these key characteristics, such as persistence, teamwork, creative problem solving, ethics and integrity, all essential competencies for success in both academics and the workplace. This assessment tool and study will help the participating schools determine if students’ competencies improve through the course of their middle school education. Far Hills Country Day School is a member of the ESRC Assessment Task Force, and so it was selected as the location for the pilot lab. Students completed sample assessment questions and tasks and then offered feedback to researchers about the skills tested, the clarity of ideas, and the precision of language. It was a wonderful learning experience for students to play an active role in relevant, real-world research with scientists. Based on the work with FHCDS students and the prototype, ETS assessment designers will revise the assessment tool that will then be used in spring of 2011 by about 19 ESRC schools as part of a three-year longitudinal study. ETS currently is engaged in similar assessment projects with The Lawrenceville School and Columbia University.
Extensive ETS and Conference Board research documents that noncognitive characteristics are important or increasingly important and critical to college and workplace success. In part due to this research, ETS developed the Personal Potential Index, a noncognitive assessment which is now part of the GRE. Results are provided to graduate schools to use in the selection of students.
Early evidence also indicates that targeted instruction in noncognitive areas, such as time management and persistence, have positively impacted student performance. Based partly on these results, ETS seeks to collaborate with educators at the middle school level to learn about the potential impact of building such characteristics more intentionally through the elementary and middle school years.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
La Belle Boutique this weekend!
Far Hills Country Day School is preparing to celebrate its 36th annual “La Belle Boutique” scheduled this year for November 6-8 at the school on Route 202 in Far Hills. The event includes a fantastic silent auction and three-day boutique shopping featuring over 25 unique vendors.
La Belle Boutique is open to the public on Saturday, November 6, 10 am to 5 pm, Sunday, November 7, 11 am to 4 pm and Monday, November 8, from 9 am to 3 pm. Admission is free of charge however, a suggested $5 donation is appreciated.
La Belle Boutique is open to the public on Saturday, November 6, 10 am to 5 pm, Sunday, November 7, 11 am to 4 pm and Monday, November 8, from 9 am to 3 pm. Admission is free of charge however, a suggested $5 donation is appreciated.
Patrons’ Night will be held on Saturday, November 6 at 6:30 pm with a live and silent auction, and exciting raffles. Tickets are available for $175 for a single and $300 per couple. This includes cocktails at 6:30 pm followed by dinner and dancing to live music from 8 pm-12 am.
This year’s event co-chairs are Laura Brucker and Stephanie Glickman. “We are thrilled to welcome the community to join us at FHCDS for some fabulous boutique shopping," announced Mrs. Brucker. "With a fun mix of vendors, we have something for everyone to kick off their holiday shopping," added Mrs. Glickman.
Another component of the event includes the La Belle Boutique Business Directory. Ads may be purchased by local businesses.
Far Hills Country Day School, founded in 1929, is an independent elementary school for boys and girls in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. Visitors to La Belle Boutique will have an opportunity to visit the campus and see the school’s new Athletic Center, made possible by the support of the FHCDS community. Funds raised from La Belle Boutique, including the Business Directory, allow FHCDS to provide financial assistance, expand programs and curriculum, and enhance faculty development through continuing education.
For information on any aspect of La Belle Boutique, please contact Janna McMahon, Director of Special Events and Donor Relations at FHCDS at 908-766-0622, ext. 457.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Fridays at Far Hills & Open Houses
Fridays at Far Hills Country Day School - Please join us!
Fridays at Far Hills is a comprehensive admission program offering prospective families personal tours customized to fit their needs and offer them a meaningful introduction to Far Hills Country Day School. During these tours, families will have the opportunity to hear from faculty, students, and administrators. An RSVP is required. The dates are as follows:
October 8
October 22
November 12
November 19
December 3
December 10
January 7
January 21
February 4
February 18
March 4
April 8
April 15
May 13
If Friday mornings aren't convenient, we are also offering two weekend Admission Open Houses on:
Sunday, October 17, 2010 1-3pm
and
Saturday, January 22, 2011 1-3pm
Far Hills Country Day School is a co-educational independent day school that has been serving students in prekindergarten through grade since 1929.
Windspire vote on October 4
On October 4 at 7pm, Far Hills Country Day School students will ask the Borough of Far Hills' Planning Board for a variance to install 4 vertical-axis "Windspires" on the hill outside the Athletic Center as part of the school's Energy Initiative. FHCDS will be represented by a team of eighth graders that have been working on the project since last winter.
"This experience is teaching our group a lot about how to make a successful argument," credits a Far Hills Country Day School eighth grader. "We have to know our stuff and be respectful of other people’s opinions. We are also learning that you might need to meet in the middle, if you can’t agree.”
In a high-wind year, the [http://windspireenergy.com/] Windspires could produce almost as much power as the school's existing solar array. The school believes the windspires will complement the solar array by producing power even at night, when the solar panels are not available. “Our students hope to carry through a “yes” vote at the October 4th Planning Board meeting, but even if they don’t succeed, they’ve gotten a tremendous education along the way,” says Ms. Wargo. “They have learned about themselves, about politics and compromise, and about being responsible stewards of the environment. And those are lessons that will serve them and others well for the rest of their lives.”
For more information about the Energy Initiative, contact Caitlin Wargo, Director of Sustainability and Energy Management at cwargo@fhcds.org. Far Hills Country Day School is a co-educational independent day school that has been serving students in prekindergarten through grade since 1929.
"This experience is teaching our group a lot about how to make a successful argument," credits a Far Hills Country Day School eighth grader. "We have to know our stuff and be respectful of other people’s opinions. We are also learning that you might need to meet in the middle, if you can’t agree.”
In a high-wind year, the [http://windspireenergy.com/] Windspires could produce almost as much power as the school's existing solar array. The school believes the windspires will complement the solar array by producing power even at night, when the solar panels are not available. “Our students hope to carry through a “yes” vote at the October 4th Planning Board meeting, but even if they don’t succeed, they’ve gotten a tremendous education along the way,” says Ms. Wargo. “They have learned about themselves, about politics and compromise, and about being responsible stewards of the environment. And those are lessons that will serve them and others well for the rest of their lives.”
For more information about the Energy Initiative, contact Caitlin Wargo, Director of Sustainability and Energy Management at cwargo@fhcds.org. Far Hills Country Day School is a co-educational independent day school that has been serving students in prekindergarten through grade since 1929.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Will FHCDS Inherit the Wind?
As if they didn’t have enough to do – On Monday, June 7, the night before their History final, then 7th graders Alexa Lorillard, Isabella Nichol, Callum Slater and Tommaso Wagner, joined graduating 8th grader Kate Gulbrandsen to make the School’s case to the Far Hills Planning Board for installing four vertical-axis Windspires on campus. In a high-wind year, these Windspires could produce almost as much power as the school’s existing solar array, and they could generate power overnight. Most important, the Windspires would provide another opportunity for our students to learn about energy issues right here on our campus.
“We had been studying for finals ahead of time, so attending the meeting wasn’t much of a problem, and luckily, the meeting only lasted an hour,” said Alexa.
This meeting was just one step in what has been a lengthy process for the group. Last March, the students began meeting with Ms. Caitlin Wargo, the school’s Director of Energy and Sustainability, at lunch to prepare themselves to represent the school during the permitting process. Lunchtime speakers included Rick Anderson, who represents Windspire (the manufacturer of the Windspire turbines), Science teacher Mrs. Jane Martin, and former Board Chair and energy expert Mr. Doug Kimmelman, who explained to the group that a lot of renewable energy projects fail to get permit approval.
At Mr. Kimmelman’s suggestion, the students invited Mayor Torsilieri of Far Hills to come to the school to seek his advice on how they might win the town’s approval for the project. Mayor Torsilieri was very positive about the idea of installing the Windspires but reminded students of the importance of being good neighbors to the families living around the campus.
“The Mayor said we needed to make sure we reached out to our neighbors, since they will be affected by the wind project too,” said Alexa.
Heeding the mayor’s advice, the group, along with fellow task force member John Cree (now in 8th grade), met with interested neighbors last spring. Discussing the idea with neighbors gave students a great leg up as they prepared for the June 7 meeting, a meeting that was a “Concept Review,” and did not result in a vote.
“We had practiced,” said Tommaso, “and the Mayor told us to be prepared for anything, so we had to know a lot.” “Even if you don’t agree with what people are saying, you have to listen,” he added.
Alexa shared that sentiment, stating that this experience has taught the group a lot about how to make a successful argument. “We had to know our stuff, and be respectful of other people’s opinions,” she said, ending with “we also learned that you might need to meet in the middle, if you can’t agree.
The Planning Board had several questions, on topics ranging from bird strikes to noise and where the Windspires were manufactured.
“They gave us insight into what the community might think,” said Alexa. The group plans to use those insights as they prepare for the formal meeting this fall.
“This is an experience that can’t be taught,” said Tommaso.
“Our students hope to carry through a 'yes' vote at this fall’s planning board meeting, but even if they don’t succeed, they’ve gotten a tremendous education along the way,” said Ms. Wargo. "They have learned about themselves, about politics and compromise, and about being responsible stewards of the environment.” And those are lessons that will serve them and others well for the rest of their lives.
“We had been studying for finals ahead of time, so attending the meeting wasn’t much of a problem, and luckily, the meeting only lasted an hour,” said Alexa.
This meeting was just one step in what has been a lengthy process for the group. Last March, the students began meeting with Ms. Caitlin Wargo, the school’s Director of Energy and Sustainability, at lunch to prepare themselves to represent the school during the permitting process. Lunchtime speakers included Rick Anderson, who represents Windspire (the manufacturer of the Windspire turbines), Science teacher Mrs. Jane Martin, and former Board Chair and energy expert Mr. Doug Kimmelman, who explained to the group that a lot of renewable energy projects fail to get permit approval.
At Mr. Kimmelman’s suggestion, the students invited Mayor Torsilieri of Far Hills to come to the school to seek his advice on how they might win the town’s approval for the project. Mayor Torsilieri was very positive about the idea of installing the Windspires but reminded students of the importance of being good neighbors to the families living around the campus.
“The Mayor said we needed to make sure we reached out to our neighbors, since they will be affected by the wind project too,” said Alexa.
Heeding the mayor’s advice, the group, along with fellow task force member John Cree (now in 8th grade), met with interested neighbors last spring. Discussing the idea with neighbors gave students a great leg up as they prepared for the June 7 meeting, a meeting that was a “Concept Review,” and did not result in a vote.
“We had practiced,” said Tommaso, “and the Mayor told us to be prepared for anything, so we had to know a lot.” “Even if you don’t agree with what people are saying, you have to listen,” he added.
Alexa shared that sentiment, stating that this experience has taught the group a lot about how to make a successful argument. “We had to know our stuff, and be respectful of other people’s opinions,” she said, ending with “we also learned that you might need to meet in the middle, if you can’t agree.
The Planning Board had several questions, on topics ranging from bird strikes to noise and where the Windspires were manufactured.
“They gave us insight into what the community might think,” said Alexa. The group plans to use those insights as they prepare for the formal meeting this fall.
“This is an experience that can’t be taught,” said Tommaso.
“Our students hope to carry through a 'yes' vote at this fall’s planning board meeting, but even if they don’t succeed, they’ve gotten a tremendous education along the way,” said Ms. Wargo. "They have learned about themselves, about politics and compromise, and about being responsible stewards of the environment.” And those are lessons that will serve them and others well for the rest of their lives.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Students make the case for Windspires at the Far Hills Planning Meeting
On Monday, June 7th at 7:00pm student members of Far Hills Country Day School's Upper School Energy Task Force are attending the Far Hills planning meeting to make the pitch for approval for a windspire installation on The Far Hills Country Day School campus. The meeting will take place at the Far Hills Municipal Building at 6 Prospect Street. The school plans to have two of its students speak to the Board, and the rest of the members of the Upper School Energy Task Force will be available to answer questions, should it be required.
Our students have shown real leadership and dedication for this and other energy related initiatives throughout the year, working on the school's USETF (Upper School Energy Task Force), taking on a great deal of extra work during the Green Cup Challenge and meeting once every cycle during lunch. Members of this group have already pitched their idea to the Mayor of Far Hills as well as a few neighbors.
Our students have shown real leadership and dedication for this and other energy related initiatives throughout the year, working on the school's USETF (Upper School Energy Task Force), taking on a great deal of extra work during the Green Cup Challenge and meeting once every cycle during lunch. Members of this group have already pitched their idea to the Mayor of Far Hills as well as a few neighbors.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Mayor Torsilieri to visit Far Hills Country Day School
Earlier this year, Far Hills Country Day School began exploring the possibility of installing four wind turbines on its campus. It’s never been done before in Far Hills, so people have a lot of questions. On Wednesday, April 28th from 12:30pm-1:00pm Mayor Torsilieri and Mr. Geoff Price, a zoning official, will be joining a small group of Far Hills students to engage in a question and answer session about the proposed project. If time permits, they will also take a walk to the proposed installation site after the conversation.
The purpose of the visit is to have our students engage the Mayor in a conversation about the wind project. They hope to learn the Mayor's thoughts about the proposed work, answer any questions he may have for them, and seek his advice about the ways to successfully engage the planning board and community to bring this project to fruition.
This should be a lively conversation that will give our students a better understanding of the planning and decision making process and should give our the Mayor and Mr. Price, and by extension the broader community, a better understanding of the project.
The purpose of the visit is to have our students engage the Mayor in a conversation about the wind project. They hope to learn the Mayor's thoughts about the proposed work, answer any questions he may have for them, and seek his advice about the ways to successfully engage the planning board and community to bring this project to fruition.
This should be a lively conversation that will give our students a better understanding of the planning and decision making process and should give our the Mayor and Mr. Price, and by extension the broader community, a better understanding of the project.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Far Hills Literary Magazine wins award
The 2009 issue of the school's literary magazine, Collectors' Items, was awarded Second Place in the American Scholastic Press Association (ASPA) annual contest for literary magazines and was featured in this year's issue of The American Scholastic Journalist. In addition, Collectors' Items was selected to receive a rank of Excellent in the 2009 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Program to Recognize Excellence in Student Literary Magazines. The 2009 student editors included Max Auerbach, Emma Brown, and Ailsa Slater, and featured writing from sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. This is the third year in a row that Collectors' Items has placed in the ASPA and NCTE contests. Congratulations to all of our contributors!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
The Geo Bee is under way at Far Hills Country Day School!
Do you know which of Brazil’s 26 states borders French Guiana or which current flows into the Gulf Stream? This week, our fourth through eighth grade students are answering questions like this and more. The annual National Geographic Bee began this Monday, and it’s going strong. The “Geo Bee” is an academic competition for schools with grades 4-8 and is intended to encourage teachers to teach and use geography in their classrooms, increase student interest in geography, and increase public awareness of geography and geographical topics.
At the end of this week, classroom winners will move on to grade and school-level competitions. One winner will then be selected to take the qualifying test for the state-level Bee which feeds into a National Bee held in Washington, D.C. in May. Please join us in wishing our students good luck. Stay tuned for updates.
At the end of this week, classroom winners will move on to grade and school-level competitions. One winner will then be selected to take the qualifying test for the state-level Bee which feeds into a National Bee held in Washington, D.C. in May. Please join us in wishing our students good luck. Stay tuned for updates.
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