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Barclay's Corner
Messages from the Head of School

Dear Oliverian Parents,

Spring is finally in the air here in Northern New England. Thank God! It’s great to have all the kids back, and to see them in such good spirits. We’ve heard wonderful vacation stories from so many of them, and now everybody is working hard to finish the year in good academic standing. I’d like to take this chance to welcome three new students, Charlie West (from Portola Valley, CA), Cammie Riedl (from Huntington Beach, CA), and Joe Judge (from Floral Park, NY). I’ve met with all three of them this week and am excited about what they can add to an already very talented group of students.

Our seniors continue to hear positively from many of the colleges to where they’ve applied. Just this week Nick Gery, Phelan Shea, Charli Henritzy, Noah Benjamin-Pollak, Stefan Cohen, Alex Gamble, & Phil Stevens received “fat envelopes” with invitations to join freshman classes in September of 2008. It’s moving to see our seniors filled with hope and promise as they begin to look forward to the next chapter of their lives. I’m anticipating hearing even more good news about our seniors in these next few weeks.

Tom & Mindy Barth, Directors of Summer School, have planned two exciting 4 week summer sessions at Oliverian. Presented in two contiguous sessions, our summer program offers students in grades 7-12 an educational experience which inspires a passion for new knowledge and an understanding of the relevance of education in daily life. With an emphasis on experiential learning, our program allows students to tackle traditional subjects in non-traditional ways, allowing them to engage more fully and apply the subject matter to real-life circumstances. Students with different learning styles will find support, encouragement, and success. Personal choice plays a major role in this flexible summer program, as students can enroll in English, Mathematics, and Art. The schedule of core classes is supplemented with a variety of activities that encourage students to explore new interests in a dynamic school community. The Oliverian School Summer Program is made up of two 4-week sessions which can be combined into an 8-week program or taken separately. Session 1 begins on Sunday, June 22, 2008 and ends with graduation on Saturday, July 19, 2008. Session 2 begins on Sunday, July 20, 2008 and ends with graduation on Saturday, August 16, 2008. The combined program runs from June 22 – August 16, 2008. My sense is that a number of our students could benefit from our summer program. I’m attaching an article by Beth Reed from the Center that addresses continuing support and its relevance in the lives of our students.

Our new library should be fully operational very soon. Books from Follett Library Resources will be delivered in the next several days, our second furniture delivery is on its way, and the technology portion of the space is already up and running. Consequently, students are utilizing the second floor of the Student Center for quiet study and research, and will, within days, profit from a few thousand new books. I’d like to thank a number of our families for significant donations they’ve made to help this vision become a reality. These families will be recognized in our Annual Report, and as a young school with limited resources we can’t thank them enough. At this point we’ve raised almost $70,000, but we continue to need your help. Please do everything in your power to help us reach our goal.

I know Janice Hatch has been in touch with the families of graduating seniors. If you have any questions about “Graduation Weekend”, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with her. Kimberly Moran is also an excellent resource for information and will do everything in her power to help make this a very special time for all of our families. Baccalaureate will be on Saturday, May 31st, with Graduation to follow on Sunday, June 1st.

If there is anything I can do to help please don’t hesitate in giving me a call. All of us here at Oliverian look forward to seeing you soon, and celebrating in your child’s success.

Best,

Barclay

Barclay Mackinnon, Jr.
Head of School
The Oliverian School