Letter from the MC Principal

Hello MC families,

We are down to the very end! Tonight is the Eighth Grade Celebration, tomorrow we have Extended Advisory, and on Friday we have Field Day.

This year has been a very memorable one. A big part of this year has been attempting to bring things back that we were not able to do during the pandemic. From field trips to the cafeteria being open to Morning Meeting together in the gym to overnight trips we were able to bring many things back. In-person Morning Meetings with everyone in the gym help us build community, and we look forward to seeing parents join us for Morning Meetings next year. We were able to have parents join us in-person for Exhibitions, and it was exciting to see parents in the building having the opportunity to hear their children’s reflections about their learning. All of these things help build community and connection, and we are glad to have had the opportunity to continue building and strengthening our community this year. Families, thank you for your support along the way. I also want to share appreciation for our teachers and staff, whose hard work, dedication, and expertise in the classroom generate great learning experiences for our children.

Please join me in wishing well the members of our school family that have decided to move on from ANCS after this school year. We appreciate their work at our school and the impact they have had on our students:

• Stefanie Brown, ESS Lead Teacher (1 year)
• Aubrey Lemon, PHE Teacher (3 years)
• Justina Mason, Adjunct Teacher (1 year)

As for the rest of this week, students and staff are looking forward to Extended Advisory tomorrow. Your students’ Advisors have reached out to you with information about Thursday by now. If you have any questions feel free to reach out, or take a look back at any emails that were sent out.

On Friday we will have Field Day and a noon dismissal. Sometimes people forget that school gets out at 12:00pm on the last day of school. Please make arrangements to have your child picked up at 12pm as there is no after care on Friday.

As for Field Day itself, students should:

• ALL be wearing their Field Day t-shirts (those will be distributed tomorrow)
• Students should be in dress code (no bathing suits, and shorts should cover undergarments), 
• Bring a water bottle (we will not have individual water bottles in order to minimize waste)
• Wear sunscreen as we will be outside most of the day.

Regarding dress code – this is a reminder of the guidance that we sent earlier this year. 

“Dress Code:

Last year we began the process of re-evaluating our current dress code as we move towards modernizing it. We relaxed our enforcement of the dress code last year, but the dress code didn’t go away. We will continue working towards creating a more modern dress code this fall, but in the meantime please use the following guidance as you do your back-to-school shopping.

Please wear:

• School appropriate and comfortable clothing
• Attire that is appropriate for varying temperatures
• Attire that inspires thought and displays cultural identity
• Attire that supports equity and inclusivity

Please reconsider:

• Any attire with profanity/vulgarity or drug references
• Pants, shorts, or bottoms that expose undergarments
• Shirts or tops that expose undergarments 
• Half shirts
• Pajamas
• Sunglasses”

For returning families you can use this as guidance as you do your summer shopping. We will be finalizing the dress code early next year. We will also be reviewing and updating a few of our other policies this summer and heading into next year. Look for more information on those topics as we head into next school year.

Once again, thank you for all of your support this year and we are wishing you a safe, relaxing, and restorative summer break! As always, if you have any questions feel free to reach out.

Kind regards,

Mark

Mark Sanders

Mark Sanders began teaching at ANCS in 2011. Before coming to the school, Mr. Sanders worked in New York City. He spent three years teaching 7th and 8th grade mathematics at Middle School 50 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and two years at Harlem Village Academies teaching Geometry and Algebra 2/Trigonometry. He taught 8th grade Math/Science/Technology at ANCS for five years.