Heads' Letter - Weekly & Archives

Last week, our kindergartners joined more than 1.1 million children and adults in more than 65 countries to celebrate bravery, creativity, self-expression and making a positive mark on the world!

International Dot Day is a day to inspire students to be creative and make their mark on the world in a positive manner based on the book The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds. The goal was simple: make a mark and see where it takes you!

The Kindergarten Frogs were invited to celebrate making their mark by wearing dots. They discussed The Dot in class and displayed imagination and creativity to create a dot collage. They ended this inspirational day with a Dot Day Breakout where they worked with the multiage All-Stars to solve a variety of puzzles.

Dr. Susannah Richards, a national leader in English Language Arts and Young Adult Literature, is our featured guest for Young Authors Day on Friday, Sept. 21.

An associate professor at Eastern Connecticut State University, Dr. Richards writes a column about books for the National Association of Gifted Children and regularly presents on books and "bookish" topics at international, national and state conferences. Our teachers have had the opportunity to attend her sessions at gifted trainings during the University of Connecticut's acclaimed Confratute Program.

We are looking forward to her inspiring presentations at Corbett Prep, which all students and teachers will attend. Parents are welcome to join their students' classes to hear her speak as well. Dr. Richards will present to each division throughout the day in the Farish Center. Teachers will share her schedule with their classes.

Thanks to an extremely generous donation from John and Holly Tomlin and alumni Ali Tomlin St. Cyr, Blake and Greg, the Tomlin Family App. Lab was dedicated on August 18, 2018 as part of the 50th anniversary celebration. The App. Lab is the perfect place to practice inquiry, where students come to discover an answer to the question "Why do we need to know this or that?"

All elementary students are scheduled for lab time, and once the students have settled in to their routines, Intermediate Enrichment classes will begin. In addition, Robert Johnson's After School Activity, Maker Group, is planning the next masterwork, which is building upon the outstanding success of last year's Vertical Garden. Splat Club will also be using the facility when it begins as an After School Activity (ASA). The new laser cutter, machine tools, power tools, and hand tools allow for more complex and exciting projects to be completed.

The Community School for Sports at Corbett Prep is pleased to offer a special volleyball experience with two-time volleyball Olympian Keba Phipps. Keba Phipps' youth programs are designed to provide a solid skill foundation in all aspects of the volleyball game.

The training is open to all players in the Tampa Bay area in grades 4-12. Students can choose from 1, 2 or 3 days from Sept. 1-3. Participants will receive detailed instruction on all volleyball skills – setting, passing, defense, serving, blocking, and much more.

What an incredible event! More than 1,000 people attended our 50th anniversary celebration last Saturday. Past teachers, alumni, and alumni parents attended, as well as current families. Smiles were everywhere with warm greetings as people reconnected.

Farish Center was transformed into a land of memorabilia with pictures and artifacts identifying the decades since 1968! We traveled through history as the school began as Independent Day School, then Independent Day School Corbett Campus and then in 2012 Corbett Preparatory School of IDS.

Our founders, Dr. Marilyn Gatlin and Betty Anderson, would be so proud of their school, their vision and their hopes and dreams to establish a school that honored the gifts of all learners.