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Headlines Newsletter_Dec2015_WEB1

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Mrs. Crispell was serene, brilliant, and kind. Everyone in our AP English class respected her and worked hard in her class. Before I started in her class, I had excelled in English and thought that I could write well. Little did I know that beginning with my first essay on Beowulf, I would learn one of the most important lessons of my life: it’s not about perfection; it’s about purpose. When I received my Beowulf essay with her comments, I realized that I had much to learn about writing. With patience, grace, and a beautiful sense of humor, Mrs. Crispell helped me get over my discouragement at not writing the perfect essay. She taught me to focus on learning from my mistakes and to value the process not the product. She inspired me because she helped me to see my own value would never be dependent upon perfection or getting a “good” grade. Because of Mrs. Crispell, I did not abandon my love of literature and writing because of a fear of failure. In fact, I majored in English in college and became an educator, spending four years as an English teacher. If I had focused on perfection, I never would have found my purpose. By Monica M. Gillespie, Ph.D., Head of School HEAD LINES A newsletter for Saint Mary’s School Parents SAINT MARY’S FEATURES Vol. 1, No. 2 December 2015 Educating Girls How We Teach Girls Tips for Parents Learning to Lead Upcoming Events Nothing can dim the light which shines from within. ~ Maya Angelou Educating Girls It’s About Purpose
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Page 1: Headlines Newsletter_Dec2015_WEB1

Mrs. Crispell was serene, brilliant, and kind. Everyone in our AP English class respected her and worked hard in her class. Before I started in her class, I had excelled in English and thought that I could write well. Little did I know that beginning with my first essay on Beowulf, I would learn one of the most important lessons of my life: it’s not about perfection; it’s about purpose.

When I received my Beowulf essay with her comments, I realized that I had much to learn about writing. With patience, grace, and a beautiful sense of humor, Mrs. Crispell helped me get over my discouragement at not writing the perfect essay. She taught me to focus on learning from my mistakes and to value the process not the product. She inspired me because she helped me to see my own value would never be dependent upon perfection or getting a “good” grade. Because of Mrs. Crispell, I did not abandon my love of literature and writing because of a fear of failure. In fact, I majored in English in college and became an educator, spending four years as an English teacher. If I had focused on perfection, I never would have found my purpose.

By Monica M. Gillespie, Ph.D., Head of School

HEADLINES

A newsletter for Saint Mary’s School Parents

SAINT MARY’S

FEATURESVol. 1, No. 2

December 2015

Educating Girls

How We Teach Girls

Tips for Parents

Learning to Lead

Upcoming EventsNothing can dim the light which shines from within. ~ Maya Angelou

Educating Girls It’s About Purpose

Page 2: Headlines Newsletter_Dec2015_WEB1

It’s About Purpose continued from fi rst page

At Saint Mary’s School, we believe when girls are empowered to see their value, they create robust visions for their futures and lives of their own making. We understand that our work is not easy, but it is imperative. According to Real Girls, Real Pressure: National Report on the State of Self-Esteem, seven in 10 girls believe they are not good enough or do not measure up in some way.

Our students must know—and believe—that their value is not contingent upon their being perfect. In Building Resilience in Children and Teens, Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg describes perfectionists as those who reject anything less than a fl awless product or performance, who don’t enjoy the process of creating because they worry about not performing as well as they think they should, who see every mistake as evidence that they are unworthy or not good enough, and who don’t take the chances that successful people take to reach their greatest potential.

The importance of moving girls from perfection to purpose cannot be overstated. Our students’ future success as adults is at risk.

Dr. Ginsburg’s research presented in his most recent book Raising Kids to Thrive suggests that “the most worrisome thing about this generation of driven students may be the fear of imperfection that’s being instilled in their psyches. This fear can stifl e their creativity, impede their innovative potential, and diminish their ability to experience joy. We must never forget that our ultimate goal is to raise healthy, successful 35-year-olds, not high school seniors whose success is narrowly defi ned by the college that admits them.”

These questions are designed to help parents build self-awareness and clarify their goals as they consider conversations to help guide their child to a safe, happy, moral, and successful life of purpose.

Some questions to consider (and perhaps discuss with your co-parent):

• Do you give love unconditionally? Do you speak of that love? How do you show it?

• Is it possible you are putting conditions on that love by linking it somehow to performance?

• Was love given to you unconditionally while growing up? If it was withheld, or kept close to the chest, how might that have affected you?

• Are you striking the right balance between closeness and the healthy distance that fosters self-reliance?

• Does the thought of your child growing up excite you? Intimidate you? Sadden you?

• What messages did you receive growing up about success?

• Do you consider yourself successful? Why or why not?

• How would you defi ne success for your child?

• How were you praised when you were young? How were you criticized?

• Do you tend to ask only about the results or pay more attention to the effort?

• Do you compare your child’s achievements to those of a sibling? A neighbor? Do you assign labels to your children? For example, “She will be a doctor” or “she’s more like an artist.”

• Do you consider downtime a waste of time? Do you appreciate that your child needs time to reboot?

• Are you able to delay gratifi cation?

• Do you help your child understand the benefi ts of how hard work and patience can pay off later?

• Are you clear about what you consider the boundaries of appropriate behavior?

Ginsburg, Kenneth R., Ilana Ginsburg, and Talia Ginsburg. Raising Kids to Thrive: Balancing Love with Expectations and Protection with Trust. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics, 2015.

TIPS FOR PARENTS

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True to our mission, we are committed to ensuring that our students are prepared for college and life in the best way possible. We do this by fostering what Dr. Ginsburg describes as healthy high achievers – young women who are resilient, who get genuine pleasure from putting forth their best effort, who are willing to take healthy risks, and who see failure as a temporary setback from which they will rebound.

We provide a place where girls are comfortable taking risks, where they see peers and adults alike trying, failing, and learning from mistakes, where it’s not about perfection, it’s about purpose—their purpose. With intentionality, we seek to praise the effort not the product and place importance on what is learned in the process. We believe that as resilient young women, our students are empowered to see their value and create robust visions for their futures and lives of their own making.

Page 3: Headlines Newsletter_Dec2015_WEB1

As adults we use analytical skills honed over many years to sort through contradictory data. Building those skills, however, is work undertaken in the high school years.

There are many ways we teach girls to analyze complex issues, interpret confl icting points of view, and integrate information that is or may seem contradictory. One is through tackling a “Synthesis Portfolio” assignment that is a major focus for the Advanced Placement (AP) Language and Composition class.

The AP Language and Composition exam requires students to write a “synthesis essay” in which they read a short introduction on a topic and then respond to a question by using source material provided. To help students prepare for this exam, AP Language and Composition Instructor Virginia Pierce assigns the “Synthesis Portfolio” project. “The approach,” says Ms. Pierce, “requires girls to write their own AP exam.”

Specifi cally, each girl chooses a topic, formulates an introduction and a probing question, and then assembles a wide array of sources, one that is even broader than what the student will expect to see on the AP exam. Further, the sources have to vary in form, content, and quality. In addition, each student creates Modern Language Association citations—just like the exam includes—and she formats her work to look like the AP exam created by the College Board.

“By deconstructing and then rebuilding a sample AP exam,” Ms. Pierce explains, “girls become comfortable managing large amounts of information. They also become quite competent sorting through a wide array of opinions, assessing credibility,

and identifying bias in the sources.” “In the end,” Ms. Pierce adds, “a girl is expected to write a cogent essay that refl ects her ability to synthesize complex material, form her own opinions, and back them up with solid evidence. It’s a bit like writing a mini-research paper in a short amount of time.”

As for topics girls choose, they are as varied as the girls themselves. “Recently, students investigated anxiety treatment plans, the two-party political system, home schooling, and single-sex education, to name a few,” notes Ms. Pierce. “They also found incredibly diverse sources and collaborated in making the fi nal decisions about what to include in their portfolios.”

What Ms. Pierce has noted over the years is how well this approach works in teaching girls to analyze and synthesize information. Very quickly students became sensitive to wording and can identify biased language. Because they have had to create the probing question in their own portfolio, they become quite astute at identifying questions that essays present. Essentially, the girls become experts on the synthesis essay because they have created ones of their own.

“Moving forward,” says Ms. Pierce, “we plan to have students swap portfolios to continue practice writing. We will, of course, also use the sample essays provided by the College Board. What is most exciting is that girls have asked that we repeat the Synthesis Portfolio project again in the spring. Since students rarely request a research assignment, I am making the assumption that something good must have happened!” Something good, indeed.

Synthesis Portfolio—something good must have happened!

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Have you ever opened a newspaper to fi nd articles presenting confl icting points of view? Perhaps you have listened to two journalists, each reporting on the same political issue but stressing different aspects of a situation.

By Virginia Pierce, Instructor of Englishand Laura Novia, Director of Marketing and Communications

Page 4: Headlines Newsletter_Dec2015_WEB1

900 Hillsborough StreetRaleigh, North Carolina27603-1689

SCHOOLCOURAGE

HEADLINES

See online calendar for details | www.sms.edu

EVENTS

September • North Carolina Chapter of United Nations Women “Learn Like a Girl” Luncheon | Raleigh, N.C.

October • e51 Developing Your Path: Better, Smarter Women Innovators | Chapel Hill, N.C. • Triangle Diversity Alliance Conference | Raleigh, N.C.

Learning to Lead

November • Institute for Emerging Issues: High School Prize for Innovation | Raleigh, N.C. • North Carolina Independent School Student Leadership Conference | Charlotte, N.C. • North Carolina State MBA Innovative Women’s Conference | Raleigh, N.C.

December • Student Diversity Leadership Conference | Tampa, Fla.

DECEMBER 19-JANUARY 4 Christmas Break Dorms close 10 a.m. Dec. 19 Classes resume Jan. 5

JANUARY 12 Mornings with Monica

JANUARY 18 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service

JANUARY 23 Winter Formal

JANUARY 26 Smedes Parlor Concert

JANUARY 30 Exploration Day

FEBRUARY 12 Mornings with Monica

FEBRUARY 12-16 Winter Break: begins noon on Feb. 12 Classes resume Feb. 17

FEBRUARY 18 Winter Sports Assembly

FEBRUARY 23 Eucharist Chapel with The Rt. Rev. Anne Hodges-Copple

FEBRUARY 24 Re-enrollment contracts due

FEBRUARY 27 Exploration Day

MARCH 3 Curriculum Night

MARCH 4 Parent Education Workshop with Dr. Gillespie

MARCH 4-5 Spring Musical: Legally Blonde

Saint Mary’s leadership education takes many forms, both in and out of the classroom. Taking advantage of our Raleigh/Research Triangle location and all it has to offer is just one of the ways we make leadership training available to our girls. The following is a list of leadership opportunities “outside the gates” in which our students participated:


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