Dear Families,

This year, we have been focused on assessing and expanding our student support services, as outlined in our strategic plan. At Gordon, we hold a holistic view of student wellness, to include social, emotional, psychological and physical health as essential ingredients of academic achievement and social identity development. 

My hope is that Gordon’s commitment to student support and wellness has permeated all of our community learning this year: our grade-level Ages and Stages discussions, our new Coffee in the Commons series that have spotlighted various academic programs and initiatives, schoolwide events such as October’s Raising Emotionally Healthy Young People which focused on our approach to social emotional learning in the classroom, parent affinity groups and other opportunities for shared learning at school. 

As a response to great community interest, our final community-wide parent and caregiver event of the year will center on supporting young people with responsible use of technology. 

On Thursday, May 2nd, at 6:30pm, Gordon will host Dr. Jill Walsh, who will lead an interactive workshop on the intersections of technology, mental health, self-esteem, accessibility, advocacy and activism. 

Sociologist Dr. Jill Walsh is a researcher at Boston University and author of Adolescents and Their Social Media Narratives who will talk about helping students and adults establish best practices for safely navigating this complex and ever-changing digital landscape.

This is a complex topic for educators and caregivers, and Dr. Walsh will not offer a prescriptive list of answers for us. Instead, she will help us process, reflect and hear from others about strategies to support young people to set practical and healthy boundaries with technology. This promises to be an engaging and robust conversation and we invite you to join us!

The event will be preceded at 5:45pm by an informal reception, open to all. This is meant as a chance for parents to connect with each other and begin the process of reflecting about our year together. Families who will be new at Gordon in the fall have been invited and we look forward to introducing them to our adult learning community. 

For those who cannot attend next Thursday’s event (or want to come back for more!), the following morning’s Coffee in the Commons (Friday, May 3rd at 8:15 am) will allow for the opportunity to continue exploring what is certain to be a thought-provoking night.

There will be child care offered on Thursday night to those who RSVP at www.gordonschool.org/jillwalsh

I look forward to seeing you all next week! 

Alethea