From Molly H. King:

Dear Parents,
The year is launched! How much I have enjoyed connecting with the girls at drop-off, at lunch, at games and performances, in classes and around the hallways. Each one has reached out to me, introducing herself, asking about my day and how I like GA. So many different venues for connecting and yet my answer is always the same—"I love GA". At the opening day assembly, I told the students just what I had told the faculty and staff the week before at opening meetings—getting to know the girls is my highest priority this year. In addition to the venues mentioned above, I will be shadowing one student in each division during the next few weeks in order to experience GA from her vantage point—Katelyn Iorillo, Group IV; Sophia Nosseir, Group VIII; and Vanessa Rios, Group XII.

The purpose at Greenwich Academy to put forth one’s best effort in the pursuit of excellence while developing character has been evident all over campus since school opened. Academically, there is joy and pride in the learning process---Group II girls stopped me in the hallway to share proudly that they will soon start writing in cursive, and Group VII girls sang a song to me in the RWC lobby that that helped them memorize the thirteen original colonies. My Group X advisees shared that while “Euro is tough,” they love history. And, of course, the learning and mastery of new skills is not confined to the classroom. The performance of the Madrigals at the opening assembly was remarkable, the field hockey team is rounding into top form, varsity soccer is launched and working hard at our new grass field on Ridgeview Avenue, cross-country has been tackling the steep hills around the school with a vengeance and volleyball combines new and returning players and is already gelling as a quality team. Dance Corps members have begun their rehearsals, and when I watched them recently, I couldn’t even keep up with

their warm-up exercises. Character is evident, as well, in the student leadership initiatives. A recent Forum meeting, led by school president Annie Ferrer ’05, focused on informing the student body about the candidates and key issues in the upcoming presidential elections. Annie and other student leaders are rolling out some great activities in order to engage the girls and empower them as future voters and committed citizens.

Class coffees are well underway, and it's been great to connect with parents, as well. As you receive this, we'll be launching into our Focus Group meetings for the Strategic Planning process. Agnes Underwood, a consultant from Carney, Sandoe & Associates, will be on campus September 30 and October 1. Times for parent focus groups are listed in the Events and Announcements section of this newsletter. Your voice is critical to this process as we set goals for the next five years for Greenwich Academy. I look forward to seeing you all around school in the coming weeks so please check the web site and the calendars in this newsletter for upcoming events. Thank you for sharing your wonderful daughters with us.

Sincerely,
Molly H. King