“The principal goal of education in the schools should be creating men and women who are capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what other generations have done.”
—Jean Piaget
|
10/30 - Great Pumpkin Race
10/31 - Fall Festival/Halloween Celebration
11/20- Parent Teacher Conferences - No School
11/21 - Parent Teacher Conferences - No School
|
-
Insider Info: Welcome Christopher!!
-
ACA: Service Learning at TEA
-
Community Spotlight: The Madecks
-
Events: Welcome Coffees & Fall FUN
-
Fundraising: Seeking VOLUNTEERS!
-
TAP: Upper School Pizza Day Sign Up, Monthly Meetings and Family Bingo
|
|
A Quick Note of Welcome from Christopher!!
(Pictured above with his wife Molly and their boys - Porter and Rabbit)
I awoke this morning with jittery excitement for my “first day of school.” Thank you board members, staff and students for the extremely warm welcome I’ve received. Over the next few weeks, I look forward to connecting with parents and the larger communiTEA at several gatherings that have been organized. If for some reason, we haven’t connected within a few weeks, please come by and introduce yourself.
With just a few minutes to sneak this into the Hawk News today, I’ll end with the same reflection I shared with the faculty and staff this morning…Expeditions have a beginning, a middle, and an end. They have goals and aspirational outcomes that exceed a routine trip or journey. Today marks the first day of my expedition with the entire TEA family, including students and our dedicated employees. Thank you for welcoming me to the TEAm. I believe in the power of community working together for the common good toward shared goals. Onward.
Christopher
Opportunities to grab coffee with him:
Important reminders:
1) Please send students to school dressed for success during winter weather!
2) Please slow down as you enter and drive through campus. Wet roads and speed don't mix well.
3) Please take note that students will not have school November 20th and November 21st leading up to the November break due to parent teacher conferences.
|
|
As we dive into our fall Service Learning projects, this quote from the late Jane Goodhall is particularly relevant, “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make”.
At TEA, we have taken those words to heart. Our Service Learning program has hit the ground running in these first five weeks of school, and the results are already inspiring.
- Our 8th graders partnered with Sierra Senior Services: delivering meals, sharing meaningful conversations with local seniors, and brightening up their community spaces with festive fall décor.
- Meanwhile, our 5th graders kicked off a powerful yearlong collaboration with Soulful Seeds, a non-profit tackling food insecurity through urban gardening. They even got their hands dirty during a three-day harvest at 49’ers Farm in Cool, CA!
- Our 2nd and 3rd grade students have been busy cultivating a pollinator garden that not only supports the environment, but also sparked curiosity across campus—so much so that Upper School students joined in to learn more about its impact.
- And our 12th graders? They brought their voices to the forefront by creating a banned books display at the Truckee Library, sparking important conversations around censorship and freedom of expression.
With even more projects lined up in the coming months, it’s clear our mission to make a meaningful impact on our community—and beyond—is just getting started.
|
We are thrilled to continue our beloved traditions with the Great Pumpkin Race on October 30th and our Fall Festival & Halloween Celebrations on October 31st!
- On October 29th, Lower School students will team up with Upper School students to design the fastest, silliest, and most creative pumpkin race cars.
- On October 30th, families are invited to join us for the big Pumpkin Race (more details coming soon—get ready to cheer!).
- On October 31st, students are welcome to come in school-appropriate costumes (please reach out to Chloe with any questions). Our Upper School students are busy planning a variety of spooktacular, hands-on activities to bring the Fall Festival to life!
Stay tuned for a post with ways you can help—we’ll need lots of festive item donations to make the magic happen.
|
The Madeck family, Steven, Lauren, Sienna (entering Pre-K), and one-year-old Nora, is excited to officially join the TEA community.
They chose TEA because Steven has seen firsthand the transformative impact this type of education has on students. With its focus on real-world problem solving, constructive adversity, and emotional growth, TEA offers exactly the kind of environment they envision for their children.
Even as a 4 year old, Sienna has already shown a love for learning, including trying new outdoor activities and learning Spanish while at Lety’s Preschool. She’s an energetic adventurer who enjoys skiing, going to the bike park, and teaching her little sister Nora new things. She is excited for her new school and that she’ll get to leave the classroom often.
After moving from San Francisco to Truckee in 2019, the Madecks knew they had found the best place for them to raise a family. Steven and Lauren were already spending many weekends here skiing and visiting Lauren’s Dad who lives in Truckee. After getting married at Sugar Bowl, they quickly made the leap to make this their permanent home.
Steven teaches English and Social Studies at TEA’s middle school, where he’s discovered a passion for the outdoors and an appreciation for athletics beyond his favorite Chicago sports teams. Lauren works remotely in health tech and loves hiking, skiing, and more recently, mountain biking. They look forward to sharing more of these activities with their girls as they get older – but baby Nora just learned to walk! They are grateful for Tahoe’s beauty, community, endless opportunities for exploration, and are thrilled to have Sienna begin her TEA journey.
|
|
Do you want to get to know a few more folks at TEA? Do you have time to send a few emails or texts? Do you like to plan fun events? The Development Office is seeking support for several important initiatives this year. YOUR engagement and participation will make a huge difference in our success.
- Annual Giving Campaign Ambassador - attend 2 short 1 hour meetings (one in November and one in January), reach out by text, email and phone to a SMALL handful of folks in your child’s crew to encourage them to participate in the campaign and then write thank you notes. 100% participation is possible with YOUR help!!
- Join the 2026 TEA Gala Planning Committee - We are looking for folks with a knack for decorating, logistics and creating magical experiences. We are a fun group that only meets once a month. Not sure if it is for you, come to the first meeting and test it out!
- Finally, we are excited to begin planning TEA’s Annual Rainbow Run - a family friendly 5K held in collaboration with Truckee Pride Week on Sunday, May 31st. We are looking for runners, PRIDE supporters, and folks who are just interested in making sure the event is a great opportunity for our community.
If you are willing to help with any of these initiatives or just want to learn more, please reach out to Courtenay or Jill. We are excited to work with you!!
|
Head of School Meet and Greet!
Welcome Christopher Barnes, TEA’s new interim Head of School! This Thursday, October 16 at 8:45am, TAP is organizing a meet and greet at Raley’s O-N-E for coffee and conversation. As you know, every parent and guardian is a member of TEA’s Association of Parents and therefore everyone is invited to meet our new head of school this Thursday!
Two slices of pizza, plus fruit and sparkling water is available for $10 per student. Please sign up by Wednesday 10/29 at noon.
Don’t miss the TAP Executive Meetings!
We meet the second Monday of every month, 8:45am at the Truckee Airport conference room. Every parent and guardian is a member of TAP. Meetings are recorded and zoomed in real time. Register here for upcoming zoom meetings. The next meeting is Monday, November 10th!
Family Bingo is BACK!!!
On November 14, at 3:30pm, head on down to Alibi Truckee for one of TEA’s BEST ParTEAs. Play and if you win, go home with prizes and some sweet TEA swag! RSVP HERE!! |
Have Hawk News feedback? Please let us know here. |
|
|
Additional settings for Safari Browser.
