
Looking Forward
The start of any new school year can bring excitement, anticipation, and even nerves to members of the community. Some of our faculty and staff share what they are looking forward to and are excited about.
- I’m ready to meet our K/1 students. I’m ready to listen to their stories, inspire their curiosities, and see them smile! –Maria, kindergarten/1st grade associate teacher
- We had some powerful summer reading assignments at all grade levels, and I am eager to hear what my students thought and felt about the books they read. –Amy, HS English
- I am looking forward to learning and laughing with all my students, and my colleagues, too! –Greg, HS science
- In this, the start of my 13th year at Waverly, there’s something both exciting and comforting about entering a wholly different kind of year alongside dear friends, co-workers, and families. There’s an incredibly powerful sense of shared experience here, the knowledge that somewhere in the not-so-distant future we’ll be able to sit together, in community, hand in hand, knowing that we did this weird and historic thing together. Like, it’s HARD, y’all, no lie. But we’re sharing it. Settling in. Being present for whatever comes. Such love and opportunity here. –Meg, assistant to the head of school
- I am looking forward to trying out new techniques for in-classroom and remote teaching! –Jim, MS and HS music
- Now, more than ever, the collaboration needed for making theatre is an essential gateway into deeper community. I am really looking forward to getting back to the middle school and The Raven Collaborative and to the ensemble work of discovery, listening, and communicating. Making theatre, telling stories, is a way to dive deep and walk in someone else’s shoes. Making theatre at Waverly simply and beautifully creates presence and connection for our students and for our school. –Sydney, drama teacher
- The preschool team has been joyfully working to create an amazing program and space for our new arrivals! We look forward to the big day and the new school year! –Marina, preschool teacher
- I am looking forward to working in my new role alongside Jen Johnson, our learning specialist, with children from kindergarten through 3rd grade. We will guide students while also including laughter and positivity in each lesson. –Cheenu, ES associate support teacher
- You may be feeling scared, worried, and full of trepidation for the beginning of this “one-of-a-kind” school year! Don’t worry, we got you! We’re about to embark on a beautiful, wonderful ride together! –Oonagh, kindergarten/1st grade lead teacher
- Grace, Adriana, and Leo from the middle school will be working hard to create meaningful connections over the Internet with all our new and returning students. We are looking forward to sharing our new ideas and discoveries with you to make online learning the best we can make it for you! –MS math, Spanish, and history
- I’m looking forward to channeling my inner Mr. Rogers and making sure every day is a beautiful day in the Waverly neighborhood (can someone knit me a sweater?). –Sahaj, 5th/6th associate teacher
- I feel excited, rested, and ready to start working with my students. I am looking forward to sharing so many wonderful cultural aspects of the Spanish language with them! –Andrés, HS Spanish
- As I prepare, I try to keep my focus on the fundamentals of what we know about how kids learn and what we have always prioritized at Waverly. Kids learn best when they feel connected, safe, and seen. This hasn’t changed with COVID or remote learning; if anything, it’s more important. Especially in the first few weeks, I need to focus on building school and classroom community and connecting with the kids, helping them feel safe in this online world of school, and to support them in building confidence that they are understood as individuals, knowing that their strengths and challenges are appreciated, that they are capable and brave, and that we’ve got each other. –Jen Johnson, learning specialist
- I am excited to loop up with my third graders and neighboring second graders from last year. We’re looking forward to creating a new community filled with song, stories, and joy! –Rebecca, 2nd/3rd associate teacher
- I am so excited to see my students and connect with them! –Molly, 5th/6th lead teacher
- I’m looking forward to seeing familiar faces, meeting new families, and creating a joyful, vibrant classroom community. We’re in this together! –Rains, 2nd/3rd lead teacher
- This summer has been a firehose of learning for teachers around the country as we have prepared to support students learning from home. The middle school team has met continually throughout the summer to talk about best practices for building virtual school communities, decolonizing our curriculum, learning to take care of our students’ social and emotional needs during a pandemic, while also learning about technology apps that can make home learning more interactive and engaging. We’ve never worked harder! For science at a progressive school that emphasizes hands-on learning, the challenges are especially daunting. I feel hopeful that through the creativity, determination, and support of Waverly students and families, we will be able to build supportive virtual communities, while students continue to engage in science and engineering practices at home. –Toby, MS science
- I’m excited to see old faces and meet new faces! –Megan, 4th grade associate teacher
- This summer I have been enthusiastically reading and researching a variety of resources in preparation for teaching art online. Distance learning requires creativity and I hope to meet the challenges, while also sharing a love of art and art making with my students in the Waverly community. Art can be an opportunity for change and healing. –Michelle, ES art teacher
- I couldn’t be more excited to rejoin the Waverly family! With all that is going on in the world, I hope that I can do my part to create a safe place for Waverly students to land this year. Whether online or in person, I look forward to connecting with each and every one! –Victoria, kindergarten associate teacher
- I am so excited to connect with all the fourth graders, and get started with the learning and fun Megan and I are planning for our class this year! –Kevin, 4th grade lead teacher
- I am looking forward to sharing in community with our students. As I prepare, I dive deep; as I learn, I feel excited. I am eager to jump into thoughtful, creative, engaging, and student-centered experiences in a way that is new for us all and rooted in the foundation of our philosophy and mission. I am here and I am ready, because of the kids, the faculty, staff, and administration, and because of the Waverly community. It’s so different this year, and I find comfort and strength knowing we are in it together. I am excited to hear each student’s voice and explore storytelling together as our theme. I cannot wait to be back in the classroom together, no matter the format, as we build skills and build community in so many ways. –Brittany, 1st/2nd lead teacher
- This year will present brand new challenges in the college admissions process for our seniors and I cannot wait to start the journey right there with them. –Elaine, college counselor
- I am looking forward so much to the new school year! I can’t wait to see the smiles of the returning 8th graders, and to get to know the new 7th graders. We have wonderful books lined up to read and so many new ways to use online tools to work on projects of all kinds! –Lisa, MS English
- The beginning of the year for Kindergarten is an exhilarating time for the children, for their families, and for the teachers. Truth be told, I am nervous about the journey we are about to embark on for so many reasons. What I do know is that through affirming diversity together, our classroom theme, we can build community that is forward thinking and truly progressive in the spirit of Ubuntu. With that in mind, I look forward to the unfolding year. –Susan, kindergarten lead teacher