The Hill Academy Newsletter- March 14th, 2021

March 14th, 2021 HILL Message (from Academic Director Rick Kunc): Wow! Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Townhall meeting last Tuesday night. We had over 130 families log on and I know that there were others that wanted to join us but were not able to. We did record the session, however, because I did not log out correctly, the video is currently 4 hours long. Once we can get it edited down to the proper length, we will share it. As we have been planning the event, the value of communication was ever-present. We communicate every day through our words (both written and spoken) and through our actions. Our body language and how we behave communicates to others all of the time. (With everyone wearing a mask, I really miss seeing people smile.) Direct communication is easy, but subtle communication is equally as important. When I thought about this in the context of our students, I reflected on our program and how we ask students to advocate for themselves. As we aspire to help our students to be independent, they must be their own best advocate. We must help them to find their voice to ask for help when they need it and to understand they are communicating all of time. And it is equally important for us to teach students how to receive many different forms of communication. This is not just teaching students how to listen, but how to read the room. How to observe subtle forms of communication. In the classroom this might include seeing the tension in a classmate as they struggle to understand something. On the field this might be “feeling” momentum starting to swing against your team. Both examples require us to receive this communication so we can do something with it. And that is also important. Communication is a message sent, a message received, and then the actions or the non actions that we then take in response. Communication is so critical to us understanding each other, knowing how to help each other, and in bringing a community together.

Quote of the Week: “Some things are said and never heard; some things are heard but never said.” -Uknown. ______________