Boulder Country Day School: A Private Preschool through IB Middle School located in Boulder, CO

Bulldogs Connect goes live March 30th

Beginning on March 30th, BCD will launch ‘Bulldogs Connect,’ our distance learning initiative. Since March 13th, our faculty has collaborated virtually, working our hearts out for our students and families, to design a distance learning program that we hope will serve them well. For our teachers, their classrooms and their community of students are their world. Having to teach from a distance runs counter to what they know and love: connecting with students and families on a deeply personal level. They are extremely enthusiastic to maintain this positive community and connection and cannot wait to go ‘live’ with the rollout of our Bulldogs Connect, on Monday, March 30th.

We recognize that our parents and guardians are critical partners in this process and it will take a collective effort to ensure we are successful. We also understand that many parents are feeling overwhelmed and under skilled for what lies ahead. Please know we are here to support you in any capacity. There will certainly be bumps in the road and practicing patience, kindness and positivity will be essential for all of us.

Thank you. Stay well. Go Bulldogs!

Bulldogs Connect webpage

BCD Preschool receives quality rating of 4 from Colorado Shines

Congratulations to Kath Courter, Head of BCD's Preschool, and our fabulous preschool faculty for being recognized by Colorado Shines with a quality rating of 4. Among 8 local competitor Preschools, BCD received the HIGHEST!

BCD Arts Week :: March 9th -13th

Each year, Boulder Country Day School welcomes artists-in-residence to work with students from Preschool through 8th grade for a week-long, deep dive share of their passions and skills that creates an environment of collaboration and inspiration for their community. All art blocks for the week are taught by visiting artist and will culminate in end project in mediums ranging from musical performances, to dance, to ceramics to paintings. Students will share their projects with our grandfriends who will attend Grandfriends Day on Friday, March 13th.

Embracing the arts throughout the year and in various capacities is a priority for Boulder Country Day School and we revel in taking a special week each year to celebrate them. “We believe the Arts are a vital and necessary part of our curriculum, and the evidence shows that students who receive a robust arts education are better prepared to engage in the critical issues facing our world today,” John Suitor, BCD Head of School.

“Art Education is important in school because in art we work on our critical thinking skills; creativity is as important as literacy in today’s world. To be successful in life you need to have great ideas. You need to be able to communicate those ideas and that is what we do in art. We are learning how to find solutions to creative problems,” Londa Bevins, BCD K-8 Art Teacher.

This year’s visiting Artists include:

Working with PS: Kaleidoscope Music Studio – KMS promotes fine motor skills, feeling the music with movement, listening with your heart and ears, how to sit still, how to play a game, how to listen/take turns/accept help, how to play instruments & how to have FUN!

Working with K-2: Todd Redmond – Potter and clay-artist, Todd Redmond, has previously worked with BCD middle school students during BCD Arts Week. This year Mr. Redmond will work with K-2 students.

Working with 3-5: Cathy Faughnan, modern impressionist painter, will share her techniques for painting everything from landscapes to creatures to people.

Working with MS: Kutandara, the Boulder-based Zimbabwean marimba dance organization will enchant middle schoolers with custom workshops filled with playing, singing, and dancing.

BCD students will also have the chance to show off their artwork from this school year to their parents at an evening Student Art Show held on Thursday, March 12th from 4:30pm - 6:00pm in teh Middle School Activity Room.

Registration is open for the 2020 Shields Fun Run

The Shields Scholarship is named after former BCD Head of School, Mike Shields and his wife Roie, and annually BCD hosts the Shields Family Fun Run to support need-based scholarships at BCD. In prior years, we have raised as much as $10,000 at the event. Our hope is that we can knock it out of the park again this year.

Donations

When you register, you may add an additional amount as a donation. This, along with your registration fee (minus expenses) is tax deductible. 100% of your donation amount will go directly to helping students attend BCD!

We also welcome sponsors for this event:

Bronze Sponsorship - $250

Includes 2 runner registrations.
Your family or company name displayed in the Bulldog Bulletin and on the Shields Fun Run webpage.

Silver Sponsorship - $500

Includes 3 runner registrations.
Your family or company name displayed in the Bulldog Bulletin, the Shields Fun Run webpage, and on the event t-shirt (optional). Please note: the cut-off to get you name on the t-shirt is April 10th.

Gold Sponsorship - $1,000

Includes 4 runner registrations.
Your family or company name displayed in the Bulldog Bulletin, the Shields Fun Run webpage, and on the event t-shirt (optional). Please note: the cut-off to get you name on the t-shirt is April 10th.

Click here to register for the Fun Run.

Please join us on Friday, May 8th Alumni, parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and BCD friends are all welcome!

Thank you and Go Bulldogs!

BCD Athletic Director attends 2020 Inclusive Sport Summit hosted by the CU

On February 26th, our Athletic Director and CU Women's Basketball alumna, Randie Wirt, attended the 2020 Inclusive Sport Summit hosted by the CU athletic department. What a great opportunity for both Coach Wirt and our school to benefit from such a wonderful institution right on our doorstep.

Learn more about CU's Inclusive Sport Summit.

Learn more about BCD's Athletics.

Start the Momentum Early - Why invest in a PS-8 education?

For several years running, usually around the time reenrollment contracts are due, parents have asked me about investing in PS – 8 education. “College is so expensive,” they say, “Shouldn’t we save our resources when our children are younger so that we can afford to send them to the college of their choice?”

The Compliment Wall

We love this! In 8^th grade health class student did something called The Compliment Project. Students take turns sitting with their backs to the whiteboard while their classmates write compliments about them. The students are studying social-emotional health and learning how we thrive when we feel a sense of love and belonging. This is the third year this activity has been done in this class and the kids LOVE it. They love to write as much as receive the compliments. They are often overwhelmed with emotions when they read what their classmates say.

More on BCD's Middle School program.

BCD Students Attend Civics Day in Denver

A group of BCD 7th and 8th graders were invited to participate in the ACE Scholarship School Choice Civics Day. They had the opportunity to sit on the House floor while they were in session, tour the Capitol building, meet the Representative for Boulder County, Edie Hooton, and have a quick meeting with Governor Jared Polis. BCD was one of six schools who had the opportunity to participate.

The Benefits of BCD's Middle Years IB Program (MYP)

Boulder Country Day's Middle School is an authorized International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (MYP).

Model UN supports the development of globally minded citizens

On January 30th, Boulder Country Day middle school students participated in the annual Model United Nations exercise. In teams, students represented a member country by researching it, writing resolutions on current issues it faces, and defending those resolutions at a gathering called the MUN General Assembly. Through this process, students learned about international relations, developed empathy, and gained a better understanding of how issues across the world affect us all. As an authorized IB Middle Years Program (MYP), BCD uses this curricular enhancement to support the IB goal of developing globally minded students.

‘It helps you to be more aware of the world around you so that you know more than just what’s happening the U.S. - you know about the entire world. It also teaches you that history effects everything and it’s not just something you learn because you have to.’

- BCD 8th grader

More on BCD's Middle School

More on the IB program

Parent Education Event - The Worry Monster and the Twelve Dilemmas

On February 25 from 6:30pm - 8:00pm, Jenny Hecht will speak at BCD. Based on the work of Dan Peters, Jenny will lead a convesration through which we will explore the twelve primary causes of anxiety in gifted individuals, including those specifically connected to correlating overexcitabilities and will offer ideas and skills to support those struggling with them. This will be a talk however you are welcome to bring your child along so that s/he can learn tips to manage their anxieties and advocate for themselves more effectively. This event is brought to BCD by the Boulder Valley Gifted and Talented organization (BVGT.)

Register for this event.

About Jenny: Jenny Hecht is a local Licensed Clinical Social Worker who specializes in the area of gifted children, among others. She has a passion for supporting the specific social-emotional needs of gifted individuals, particularly the existential dilemma so many face beginning at a very young age. She is also a certified yoga instructor.

Middle School Seminar

During the week of January 7th – 10^th, all BCD middle school students participated in the BCD Seminar. The BCD Seminar is modeled after the Aspen Institute Seminar and is intended as an opportunity for BCD students to stretch their intellectual thinking. With over 60 years of experience, the Aspen Institute Seminar is designed to help people of all ages and walks of life to reflect upon the most important questions facing us as human beings and as leaders.

Each night, BCD students were assigned texts by various authors, both ancient (including Aristotle) and current (including J.K. Rowling). The texts were used to prompt students to think about complex human issues such as: Is goodness something that is in humans or is it something that needs to be taught and learned? Is it something we as humans are born with or must choose to act on? In-school discussion were then led by guest moderators, Todd Breyfogle, Director of Seminars for the Aspen Institute, and Allyson Sudbourough, Teacher Effectiveness Coach for Denver Public Schools.

As you can see, the texts present some really big concepts. Students were advised that while the texts are difficult, to not be discouraged because Seminar is intended to be a laboratory in which—together—they will try to figure out what the texts say and mean, both on their own terms and for us as humans today. They were also reminded that seminar discussions thrive on questions. So, very often it is the seemingly simplest questions that can provoke the most meaningful discussions.

Students began the seminar by examining the painting of “Icarus” who is seen plunging into the water after his wings have melted. The bystanders seem unfazed by Icarus’ fall and do not appear to be making any effort to rescue him. An open discussion of human nature then began on whether or not Icarus should be saved. The conversations remained lively from there on out.

Moderator Todd Breyfogle shared that his discussion of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics (on friendship) with the BCD 7th grade students was one of the best he had ever had, with students OR adults! This is quite a compliment coming from the Director of Seminars at the Aspen Institute. There seemed to be a sense of pride in our students as they realized they could read, understand, and discuss Aristotle. Another thing our moderators and Mr. Welch noticed was how BCD students appreciated the opportunity to discuss big topics that do not necessarily have a right or wrong answer are not designed to lead to any particular conclusion, by rather serves to stretch themselves intellectually and challenge them personally.

“BCD students are remarkably capable. They devoured a dense selection from Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics and were ready to engage in conversation, armed with questions and opinions. It was one of the best conversations I’ve had on Aristotle’s understanding of friendship, whether with adults or younger people.”

–Todd Breyfogle, PhD, Managing Director, Seminars, The Aspen Institute

At the end of the week, students created personal mission statements or wrote letters to their future selves about some of the important things they had learned about themselves from the process.

We hope the seminar experience of deep learning through community discussion will remain a meaningful touchstone for these students for many years to come. We would also like to extend special thanks to alumni parent former board member, Jay Orris of Peak to Peak Management, for bringing this opportunity to BCD many years ago and for his ongoing support of the program.

Personal experience statement by Mills, 7^th grade.

I thought the Middle School Seminar would be an interesting way to learn about morals and ethics, but also learn about my classmates’ opinions and ideology. I ended up learning those things in addition to learning about human inclinations when someone is in trouble. It was interesting to hear what my classmates thought about whether humans are by nature good or bad. We read a very moving autobiographical piece by George Orwell, called “Shooting an Elephant”. It ignited an hour-long conversation about whether shooting the elephant in the story was morally right, even if Orwell feared for his life if he didn’t kill the elephant. We also discussed a painting portraying Icarus flailing and drowning in the Aegean Sea, as onlookers refused to help. This initiated a conversation about whether humans are born good or bad, or whether it’s a learned behavior. I found this conversation interesting and was intrigued by my classmates’ thoughts.

I was positively impacted by the experience of sharing our thoughts. The Middle School Seminar was inspiring and gave me lasting insights into my peers, human nature, history and the world as a whole.

Texted used in 2020 BCD Seminar

6th grade: Risk and Reflection

Session 1: What is our nature?

Intro, Painting (Icarus)
Plato, “Ring of Gyges” (shortened version)

Session 2: What is success?

Ayyappa Paniker, "Horse Play" (Poem)
Sandra Cisneros “Eleven”

Session 3: What is resilience?

J.K. Rowling "The Fringe Benefits of Failure"
“An Unlucky Man?” A Tale from Nigeria

7th grade: Commitment and Community

Session 1: What is our nature?

Intro, Painting (Icarus)
Mencius, On Human Nature (short excerpt)

Session 2: What do we commit to?

“Story of Fire” A Sufi Tale
George Orwell “Shooting an Elephant”

Session 3: How do we live together?

Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics (on Friendship)
Luther Standing Bear, “Indian Wisdom”

8th grade: Courage and Purpose

Session 1: What is our nature?

Intro, Painting (Icarus)
Chuang Tzu, “Woodcarver”

Session 2: What gives us Purpose?

“Seneca: On the Shortness of Life” Translated by John W. Basore
Chimamanda Adichie, “Danger of a Single Story”

Session 3: What gives us Courage?

“The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” Ursula K. Le Guin
Constantine P. Cavafy, “Ithaca” (poem)

2019 BCD Holiday Video

Happy Holidays, Bulldogs! Here is a look back at all the fun we had in December. We wish you all a wonderful break. We'll see you in 2020!

BCD Kindergarten in a Class of its Own

BCD’s Kindergarten program stands apart in its breadth of offerings and student support. Students are known and nurtured everyday by a faculty of many including their classroom teachers, their teachers in world language, science, innovation, music, art, physical education, and library, as well as, school counselors, literacy specialists from the BCD Learning Center, the Head of Elementary, and our Head of School. At BCD, every member of our faculty seen in this picture will be involved in the education of your student. Contact us to schedule a tour at (303) 516-4148.

More on BCD's Kindergarten Program

Finn Thompson's balloon art recognized by Daily Camera

Congratulations to Finn Thompson on being recognized by the Daily Camera for his balloon design work. So cool!

Read the article here:
https://www.dailycamera.com/2019/12/08/boulder-13-year-old-gaining-notice-as-balloon-artist/

Event: Parenting the Highly Sensitive Child on January 8th

January 8, 2020 from 6:00pm - 7:30pm

What does it mean to be Highly Sensitive? Is that even a real term? What is Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)? Are the two related? What do I need to know if I'm parenting a sensitive child?

Using neuroscience as her guide, Sarah will explain Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), the Highly Sensitive "diagnosis", and most importantly offer some parenting strategies and tips to employ with sensitive kiddos. Sarah is passionate about helping parents create authentic and reflective relationships with their kids. For over 15 years, she has worked with parents to help them define and rewrite their parenting "roadmaps".

This event is free and open to the public. Register here.

About Sarah K. Ahn, MBA, MSW, LSCW: Sarah is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Psychotherapist who is passionate about coaching parents to have authentic, attached, and reflective relationships with their kids. For over 15 years, Sarah has worked with children, parents, and adults at the Kempe Center, Boulder Institute of Psychotherapy and Research (BIPR), Harvard Graduate School of Business, and in private practice.

BCD 3rd Grade Art on Display at Tod's Espresso Cafe

Artwork made by our 3rd graders will be on display at Tod's Espresso Cafe for the month of December. BCD family and friends are invited to join us for a Viewing Party on Saturday, December 7th from 1:30-3pm. Come grab a cocoa or coffee and support our young artists. Special thanks to Tod's for this fun opportunity.

The New BCD Overview Video is Here!

We are excited to share with you our new BCD overview video. Here's to many more years of helping students to discover their excellence. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy_6bG8eZbQ&t=2s

Bulldog Families Practice Gratitude

On Friday, November 15th, students, teachers and faculty came together for a Bulldog Families Assembly focusing on gratitude and giving. We started out altogether in the gym to talk about gratitude and the benefits of ‘practicing’ gratitude. Then we spent time with our Bulldog Families to share, write and illustrate specific examples of things we’re grateful for and things we do for others, with the goal was of keeping the focus on actions and personality traits rather than gifts and possessions. In closing, we highlighted a couple of upcoming opportunities to engage in community service, including participation in the current toy drive for Head Start Boulder County. As a grand finale, a few teachers led a community sing-along of Natalie Merchant’s Kind and Generous. When you have a chance, do take a moment to check out our gratitude and giving banners, which are hanging outside of classrooms throughout the campus!

Here’s a video of us in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nEXTvmCouU

If you would like to continue thinking about and engaging in the practice of showing gratitude at home, we’ve put together a few resources for inspiration.

Sincerely,

Randi Reinhold

Coordinator of Equity and Inclusion

Picture Books to Inspire Gratitude

What We Know About Gratitude and Giving Back (Psychology Today)

The Science Behind Gratitude (happify.com)

BCD's partners with Positive Coaching Alliance to Enhance the Athletics program

BCD partners with Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) for all our athletic coach training becuase we believe their values align well with ours. The Positive Coaching Alliance mission is to transform the youth sports culture into a Development Zone® where all youth and high school athletes have a positive, character-building experience that results in Better Athletes. Better People.

The Big Picture in Youth Sports

A Second-Goal Parent recognizes that there is a Little Picture and a Big Picture in youth sports. The Little Picture concerns things like whether the child is playing the right position, the team is winning, etc. The Big Picture, which often gets drowned out by the Little Pictures, is about what the child is learning from youth sports.

There are two broad goals in youth sports: striving to win and building character so kids develop into successful, contributing members of society. As important as winning may seem, Second-Goal Parents let coaches and athletes worry about the first goal of scoreboard results. Second-Goal Parents have a much more important role to play: ensuring their children take away from sports lessons that will help them be successful in life. That is the Big Picture.

Endless Procession of Teachable Moments

If you embrace your role as a Second-Goal Parent, it will transform the way you see youth sports. It will help you seize the endless procession of teachable moments that will come your way again and again when you are looking for them.

What might have seemed like a disappointing loss or a failure by your child becomes an opportunity to reinforce resiliency. A tough competition in forbiddingly hot, cold, or nasty weather can prompt a conversation with your child about learning to enjoy challenges. Whether your child succeeds or fails on the playing field, you will be able to use the experiences to reinforce the kind of person you want him or her to be.

A Second-Goal Parent focuses relentlessly on the Big Picture – helping their child take away the lessons that will help them be successful, contributing members of society. And, in the process a Second-Goal Parent is able to better enjoy their child’s youth sports experience, which will end all too quickly.

Boulder Country Day School is proud to partner with Positive Coaching Alliance for our athletic coaching training and we are excited to welcome PCA on campus to present to parents.

Second-Goal Parent Workshop - presented by Positive Coaching Alliance

Wednesday, November 6th from 6:00pm - 7:00pm

This event is free and open to the public, see please feel free to bring a friend. Register here.