This morning, parents of current kindergarteners and a few “seasoned” parents of students (who have moved through our Lower El, Upper El and middle school), gathered for an informal coffee to share their experiences and observations about transitioning to the next grade level. Lots of great questions! Lots of great answers! And, even more relief about the road ahead! If there was ever a sense that Red Oaks is indeed a rare find among independent schools, it was quite evident in our P2P conversations around social and emotional wellness programming, emphasis on higher-order thinking and problem-solving, deep study of relevant topics, and intentional scaffolding in academic and child development. The coffee ended with parents casually visiting our classrooms. Thank you to our Parent Association co-chairs Megan Clark and Ilana Radcliffe for creating such a valuable, insightful experience.