« It’s impossible to leave a Beasley assembly without feeling joyful about the work that we do with students. » ~ Amy Scheer, Head of Lower School
You haven’t been to a Beasley assembly until you’ve been awed by all of our JK through fourth-grade students filling the Lower School (LS) Music Studio, enthusiastically singing along to LS Music Teacher Dr. Katy Nichols’ ukulele with synchronized hand signals and dance moves! « I love our assembly time, » said Amy Scheer, Head of Lower School. « There is such a strong sense of community. Being together as a full Lower School helps students see the impact they can have on each other and really gives us a chance to celebrate our students’ strengths across all grade levels. »
The full MICDS Lower School gathers for an assembly approximately two times per month (during months when the school has breaks, like December and March, one assembly is held). This special time of coming together provides students an opportunity to lead, share information about our Fly Five words, sing and learn together in community, and celebrate student strengths.
Who magics the Beasley assemblies together so well? While it is very much a team effort of many Lower School faculty and staff, Dr. Nichols takes the lead. She manages the communication, makes sure everything is organized, preps the students with songs, and helps with the themes and guests. The assembly crew works together to lead, set up, break down, present, and help with the logistics. Scheer sets expectations and helps with the flow of assembly. Robyn Williams, Lower School Coordinator of Instructional Technology, helps with technology needs. Thomas Buffington, Lower School Librarian, and Sarah Garner, Lower School Visual Arts Teacher, make our Beasley Broadcasts, Buffington and Nicole Liebman, Lower School Library Associate, volunteer for skits, Liebman also helps with setup, Laura Pupillo, Lower School Science Teacher, shares special science presentations, Bridget Seery, Fourth Grade Teaching Associate, oversees the fourth-grade leadership crew, Dr. Nichols leads the singing, and everyone helps reset the room after the assembly concludes. All of the Lower School specialists and teachers help at some point in the year, either through sharing classroom activities or leading in assembly. They also serve as guests during the year.
With all of the behind-the-scenes and logistics in place, Beasley students journey through assembly in a format that provides structure, excitement, and celebration. Here is the basic structure of our LS assemblies:
- Ms. Scheer welcomes everyone and sets the expectations for the time together.
- The Pledge of Allegiance is led by third graders, followed by everyone singing America the Beautiful.
- A community-building or theme-related song is sung where students lead the motions.
- There’s a leadership crew skit about the theme presented by the fourth graders.
- A guest speaker presents on the theme.
- Recent birthdays are celebrated.
- A song on piano wraps up the assembly.
The content for our Beasley assemblies is very intentional. The MICDS Lower School has an overarching theme, which is « Beasley C.A.R.E.S. for our Community. » The acronym C.A.R.E.S. stands for Cooperation, Assertiveness, Responsibility, Empathy, and Self-Control; these are known as our « Fly Five » words. Fly Five is the social-emotional learning curriculum developed by the Center for Responsive Schools, which promotes the Responsive Classroom approach that the MICDS Lower School implements. Fly Five teaches about these five words as the core competencies that the Center for Responsive Schools believes are the skills students need to be successful in and out of school. One of these words is the theme of each Beasley assembly, along with other themes such as peace, citizenship, and caring for our community. « Each grade level has an assembly where they share something that they are learning/doing that aligns with our assembly and Fly Five themes, » explains Dr. Nichols.
Last Friday’s assembly theme was self-control. To bring this Fly Five word to life, Middle School orchestra students performed as guests, showcasing how one needs self-control to play music at the right time and the right volume while in sync with the rest of the orchestra. Jay Rainey, Head of School, was also a guest. He read the book Clark the Shark to give another perspective on self-control. Fourth graders led a game of Red Light, Green Light, a physical demonstration of self-control as students tried to move when the light was green or stop movement immediately when the light was red. A student also played piano, and all of the Lower Schoolers sang along to the several songs led by Dr. Nichols and a few students who demonstrated the hand signals while singing.
« Assembly is a special community bonding time for all of us in the lower school, » reflects Dr. Nichols. « It’s a place where we all sing together, students take on leadership roles, and we share what is happening in classrooms across our school. The children are eager to participate and lead in assembly and their enthusiasm is palpable! I love being a part of assembly and get such joy from the experience. »
We can’t wait for the rest of this year’s Beasley assemblies! Thank you to Dr. Nichols and our Lower School faculty, staff, and students for making the LS assemblies so meaningful, joyful, and special!