Blog

Is your child ready for Kindergarten? Discover 8 essential tips for preparing them for success at Mark Day School and beyond. Learn how to foster Kindergarten readiness, navigate the first few weeks, and ensure a smooth start to their educational journey.

In 7th grade algebra, students have been learning about the slope-intercept and standard forms of linear equations. To enhance their understanding of these concepts, students engaged in a hands-on project that has been a long-time favorite in the Upper Division.

In anticipation of this week’s debut of the spring musical, Newsies, Jr., we went backstage with drama teacher and director Kim Danforth to learn more about what it takes to prepare.

On Wednesday, March 1, 7th graders took a field trip to San Francisco's Museum of the African Diaspora to view the New Black Vanguard exhibition of fashion photography. They also welcomed guest speaker Solange Jacobs to campus, who spoke about growing up in South Africa, in a country on the brink of transition. 

One of the most highly anticipated weeks of the year has arrived, and it is a special landmark in school history. Every 8th grader is currently fully immersed in this year’s iteration of Media Literacy Week--Mark Day’s 20th year of running this project. Eighth graders step into the role of media expert to research a topic represented in the media and to create a project that reflects their research.

Mark Day’s practice of curricular review means that we examine our programs proactively with the goal of evaluating and strengthening what is already strong. We assembled a team to examine and evaluate our approach to literacy instruction and acquisition five years ago, in 2018, based on our desire to pursue the most effective approach for teaching children to read.

As students enter the 8th grade, they are ready to take more ownership of their own learning, build upon the wide range of skills they have gained thus far, and become leaders among the student body. In many ways, it’s a culmination of their time here. There are a number of exciting milestones for 8th graders in the second semester before graduation, including Media Literacy Week and the spring Outdoor Ed journey. And this year, for the first time, an 8th grade Capstone Project, which just started earlier this month.

What started as happenstance in 1980 has grown into a significant part of Mark Day School culture--chess! And coming up at the end of this month is the 43rd annual all-school chess championship.

For Garden Teacher and Tinkerer David St. Martin, ecoliteracy is not just part of the curriculum—it’s a passion that he loves to share with students. Learning about and caring for our natural world has been a means of connecting with students on a deeper level.

For decades, we have recognized that foundational skills and competencies in traditional disciplines alone are not enough to educate today's students to thrive in the current century. We developed four cross-disciplinary literacies that are interwoven across grades and subjects to equip students with the skills and knowledge they need to navigate through life.

Over the past decade, we have developed a close relationship with leaders at Dominican University’s Teacher Education program and have collaborated in multiple ways. One of the most impactful is hosting lesson studies several times per year at Mark Day School.

For grades 3-8, outdoor education gives students the opportunity to explore the natural world during unique and rewarding field experiences. Throughout the pandemic and as we see many aspects of pre-pandemic life return more recently, we have always been committed to making these experiences possible.

From the school’s founding in 1980, philanthropy has been part of the fabric of Mark Day School. Philanthropy is an important element of every great school and provides the opportunity to grow, expand, and improve—in ways that impact us in the short- and long-term.

At Mark Day School, global partnerships form a unique part of our program. And they are not just distant schools across the world that we sometimes connect with—rather, our partnerships are founded on deep, long-lasting reciprocal relationships.

Whether your child is starting at a different school or returning to the same school, there are always new unknowns come August. Here are five tips for parents/guardians to keep in mind as the 2022-23 school year begins.