Schools

Charles River, Technology Point of Pride at New Rashi School

Students are now rock-throwing distance to the river, a focal point of their studies.

No more bus trips to the YMCA for gym class. No more mile hikes through Newton to get to the Charles. And best of all, no more long dark hallway.

When Sept. 7 creeps up on Rashi School students, they will have plenty to get used to as they walk through the glass doors of their new $30 million school on the campus of NewBridge on the Charles.

As many students learn about the Charles River from an interdisciplinary standpoint, they'll be able to stroll the 100 feet or so to the river banks to collect water samples for science. For their social justice studies, they will see firsthand the work of history's volunteers that have taken care of the river.

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"The entire year a lot of these studies center on the Charles, and here we have the river," said Glenda Speyer, head of the upper school. "The access to the river will continue to grow that program."

Along with the Charles, the more suburban location gives Rashi students – from kindergarteners to eighth graders – the chance to explore walking trails, interact with dozens of species of insects and animals, and survey the natural landscape in front of their eyes.

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But a prime riverside location isn't all school officials say students will benefit from. The neighbors at NewBridge on the Charles, an elderly community, will help students learn about past generations.

"There are other learning opportunities for the kids and the seniors that are being thought about by an intergenerational committee," said Speyer, who in years past taught language arts.

Adrienne Frechter, the school's director of marketing, said students will learn about memory loss by visiting the memory center with elders, and gain unique perspective on literature during joint reading groups with seniors living next door.

Inside one of the bright classrooms, third-grade teacher Dave Rosenberg not only unpacked from the move, but had each desk set-up with pencils, nametags and rulers.

But that's because he had to get a head start so he could prepare for his current assignment – training faculty on the newest technology.

Rosenberg will help lead the training on new Promethean Interactive white boards. The digitized white board allows teachers to pre-load handouts, use digital compasses and rulers, import video and audio, and have quick access to the Web.

"There are a million different resources that come pre-loaded," Rosenberg said as he demonstrated the Promethean.

Along with a state-of-the-art auditorium for the dozens of performances held each year, the new cafeteria, and separate playgrounds for younger and older students, the school can now hold physical education classes at the school in its new gymnasium – a point of real pride.

"The size of the room will take the exercise program to another level," Frechter said as she pointed out the new climbing wall.

Never in the school's history had any of the middle school's athletic teams played a home game at a Rashi School, but with the new gym, and new fields, they can.

"We even have the Rashi Ram in the center circle," a proud Frechter said.

The first athletic home game will be for the soccer teams on Sept. 20.

The ability to bring faculty, staff and students together for a sporting event will help create community in their new school, Speyer said.

"Being in a new building, you have to find ways to develop community, because we were a small building, we used to see each other all the time," she said.

But with three levels to the school – as opposed to one "long, dark hallway" – and many more spaces and doors to watch, Speyer, a 10-year veteran of the Rashi School, said it may take teachers and students a bit to get used to the new facility.

"It's going to take us time just to settle in and work in this space," she said.

Correction: Due to a reporting error, the first day of school was originally incorrect. The first day of school is Sept. 7.


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