A Message from Head of Upper School Neeltje Henneman

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope you are doing well and that your schedules have allowed some time to enjoy with family this summer. I hope your children have also had a chance to decompress and that they have had opportunities to do “nothing” as they stepped outside of the day-to-day expectations that come with the school year.

For me, summer is always a chance to slow down a bit. I try to settle into the rhythm of the season by fighting the temptation to check email round the clock; I try to relish the fact that there are fewer things competing for my time. I am grateful to have the time to attend more carefully to family, friends, nature, and books. Recently, I have been thinking a lot about the practice of paying attention, and I have been considering what I, individually, and we, collectively, pay attention to. After all, there is so much that competes for attention these days. Hours can pass in a blur of screens and mindless scrolling, and I often find that it’s harder than it used to be for me to sustain focus. I find summer to be a much needed opportunity to step away from the onslaught of information that comes my way and to be a little more thoughtful about what I am paying attention to.

In our final assembly of the last school year, I reminded the students that summer gives us a chance to step back and really notice what we pay attention to. While I have had decidedly mixed success with implementing any regular kind of mindfulness practice, I am convinced that there is merit in being mindful and of noting those things that we pay attention to. I am convinced that there’s merit in paying attention to things we are grateful for, to the things we have questions about, to the way we feel, and to the things we want. I reminded the students that the things we pay attention to matter. Paying attention to people is a way of showing we care about them. Paying attention to the things we say–to ourselves and to others–can help us strengthen our muscles of compassion and empathy. It can steer us away from self-talk that is counterproductive. Over the next few weeks, as our thoughts return to school, I hope that all of us, students, families, and faculty members, will approach this new beginning by being thoughtful about the kind of year we want to have. I hope we will pay attention to that which is important to us–to building a community within which we can share meaningful and joyful experiences, and where students have the space and opportunity to attend to that which excites them, gives them joy, and makes them wonder. With care and attention we can build the community that we want to be, a community of kindness and respect, of shared interests, curiosity, and openness. I am looking forward to it!

To those of you who are new to Wheeler, welcome! We are so excited to get to know you and to learn more about the unique talents, interests, and perspectives that you will bring to the community. We know we are lucky that you have chosen to make this community your home for the next few years, and we look forward to welcoming you in person when the school year begins.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions, and enjoy the rest of August.

Sincerely,
Neeltje Henneman
Head of the Upper School