Tenacre Country Day School

Cross country team competes at Dana Hall

10/19/2021

Fifth and sixth graders ran in a practice cross country race this afternoon at Dana Hall. Tenacre’s cross-country team was formed this year after students expressed strong interest in competing as a team. Tenacre’s team of 16 boys and girls competed against the Dana Hall middle school team on a 1.8-mile course that meandered through the Dana Hall campus. Tenacre coach Stephen Jette commended the Dana Hall team for acting as mentors to the new Tenacre runners in their first meet and for cheering on all Tenacre runners at the end of the race. Tenacre will host a meet on the Tenacre campus on November 2.

Apple Pie Run a great start to the weekend

10/18/2021

A sunny fall day was the perfect way to kick off the annual Apple Pie Run for the Tenacre community. This family run/walk winds through the campus, finishing in the school’s Phyllis Scoboria Orchard. Everyone who participated took home an apple pie, courtesy of Hazel’s Bakery in Needham. A fun and delicious way to start the weekend!

Third graders hike up Blue Hills

10/14/2021

Third graders hiked up Blue Hills today, enjoying a sunny, fall day. This annual hike is part of Tenacre’s P.E. program, which introduces a variety of recreational activities that can be enjoyed throughout one’s life. At the top, the group admired the view of the Boston skyline, ate a picnic lunch, and explored the area, before heading down the hill to the bus.

Tigers off to a winning start

10/8/2021

Tenacre’s fall athletic season officially started this week. The fifth and sixth grade flag football team had its first game of the season yesterday, defeating Fessenden, and the soccer team defeated The Fay School on Tuesday in its first game. Tenacre fifth and sixth graders have the choice to participate in flag football, soccer, or cross country in the fall as part of the P.E. program. This is the first year that Tenacre is hosting a cross country squad. Go Tigers!

Sixth graders share their thoughts on school theme of Friendship

10/6/2021

This morning, Tenacre sixth-graders presented their assembly based on the school theme for this year—Friendship. Every year, the sixth-grade class creates an assembly centered around the all-school theme. For their Friendship assembly, the class created a video that showed how they and others in the Tenacre community define friendship and the different ways they can show it. They ended the assembly by singing “Lean on Me,” by Bill Withers.

Sixth graders work on communication skills

10/5/2021

This morning, Tenacre sixth graders honed their person-to-person speaking skills while participating in mock interviews with Tenacre staff. The interviews are part of Tenacre’s public speaking curriculum, which also focuses on class presentations and performances. In addition, the mock interviews help students prepare for potential secondary school interviews. After each student was interviewed by a staff member, the whole group met to debrief with Head of School Will Crissman and Enrollment Director Meg Burke.

Fourth graders do research at Roger Williams Zoo

9/28/2021

Fourth graders were thrilled to participate in a field trip yesterday--their first in almost two years. They visited the Roger Williams Zoo in Providence as part of a persuasive writing unit about whether animals should be in zoos. Students read news articles that showed both perspectives and used the zoo visit to engage in an educational program to learn more about this topic. Fourth graders also had the opportunity to tour the animal exhibits as part of their research. They returned to school and started to formulate arguments for their essay, which they will be working on in class.

Kindergarteners create leaf rubbings in art class

9/28/2021

Kindergarteners focused on a new project in art class today, learning about implied texture. After putting a leaf under a sheet of paper, kindergarteners rubbed a crayon on top of the paper and watched as the details of the leaf appeared—many of them exclaimed in surprise and wonder as the details of the leaf “appeared” on the paper. After the leaf rubbing, they painted on top of the leaf rubbing with watercolor for a colorful piece of art.

Sixth graders bond at Thompson Island

9/15/2021

Sixth graders returned from their annual class trip to Thompson Island today–a two-night, three-day adventure. In this highly anticipated annual tradition, the class participated in various Outward Bound activities led by counselors from Thompson Island. In addition to beautiful weather, students enjoyed challenging activities, class bonding games, and downtime with their friends. They returned to campus a tired, but exhilarated bunch.

Fourth graders learn in nature's classroom: Beebe Meadow

9/14/2021

Fourth graders practiced their scientific observation skills this afternoon by studying the impatiens capensis plant, also known as jewel weed and touch-me-not. After showing students a photo of the plant, science teacher Leah Staffier and the students walked to Beebe Meadow, located adjacent to Tenacre’s campus, and searched for jewel weed in the wild. Students made and recorded observations, sketched the plant, and asked questions.

PKers had a busy day of learning

9/14/2021

PKers had a busy morning at school today! They started the day with morning meeting and ended with math, with plenty of learning in between. In music class, they were introduced to the concepts of beat and tempo and moved their bodies to different rhythms. In P.E. class, they learned about the playground rules and the importance of playing safely before having free time to explore the playground. In science class, teacher Frantz Vilmenay read the story "Monkey with a Tool Belt and The Noisy Problem" by Chris Monroe, which led to an introductory discussion on what it means to solve a problem and how tools can be used. PKers then practiced how to make good scientific guesses based on observed clues. And all of this before 12:15 p.m. dismissal!

PKers receive special school bags

9/9/2021

PKers participated in their first Tenacre tradition, when Head of School Will Crissman presented each PKer with a special school bag. Students love this tradition, as Mr. Crissman “very seriously” hands out the bags amidst plenty of smiles and giggles. PKers use the bags every day to bring materials to and from school.

Students are glad to be back

9/9/2021

Tenacre students are getting into the swing of things during their first week back at school. Students have reconnected with friends and teachers and are learning new routines.