Dear Prairie Families,

I hope you all had a wonderful summer and are excited to start the 2024-25 school year. As you know from my correspondence in July, it has been a difficult summer here, and as I write to you today I have no new information about former faculty member Jim Broetzmann’s criminal case. Local media is following it and at this time there remains no evidence of Prairie students being involved and no evidence of other crimes. 

The faculty and I are completely focused on moving forward and living our mission to the best of our ability. We appreciate your shared commitment to helping our students become well-rounded, college-bound leaders. We are all fortunate that Mrs. Johnson founded TPS 59 years ago so that, together, we can further her vision of creating an inclusive and caring culture, constantly in pursuit of excellence. 

As we embark on what I believe will be a challenging and growth-filled year, I want to touch on a few things that have been on my mind lately. 

Creating a Strong Community

Any endeavor involving human beings will have flaws, and yet our shared commitment to improvement means we will learn from and grow with each other. This fall in particular, we are being overwhelmed by election advertising attempting to sow discord and create division, but I know that our community is strongest when we focus on the many things we have in common, including our collective goal of preparing children to be curious, creative, critical thinkers, and outstanding communicators. 

I hope we can all remember to model five things that we ask our students to do every day: 

# 1 & 2. Be kind and polite. Do nice things for people, compliment them, congratulate them, give gifts, write notes, and be patient. Say “hello,” say “please” and “thank you,” and mean it. Use both our words and our actions to show everyone – family, friends, and strangers – that we care about them and wish them well.

# 3.  Show up. Both physically and mentally, bring our best self to each day. Getting enough sleep and eating right will make this much easier. When we miss days or are not focused on the task in front of us, we may make our life harder than it needs to be.

# 4. Do the work. It takes work to do anything well. From friendship and math to sports and music, we need to put in consistent effort at everything we do, even when that thing is hard or not our favorite.

# 5. Give grace. Everyone is like an iceberg and we only see a small portion of what is going on in their lives. If we assume positive intent, ask how things are going, and listen to the answer, we display empathy and provide an opportunity to earn trust.

There is no limit on success. By working together, embracing these five concepts, and providing a healthy mix of challenge and support, all of our students can have a great year. 

The Impact of Social Media

One additional piece of advice about successfully navigating childhood and adolescence involves social media. This form of technology amplifies all the emotional ups and downs of being young. Numerous studies show that people are much happier and healthier without Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Please do not let your children who are under the age of 16 use social media. 

If you do choose to let your child on these platforms, I strongly urge you (and them) to keep the apps off of their phone. We do not allow the possession or use of smartphones or watches during the school day for Primary and Middle School and there are strict limits on their use in Upper School.

As a school, we spend more time dealing with student issues/problems that come from social media than from every other behavioral issue combined. Students from 3rd through 11th grade have struggled with, and suffered because of, social media, and I am confident your child would be far better off without it.

New Faces, New Conversations

On a final note: it is never easy to be new within a culture of high expectations and close relationships. I hope you will all make an effort to warmly welcome our new faculty members, as well as the 100+ new students and their families joining us this fall. 

As we embark on various events and traditions throughout the school year, remember all of these people are experiencing each activity for the first time. Pass along an invitation, strike up a conversation, make a new friend – these inclusive behaviors make Prairie unique and keep our community growing ever stronger. 

I look forward to seeing all of you at our opening events in the month ahead, and I hope you have an awesome last few days of summer.

Sincerely,

Nat

• Matthew Oscarson will be transitioning into the roles of Middle and Upper School Math Support Specialist, Primary and Middle Wilson Reading Teacher, and Academic Support. 
• Andrea Stolp has accepted a permanent role as a part-time learning specialist working alongside Val Sprunger and the Compass Team. She was previously a valuable substitute teacher in our Primary School. 
• Sammie (Woodward) Wagner ’16 will be the new Director of the Fitness Center/Strength & Conditioning Coach. While she had a short stint away from TPS, we are thrilled to have her return in this new role.
• Kayla Zeno is transitioning into the role of Assistant Athletic Director. She previously served Prairie faculty and students for 10 years as our Athletic Trainer.