Category Archives: education

Europe 2020, Day 4, London, mostly, then to Portsmouth…

Posted on February 10, 2020 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

Today we transitioned from the Underground to a coach for a sightseeing tour of London and then lunch! We saw all the sights around town and then watched the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. After the guard we … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century Skills, academic excellence in elementary schools, education, global skills | Tagged #7HillsEurope2020, @7HillsSchoolWC, @MsMcNamara7H | Comments Off

Day 3, Part 2, Rain and GLOBE!

Posted on February 10, 2020 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

…What’s in a name? Rain by any other name still gets us wet! Well we weathered some unbelievable rain and wind on Sunday. Evidence here: We had lunch in Covent Garden: then off the The Globe Theatre. We also mastered … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century Skills, academic excellence in elementary schools, education, global skills | Tagged #7HillsEurope2020, @7HillsSchoolWC, @MsMcNamara7H | Comments Off

Europe 2020 Day 3! All London!

Posted on February 9, 2020 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

Today was a day of adventures, including such high winds that the London Eye was closed all day. So, London Eye out, British Museum in! We planned for a cultural time capsule by picking artifacts we would want to preserve … Continue reading →

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Europe 2020! Days 1 and 2: night flight and London visits!

Posted on February 9, 2020 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

SFO to Heathrow in nine hours! Walkabout and scavenger hunt in Kensington. Underground to Wembley for #TheWeddingSinger where we saw the show and met the cast! Thank you Lori Haley Fox! Dinner of fish and chips and crashed at our … Continue reading →

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NPR, Kwami Alexander and The Undefeated

Posted on February 6, 2020 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

Kwami Alexander has been sharing poetry on NPR for a few years now, and each time I hear him, I get inspired. His latest children’s book, The Undefeated, just won the Caldecott Medal. More about the book, which I have … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century Skills, education, global skills, leadership, leadership in children, literacy, parenting | Comments Off

What we know about children and the outdoors…

Posted on November 16, 2019 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

The beauty of school in Northern California is our ability to be outside every day, all year round… The Benefits of Learning OUTSIDE

Posted in 21st Century Skills, academic excellence in elementary schools, childhood development, ECE Early Childhood Education, education, global skills, mental health, mindfulness, Seven Hills School Walnut Creek | Tagged @7HillsSchoolWC | Comments Off

Why we ned to value kindness over achievement… The Atlantic Monthly

Posted on November 7, 2019 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

This article by Adam Grant and Allison Sweet Grant reinforces so much of what we mean when we say “Whole Child” at Seven Hills School. Enjoy! Stop Trying to Raise Successful Kids

Posted in 21st Century Skills, academic excellence in elementary schools, adam grant, childhood development, education, global skills, kindness, Making Caring Common at Harvard, mental health, mindfulness, parenting, parenting middle school aged children | Tagged #AdamGrant, #AtlanticMonthly, @7HillsSchoolWC, @MsMcNamara7H, kindness | Comments Off

HuffPost: Why I dropped out of the Ivy League

Posted on October 25, 2019 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

I read this with great interest as I think about so many students working themselves sick for the “college admissions prize” and then wondering, “no what?” A very compelling read. HuffPost: One student’s perspective on the college arms race, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Admissions, College Admissions, education, Huffington Post, Making Caring Common at Harvard, mental health, Rick Weissbourd, social emotional learning, the science of emotion | Tagged #huffpost, mental health | Comments Off

Posted on September 6, 2019 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

This is a great article which reminds me of the advice of Madeleine Levine a few years ago. These come right out of Teach Your Children Well. -Don’t do for your children what they can do for themselves. -Don’t do … Continue reading →

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EDUTOPIA: What happens when we rush children through childhood…

Posted on August 28, 2019 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

Some great reminders about the role of wonder in childhood and resisting the “adultification” of childhood. This is something our early childhood educators in Rainbow and RedBarn know so well! EDUTOPIA: Let’s Not Rush Children through Childhood

Posted in 21st Century Skills, childhood development, early childhood education, ECE Early Childhood Education, education, leadership, leadership in children, parenting, Seven Hills School, Seven Hills School Walnut Creek | Tagged @7HillsSchoolWC, @Edutopia, @MsMcNamara7H, children, education, parents | Comments Off