Elementary Archives - Turning Point School

Our Breathtaking Capacity for Hope

October 7, 2024 | Dr. Laura Konigsberg

William Bruggemann, the renowned scholar, wrote that hope is a “tenacious act of imagination.” This concept requires us to remain committed to envisioning a future that transcends our current understanding and invites us to dream freely of new possibilities. Even with broken hearts, we have the ability to hold the complex and often messy truths of our world. We can resist oversimplified narratives that paint conflicts in black and white, labeling one side as entirely “right and good” and the other side as wholly “wrong and bad.” Our hearts are big enough to both honor our own viewpoints and to feel the suffering of those in opposition to us.

The Power of Community: Embracing Interdependence at Turning Point School

September 17, 2024 | Dr. Laura Konigsberg

In our diverse community, each member brings their own complex histories, identities, and experiences to common experiences: we all enjoy celebrations and endure sorrows, and we all want to be seen and valued. At Turning Point, we celebrate our diversity and strive to create an environment where everyone can belong. This includes caring for each other in community by inviting new families to join events, reaching out to those who are grieving, listening closely to others to hear and honor their stories—not even when but especially when their experiences diverge from our own.

Connecting Deeply Through Reading

January 12, 2024 | Dr. Laura Konigsberg

Reasoning, thinking critically, communicating clearly, and cultivating empathy are all predicated on developing sustained attention. When our attention splinters, the way our brains are shaped to think about the world noticeably changes. While thinking quickly in critical moments is a survival technique, it is not a tool we want our children to use daily as they navigate through life. If we wish to educate and equip our children to meet the unknown with the best tools available, we must cultivate strategies that can enhance our attention and ability to think deeply.

Navigating a Path to Joy

December 15, 2023 | Dr. Laura Konigsberg

As the Winter Solstice approaches and we look to ways we can be the light in a dark world, I’m encouraged by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks’ reflection on optimism versus hope: “Optimism and hope are not the same. Optimism is the belief that the world is changing for the better; hope is the belief that, together, we can make the world better. Optimism is a passive virtue, hope an active one. It needs no courage to be an optimist, but it takes a great deal of courage to hope.”

Nurturing an “Illuminator” Mindset

November 1, 2023 | Dr. Laura Konigsberg

When our students graduate and matriculate into ninth grade, we hear regularly that they are valued citizens in their new schools, they advocate for themselves and others, they know themselves and confidently share their opinions, they actively participate in class discussions, and they spearhead new clubs and initiatives. In other words, they carry with them an "illuminator mindset."

The Process of Becoming | Welcome to a New School Year!

August 30, 2023 | Dr. Laura Konigsberg

On this first day, students are simultaneously who they were just a few short months ago, even as they shed last year’s chrysalis to become something utterly unique. They are in the process of becoming—of course, they always are—and the first day of school highlights and punctuates this undertaking.

Holocaust Remembrance

May 1, 2023 | Dr. Laura Konigsberg

I can think of no more fitting way to honor Holocaust Remembrance Day than to be immersed in this intergenerational project, to hear about one family’s experience and the determination it has inspired for the next generation to make a difference in people’s lives. I’m humbled by the power one family, even one person, can have to create a beacon of light that attracts others to actively resist what Elie Wiesel calls the “glorification of base, ugly, dark violence.”

The Purpose of Education: A Laboratory of Care and Wonder

February 23, 2023 | Dr. Laura Konigsberg

I continue to be guided by the central question: How do we continue to build a learning environment where children can thrive? Every answer highlights the giving of care, which makes sense because we are wired for care. As we know and recently have seen first-hand, none of us would exist without our fellow humans' basic ability to care for one another and help each other survive. A grand web of interconnectedness exists; being connected to one another means each of us has an indelible impact. Paradox is present: we are both only one of innumerable people, and everything we do matters. I had Turning Point’s mission statement firmly in mind this morning when welcoming our students back to school, with music and a rainbow arch in our school colors, and with a very special performance from our newly-formed Cheer Squad!

Welcome to a New School Year

September 8, 2022 | Dr. Laura Konigsberg

Our Mission: We open our doors every day to create a dynamic learning community in which each child grows into their best self. I had Turning Point’s mission statement firmly in mind this morning when welcoming our students back to school, with music and a rainbow arch in our school colors, and with a very special performance from our newly-formed Cheer Squad!

Back to School | 2022-23

August 24, 2022 | Dr. Laura Konigsberg

Welcome to our 2022-2023 school year and all the wonderful possibilities ahead! As a school leader, I believe growth and learning flourish when we put love, belonging, and wholeness at the center. With these compass points firmly in place, we are more prepared to help our children navigate the inevitable ups and downs that accompany their intellectual, social, physical, ethical, and emotional development.