September 29-October 3, 2025

It was a productive week at Tandem. Students got one day off and faculty and staff held a busy Professional Development day on Thursday. There were seven college visits this week. There were some great sports matchups in both divisions (details below) that included some amazing individual performances, a Senior Night for Varsity XC, which took 1st and 2nd places at their GPAC meet this week, and the varsity boys basketball thrashing STAB 87-53 in a preseason tourney. 

5th graders are working on their Fractured Fairy Tales in drama class and 6th graders are reading The Outsider. 7th graders are studying specialized cells while 8th graders take on Animal Farm and the Industrial Revolution. 9th graders are reading The Odyssey and creating Hunter-Gatherer Menus.10th graders are learning about the Reformation and the Renaissance and finishing up Never Let Me Go, while juniors are tackling The Crucible. Senior Comp students are writing essays and about to start Beowulf while AP Lit students are studying short stories. 

Today we held a well-attended Pancake Friday and a luncheon for past trustees during which Tandem students spoke with great passion about attending the SDLC, leading Middle School Meeting for Worship, running varsity cross country, and participating in Science Olympiad. The Upper School Student Senate is hosting a Movie Night on the front lawn tonight, complete with hot dogs and s’mores. Today’s Upper School Speaker Series brought the first Open Meeting of the year, when students are free to share their thoughts and ideas about school life. Middle Schoolers held their first Speaker Series of the year, welcoming members of Charlottesville’s Prolyfyck who came to speak - students first watched a documentary on Prolyfyck, which is more than a running community. “Prolyfyck’s main purpose is to work for the empowerment of those who support it, especially the historically marginalized Black and Brown communities…we encourage all to look deep within themselves to find their gifts and tap into their passions, working together with a spirit of unity and love to create a world where everyone can be prolyfyck!”

Please make sure you have next week’s Community Picnic on your calendar - Wednesday, October 8 from 5-7pm - see details below and watch for potential weather updates in the Sunday Reminders or in an individual email closer to the event as there may be some rain in the forecast!