October 5-9, 2026

It was a productive week at Tandem and it’s hard to believe that Quarter 1 is complete! It seems like we just got started. The Upper School enjoyed their Movie Night on the front lawn last weekend. The Geeky Girls group enlightened and empowered more than 20 local elementary school girls with an interest in STEM (see details below). There were four college visits this week and a webinar about paying for college. There were some great sports matchups in both divisions (details below) and Tandem cross country was recognized in the Ragged Mountain Poll (details below). There was a productive Parent & Guardian Community meeting on Thursday where parents heard from Avis Fields about her role as Family Inclusion & Belonging Specialist. Parents then broke into committee groups to begin brainstorming for this year’s activities (next meeting 12/10 @ 8:30am). Students enjoyed the first Clothing Swap of the year, bringing in and taking out many upcycled articles of clothing. About 22 juniors and seniors took the SAT at Tandem on Thursday; an even larger group of 9th-11th graders will take a digital version of the PSAT test tomorrow - both on campus and at home.

5th and 6th graders attended the Cirque Kalabanté show, an “exhilarating cirque experience inspired by the culture, traditions, and everyday life of Guinea, West Africa,“ at The Paramount Theatre yesterday. 7th graders are reading If I Ever Get Out of Here while 8th graders take on Animal Farm and the Industrial Revolution. 9th graders are deep into The Odyssey. 10th graders are learning about chemical reactions and finishing up Never Let Me Go, while juniors are tackling The Crucible. Senior Comp students are reading and writing essays while AP Lit students are studying short stories. 

October is a wildly full month - so many great events, games and activities coming up - so make sure you check out details below on things like Spirit Week (10/19-23), Tandem Day/Community Picnic (10/23), Dances (US 10/24, MS 10/30), Blue Ridge Day (10/28), and Halloween/Pumpkin Carving (10/30).