The Buddy Program Is Back!

One of the most beloved parts of the CDS curriculum is when our older students meet up with our younger ones to have fun together and learn from each other. Each class between fourth and eighth grade is paired with one between preschool and third grade. The COVID-19 pandemic caused us to pause the program for the past few years, but it has finally returned and we couldn’t be happier.

 

The buddies have already done a lot together. In the first week, the eighth graders visited the preschoolers in their classrooms and outdoor space, the first and fifth graders interviewed each other, and the seventh graders helped the third graders edit a writing project. Many of the older students remembered their own buddies from previous years. “The fifth graders were super excited and a little bit nervous as they shared stories of past buddies,” Middle School Science Teacher Jo Hoffman said. “Their fears melted away the moment we arrived and the first graders embraced their fifth grade buddies with open arms and hearts!” By making connections across grade levels, our students are building a sense of belonging and trust and truly learning that community matters.