Fearless leaders. Unwavering supporters. Enthusiastic cheerleaders. Wise advisors. Epic storytellers. Family historians.  

Grandparents wear many hats. 

At CA, we recognize and celebrate the many important roles that grandparents and other special friends play in the lives of our CA families. And, next month, we look forward to honoring these important members of our extended community by welcoming them to campus. 

Campus-wide—across faculty, staff, and students alike—Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day is one of our favorite days of the year.  Teachers ready their classrooms, excited to welcome visitors for discussions. Our performing and fine arts faculty and students work enthusiastically to create a program that is sure to entertain (and impress). And our students swell with pride to share their CA experience with their special visitors. 

A collaborative, cross-divisional effort in its planning and execution, we’ve been hard at work designing a morning that showcases some of what makes our learning community so special and highlights the experience the talent, passion, and intelligence of our students and faculty.  

We hope to give our visitors a taste of what it feels like to be a member of this community. To feel the excitement and anticipation that comes as a teacher signals the start of a new class. To bask in the beauty of walking across the quad, reflecting on conversations from a past class discussion.  

To achieve that experience, this year, we’ve made a few changes in what Grandparents’ and Special Friends Day looks like. These changes will affect both our visitors and students (and parents) alike.  

With that in mind, let’s take a moment to walk through the day and answer some questions. 

What is the schedule for Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day? 

8:00 a.m. Registration and light continental breakfast (Berger Hall) 

8:45 a.m. Welcome and student performances (Berger Hall) 

9:15 a.m. Students pick up guests and walk them to class 

9:30 a.m. Classes begin 

11:45 a.m. Classes have concluded/Optional tours of the new Center for Math and Science (CMS) commence 

What time should my child arrive at school? 

9:15 a.m. for students not performing in the arts performance (Upper School and Middle School): 

  • Classes begin at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, November 1st. If your child is picking up a grandparent, he/she needs to be in the lobby of Berger Hall at 9:15 a.m. to pick up his/her guest(s) and take them to class. If he/she is not picking up a guest, then please be in class by 9:30 a.m. 

8:15 a.m. for students performing in the arts performance: 

  • please come to the Berger Hall Lobby 

8:00 – 8:45 a.m. For our Grandparents and Special Friends: 

  • Registration will open at 8:00 a.m. in Berger Hall with a light continental breakfast and coffee. The performance will begin at 8:45 and run until 9:15. 

What time does Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day end? 

Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day will conclude after classes end, at 11:30 a.m. for Middle School and 11:40 a.m. for the Upper School. Optional tours of our new Center for Math and Science (CMS) will be available from 11:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Students will continue with their afternoon schedule. 

What do I do if I’m volunteering? Do I have to go back home and get my child? 

No, you may bring your child with you if you need to! If you have an upper school child, he/she can go to the Upper School to read or study, and if you have a middle school child, he/she can come to Berger Hall and read in the theater or spend extra time with his/her grandparents once they arrive. 

Can I drop my child off with his/her grandparents? 

While we do not recommend doing this, if you need do, you may absolutely do so. Please see above for where your child should go. 

What’s different from prior years? 

Along with the later start time to the academic schedule as referenced above, we have also moved away from an early hot breakfast in the dining hall. We no longer have the same seating availability in the dining hall that we’ve had years past, and therefore we thought some extra time in the morning to have a hot breakfast in a comfortable setting prior to campus arrival might be appreciated by our grandparents.  

However, we will be sure to have coffee, water, and light food available in the morning and throughout the day.  

Can I still register for Grandparents’ and Special Friends Day? 

Yes! You can do so here.

**We realize this year’s Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day is falling the day after Halloween. Those of you with relatives coming from out of state, we do apologize. We have heard from some of you that your guests will disappointed to miss handing out candy to trick-or-treaters since they’ll be traveling. That is duly noted, and next year we will be sure to avoid coinciding with Halloween festivities! We do, however, hope that a later start to Friday’s day will allow everyone a bit of extra rest and leisure on Friday morning.