Back to School Resources: Ambassadors
Ambassadors
Welcome!
Here you’ll find essential information and resources to make the most of the summer, and to ensure that you’re prepared for the return to school in August, including key dates, events and supplies that you’ll need.
- 38 YearsSince Oneness-Family School was founded in 1988.
- 68 CountriesRepresented by our students, families, faculty, and staff.
- 1 FamilyUnited by a belief in courage, compassion and love of learning.
Dear Ambassadors Families,
Dear Parents,
We hope you and your family are enjoying a well-deserved summer break! While things have been quieter on the school front, our team has been busy reflecting on the past year and getting ready to welcome your students back. Before the new school year sneaks up on us, we wanted to reach out early with some important updates to help you and your child hit the ground running.
Orientation Camping Trip
We are planning to go on our annual Orientation Camping Trip during the second week of school, from Wednesday, September 9th, to Friday, September 11th. We will be going to Tuckahoe State Park on the Eastern Shore in Queen Anne, MD. A packing list and additional details are included on this page.
Please Note: All school medical and field trip forms need to be turned in to the office by the first day of school. We want everyone to be able to participate in this fun and important bonding trip. Unfortunately, we will not be able to take any students who do not have the necessary forms turned in to the front office. In addition, we are required to carry these forms any time we are off campus. Therefore, students who do not have the necessary forms will not be able to participate in PE at Norwood Park until the forms are turned in.
Back-to-School Night
This year, Back-to-School Night is on Thursday, September 17th, at 5:30 PM. At least one parent or guardian from each family should plan to attend. Students are welcome to attend. We will be sharing important information and a perspective on the year ahead, as well as answering any questions you have about the Ambassadors class.
Summer Homework
Students should bring their completed summer work to school with them on August 31st. This work includes:
Math Packet
The math packet is review to prepare for the class you are moving into; for example, if you are moving into Algebra in the fall, then you would work through the Algebra packet. If you are coming from fifth grade, then you would work through the Pre-Algebra packet. If you think the packet you have been assigned is too advanced or is below your level, please email us before downloading a different packet.
We strongly recommend breaking the math packet up and doing a little part each day or week rather than completing the entire packet right away or right before returning to school. Students will need to show all of their work on separate paper. All steps to all problems need to be written down neatly and clearly so that someone checking the work may be able to understand how the problem was solved. The math packet includes pages with numbered problems as well as an answer key. Use the answer key to check your work; mark problems as correct or incorrect in pen, and rework any problems missed. All math work needs to be completed by August 31st, the first day of school.
Literature Assignment
Sixth graders are expected to complete a project on one novel they read this summer. Seventh and eighth graders are expected to complete projects on two novels they read this summer.
Of course, we would encourage students to read a number of books throughout the summer. The literature assignment handout details the requirements for each project option. The books students read should be of an appropriate length and challenge for them. Included in this packet is a suggested reading list with a range of options with summaries of each. If none of the books on this list appeal, public libraries also have wonderful lists in various categories available for middle school students. All literature projects need to be completed by August 31st, the first day of school.
Information on summer homework is available here.
Back-to-School Supplies
Here is a link to our Back to School supply list. Students should bring all materials on the first day of school and maintain them throughout the year, replacing supplies as necessary. The list does not include supplies your adolescent may need to complete work at home, such as writing supplies, a stapler, scissors, markers, etc.
A Note About Class Fees
The student activity fee of $200 that you paid with your contract makes a number of activities possible in the Ambassadors. We use this fee to help pay the cost of any UN Day or Festival of Lights supplies, World Language field trips and lunches, class field trips, and Metro transportation for trips.
The only money we will ask you to pay, aside from this fee, is for the week-long Spring Immersion trip. The class budget covers a substantial portion of the total cost of this trip, and we will also use fundraising money to defray the student cost. We will be in communication about the per-student final cost of the trip as soon as we know.
Calendar Items
- Monday, August 31st: First Full Day for All Students
We begin class each day at 8:30 AM. Students are welcome to arrive in the classroom starting at 8:15 AM. Students arriving in the classroom after 8:30 AM are marked tardy.
- Saturday, September 5th: Welcome Brunch
This is a wonderful opportunity to meet people in the school community and welcome our new families at Norwood Park, located near our Lower School campus.
- Wednesday, September 9th – Friday, September 11th: Orientation Camping Trip
- Thursday, September 17th, 5:30 PM: Back to School Night
If you have any questions prior to the start of the new school year, feel free to contact us by email at hannah@onenessfamily.org, pearl@onenessfamily.org, or allison@onenessfamily.org. Remember that, as we are on our summer break, our response time may be slower than usual. If it is urgent, please put “time sensitive” in the subject line.
We are looking forward to an exciting 2026-2027 school year!
Sincerely yours,
Pearl Brown, Hannah Chick, and Allison Converse
The Ambassadors Teaching Team
Quote: Alara (’24)
After spending 11 years here, I believe I have the right to say this is the place where I found my second home when the first was out of sorts.
Alara shares her 8th-grade graduation speech, given on June 6, 2024.
My first day of school was right here in this building. Three years old, wearing my little light blue T-shirt with multicolored houses on it. I was placed in a classroom I had never been before with people I had never met. I was scared out of my mind, screaming in the halls as my mum dropped me off. To me at that moment, that classroom was the worst place on earth but nowadays I just call it the Sun Room.
I gradually became very comfortable in this new environment, unaware of how deeply formative and important the next 3 years of my life would be. In that classroom, among many other skills, I learned the beloved state song, developed my love for the theater, formed friendships I still have to this day, and sang Conjunction Junction a disturbing number of times.
As I moved through each of the classrooms, I discovered a new part of myself. I continued to perform for crowds. Whether I was playing Edgar in Aristocats or Fiona in Shrek, I was and am very consistent. I’m a nervous wreck before I step on stage, but as I take my final bow, I am distraught, realizing the show is over.
This almost perfectly explains how I felt transitioning from classroom to classroom. I would enter anxious but quickly get extremely attached to my teachers and peers. Then, when graduation approached, I would mournfully depart as I transitioned into each new classroom.
But luckily, whereas musicals end, I have learned that my connections, experiences, and time here at Oneness will never be over. This school is not only a great educational experience but a place where relationships and your well-being never come second. It is a place that allows you to grow into your own unique person. It is a place where you make friendships with the people you’d least expect. And after spending 11 years here, for about 10 hours a day, give or take, I believe I have the right to say this is the place where I found my second home when the first was out of sorts.
Thank you to everyone who has helped make me the person I am today, preparing me for the next stages of my life. And since it feels weird to say goodbye, as I will probably be walking in these halls for years to come, I will say see you later. I am so grateful for the time I spent with you all. Thank you so much.
Summer Work
Quote: Jasmine Taylor
I think the biggest lesson I took from Oneness-Family School is the importance of remaining grounded.
I have countless memorable experiences from my time as a student at
Oneness and because of those experiences, so many valuable lessons I
still carry with me. I think among the biggest of those lessons is the
importance of remaining grounded. I remember learning this through lessons on meditation and during our “personal world” course in middle school.
I currently work at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art as the
Visitor Services Coordinator, managing volunteers, planning enrichment opportunities, and engaging with the public. I have a lot of variety during my workday; I often transition from interacting with visitors to performing minor troubleshooting on some of the technology in the gallery. I can confidently say that I can trace my preparedness in my current career back to my years at Oneness.
Jasmine Taylor, (’07)
Middle School Faculty
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Hannah Chick
Middle School Teacher (Grades 6-8)
Email
Biography
A Howard Hughes fellow who was awarded the Merck Fellowship while at Earlham College while earning her B.A.in biology, Hannah joined the Oneness-Family School team in 2009. She has a Montessori Secondary I-II credential.
Prior to joining the faculty, Hannah worked at the Thornton Friends School in Silver Spring, MD, where she served as Dean of Students in the Middle School, and as a science teacher for middle school and high school students. There she developed a 3-year integrated science curriculum for Middle School with an environmental focus. In addition to courses in the earth, biological, and physical sciences, Hannah taught courses in photography, nature writing, writing, literature, and physical education.
Hannah lives in Mt. Rainier, MD with her husband, Ben, her two children, Wells and Paley, who both attend Oneness, and their cats, Charlie and Bandit. In her free time, Hannah enjoys spending time with family, going to the beach, and cooking.
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Pearl Brown
Middle School Teacher (Grades 6-8)
Email
Biography
Pearl applies her scientifically trained mind and poetry-writing heart to provide versatile teaching and mentoring to Middle School students.
The mother of five nearly grown boys, she enjoys teaching difficult concepts and seeing “the light come on” when students break through to higher understanding. She welcomes their daily interactions and the challenges young teens pose to her adult perspectives on life.
Known to employ, by turns, power and tenderness, and pressure and patience in the work to inspire and instruct, Pearl is often amazed when witnessing the journey that her students make from immaturity to maturity, in academics and as people.
Pearl holds a BA in Chemistry and has earned a Montessori Secondary I-II credential.
