<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Touchstone Community School]]></title><description><![CDATA[Touchstone Community School]]></description><link>https://www.touchstoneschool.com/news</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Fri, 18 Sep 2026 01:50:49 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.touchstoneschool.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Why Real-World Work Matters: The Neuroscience Behind What Your Child Is Doing at School]]></title><description><![CDATA[When you walk through our classrooms, you might see a four-year-old hot gluing an invention, a group of five-year-olds designing a city, eight- and nine-year-olds carefully revising pages of a book they plan to publish, or middle school students presenting research on topics they care deeply about. At first glance, these projects may look like imaginative play or early approximations of “real” work.]]></description><link>https://www.touchstoneschool.com/post/why-real-world-work-matters-the-neuroscience-behind-what-your-child-is-doing-at-school</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a8f9e20d2a5268a5fb73bdb</guid><category><![CDATA[Progressive Ed Teaching]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 12 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/360e6e_05cbe5999d3f4a9883d4a768482b7ba3~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Touchstone Community School</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Deepening Our Restorative Justice Practice]]></title><description><![CDATA[During our most recent Professional Development Day, Touchstone faculty spent the morning continuing our work with restorative justice. This learning builds on training with Amplify RJ and reflects our ongoing commitment to creating a school culture rooted in belonging, accountability, and relationship.]]></description><link>https://www.touchstoneschool.com/post/deepening-our-restorative-justice-practice</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a8f9d798bec28748d3ab249</guid><category><![CDATA[Progressive Ed Teaching]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 01 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/360e6e_8f53a19dba4a4cc4ab818d142caf9a45~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Touchstone Community School</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Power of Loose Parts and Imaginative Play in Early Childhood]]></title><description><![CDATA[In early childhood classrooms, some of the most meaningful learning happens through imaginative play using loose parts.

Loose parts are open-ended materials that children can move, combine, redesign, and transform. They might include sticks, stones, shells, fabric, cardboard, wooden blocks, pinecones, or everyday household items. What makes them powerful is that they do not come with instructions. Children decide what they are and what they become.
]]></description><link>https://www.touchstoneschool.com/post/the-power-of-loose-parts-and-imaginative-play-in-early-childhood</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a8f9cad6e0678c59a50b0a9</guid><category><![CDATA[Progressive Ed Teaching]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 25 Jan 2026 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6354b4_284a050844084bcc9512e601c1ee6cd9~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Touchstone Community School</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Collaborative Problem Solving at Touchstone ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Classroom teachers at Touchstone are trained in an approach to behavior called Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS).This approach was developed by Dr. Ross Greene to support children and adolescents who were struggling significantly with regulation and meeting the expectations adults have at school and at home. Massachusetts General Hospital has been refining and studying this approach for years and have found that it supports social thinking skill development for all young people, not just the o]]></description><link>https://www.touchstoneschool.com/post/collaborative-problem-solving-at-touchstone</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a8f9b4cd2a5268a5fb73611</guid><category><![CDATA[Progressive Ed Teaching]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 18 Jan 2026 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/360e6e_ab3d5dea4caa4ed48838e96f860612db~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Touchstone Community School</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Learning in All Weather: Why Outdoor Play Matters]]></title><description><![CDATA[This week brought us the full New England sampler: slush, wet snow, ice, puddles, and that unmistakable early-winter mud. And while the grown-ups may be quietly negotiating with the weather forecast each morning, our children have been doing what they do best, leaning wholeheartedly into the joy of outdoor play, no matter what the sky decides to deliver.]]></description><link>https://www.touchstoneschool.com/post/learning-in-all-weather-why-outdoor-play-matters</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a8f987fbbd513a813cad300</guid><category><![CDATA[Ecoliteracy & Outdoor Education]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 23 Nov 2025 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/360e6e_f9a2a9e810df4cdabcb93f81de750b7a~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Touchstone Community School</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[“You Can’t Say You Can’t Play”: Building a Culture of Inclusion at Touchstone]]></title><description><![CDATA[At Touchstone, belonging isn’t just a value, it’s a daily practice. One of the ways we nurture that sense of belonging begins in the simplest of places: the playground. Inspired by educator and storyteller Vivian Gussin Paley’s classic work You Can’t Say You Can’t Play, our teachers help students learn to see play not as an exclusive club, but as a shared space for friendship, imagination, and empathy.]]></description><link>https://www.touchstoneschool.com/post/you-can-t-say-you-can-t-play-building-a-culture-of-inclusion-at-touchstone</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a8f96538bec28748d3aa33d</guid><category><![CDATA[Ecoliteracy & Outdoor Education]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 09 Nov 2025 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6354b4_44559fde581a4d1fb7fc164e6e8f655f~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_768,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Touchstone Community School</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Faculty Spotlight: Laura Berman on Developing Number Sense]]></title><description><![CDATA[This week, Touchstone’s Laura Berman, Director of Special Education and math teacher, presented at the Mathematics Without Limits conference, hosted by the Association for Teachers of Mathematics in New England. Her workshop invited educators to reconsider one of the most familiar yet often overlooked tools in math instruction: the number line.]]></description><link>https://www.touchstoneschool.com/post/faculty-spotlight-laura-berman-on-developing-number-sense</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a8f9008d2a5268a5fb71d61</guid><category><![CDATA[Faculty Spotlight]]></category><category><![CDATA[Progressive Ed Teaching]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 02 Nov 2025 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6d47d9_b467ab4820c14f21bb344e773056bb1a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Touchstone Community School</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Announcing Touchstone Community School's New Head of School for '25-'26]]></title><description><![CDATA[On behalf of the Board of Trustees and the Head of School Search Committee, it is with great pleasure that today we formally welcome Elisabeth Swain as the next Head of School of Touchstone. The decision is a culmination of a thorough search and interview process which was determined to find the right person to lead Touchstone based on our core values, near needs, and long-term aspirations. ]]></description><link>https://www.touchstoneschool.com/post/announcing-touchstone-community-school-snew-head-of-school-for-25-26</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69581a1d564ad52a958f6923</guid><category><![CDATA[School News]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 01 Aug 2025 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/360e6e_d4b2c5e348694164b70865b83af57f84~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Touchstone Community School</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Touchstone featured in the Upton &#38; Mendon Free Press]]></title><description><![CDATA[Touchstone featured in the Upton &#38; Mendon Free Press]]></description><link>https://www.touchstoneschool.com/post/touchstone-featured-in-the-upton-mendon-free-press</link><guid isPermaLink="false">695810f87098baf60221101f</guid><category><![CDATA[Progressive Ed Teaching]]></category><category><![CDATA[Ecoliteracy & Outdoor Education]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 13 Sep 2023 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/360e6e_9e3277623c2b4286ae704d57c72a8b31~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Touchstone Community School</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Touchstone Expands Ecoliteracy Program with Acquisition of Wildwood Island]]></title><description><![CDATA[Touchstone has announced the acquisition of a 5-acre island just one mile from the main campus. This property was gifted to Touchstone by the Purretta family to honor the elders of the families and their appreciation for the environment.]]></description><link>https://www.touchstoneschool.com/post/touchstone-expands-ecoliteracy-program-with-acquisition-of-wildwood-island</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69580f2bedad85458dd8a96f</guid><category><![CDATA[Ecoliteracy & Outdoor Education]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 22 Apr 2022 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/360e6e_c380f2b56a9b46e098ae3aed351640a9~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Touchstone Community School</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Stepping Into Nature]]></title><description><![CDATA[This year has been difficult for teachers and school systems. We have all been tossed into something new and uncomfortable in many ways. I have the privilege of working in a small, independent school that honors the needs of children, and have had the opportunity to rethink my teaching in interesting ways. Leading a group of first graders is always a wonderful challenge, and this year it takes on new meaning as I work to balance the reality of a global pandemic with the needs for joy and creativ]]></description><link>https://www.touchstoneschool.com/post/stepping-into-nature</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6958168d7e0ed5f19161a88d</guid><pubDate>Sun, 01 Aug 2021 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/360e6e_2266b4ea4ad0496e9dc686de3562279a~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Touchstone Community School</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Not If But How At Touchstone Community School]]></title><description><![CDATA[Touchstone Community School has a long history of working through situations with creativity and compassion. When the Summer of 2020 came, it was clear that this year would be different. There would be new obstacles that the school had never seen before. “To the administration and faculty, the question was not if Touchstone would open the school in the fall, but how it would open with the safety of its families, students,  and faculty foremost in its mind,” said Sally Kent, Head of School.]]></description><link>https://www.touchstoneschool.com/post/not-if-but-how-at-touchstone-community-school</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6958084562dea684c2ec5998</guid><category><![CDATA[Ecoliteracy & Outdoor Education]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2020 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/360e6e_b3787364e3424bad89029c851cd5bb19~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_768,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Touchstone Community School</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Upton’s Boy Scouts of America Troop 132 Helps Touchstone Community School Prepare Outdoor Education Spaces]]></title><description><![CDATA[In Early September. Touchstone Community School’s 75 students returned. They are spending most of their days in their outdoor classroom spaces, thanks to Boy Scouts of America Troop 132. ]]></description><link>https://www.touchstoneschool.com/post/upton-s-boy-scouts-of-america-troop-132-helps-touchstone-community-school-prepare-outdoor-education</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69580e0e2cf40d5f8b8475e9</guid><category><![CDATA[Ecoliteracy & Outdoor Education]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2020 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/360e6e_57fc836e451c44758eb35ad7b214b7c1~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_1000,h_736,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Touchstone Community School</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Touchstone Community Was Prepared for Covid]]></title><description><![CDATA[At Touchstone Community School, Sally Kent, Head of School, was preparing for virtual learning since March 2 when the first COVID-19 cases came to Massachusetts. Her goal from the beginning was: “If we have to close school, I want our children to stay engaged with one another, and to continue to learn.”]]></description><link>https://www.touchstoneschool.com/post/touchstone-community-was-prepared-for-covid</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69580c3bbd1cfb4bde765327</guid><category><![CDATA[Ecoliteracy & Outdoor Education]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 01 Mar 2020 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/360e6e_e737ca85f8b549bc879ad5d4201e2485~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_968,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Touchstone Community School</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Year to Think it Over; The Daily Texture of Progressive Ed]]></title><description><![CDATA[This blog is mostly about teaching. From 1988 through 2013, I taught at Touchstone Community School, in Grafton, Massachusetts, working mostly with 10 to 12 year old students, exploring not only reading and writing but also social studies and math and science, and some music and art around the edges. The whole universe! In addition to the A Year to Think It Over  posts, you can read some things I wrote for parents, while I was teaching, at  http://pollybrownteacher.blogspot.com Polly Brown,...]]></description><link>https://www.touchstoneschool.com/post/healthy-soil-revival</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69275e475e67298489854515</guid><category><![CDATA[Progressive Ed Teaching]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 21 Sep 2015 17:38:16 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/360e6e_1123bc2b23434c1eadb498562105d563~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_200,h_276,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Touchstone Community School</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>