
4 minute read
Empowering Educators and Expanding our Reach
At Hamlin Robinson School, we provide exceptional opportunities for aspiring educators to kick-start their careers.
Through a year-long resident experience, education professionals learn effective literacy instruction methods for teaching and supporting students with languagebased learning differences.
First introduced in 2012, over 60 resident teachers have served our program at the lower and middle school levels.
As HRS has grown, so has the need for residents; expanding from only a few participants each year to almost a dozen this school year (pictured above).

Resident teachers have the unique opportunity to work closely with a team of experienced educators for a full academic year. They receive direct mentorship, provide classroom support, and gain valuable hands-on and classroom experience to help them develop their teaching skills. Some residents enter the program right out of college, while others are further into their career. By the end of the school year, residents have robust experience that sets them apart from their peers and fuels their future in education.
Before this experience, Jen felt a desire to serve neurodiverse students in her classroom.
However, without specific training, she knew she wouldn’t be as effective, so she connected with HRS Head of School, Stacy »
» Turner, who advised her to research programs such as U-ACT at the University of Washington.
While working with the University of Washington to complete her master’s in teaching, she was hired as a resident teacher. She describes the students she taught at HRS as some of the most incredible students she ever worked with.
She was frustrated when hearing about struggles her students had in school before HRS and motivated to see the authentic success they achieved as a result of explicit instruction.
Jen experienced this first-hand; in partnership with existing HRS teachers, she was able to coprovide assessment and curriculum support throughout the year in both literacy and mathematics. She learned how to merge the worlds of literacy and math. Seeing how math is intertwined with literacy skills, she was able to understand that neurodiverse students need their unique learning strategies incorporated in math pedagogy.
This experience strengthened her confidence in her ability to provide structured literacy supports to students outside of HRS and helped her become the teacher she is today.
After completing her time as a resident, Jen is now a full-time teacher at The Bush School where she is able to apply the skills she learned at Hamlin Robinson.
With dyslexia effecting 20% of the population, it’s no surprise she currently has students in her class with language-based learning differences. Thanks to her experience at HRS, she now has the tools she needs to serve every student in her classroom with effective instruction.

At Hamlin Robinson School, resident teachers are not just educators, they are building and developing specialized experience, and taking that knowledge and expertise into the wider community. They complete their tenure feeling fulfilled, empowered, and accomplished as educators.
It is through the hard work and dedication of our resident teachers that students with languagebased learning differences outside of HRS are receiving more support than ever before. •
Learn more about the resident teacher program on our website: www.hamlinrobinson.org

UNDER A CANOPY of lights and nautical signal flags, our community gathered together, spending time with friends and making new connections. The photo booth, sponsored by 8 Diving Company, was an event favorite, capturing memories and providing a photo strip giveaway for everyone. Guests also tried their luck at the Seas the Day wine pull game – walking away with specialty wine courtesy of Browne Family Vineyards, including two premium bottles created in partnership with environmental non-profit One Tree Planted. Cheers to a great time!



Stacy Turner thanked everyone for their dedication to the mission of our school. He encouraged attendees to raise their paddles high and often, helping us reach the fund-a-need goal and surpass the challenge to exceed $200,000. Throughout the evening, live item bidding was spirited, with everyone united in the knowledge that every dollar raised will support HRS faculty, staff, and students. We were thrilled to include a micro dining experience with HRS alumnus and former Top Chef competitor Luke Kolpin. Together with fellow Top Chef competitor Shota Nakajima, this event will feature local, handcrafted bites and easily sold-out.
Thanks to everyone in our community, whether in person or anchored at home, for making this event an amazing success. Your support will help HRS serve even more students and families. It is this collective effort that ensures our mission remains strong and our school continues to flourish.




Turning Community Passion into Action: Our Work Continues
In spring 2020, Hamlin Robinson School published a newsletter article with these words:
We are painfully aware of how many kids are not able to attend HRS or access our HRS Learning Center tutors; of how many parents struggle to find answers for their children; and of how many educators are not equipped to teach students with dyslexia. As a community...it is useful to channel this frustration into actionable support.
Through the HRS Learning Center and Hamlin Robinson School programs, we continuously offer and seek new ways to deliver actionable support. Our new event spaces reflect this commitment.

When Hamlin Robinson School designed its new middle school, student educational needs were explicitly made a priority. The board also considered how the building would forward its strategic goal of strengthening the impact of Hamlin Robinson School locally, regionally, and nationally.
Our laser-focused resolve to support students, families, educators, and community members in the Seattle area and beyond resulted in the purposeful design of the entire fourth floor of the building.
The facility includes a conference center, a group meeting room, a commercial-grade kitchen, a tutoring center, and a large outdoor deck.
What can we do with these new spaces? The possibilities are countless and as we work and host guests in the new space, we recognize there are benefits we may not have even considered yet. Our current objectives include:
• Growing the HRS Tutoring Program to regionally and nationally support students with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences
• Building a parent support program offering robust resources and regularly scheduled events
• Serving our community as a go-to venue for regularly scheduled educator workshops related to the topic of dyslexia and other language-based learning differences
• Partnering with area non-profit organizations that need accessible, affordable meeting and event space

The struggles and frustrations we referenced in 2020 have not gone away. In fact, they are more relevant than ever. Through these new spaces, Hamlin Robinson School will continue to channel passion into action for our students and community. •
LEARN MORE: www.hamlinrobinson.org/LC