The First Day

The first day of this school year felt like the most "average" first day of school in several years. That's a huge accomplishment, and so much gratitude to everyone who got us here.  Thank you to all the staff for their hard work preparing for these moments. Thank you to all the parents and family members for trusting us with your children. And thank you to all the students for bringing your whole selves to our school. 

I don't know how each of you felt at the end of the day, but I went home tired and happy. It's going to be a great year.
 
I want to share some Values stories from the first few days of children on campus:
 
Interconnection when students learned they had new "name twins" at school (Emelia/Emmy and Emelia/Emmy, Rose and Rose). It was in the older siblings who walked their younger siblings to class, and greeted them enthusiastically at the end of the day. There was so much Joy in these interconnections!
 
Advocacy for a new upper elementary student when a teacher noticed them sitting alone and asked some returning students to invite the new student to the table. The returning students welcomed this responsibility with enthusiasm and were intentionally inclusive.
 
Respect for the emotions and sensitivities of young children as they entered our school building for the first time. Many of these children are having their first school experience and are full of strong emotions. The adults and the children were so understanding of those who are having a hard time.
 
And joy. That was everywhere. It was in the music that Benny created on the drum. It was in EC 1's freeze dance at dismissal. In the children's laughter and shouts and giggles. It was in the exchanges between teachers who found humor in the things that went sideways. It was in everyone's smiles and warm greetings.

What stories can you share with our community? How do our school values show up in these stories?
Back