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| Ribbon cutting on the very first day of Friends' Middle School |
We have many new families at Friends’ this year, in every
grade from our youngest three year old classes, to our very first middle school
class, and we warmly welcome you all to this very special community. We are
thrilled to have our elementary and middle school students on each campus and
we look forward to having our preschoolers begin next week.
Each week, in this space, I share with you this blog. It will contain stories of what is going on
around school, reflections on general trends in education, anecdotes about
different people in our school community, or news of school developments. My intention is to make it a useful and
informative resource for you, occasionally amusing, and perhaps even poignant
sometimes. I hope you enjoy.
As wonderful as the start of the school year has been, we
were not expecting the delayed start of school that happened on Wednesday with
police activity in the neighborhood. Thank you all for your understanding and
flexibility as we made the best decision for the safety of our students and
community.
Friends’ School always puts the safety of our people
first. Our staff undergoes rigorous
safety training twice a year and we invest annually in safety upgrades to our
campuses. In a September blog, I will
update you on all that we do to make our campuses as safe as possible and the
latest changes. In the meantime, if you
have any questions about school safety, please do not hesitate to connect with
me or your program director.
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| First day of Kindergarten |
As I look back on these first three days of school, I have loved
hearing the laughter in the buildings, seeing children greeting old friends,
and witnessing the warmth and smiles as new friends are made.
In a letter that Kindergarten teacher Beth Huennekens sent
out to her parents this week, she wrote; “the
random acts of kindness, communication skills, boundless energy, and contagious
curiosity has set this group apart.”
At our brand new
North Campus, Shelby let 6th grade parents know: “I witnessed a conversation about cell phone use at middle
school. Through their discussion, students came to the same conclusions that
are in our family handbook without ever mentioning any preexisting “rules”.
Voice, choice, and respectful listening…I wish I had this one on video. I’m
sure it won’t be the last time! In the gaga pit today, students negotiated rule
changes, and demonstrated honest sportsmanship. This class really cares about
one another. You would be hard pressed to know who the new students are in
the group. Kudos to all these great people! Already, what I have been dreaming
about is coming to fruition! We are in for a great year!”
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| Language Arts teacher Diane Bramble and music teacher Maria Burbano at our elementary school gathering this week |
And in a letter to
our teachers and staff from Friends’ Community Board Chair Elizabeth Henna, I
read: “At the new family picnic for
elementary families last night, I visited with a dad who was setting foot on
Friends’ campus for the first time the night before his oldest child starts
kindergarten today. It was wonderful to see his excitement and hear how
impressed he already is with our welcoming campus and people. I know that while
the kids and their parents are beginning their school year now, each of you has
been working hard over the past weeks and months to prepare for this time. I
want you to know that I and other trustees deeply appreciate all the
behind-the-scenes work required to launch a new school year, especially when
that year includes a new program, new facilities, new staff, and new
responsibilities.”
I get the
fortunate privilege of working with all of these individuals, and all of you,
each and every day as we team together to educate and raise the most important
people in the world: the next generation.
Thank you for
entrusting us with the journey.
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