We hope that everyone has had a good week back after the February Break. The teachers noted the enthusiasm and energy of the students returning ready to get to work!. These weeks between February and April break are typically a wonderfully focused time of academic progress for students, and we plan to have this year be no exception to that. We also have opportunities to be communicating with parents in the coming weeks. Please be on the lookout for:
– Parent Teacher Conference sign ups! Depending on the program, conferences this year will be taking place on:
- Wednesday, March 24
- Thursday, March 25
- Friday, March 26
You will get an email invitation through Mail Chimp early next week to sign up for a Zoom meeting with your student’s teacher(s). The classroom teachers will later send you direct Zoom links leading up to your conference time.
– Open Board Meeting invitation will be coming from our Board Chair, Asher Pucciarello. If you might be interested in learning more about what the board does, and even possibly serving on the board, please put Wednesday, March 17th at 6pm on your calendar
– New and improved website! Please check out the updated website and see new photos and videos of your children. This has been a labor of love for Lauren and Zoe. It has been fun to go through the folders of photos and present a fresh look at our school.
Revised Diversity Statement
Speaking of the new website, we are excited to share a revised diversity statement for our school, revealed on our new Equity, Justice, and Inclusion page! In the past we had several similar statements: one in our Student and Family Handbook, one in our Personnel Handbook, and the Board had their own statement. Part of the work that Marco, as the EJI Director, wanted to engage with us on during this school year was to consolidate and update the diversity statements for our school.
Marco has since led us on a process to review, discuss, and revise our ideas into one statement that can represent the perspective and goals of the Board, teachers, and staff of our school. In August, both the Board and the teachers reviewed the existing statements and talked in smaller groups, about how we might want to have them change and evolve with our thinking and our changing environment. Subgroups of both the Board and teachers/staff then met throughout the fall to author statements. The Board and teachers/staff then compared their drafts in January and worked together to develop one concise statement for the school. We are proud of this statement that represents our thoughts on equity, inclusion, justice, and diversity. We will continue to grow and evolve our work in this area.