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Head's Letter Parent Organization Links & Resources Online Giving Parent/Student Handbook Community Wellness Initiative PONNS Meeting Minutes Parent Links to Teachers Second Quarter & Third Lower School Art Head's Letter CLICK HERE FOR HEAD'S LETTER ARCHIVE Dear Families, This is the time of year when we are afforded abundant opportunity to watch our students and children demonstrate how remarkably they have grown since September. A week ago we attended a very impressive science fair, in which all students participated. Yesterday afternoon the third graders hosted an author's tea for parents; a similar event was hosted this morning by the second graders. Last night the fifth graders staged the last performance of the musical, "When Worlds Collide," written by Jim Sulzer and directed by Gabrielle Gould. On Monday, the kindergarten class will hold their annual moving-on ceremony in the Peace Garden. On Tuesday afternoon, students will sing, dance, and play during their final performance of the year. On Wednesday, students of all ages will play and compete together at Field Day. And on Thursday, we will celebrate the accomplishments of our ten eighth graders at the Graduation ceremony. The growth of students and children over the course of nine months is impressive, to say the least, and their performances and demonstrations and rites of passage are especially poignant at this time of the year. I am as moved, however, by your mentorship, your adoration, and your love for them as I am of their accomplishments. As wonderful as it is to watch children "do their thing," it is equally wonderful to see parents watching their children. There is nothing quite like the intensity of a parent watching a child sing, or dance, or play, or recite, or read, all the while singing, dancing, playing, reciting, or reading him or herself. Sometimes the adults can be seen actually mouthing the words, or tapping out the beat, or struggling to stay in their seats as they root intently for their sons and daughters. We inhabit our children in those moments, I think, and while we can't perform these tasks or undertake these rites of passage for them, we make every effort to transfer every ounce of wisdom and energy and love to them as they take the field or the stage. This morning we talked in morning meeting about the School's 25th anniversary and specifically about the year 1985; I shared photographs from that year of many of our faculty and staff. Some of us were toddlers, some teenagers, and some young parents at that time. What was obvious in each of those photos, though, was a certain youthful fire, a certain potential, a certain reflection of what was possible in each of us. When we watch our students and our children, I think we regain that same hope and faith in the future. As we share our children's accomplishments, I think we may well regain some of our own childhood. One morning a couple of weeks ago I woke early beside my daughter, who, as is her habit, had climbed into my bed in the night. She was still asleep, but talking as she slept, as is also her habit. I watched her for awhile and at one point she said, clearly and audibly, "I can do whatever I want." She was dreaming, no doubt, of some power struggle with her older brother or something of that sort, but the pure truth of her statement hit me hard and has stayed with me. She can do whatever she wants, of course, as is the case with your children. They can't do everything, but they can, in fact, do anything. The world is still very much theirs, and ours, through them. I congratulate each of you as you walk with your children through these final paces of the year, and I share your pride and awe and wonder as you watch them move along. Too often we make the mistake of saying that children are charged with the burden of living up to their parents and their accomplishments. In fact, the opposite is true. Our children come into this world as perfect as they ever need to be, and we spend our whole lives as parents trying to live up to them. Best, Dave REMAINING SCHOOL EVENTS: 25th Anniversary Cocktail Party. Saturday, June 5th, 6:00 p.m. at School. Final Performance. Tuesday, June 8th, 1:00 p.m. (pre-school and lower school classes, guitar classes, Spanish classes, other) Field Day. Wednesday, June 9th (all day). Students should come dressed for outdoor activity. Water bottles and sunscreen are essential. Graduation. Thursday, June 10th, 9:00 a.m. All are encouraged to attend. Pre-school students should be accompanied by an adult. 25 25th Anniversary Celebration Please join us tomorrow evening, Saturday, June 5th, at 6:00 p.m. at the School as we celebrate our 25th Anniversary and the completion of the Building Futures Capital Campaign. Please feel free to join us even if you have not R.S.V.P.'d. Yearbook Orders You may now order a copy of the 2009-10 Yearbook in the main office. Books are $20. They will not be available until after school is out, but we will contact you when they come in so that you may pick yours up. Many thanks to parent volunteers Robin Manning and Leslee Reeder for taking on this monstrous endeavor!