December 4, 2020   

Dear Lower School Families, 

There was lots of excitement on Tuesday with the arrival of snow the night before! Children were excited to get outside and play in it (watch time-lapse video from our weather station). All students need to have boots, snow pants, warm jackets, gloves and winter hats at school so they are comfortable when they are outside for lengthy periods of time. It is a rare day your children will not go outside, so please send them with appropriate outdoor gear.

Speaking of outdoor gear, we have noticed that because of the cold temperatures, masks being worn outside tend to become quite damp. Please be sure to send in extra masks for your children in the event they need fresh ones after playing outside in the winter weather. Another option you might want to look into is something like this ski hat with a face covering to be worn instead of a mask while heading outdoors. Unless it is 15 F or colder (temperature or wind chill), students do go outside for recess so please plan accordingly.

At 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, December 17th, the tradition of the Winter Closing Program will once again take place in a special new format. With the use of Zoom, you will be able to watch and sing along with your children as they share previously recorded grade-level songs and some all-together traditional favorites: Just One Candle, In December and Auld Lang Syne. With a thoughtful tie-in to a heartfelt children’s book called Alphabet for Humanity, Mrs. Schroeder-Lowrey and Mrs. McLaughlin both hope that this virtual performance provides a sweet sense of closure as we finish up school before Winter Break. The live-stream to watch this show will be located at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89984189815 and will begin just prior to 9:00 a.m. that morning (no need to pre-register or click on the link until then). The video will also be posted on YouTube, shared on social media and included in the new year’s Viking Voice in case you are unable to watch the live-stream.

The next book selection for the Parent Book Club is The Power of Showing Up by Dr. Daniel Siegel and Dr. Tina Payne Bryson. We will meet via Zoom this coming Tuesday, December 8th, from 7:30-8:30 p.m. to discuss chapters 1-3. If interested, please complete this form.

This week’s parenting article is from Dr. Tina Payne Bryson and is entitled Do You Really “See” Your Child? Dr. Bryson is co-author of the book we will be discussing on Tuesday evening.

Finally, a big shout-out to all of our students who continue to wear their masks faithfully, practice social-distancing all day and come to school ready to learn in a different environment. Even after the return from a week off for Thanksgiving, they quickly moved back into “school mode”... their energy and enthusiasm are contagious!

Upcoming Events

  • December 8th: Parent Book Club (7:30-8:30 p.m.)
  • December 17th: Winter Closing Program via Zoom (9:00 a.m.)
  • December 17th: Last day of school before Winter Break
  • January 4th: School resumes
  • January 13th: Teacher Work Day (no school for students)
  • January 18th: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day (no school)

Be well,

Head of Lower School