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Important Upcoming Dates
Saturday, November 7
Wednesday, November 11
Friday, November 13
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By Ted Graf, Head of School
My first Halloween at Headwaters (October 2015) was spent huddled on a bathroom floor with six second and third grade students for nearly 40 minutes. Let me explain.
I had arrived on the Creek Campus adorned in a long beard, a wizard's hat, a wand, and a cape, and I was looking forward to welcoming students into the day with a flourish of Albus Dumbledore's incantations from Harry Potter. Expelliarmus!
Instead, the heavens opened and Virginia and I hustled inside, along with dozens of parents and grandparents. Then, we learned that a tornado warning had been issued for south Austin, and, so my tenure at Headwaters began in severe weather and sheltering in place.
I learned a lot about our school during that day. First, we love Halloween and the unbridled imagination and playfulness of it. Second, our parents (and even grandparents) love having access and a window into their children's daily life--the stuff of classrooms and friendships and discovery. Third, we take our preparations seriously, and, thankfully, the Creek Campus was ready for a "severe weather event." In fact, we were so ready that I was assigned to help with the "new building," and that's how I ended up sheltering in place with the early elementary students.
Click here to read what else Ted learned about Headwaters that day.
With Halloween right around the corner, we wanted to share guidance from Austin Public Health (APH) and the CDC for your celebrations. This "Halloween During COVID-19" sheet from APH shares some great alternative ways to celebrate Halloween, as well as risk levels of various activities. APH recommends avoiding all high-risk activities and to be cautious with all medium-risk activities to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. If you still choose to participate in traditional trick-or-treating, please follow the health and safety tips from the above link.
We're so close to seeing how it will all tally up in our big month-long fundraising push. We are so thankful for each and every gift, because every contribution of any size makes a difference when we are in it together.
Each gift has impacted our present and our future, whether it is from a grandparent like Dianne who says she gives because "Headwaters is a community of dedicated teachers and staff who continue to provide guidance and safety for our children in these uncertain times." Or a gift from Early Childhood Guide Emily Crumley who says, "I give because I love my school. I give because when I leave the room and come back, one of my kids says, 'Teacher's home!' And I am. I support the dedication to equality, transparency, love, thoughtful leadership and advocacy of 'my home.' And I give because I know what giving brings and means. I give because I love my kids."
With almost 200 donations received, the October Annual Fund Drive has made a positive impact on the year ahead and we are so grateful to the many families and businesses who generously support our school community. To date we have received $130,277 toward our $150,000 Annual Fund goal for the October Drive, including some transformational gifts that helped us refinance the school's debt, start the PACT Scholarship program, invest in technology and COVID-19 protocols for our classes, sustain engineering programs, meet increased financial aid needs for families, and support our Guides. While this focused month of fundraising will soon come to an end, we will continue to work toward progress in the four
priority areas addressed through our strategic Giving Funds, and we always welcome more dialogue with anyone regarding the advancement of these areas of the school's development.
We have come a long way and our journey continues, but let's pause and celebrate! This Friday, October 30, we will wrap up the month with a celebration of our 19th anniversary during our first-ever Founding Day Fling. We hope your family will be a part of our asynchronous, at-home dance party. If you pre purchased a Founding Day Party Box, they will be available for pick-up on campus this Wednesday through Friday. Look for details in your email. If you haven't yet, there is still time to RSVP by clicking HERE and we'll send you a kickoff video and a playlist curated by Austin's only yacht rock cover band, Heavy Mellow!
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we wanted to thank all parents and students for their commitment to the school. This has been unlike any other year in so many ways, but at the same time, the Board is continuing its work and responsibilities to the school. Before we move into the work the Board has been engaged in, we wanted to say a big thank you to two trustees who stepped down from the Board.
First, a big thank you to Will Moncrieff for his service and commitment to the Board. We are so thankful that Will joined the board in the summer of 2016. For the past four years, Will brought forth many important wellness and safety initiatives for our students and guides. In addition to his board work, he and his family graciously hosted the Community Picnic for three years at their beautiful property by Onion Creek. A big thank you goes out to Will and we wish him the best.
Next, we would like to send a huge thank you to Heather Vickers. Heather joined the Board in the summer of 2015. Within a year of serving, Heather quickly rose to Vice Chair and then chaired the Board from fall 2016 to fall 2019. Within those three years, Heather took a transformative role in the Board. Her attention to detail and dedication helped the school raise over $1 million dollars to purchase the River Buildings and create equitable faculty compensation, both important steps to financial stability for the school. Whether it was the finances, facilities, or marketing, Heather continually brought a level of professionalism and direction to help steer the Board to the place we are today. At the September 3 meeting, the board motioned and approved a resolution in formal recognition and profound appreciation of service dedicated to Heather honoring her leadership as she worked to advance Headwaters School. We will miss Heather and wish her well!
Each month, we want to keep the community up to date with changes or modifications related to COVID-19. Next month, we will update the community in your program's Weekly Update as well as on the planning page at this link. As of October 2020, we have not added any days to the calendar.
In an effort to support the voting process for our entire community, Headwaters School will be closing school on Tuesday, November 3, 2020 for Election Day. To keep our school days, we will be adjusting the calendar for February 2021. Friday, February 12, 2021 was scheduled as a Student Holiday and Staff Professional Development day, now it will be a regular school day for all. On Monday, February 15, 2021 (Presidents Day), we planned a holiday for staff and students, but this will now be a Student Holiday and Staff PD Day.
Who doesn't love giving a little something extra while checking things off your to-do list? Shop at any of these places and the companies will donate a portion of the sale to Headwaters! See more way to contribute here.
Here is the latest visual trivia to familiarize you with new spots or share memorable places on our three campuses. Do you have a picture you would like to share? Email it to communications@headwaters.org.
Take a look at the photo left. Do you know this spot? The answer will be in the next Current!
Last Current's photo of the Creek garden outdoor classroom taken last school year!
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Do you want something shared with the community or a student spotlight?
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