A Letter from the Headmaster
Dear Lower School Families,

December is the month which marks the end of the year. 2020 seems to have been fraught with one difficulty after another. While many within our community have faced the unique challenges of being a first responder or essential worker, contracting a new and frightening illness, and being separated from loved ones, many have also been able to appreciate the slower pace, additional time spent with family, and the freedom to accomplish things from home. Our teachers, students, and families have all persevered heroically through the challenges 2020 has presented, and perhaps more than any other time in recent memory, we look forward to welcoming the new year.

We thank each of you for your patience and unceasing support through all the upheavals to endure, changes to grow used to, and protocols to follow. One such change is on the horizon. In the spring, we began inviting families to join us over Facebook Live each morning to recite the morning Pledges as one school, and we know that it has become a part of the daily routine for many of you. Beginning January, the pledges will be shared in a new way. Rather than joining live over Facebook, we will post a video to each of our Google Classrooms where your child will have the option to join in reciting the Pledges without the need to navigate multiple platforms.

Students who are struggling to meet benchmarks in one or more subject areas will receive an academic notice today. It is important to diligently follow all teachers' directions in completing assignments, turn in assignments in a timely manner making sure to attach the required and correct images if necessary, join the daily Zoom if working remotely, participate actively in class discussions, and seek help as needed from the classroom teachers. Please reach out to your child's teacher if you have any questions or concerns regarding your child's academic progress.

Families whose children are currently working remotely and plan for them to return to in-person schooling for Quarter 3 beginning January 20 are asked to notify Ms. Finn via email no later than January 8.

We wish all our families a wonderful holiday season filled with joy, health, and rejuvenation. As we usher in 2021, we will earnestly continue, as we have always done, to engage our students in the noble pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty by imparting the classical tradition, cultivating civility, and inspiring wonder. Thank you for partnering with us. We wish you the happiest of holidays.

In service,
Marcy Finn
Headmaster, Lower School
Great Hearts Irving
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