As you know, Governor Youngkin issued Executive Order #2 effectively ending the mandated mask requirement in all Virginia schools. Despite this order and in light of the Omicron surge we are currently experiencing, Peabody School will still require universal indoor masking for attendance. We anticipate re-evaluating this requirement as we work towards spring. However, starting on January 31st, masking outside will once again become optional. Although outdoor transmission can occur, it is not nearly as likely and we would like to provide more mask breaks for our students. Additionally, given our high vaccination at the school (94%), the possibility of students missing school due to close contact tracing has decreased dramatically.

Additionally, in consultation with the BRHD, Peabody has started to develop modified protocols, in tandem with soon to active rapid PCR testing, that will decrease quarantine/isolation for students and teachers. We will carefully follow community transmission and positivity rates to instruct our timing on implementing these new protocols. Our goal is to systematically modify protocols when warranted, as we react to the changing nature of COVID-19. The challenge has always been balancing our social responsibility and the health of our community while also nurturing our students' minds, hearts, and souls at the same time. Any decisions going forward will provide a balance of all these factors. I look forward to sharing more information in the coming weeks.

Thank you for your continued support of your students. I am so proud of how our community has worked together to keep Peabody the vibrant place we all know and love!

Auditions for The Wizard of Oz will now be taking place on Tuesday, January 25th, and Wednesday, January 26th after school in the Drama room from 3:15 pm to 4:30 pm in 10-minute blocks. If we have enough sign-ups to warrant it, we may extend the times later, but the days will remain the same. Rehearsals will now be starting the week of March 7th, still on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. All other details of our previous announcement are the same. Thank you so much for being flexible and please reach out to Ms. Colleen ([email protected]) or Mrs. Saunders ([email protected]) if you have any questions!

Please join us on February 1st from 6-8:00 PM for this virtual session. This session features Debbie Roffman, human sexuality educator, consultant, and author of Talk To Me First: Everything You Need to Know to Become Your Kids' Go-To Person. More info about Debbie & her publications can be found at https://sexandsensibility.net/

Our strategic planning committee has been meeting over the course of the year and now it is time to hear from you! Please join selected members of the committee on January 27th from 6:30- 8:00 PM to discuss what you value most about your family's Peabody experience. This will be a virtual session. Please use the link below to join! Reminders will be provided leading up to the evening!

1/29 Hiking Club: Peabody’s new Hiking Club, led by Peabody parent and environmental scientist Nicola McGoff, will have their first outing on January 29th. An enterprise for fairly hardy hikers, the first hike will circumnavigate the 7-mile perimeter of the Ragged Mountain Reservoir. The group will meet in the upper Ragged Mountain parking lot at 10:00 AM, and expects to complete the hike in about two hours. There is no age limit to participate, but any prospective participant under 8 years old should probably have hiking experience. If you plan to join, please RSVP to Nicola at [email protected] by 9:00 AM on the 28th. In case you’re interested but already booked on the 29th, the group does plan to hit the trails every last Saturday morning of each month: February 26th, March 26th, April 30th, and May 21st (due to the Memorial Day holiday).

2/5 Rivanna River Clean-up: Interested Partners will meet at Rivanna River Company at 3:00 PM Saturday to clean up the riverbanks and enjoy some hot apple cider together afterward. Please BRING YOUR OWN DRINKING VESSELS if you’ll want to share some cider.  

2/11 Music & Dance at The Front Porch: Peabody families interested in enjoying some music, dance, and culture together can rendezvous after school at Charlottesville's The Front Porch, 221 Water Street East, for a session of African dance, songs, drumming, and storytelling with Charlottesville treasure, Lillie Williams. 4:30-5:30 PM; admission is free

2/17 TBD

2/25 Music Together: An Evening With Charles Owens & Friends @ The Front Porch, 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm

2/26 Hiking Club: Location TBA

3/5: River Clean-up and invasive plant removal. Partners will meet at Rivanna River Company at 3:00 PM Saturday to clear invasive plants, clear litter, and enjoy some refreshments together afterward. Please BRING YOUR OWN DRINKING VESSELS

3/26 Hiking Club (location TBA) and Music Together: 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Dori Freeman @ The Front Porch

For questions about donating books, please contact Victoria ([email protected]).

Thank you to everyone who has participated thus far! We have 100% Board and Staff Participation!

It is not too late to participate in the Annual Fund! Your participation in the Peabody Annual Fund provides essential operating support to Peabody. Income from tuition does not cover all of our operating expenses. The generosity of our community supports almost everything that keeps Peabody running, from salaries and classroom technology to arts and supplies. Lastly, the Fund supports financial aid as we ensure that any student can share in the Peabody experience. We hope that you will support Peabody in this area and that you will keep in mind that your Annual Fund gift, of any size, really matters to the school. Let's all MAKE AN IMPACT!

Thank you in advance for your consideration of a gift to Peabody School for the 2021-22 year and for being such strong supporters of our wonderful school! Please remember to keep us in your plans for the end of tax year giving.

A group of 5th-grade students will sponsor a bake sale next Friday, January 28th. Due to COVID-19 protocols, the bake sale will be delivery-based. They will come to each classroom and deliver the treats in the morning on January 28th. All of the money will be donated to the charity, Team Seas, a charity that is striving to clean up the trash in our waterways. They already reached their goal as a foundation but they still need our help! Every dollar donated is a pound of trash out of the water. So not only do you get a delicious treat, but you get to help our seas!

In honor of the Lunar New Year (Feb 1) we'd like to invite families to participate in sharing this holiday with our students. We will assemble a special display at the school's main entrance, and put together a video to share. Any families who would like to contribute items for the display or submit a video to share their family traditions are welcome to participate! Please email Victoria ([email protected]) or your child's teacher if you'd like to contribute to our small celebration of this special event! 

The last couple of storms were not kind to all the trees in the Peabody Woods either, and we're eager to clear some of the fallen wood to keep that space as safe as possible for our kids to explore freely. If you have a chainsaw and might be able to volunteer a couple of hours to help tidy up the biggest fallen branches, please email our Community Coordinator [email protected] and he'll get back to you to coordinate!

Calling all Peabody Middle School runners (and families of runners) - Bring your warmest layers and join Ms. Harper on Saturday, February 12th for the 'Freeze Your Socks Off' Fun Run / Walk at Darden Towe Park. This race, sponsored by the Charlottesville Track Club, will benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Charlottesville. Event details and registration can be found HERE. If you would like for your child (or family) to participate, please register for the event and email Ms. Harperat [email protected] - to let her know that you're signed up. She will meet runners before the start of the race and run with the group. Feel free to email Ms. Harper with any other questions.