Welcome Back!
Dear Families,
I hope your summer has been filled with fun, laughter, rest and joy. After a much needed vacation in Philadelphia, I am in the throes of preparing my daughter for her first year at Smith College. While our family is excited about this new phase in Ishara’s life, we will also miss her very much. Though my personal nest will be empty this school year, as Lower School Principal, my school home will be very full. I am delighted and excited to begin a new chapter of nurturing, learning, growing, working and playing with your children!
Our new faculty scheduling committee worked hard this summer to create additional ways to ensure that the daily schedules enhance our progressive program. In general, we aimed for greater consistency and predictability. We are happy to let you know that 1st graders share a common recess each day and 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades each share common lunch and recess hours. This time together will give students the opportunity to interact with peers who are not in their class. Changes in the schedule also allow teachers to take better advantage of math and science specialists, as well as increase the amount of time devoted to social studies.
This year several new faculty have joined our lower school community. These individuals bring with them many years of experience and have practiced across the nation, from California to New York City. They are all looking forward to getting to know your children and you over the course of the year. We welcome these new members into our community and look forward to the gifts they will bring into our classrooms.
A warm welcome also to those parents who are new to LREI. For many of you, like me, this new phase of our lives as parents is bittersweet. We are excited that our children are going out into the world to begin the first steps of a new journey, but we can’t help but have a tinge of anxiety and remorse about the upcoming changes that will surely result from these steps down the path of independence.
To those families who are continuing, I am eager to see and hear about how much your children have grown over the summer. The changes that can happen in such a short amount of time are always surprising and amazing! These are the moments when you can step back and take stock in the wonderful job you’re doing as parents, and feel comfort in the fact that your children have built a foundation of accomplishments that will support them as they move forward in the coming year.
As we get closer to the opening day of school please remember to help your children develop routines that will make for a seamless transition from summer to the new school year. You may want to talk with your children about bedtime changes or encourage them to take on new responsibilities such as clothing or food choices. For those of you who have children attending 4s through 1st grade, please pay close attention to the attached phase-in schedule.
Below is a list of meetings that I encourage you to attend. You can sign up at the reception desk for childcare service if needed. All meetings will begin at 6:00pm. The dates are as follows:
Thursday, September 27th – Fours through First Grade Curriculum Meetings
Tuesday, October 2nd – Second through Fourth Grade Curriculum Meetings
Please feel free to drop in or make an appointment to see me anytime throughout the school year. Don’t forget to read our Thursday afternoon blog each week in order to stay abreast of classroom news and upcoming events throughout the school year. Oftentimes blogs also include letters/announcements from your child’s teacher.
I look forward to seeing you on September 6th. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your summer.
Yours truly,
Sharon DuPree
Lower School Principal