Dear Harbor Families,

Last night, Bill and I attended a potluck dinner for parents and teachers of the JK and Kindergarten classes at a JK family’s home. It was a lovely evening of conversation over delicious food and drink, mostly spent around a large kitchen island, as gatherings often are.  At several points throughout the evening, I learned about a new connection being made - a friend in common, shared interest, or work similarity that otherwise would have been undiscovered. In fact, Bill and I both left commenting on new connections that we each discovered in conversations.

It struck me last night that although I’ve been to a lot of events at different schools over the years, as a teacher, administrator, and now a parent, nothing quite compares to the Harbor tradition of potluck dinners. I think it says a lot about our community that we make the effort to get to know each other socially, as adults who share a common goal for our children. We know, implicitly, that relationships between parents, teachers, and administrators are important.

Since The Harbor School started in 1973, we have remained intentionally small. There are many benefits to a small community, the most profound being strong relationships and a tight-knit community. Because of our small size, school culture, and intentionality about relationship-building, at Harbor, teachers and administrators across the school can get to know students well, families socialize across grade levels, and teachers and parents communicate regularly. Most importantly, our commitment to building relationships affects the student learning experience directly. It’s powerful.

Potluck dinners are just one way that we demonstrate that commitment (not to mention, they are a lot of fun!). Gatherings for the other classes are being arranged now, so keep an eye out for an invitation to yours. I look forward to seeing you there!

Warmly,

Leah Musico

Head of School

The Harbor School