Dear Harbor Families,

In the Harbor classrooms, there is a lot of talk about voting these days - but not necessarily about the presidential election. Students are thinking about their view on an important choice - one that will directly affect their experience in school.

The Spiral curriculum theme has been chosen by the students and teachers since the tradition began at Harbor more than 30 years ago. Classes explore the school-wide topic in depth, from a variety of interdisciplinary angles - such as reading/writing for research, data collection and measurement, developing prototypes of solutions to problems, or creating art. Themes from the recent past have included Music around the World, Inventions and Inventors, and Sports and Games. 

This year, the students recommended a long list of topics, which the teachers have discussed and narrowed down to three:

• The World Underground

• Around the Globe in 60 Days

• The Great Outdoors

After a school wide discussion at our weekly all school morning meeting, the children came to the conclusion that voting would be the best way for all of us to have an equal and fair say in our final choice. This simple realization dovetails with our school-wide focus on the concept that our differences, including different ideas, make us stronger - and on what it means for things to be fair and just. These concepts are integrated into our curriculum through our social justice standards and were part of our work at Friday’s professional day. 

In the next couple of weeks, our students have an important job to do. As leaders, our second graders will help to design and implement an election. It’s possible they will plan for early voting, “mail in” ballots, or perhaps even hold the election online - or provide options to the voters. In the meantime, students in all grades are invited to campaign for the topic of their choice by making posters, giving persuasive speeches at our all school morning meetings, and through other thoughtful and respectful means.

We encourage you to discuss the election process with your kids - and to help them to think critically about their vote!

Warm regards,

Leah Musico
Head of School