Dear Harbor Families,

This week brought two important milestones - one grim and one hopeful. On the same day that we hit 300,000 COVID deaths in this country, we saw the first vaccines administered in our area. With 2021 right around the corner, the new year will hopefully represent a turning point for all of us.

COVID has impacted everything in our lives, and yet each community's story is unique. Yesterday, the faculty and staff reflected on the year 2020 in our faculty meeting. Teachers recalled days in early 2020 at community events - on the playground in our former location, at Spiral Night, and the Georgetown Hoyas basketball game - blissfully unaware of the future right around the bend. We remembered the first transition to distance learning back in March, the special and proud day when our second graders graduated on Zoom and celebrated with a car parade, the final celebratory day of our first virtual summer camp, the day we moved the entire school after 27 years, and how it felt in the first weeks of in-person school as we embarked on something that many of our peer schools had not yet experienced. 

525,600 minutes. How do you measure a year in a life? (If you are a musical theater buff like me, you may recognize those words.) The teachers’ memories illustrated that a year is made up of many small moments of time. Each memory they described was in fact a story - of pride, of hard work, of community. Needless to say, it’s been quite a year for Harbor.

After hearing these reflections, one teacher commented that with the kids, “every minute counts”. We collectively reminded ourselves that we are helping to create the small moments that make up the weeks, months, and years for our children. It’s a responsibility that our teachers carry with integrity and passion. We hope that as you count down those final minutes of 2020, our Harbor community is central to your family’s memories of this challenging year. 

Although some may say 2020 is a year to forget, I think we’ll probably remember it vividly all of our lives. At least for our family, Harbor has provided a source of radiance in a dark time, and we are grateful.

I wish your family a warm, healthy and happy winter break, and look forward to seeing you in 2021!

Warm regards,

Leah Musico
Head of School