Dear Harbor Families,

This summer, I made the decision to try contact lenses. I hadn’t needed glasses until later in life, and though I was comfortable wearing them, I thought it might be freeing to go without again. Without too much worry or thought, I went to an optometrist one day in July - and came home to one of the most challenging  learning experiences I’ve had in recent years.

As I struggled every morning and evening to learn how to put in and take out the contact lenses, I was reminded of how challenging learning can be. There were mornings when I spent more than thirty minutes trying to get them in, with mounting frustration and disappointment in myself that something so mundane for others was so hard for me. Once they were in, throughout the day I would worry about what would happen when it was time to take them out. Thankfully, my family knew when to clear out and give me space and when to provide encouragement, and were patient when we were late for things because I was still trying to get my contacts in. I practiced deep breathing, I regularly reached out for “urgent” support from my sister who has had them since she was in middle school, and I told myself I wasn’t going to give up (despite a strong urge to do just that). Some days, I thought, I’ve figured this out and it will be easy, and then the next day would be just as hard as in the beginning. This went on for more than a month until it finally became a little easier, and I am proud to say that now, most mornings I can get them in relatively quickly.

Throughout this eye-opening (pun intended!) experience, I couldn’t help but think of our students at Harbor. As an educator who values lifelong adult learning, I would describe myself as someone who takes on new challenges pretty often, but nothing has challenged me in this way for a very long time! Young people, however, are faced with new challenges in learning every day - whether that learning is academic, social/emotional, physical, or a combination of the domains. As I reflected on my own learning challenge, I gained an even stronger empathy for the experiences young students have as learners. I was reminded of some key ideas about the process of learning - that learning is nonlinear,  that it can require perseverance and grit, that it can be stalled or slowed by stress or anxiety, and that a support system is essential to success.

In my opening letter, I wrote about our 2024-25 theme of connection, and the value of a team approach to support our students in these essential years of growth and development. In my many years of experience as an educator, I have seen firsthand, over and over, that the collaboration and connections between families, teachers, specialists, and school staff makes all the difference for our students, especially when aspects of learning are challenging. Just as you would expect in the medical profession, a team of specialists - along with the family - collaborating to provide the best possible care is the best approach. (I wish I had had this over the summer!)

As we expand and further develop our team approach at Harbor, I am excited to share that the Occupational Therapy and Speech Language specialists who will be supporting our faculty this year began working with classes yesterday. As new members of our learning support team with Learning Specialist Ashley Howard, Melissa and Allison will work with teachers and small groups of students once per week to add their expertise to our team and ensure we are providing the best possible educational experience, as our students take on learning challenges academically, socially and emotionally, and physically.

You are an important part of this team! A successful partnership between home and school requires careful attention and care. I hope you have enjoyed the conversations and connections with your child’s teacher, and we look forward to more opportunities for all of us to connect in support of our students! As one such opportunity, I hope you will join me tomorrow morning after arrival for our first Family Friday, which we are calling “Coffee and Connections”. We’ll have the chance to mix and mingle and to talk informally about the beginning of the school year and our program at Harbor. After drop off tomorrow, please feel free to park in the front main lot and come to entrance B to join us upstairs in The Chesapeake Room!

Finally, a reminder to secure child care for next Thursday, September 19th for our Back to School Night, starting at 6:30 PM. You’ll meet the full faculty/staff and learn about the specials, enrichment, and HSFA programs at a reception to start the evening, hear from the Board of Trustees and HSFA, and spend time in your child’s classroom with the teacher to learn about the curriculum and routines in your child’s grade level. We look forward to seeing you there!

Here’s to a school year filled with learning and connection!

Warm regards,

Leah Musico
Head of School
The Harbor School