Dear Harbor Families,

During this time of year, it can be challenging to slow down and appreciate the more important messages of the season. For many, the end of the calendar year brings an opportunity to take stock of all there is to be grateful for, and to show our appreciation to those we care about through gathering family and friends - and gift-giving. Although the holiday season can sometimes feel like the emphasis is too much on material items, at its core, gift-giving is about expressing gratitude for the people (and organizations) one cares about.

I remember the feeling of being asked to give to an annual fund in the first independent school where I worked as a teacher years ago. I wondered how, with the tuition dollars, the school needed more funds. Now, with years of managing our small school’s yearly budget, I have a deep understanding of why a culture of giving is so integral to a school’s success. In general, tuition dollars tend to cover faculty salaries and costs for basic needs such as rent, licensing and accreditation, and office supplies. To provide our exceptional program and enrich the personalized educational experience for each child, additional funds are needed, raised through our annual fund each year. The Harbor Fund allows us to support teachers with ongoing professional development, to enhance the educational program with enriching resources and technology, and to provide access to the Harbor experience through financial aid - all of which support our mission and make our school community and program so exceptional.

Many of you have already supported the Fund - thank you! As of today, we are pleased to share that we are nearly halfway to our goal, with over $31,000 raised toward our $70,000 goal. This is a wonderful start! If you haven’t yet given, we hope that you will consider making a donation - at a level that is appropriate for your family - by the end of December, to get us to 100% participation of families, faculty and staff, and trustees. We are excited about and confident that our community will achieve 100% participation, as we did last year. (This is nearly unheard of in our peer schools, and something to be very proud of!)

Here is the link to donate! You can choose to designate where your funds will be allocated, or designate “area of greatest need”. Many, many thanks for your support! We are grateful for the strong culture of giving at Harbor!

Warm regards,

Leah Musico
Head of School