A Letter from Christina Dabulskis, Learning and Literacy Specialist

Dear Harbor Families,

It’s hard to believe we’re already halfway through the school year! This point in the year often feels like a good moment to pause and reflect, not just on what students are learning, but on how they’re growing along the way.

Recent report cards provide families with an important snapshot of students’ academic skills and social skills. Over the first half of the year, we’ve seen students make progress in ways that don’t always show up on a checklist - the quieter growth we see each day. For some children, growth looks like smoother transitions, staying engaged a bit longer during group activities, or feeling more comfortable sharing their ideas. For others, it may be learning how to ask for help, work through frustration, or try again when something feels challenging.

Learning support at Harbor is designed to meet students where they are and help them build skills that support both academic learning and social-emotional growth. Through close collaboration with classroom teachers, I support students through small-group work and targeted strategies that build confidence, independence, and consistency across the school day. I also work to provide ongoing assessments that help inform learning support plans and guide decisions toward more targeted intervention. 

We are also continuing to work closely with our partner specialists, with a strong focus on consultation and teacher collaboration. We work alongside Alison Hughes from Speechtree Therapy and Cortney Mosle from The Point Occupational Therapy to support teachers in applying differentiated strategies within the classroom, while also providing targeted small-group support for students. Starting this week and throughout the remainder of the school year, we are also excited to be partnering with Growing Minds to welcome Rachel Gould, who is leading Social Emotional Early Development (SEED) social groups with students in kindergarten through second grade, as well as with our entire third grade class. This work supports skill development across settings and is especially meaningful for our third graders as they focus on building independence, confidence, and social-emotional skills they can carry with them into their next school environments in fourth grade and beyond.

As we move into the second half of the year, many students are beginning to work on projects that ask them to apply these skills in meaningful ways. One exciting example is our upcoming Spiral Night, which students began preparing for in the new year. This experience gives students the opportunity to practice independence, perseverance, and problem-solving while sharing their learning in a way that feels authentic and celebratory. In many ways, it serves as a capstone moment that highlights just how much growth has happened over time.

Consistency and routine continue to be especially important as students take on new challenges. Young learners thrive when expectations are clear and skills are reinforced across settings, and the routines and encouragement you provide at home play an important role in supporting this work. At home, families can support learning in simple, hands-on ways. For younger students, this may include practicing daily routines, offering limited choices, or encouraging children to use words to express feelings. For older students, families can support independence by breaking tasks into steps, talking through strategies when something feels tricky, and reflecting on what felt challenging and what felt successful, all of which can make a profound difference in the process of growth and learning.

The second half of the year is a time for continued practice, growth, and confidence-building, and I look forward to supporting students as they continue developing the skills that will serve them well both now and beyond Harbor. 

If you have any questions about learning support or would like more information, please feel free to reach out to me at christina_dabulskis@theharborschool.org.

Warmly,
Christina Dabulskis
Learning and Literacy Specialist