Dear Harbor Families,

This letter is dedicated to Andrea Zuraf, who, if you don’t already know, is a total rock star.  She embodies our mission when working with students, supporting them with learning (or reminding us all how to be mindful), and has done so at Harbor for 20 years. She is extremely knowledgeable and highly professional, and demonstrates a true warmth and empathy in everything she does. You also know her as our one-woman admissions department! Whether you first met Andrea this past summer or a few years ago, you can probably recall how she takes the time to get to know each family and child personally - a welcoming first point of connection for our incoming families. Oh, and there’s humility - I’m willing to bet she’ll be squirming when she reads the words I just wrote - sorry Andrea, but they are all so true!

Andrea has been extremely busy over the past weeks managing our admissions season for the 2021-22 school year. You’ll find her on Zoom throughout each day conducting virtual individual parent conversations, open houses, and student visits. She has stayed into the evening often, providing in person tours after the school day ends. This season, we have a record number of applicants - and with support from teachers, parents, and alumni, Andrea has been making sure each family is given the attention and personal connection that is the Harbor way. 

Part of this cycle is the re-enrollment process - and that’s where you come in. In early February, you will receive information and paperwork so you can  re-enroll your child for the next school year, which will be due back to the school by February 19th (mark your calendars!). We’ll need to have your commitments by that date so we know how many spaces we can offer to new candidates in our admissions pool, which always takes place in early March (according to an agreement with peer schools in our association). 

In related news, we are excited to share that on February 1st, we will be opening a new cohort of grade one students - cohort “1B”! We were able to secure additional classroom space and are pleased that we have hired Seth Dempsey as our new first grade teacher, whom you know from our carline and your kids know as our full-time substitute, and during distance learning, a makerspace and storytime teacher! Our new families will join us for community events such as our weekly bedtime stories, parenting series, and other HSPA-sponsored events. Please join us in February in welcoming the new cohort of students and families to our community! 

Warmly,

Leah Musico

Head of School