Dear Harbor Families,

Today marks the eighth day of school. I don't know about you, but to me it feels like we’ve been back a lot longer! With classroom routines in place, relationships being built, and assessments and learning underway, there is an established and predictable pace to each school day. It is delightful to see smiling faces as students move through their days, well established in their new grade levels and classrooms. And at home (at least in our household), we are all easing into the earlier mornings, more predictable evenings, and other welcomed routines that the new school year brings.

A rite of passage at the beginning of a new school year is the famed Back to School Night! I remember, after years of being the presenter on those evenings, finally being on the parent side of the room at our first Back to School Night for our preschooler in 2016. I think I might have been more excited for that evening than Emily was to start school! There is something about coming into the space where our kids learn every day, sitting at their desks and tables, and hearing from their teachers about the year ahead, that ignites that same feeling of anticipation that the first day of school brings to our children.

Yet for the past two years, despite our best efforts with a Zoom Back to School Night, it just wasn’t quite the same as an in-person experience. Whether you enjoyed your last Back to School Night three years ago in September 2019, or have never had the experience, we hope you will join us in person next Thursday evening!

Here’s a little preview of what we have planned for the evening:

• We’ll begin the evening at 6:30 with what we’re calling an Information Fair. Light refreshments will be served while you mix and mingle with one another, and have the opportunity to connect with specials teachers, talk with our Learning Specialist about learning support at Harbor, meet the Music Kids teacher, connect with members of the HSPA, and learn more about our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion goals and committee.

• Before concluding the first portion of the evening, we’ll come together for a few welcome remarks; you'll hear from me, Suzanne Miyamoto, the Harbor Board Chair, and Amelia Gunter, the HSPA President.

• Around 7:15, parents will be invited upstairs to classrooms for presentations from the teachers - the highlight of the evening! - where you'll learn about the program and learning that your child(ren) will experience this school year.

If you haven’t gotten a babysitter yet, I would recommend it - and make next Thursday a big night out! (Things sure have changed since before you had kids, right?)

We look forward to seeing you next Thursday! 

Warmly,

Leah Musico

Head of School