Dear Harbor Families,

With the weather (finally!) turning cooler, we are in full swing at Harbor! 

October is always a busy month, but this year feels even more full - with many opportunities to enjoy getting together as a community and to support our families throughout the fall season.

One of our most cherished Harbor traditions is the annual Community Picnic at Smokey Glen Farm, which takes place in just a few weeks on Sunday, October 19th from 11:30 until 3:00. Fall wouldn’t be fall without Smokey Glen! If you haven’t participated in the past, you are in for a treat with a BBQ lunch, hayrides, face painting, mini golf, group games like “tug of war” (which we call “tug of peace”, of course), and more! Please purchase your tickets soon (this link will work - with apologies that the link in last week's letter was a dud) so we can give a head count to our hosts at Smokey Glen. This event is not a fundraiser - ticket prices reflect an amount to barely cover our costs. There are also opportunities to sponsor a teacher’s attendance, face painting, or the hayrides, if you are so inclined to offer further support.

This week’s newsletter is chock full of information about the community picnic and much more - including details about the following upcoming events. 

• Tomorrow morning, join us for a Family Friday, Open Classrooms event, where you’ll have the opportunity to visit your child’s classroom. We’ll begin in the Chesapeake Room for a coffee after drop off, and you are invited join your child in the classroom from about 9:15 to 10:00. Open Classrooms are a simple and well-loved tradition at Harbor. We look forward to seeing you in the morning.

• On Monday, the HSFA has organized a Community Night at Shake Shack in Cabin John Shopping Center. This is a great way to connect with other Harbor families while supporting the school - as well as a great way to get around cooking dinner on a Monday night!

• Photo Day (including sibling photos) is happening on Tuesday. Elisse works magic with her photographs, capturing kids’ personalities and spirits beautifully. Bill and I have years of her work on the walls of our home!

• Next Thursday evening, we are hosting the first of a nine session Parent Child Journey class with Dr. Dan Shapiro. I am told that there is still some space to register. It represents a commitment of time, as the classes are in person, but I have heard over the years that the course has been transformational for families - and I encourage you to consider registering.

• Next Saturday the 11th, Harbor will be participating in Potomac Day - starting with a parade along River and Falls Roads  in the morning and activities throughout the day. I’ll  be driving a decked out Harbor bus along the parade route, and we will have pom poms, signs, and other fun props for our parade participants. Our Harbor mascot will even be there! We would be so happy for you to join us - after all, what child wouldn’t want to be in a parade?

I recommend setting aside some time to go through each news article below with your calendar in front of you - which is  what I spent the morning doing! I promise, these events will be well worth the time and effort as we enjoy a connected school community this fall!

Warmly,

Leah Musico
Head of School