Dear Harbor Families,

For a moment, consider the answer to this question: What kind of person do you hope your child will be when they are an adult? 

You most likely think about the answer to this question every day as a parent, without thinking about it explicitly. We communicate our priorities throughout each small, day to day interaction with our kids (and some days, with more integrity than others!). As you consider the questions now, you might be thinking of the qualities you value as a person and as a family - perhaps regarding kindness, curiosity, confidence, responsibility, hard work and perseverance, or a growth mindset. I would be willing to bet that for most of you, the word empathy would make the list.

Empathy is the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, and to thoughtfully consider what they are experiencing, thinking, and feeling. It incorporates valuable skills of perspective-taking, curiosity, and caring about others, through an equitable lens. Empathy is not synonymous with sympathy, which is more focused on feeling “for” someone, instead of feeling “with” someone.

In our classrooms, teachers are challenging students to practice empathy and consider others’ perspectives - whether they are exploring the themes and characters in picture books or solving a problem on the playground. We are growing an “empathy garden” in our hallway, with stories of empathy experienced in our community. And some of our third graders have taken on a leadership project to highlight the importance of empathy with artistic representations throughout our building.

Tomorrow morning, you are invited to engage in dialogue about the topic of empathy in our first Coffee and Connections Family Friday event -  in the Chesapeake Room just after arrival. I look forward to facilitating a conversation about how to make the concept of empathy central to our parenting during these essential early childhood years of development. We hope you will join us!

As the year progresses, this school-wide exploration of the concept of empathy will be led by our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. This cross-constituent committee has served as an integral part of fulfilling our mission and DEI philosophy and goals since 2019. The committee is co-led by myself, Kylene Yen (JK Parent), and Christian Nowlin (Grade 1 Assistant Teacher). Kylene, Christian and I would be happy to talk with any of you about the work of the committee - and we are currently recruiting new membership for this school year, so please reach out if you are interested in working with us!

Our Harbor mission focuses on three attributes that we strive to develop in our students with purpose and intentionality - we nurture them to be kind, confident, and capable learners. As a parent of a Harbor graduate and a current third grader - and as a Head of School with the unique opportunity to witness students growth as they move through the Harbor program from preschool through grade three, and through staying in touch with many Harbor graduates throughout the years - I can say with certainty that Harbor students develop and apply these dispositions of kindness, confidence, and capability throughout their lives. It is a beautiful thing to see - and shows itself in many small ways in our community every day!

Warmly,

Leah Musico
Head of School