Dear Monica,

We're back at school and I am genuinely excited to share photos from our opening weeks with you. They communicate so much about who we are as a community: how happy our students and staff are to be together again, how we’ve created a welcoming and achievement-focused environment, how deep our bonds have grown. 

I hope these images fill you with as much pride as they do me. None of these moments would be possible without your generosity. I simply cannot thank you enough.

You likely read recently about the learning loss across our nation. We see it in our own students as well and are intensely focused on regaining those losses as soon as possible. The pandemic continues to have broad, often devastating effects on our community, and it has made evident what we have always known here at S2: That our students carry extraordinary burdens in their metaphorical backpacks.

I hope that as a society we will get honest about the many roles schools play. Since day one we at S2 have had an expansive definition of our goals: Teaching our students so that they graduate with high levels of literacy and numeracy and––most importantly––have the agency to take control of their future. For our students to have a bright future we must meet the urgent needs of today: feeding them, ensuring they get physical activity, and attending to their mental health. And it doesn't stop with our students––we are supporting entire families, including alumni.

I know there will be real challenges ahead, but I am very optimistic for the coming year. I’ve noticed so much light in the eyes of our students, staff, and families since school opened on August 24 (yes, we’re already in our third week of school). We even have a hashtag for it: #S2Joy (read about it below!).

I am particularly excited about the recent launch of our new Pre-K program, a key component of our ambitious plan to impact an even larger community of learners. I will soon be sharing news of our next expansion: High school!

Thank you for being a part of our Square––Nuestra Placita. Your support has made a tremendous difference to our students, our families, and our teachers. It means the world to me.

I can’t wait to send updates throughout the new school year and to share the many meaningful ways you can get involved.

With gratitude,

Evan

Evan Meyers

Founder and Executive Director

⛺ This was Summer in Our Square  

Thanks to the generous support from the Paul and Anne-Marie Queally Family Foundation and donors like you, 153 students experienced some classic summer fun AND some seriously fun learning across our summer camps at Summer in the Square. 

Across both schools, our students enjoyed true summer camp experiences rotating between art, sports, field trips in NYC, and so much more.  30 of our students experienced the joys of the great outdoors at sleepaway Camp Beyond for two gloriously tech-free weeks.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, the photos above are heart-warming novels.  Thank you to our partners at Kids in the Game and volunteers from Bake Back America for making this an unforgettable summer for our students.  

#️⃣ S2Joy

After weeks of planning, team-building, and collaborating to meet our students’ needs, the kiddos finally returned to school and our Social Emotional Learning (SEL) team was more than ready for them.  

Our staff has been committed to spreading, collecting, and celebrating all things that bring joy to our school—even adopting the new hashtag #S2Joy. Follow along throughout the year!

🍦 Smiles for Miles

We were thrilled to welcome the newest, youngest, and (dare we say) cutest members of the Dos Amigos family: Pre-K! 

Walking through our doors was their first experience of school, a moment we designed to be unforgettable for the kids (ice cream) and their parents (tissues). 

We are honored to be part of this precious time in their lives and look forward to fostering a lifelong love of learning. 

Adding a Pre-K program is a tremendously important milestone for S2, and it would not have been possible without our donors. Thank you, sincerely. 

👋🏽 A Special Welcome...

We are thrilled to introduce our new Director of Development, Stephanie Hinkaty! Stephanie has worked for nonprofits focused on child welfare, education, and disability advocacy for more than 20 years. She is a passionate advocate for disability rights and inclusive education for students with disabilities. 

A native of California, she has lived in or near NYC for nearly all of her adult life and still finds the city to be an endlessly fascinating place to explore with her husband and daughters.

Please feel free to reach out to Stephanie to learn more about what donors like you make possible for our amazing community of learners. Welcome, Stephanie!

Before you go…

📚  What's your first memory of school? We'd love to hear from you.

💡  Have a thought to share? Email us. 

❤️  Your generosity makes a difference. Watch the impact here!