Monday, 11/1 -
Friday 11/19
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Student-organized Food Drive* |
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A Note from Deba
Dear Families,
Last week four students from LEA, Wyatt, Penny, Isabelle, and Isla, came to my office with their proposal for community service outreach.
These organizers and team leaders for LEA and LEB are kicking off a food drive next week. The students want to help people who do not have easy access to food. They told me, "That's why we want to make it easier for people to eat. Especially some families in hard situations, this is why we feel a food drive would help."
All families and staff are encouraged to donate.
A box is available outside the front door for food collection from November 1 through November 19. There will be baskets outside the classroom for easy food drop-off by students in the building.
These industrious and thoughtful kids will be creating posters for the front door, the notice board out front, and throughout the school. You will hear more from them soon.
Join me in thanking Isla, Isabelle, Penny, and Wyatt for spearheading our first community outreach of the year.
Warmly and in partnership,
Deba
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Emergency School Closing Notifications
We sent texts this week to notify the Thacher community about our emergency closings. If you did not receive the texts, and want to be on the list, please send an email to [email protected].
We also notify parents of emergency closings by email, social media (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram), the school website, local TV stations, and make an announcement on our hotline (781.897.5720).
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Yearbook Early-Bird Pricing
Our Yearbook publisher TreeRing.com offers a 5% discount on all Yearbook orders placed between now and October 31st. If you don't have an account, please use the passcode 1014761154453973.
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Online Book Fair, October 18 - 31 (new $1,000 goal)
Our goal for the virtual book fair is $1000. All proceeds help to add books to our library and your child's classroom. Thank you to everyone who has already purchased books in the Scholastic Online Store. The Book Fair ends on October 31.
All orders ship home and book-only orders over $25 ship free. Every purchase benefits Thacher and helps develop a love of reading.
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School Photos
School photos arrived and will be distributed to the children on Monday.
If your child was absent on photo day, or if you are unhappy with your picture, Picture Retake day is on Tuesday, November 16.
If you want a retake, please return the original package by the 16th. More details to follow.
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Parent/Guide Conferences - October 25 - November 5
By now you should have scheduled your Parent/Guide Zoom Conferences through our online scheduling system. Conference dates are between October 25 through November 5.
LEB parents only - please click here to book your conference.
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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Corner |
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NO-BOOK Club - November 9, 6:30 pm
We had our second DEI Book Club meeting this week, and have decided to change things up. In the effort of really being inclusive, our next meeting will be the first NO-BOOK Club meeting. AKA- you don’t need to have read the book, own the book, or even know about the book to join the meeting. Bring the kids, and we will do a great identity-building activity!
NO-BOOK Club Meeting: Tuesday, November 9 at 6:30 pm with your child/children for a great activity! Email to follow with more info.
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Excerpt from "Caste - The Origins of Our Discontents" by Isabel Wilkerson
An Old House and an Infrared Light
America is like an old house. We can never declare the work over. Wind, flood, drought, and human upheavals batter a structure that is already fighting whatever flaws were left unattended in the original foundation.
In America, we are like homeowners who inherited the old house that is beautiful on the outside, but whose soil is unstable loam and rock, heaving and contracting over generations. Imperfections are patched, cracks in the foundation create bowed walls on above floors. Yes, not one of us was here when this house was built, but here we are, the current occupants and heirs to whatever is right or wrong with it. Any further deterioration is, in fact, on our hands.
Looking beneath the history of one's country is like learning that a certain disease runs in one's family. You don't ball up in a corner with guilt or shame, you educate yourself by speaking to people who have been through it, and specialists who have researched it. This way you can take precautions to protect yourself and your future generations.
Wilkerson's beautifully written book has many poignant moments. As humans, we can work on our foundations and decide to take the infrared light within us. Find the cracks and work on addressing them. A good starting point is taking implicit bias tests to see where our weak points lie. Where have we let societal systems influence how we see things unconsciously?
Let's get started on fixing the American foundation together by seeing what areas we all need to un-learn.
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