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Dear Colleagues,
Welcome to the new school year! It is brand new today for several schools opening after Labor Day, the traditional school calendar that many of us grew up with. For many of our schools, they have been in session for several weeks - it seems that there is an unwritten law that the hotter parts of the country go back to school earliest. That works well and is a benefit with efficient air conditioning! It is not so easy without that.
I am imagining our schools in many diverse locations as first teachers, then students returned. A new school year brings anticipation, hope, and all the promise of new beginnings and fresh pages turned, ready for the story of what is to come. We wish you the joy of discovery, connection, and new learning for all. I was fortunate to witness three opening ceremonies this year - at very different locations and with different approaches, yet with elements that are deeply familiar. A gathering and welcome - to students, colleagues, and the school community, with many parents and family members brought together. A song or two and some words of wisdom, perhaps given as a story, with a message that sets a tone for the year to come. An exchange between the oldest and youngest students - often eighth and first grade - to welcome the incoming class. This often includes the exchange of a flower, perhaps a rose or sunflower, and will be mirrored at the end of the school year as the oldest students prepare to depart. A school verse or other closing. Opening ceremonies are a great reminder of the importance of rhythm, repetition, and marking of time. They anchor us, move us in our feelings, and remind us of the strength of our communities and the importance of our work. The three ceremonies I witnessed this year were eighth grade/first grade exchanges; it was so wonderful to see new eighth grade students stepping into an upright leadership role and to start the year with this reminder of who they truly are (we can expect them to healthily challenge this at various points through the year - the theme of revolution is well-placed in the eighth grade curriculum!) and to see the wide-eyed openness of the first graders, who were so big in kindergarten at the end of the year, but now look so little.
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