“The most accurate measure of community is the compassionate actions of its members.”
— Coretta Scott King
There have been several inspiring but different examples of community building recently that can propel us into more feelings of unity as we tiptoe cautiously, after COVID sequestering, into a convivial season.
Support for a brave little girl
Families—preschool and elementary—immediately responded with the kind of heartful outpouring so characteristic of our compassionate group, bringing art activities and cards to the Office for Astrid King, the preschooler who has had a relapse of leukemia.
Sharing images of loved ones
Members of the Equity & Inclusion Committee have put lots of time and love into creating a beautiful ofrenda in the front hallway to celebrate Día de los Muertos, the Mexican holiday honoring loved ones who have passed away. Families are invited to place photos on the altar. Sharing these beloved photos with others is an act of trust and one of the ways we begin to see each other more fully in our community.
Making everyone feel included
A new preschool parent hosted her daughter’s whole preschool class for a calm, activity-centered Halloween party in their backyard, an opportunity for busy people to get to know each other outside the classroom.
An unforgettable cultural event
An elementary parent helped us find an amazing Aztec dance group for our schoolwide dance, which was another miraculous event including preschool and elementary school families and alumni made possible through the selfless efforts of so many people.
Our school community has always been enriched by people’s creative perspectives on how to be more inclusive and act compassionately toward one another. We invite everyone—staff, children, and parents—to help create a microcosm of what we want the world to be for children in the future.
Increasingly, we are blessed with unique riches of diversity—an expanse of ages and generations, different family structures, and a wide variety of cultural and linguistic backgrounds, personalities, varying patterns of development. If our students experience the joys of a heterogenous community, they will try to create inclusiveness wherever they go.
People who apply at our school often say they are seeking community. Here are some ways everyone can join the flow of creating that ideal, no matter long they have been here:
Start by trying to get to know who is in your child’s class. Later in the month, you’ll have an opportunity to buy your child’s class photo, and you child can identify their classmates for you. You might explore who just moved to the area and needs welcoming.
Call another parent from your child’s class in the directory and suggest getting together at the park.
Come to a gardening party with your children.
Join a committee. Bring your ideas to a meeting of the Parent Corral or Equity & Inclusion Committee.
We hear from our alumni and their extended families how being part of this school community has had lasting effects on their lives and that they still feel connected. We look forward to the ways we will grow and make everyone feel valued and supported over the rest of the school year.
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