Each time I hear students outside my office window I feel the need to pinch myself. We are really back at school! As I have said about my own children, after their first days back in the classroom they reminded me of droopy plants who had finally received some much-needed water.

It is definitely different being back on campus in the time of COVID-19, but the most notable ways in which the experience is different have been positive. Thanks to the hard work of many, we now have various new outdoor learning spaces and much of our students' days are spent outside. We have a gratitude section further down in this newsletter, but I would like to extend a special thanks to HVWS parent Matt Seidel, and his architecture firm, Mabbott Seidel Architecture, who donated the plans and guidance that made our new outdoor Pavilion a reality!

After the first week back at school, my 3rd grader reported, "Forget about the masks and stuff, I really like school like this. I like all the time we are spending outside!" On our Early Childhood campus, we have the outdoor play areas separated into three spaces, and the classes take turns in the different spaces each day. This has worked much the same way that clearing out excess toys works: the children have a renewed and intent interest in each of the areas when it is their class's turn to play there. In our grade school we are working on a new specialty class schedule, with most classes taught in intensive month-long blocks. This too has reinvigorated the students' relationships with their specialty classwork.

It was an exhausting Spring and Summer, to be sure, but we are all sharing a collective (masked) outbreath, and cherishing each day that we can be on campus together. Next week the students will be celebrating Michaelmas, and the 4th graders will present the first class play of the year (outdoors!) to classmates and, after hours, to their families. It is so wonderful to be back!

In gratitude,

Christina Dixcy

Communications Director and Office Manager

View our COVID-19 Community Health & Campus Operations Plan on the Current Parents page of our website.

Our lost and found from 2019-20 is bursting with (now, freshly laundered) items left behind last year. Do any of these items belong to you? If so, please reply with the photo name. All unclaimed items will be donated.

The College of Teachers is very happy to welcome returning member Emily Remensperger and new member Allison Washington.

Thank you to Ed Wittkofski, a.k.a. Elerius from Ancient Rome, for helping bring history alive for the 6th graders.

Thank you to Marleen De Grande for donating beautiful middle school planners for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students as well as a much-needed music stand rack.

Thank you to Leslie Bernstein for the beautiful masks she made for Ms. Isabel and Ms. Aliz, one for each color of the week! Thank you also to Natasha DeCastro who made a beautiful painting on a little shelf for the Sunflower cubby room.

The work of so many has made our return to campus possible. We thank our entire community for its support and extend special thanks to the following volunteer parents/alumni parents/staff spouses/trustees: John Alvord, Carina Bandhauer, Leslie Bernstein, Lisa Buckley, Adrian Budica, Dasha Bukovska, Rob Cavaleri, Svetla Cavaleri, Monica Della Croce, Jennifer Finefrock, Carrie Godlove, Chris Kapsaroff, James Lindner, Anne Marcarian, Humberto Navarro, Chip Parrish, Cecilia Ponce, Rob Sawyer, Daniela Squizzato.

Special thanks also go to Mabbott Seidel Architecture for donating design services for the pavilion; alumni parent Shane Anderson of Natural Landscapes who worked weekends with Dave Demment, our Facilities Manager, to get the campus ready; Y.R.S. Home Improvement Contractors, LLC for working quickly to get the Pavilion built in time for school and for donating labor setting up additional outdoor spaces; the many staff and faculty who took extra time out of their school prep to help with the outdoor prep; and our alumni work crew!