Hello Friends,
I am brimming with gratitude and joy. Thank you for all of your efforts to keep our community safe. Thank you for volunteering. Many of you have helped with lunches, recess, professional development workshops, in-kind donations, subbing, moving furniture, advice, events, and serving on committees. Many of you supported our Staff Holiday Fund and Annual Giving, and I am pleased to share we surpassed our goals in both areas! Time and again I am blown away by the generosity of our community. Since this past summer, we have raised $1,656,656.00 for our Kaleidoscope Campaign (Click HERE to learn more and give). This is a historic achievement for our community and positions TNSM to be a leader in green-building initiatives, Montessori education, the arts, and supporting and growing our diverse community. Now you know why I am brimming with gratitude and joy!!! Because of YOU!
While there is plenty to celebrate, we are still navigating our way through an ever-evolving pandemic that continues to throw new challenges our way. The Omicron variant will certainly continue to complicate our daily lives. TNSM remains committed to providing one of the safest and joyous on-campus learning environments in the region. The best way for us to stand up to this new variant is to get vaccinated, including booster shots. We must remain vigilant. When in doubt about symptoms, get tested. When in doubt about gathering indoors, wear a mask. Over the winter break, we ask everyone to get tested before they return to school. At-home antigen tests are easy and affordable. There is an expected wave of COVID-19 infections in January and February. Let us do everything we can as a community to mitigate risk so that we can remain on campus. I know we will yet again come together as a group of loving, responsible, well-informed people who know how to remain optimistic in the face of adversity. I know this, because we’ve already done it. Each of us individually–and as a school community.
Over winter break, you may be celebrating holidays. TNSM wishes you joy and happiness as you participate in traditions new and old. We hope your days are filled with what you need: laughter, company, good music, great books, time alone, or quiet reflection. We will see you in the new year. May we all enter it brimming with gratitude and joy. A type of gratitude and joy that does not ignore the challenges we face or the loss we have experienced. But rather a version that is resilient, full-hearted, and clear-eyed.
Best,
Jeff Groh