Sarah Shares: Welcome to the 2020-21 school year!

Welcome to the 2020-21 school year! 

Every day feels new here at Greene Towne since we began phase-in visits as the initial welcome to the 2020-21 school year last week. We have new faces among our staff, new beautiful teacher voices leading songs at circle time, joining in with our familiar ones. We have new routines that we are supporting each other through. Every day, I see more young friends—some that I’m meeting for the first time, and some that I haven’t seen since the spring!  Several young friends upon first seeing me couldn’t wait to let me know that they are FIVE now, or they are FOUR now. Another friend that I just met today had some tears this morning, and once I saw him again this afternoon in the courtyard, he asked me, “Where have you been?” I showed him my office window, and he showed me where he was looking for mushrooms in the dirt. Tomorrow he’s going to show me the drawing he’s been working on in the classroom. 

As I observe our children these first few days, it occurs to me that the quiet emptiness that I noticed during our building closure last spring is now replaced with the children’s sense of ownership and belonging in the classrooms—That is the spirit that is crackling each moment at Greene Towne this week.

We are so fortunate to be here together, to be learning alongside each other. I want to thank each family for your commitment to Greene Towne, and to your child’s learning experience as part of this community. We are sharing this strong commitment like never before, as we are all depending on one another. Thank you for staying vigilant with our health and safety protocols. Thank you for being more than cautious for everyone’s sake. And thank you for your trust and care.