Little Red School House
and Elisabeth Irwin High School

A Pre-K-12 Progressive Education

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Everyday a Potluck

Lower School

Dear Lower School Families,

The early days of May bring with them the promise of longer, warmer days and the rebirth of green spaces in the city. May is also the season of breaking bread together during the annual class potlucks.

I recently came across an interesting quote from Dave Liniger regarding potlucks: “To be successful, you can’t just show up to the potluck with a fork.” I thought this quote quite clever as it spoke to a very literal necessity to work together toward creating a successful experience for all invited. I did, however, also explore this quote as a metaphor for the ways in which our community has worked together over the course of this year.

Every member of the school has been an essential contributor to the success of this year. It would be impossible to add up the many hours that parent reps have spent supporting the classroom teachers by with sharing information, organizing events, and recruiting chaperones for field trips. Additionally, the many parents who have chaired and volunteered on committees and for special events that mark important moments in our school year were invaluable in ensuring the deepening of roots at our school. Family members who chaperoned field trips or attended shares and presentations throughout the year contributed to the creation of vibrant learning spaces in which children were able to share their work with the larger community. All of this contributed to the success of our “potluck.”

I cannot begin to thank the teachers enough for all that they contribute to our metaphorical “potluck.” The care with which they have developed and deepened their relationships with students, and the thought they have put into the creation of engaging and authentic learning experiences for the children have translated into a year of growth for students across a number of developmental dimensions (i.e. cognitive, social, emotional, and physical).

Finally, it would be impossible to underscore the ways in which the students themselves have brought much to the “potluck.” Each day I enter classrooms and am in awe of the creativity, critical thinking, courage and citizenship that I witness while the children work. Just yesterday, I went from listening to our fours share their rendition of “This Land is Your Land” during a music share, to kindergarteners plan how they will care for the duck eggs that were delivered to the classroom, to third graders share the many ways in which they were kind to each other during a recent field trip. The Four C’s come to life every day at our school.

Our end-of-year potlucks embody the culmination of the hard work done by all members of the community. In addition to the food and drink which will be shared, the potluck represents an opportunity to come into the space with gratitude for the partnerships that have led to the success of the year. I am particularly grateful to the parents for the time they take to thank teachers for all of their hard work during the event.

As we enter the time of culminating experiences, I look forward to brainstorming with you ways in which I can deepen my partnership with you in the coming weeks and in thinking ahead to next year. My door is always open.

Kind regards,