May Newsletter
“April showers brings May flowers” is the refrain. We certainly have seen our share of showers this past month. Let’s hope it helps to drive away COVID-19 and allow us to go out and enjoy those May flowers that, virus or not, are sure to come out in abundance.
Ironically, our Virtue of the Month for May is Joy! We know that the stay-at-home reality of the past six weeks has led to a lot of loneliness, anxiety, and even despair for many people. I know that it has been particularly trying for parents having to juggle their jobs (if they haven’t lost them!) and taking care of the needs of their at home children. With all that, we appreciate so much our parents continuing support of their children’s education during this time. Let’s work to maintain joy in our lives—in the great gift of life—and hope for the future. In the words of the Persian adage: “This too shall pass!”
Last Saturday New Hope School held its first ever Virtual Open House. We had five prospective parents, two of whom have already decided to register their children for the coming school year. I wish to give a shout out to two of our parents, Nadeen Thakur and Rene Meza, who joined in and gave wonderful testimonies in support of our school and graciously answered the many questions of our guests.
As of this moment, it is difficult to say what will happen between now and June 12, the last day of school according to the 2019-20 school calendar. We continue to hold out hope that we may be able to re-open even for a short time before then to allow us all to reconnect with each other in person and to have some sort of end-of-the-year program.
Due to the current situation, students will not be taking Terra Nova exams this year. Nor will we be having our schoolwide Science Fair at the end of May, although some teachers may have virtual fairs in their own classes. You probably noticed that we did not have our annual Race for Education.
We are still hoping to have our usual 7-week summer program from June 22-August 7. If it turns out that the stay-at-home order remains in place through the summer, we plan to offer online tutoring for interested students in math, reading, and writing in place of the on-site enrichment program we normally have. Stay tuned!
Finally, I wish to remind you that registration is open for the 2020-21 school year. If you are happy with your child’s progress during this very unusual school year, I encourage you to reserve your child’s place for next year as soon as possible.
Stay safe and healthy!
“Find ecstasy in life: the mere sense of living is joy enough.”
Emily Dickinson