February Newsletter
Welcome to the month of February, the month where we celebrate Valentine’s Day and Presidents Day. With the omicron variant of COVID-19 still out there, we urge you and your family to continue to take precautions to keep yourselves safe and healthy. We at the school are working hard to keep the building safe so that we may continue to be open. We appreciate so much your cooperation in helping us do so.
The Virtue-of-the-Month for February is Loyalty. History demonstrates the critical importance of loyalty and love of country. Loyalty does not mean an uncritical acceptance of all that is in the land of one’s birth. It does mean affective attachment and solidarity. When parents and schools cultivate loyalty and love of country, we increase the likelihood of raising young citizens who will be agents for betterment and change. Reformers such as Elizabeth Caty Stanton, Dorothea Dix, and Martin Luther King show that constructive change and progress come from those who truly care for their country. New Hope School seeks to raise such future citizens.
Open House
Thursday, January 27, was our first Open House of the year—this one in connection with National School Choice Week. Originally intended to be part of our 25th anniversary celebration at the school, due to pandemic concerns the celebration has been postponed until sometime this spring and the Open House itself was held online, as we were doing last year. Several prospective parents attended and seemed well engaged. Dr. Beebe began by giving the parents a PowerPoint presentation, overviewing the school. I wish to appreciate our parents Ms. Sara Ban and Mr. Abraham Almanzar for their support by sharing their experiences with the school and answering parents’ questions. In the coming months New Hope School will be holding Open Houses on a monthly basis, the next being also virtual on Saturday, February 26, 11:00am-12:00pm. If you know of any parents who might be interested in sending their child to New Hope, please invite them to this valuable information session where they can find out about our education program and extra-curricular activities.
Spelling Bee
We wish to congratulate 8th grader Kenji Onishi for winning this year’s school spelling bee. In the runner-up spot was Rob-Orley Cortez. Kenji will be representing New Hope School in the regional spelling bee in March. Let’s cheer him on!
Scholastic Book Fair
Finally, please note that our annual Scholastic Book Fair will be held Wed-Fri, Feb. 16-18, 3-4pm in the downstairs area at the school. We encourage you to come and browse around for some books to encourage your child’s reading.
May God be with you and your family!
“The first step in the evolution of ethics is a sense of solidarity with other human beings.”
Albert Schweitzer