October 25 Home Communicator – Dear Parents:
If you have been around schools at all in September, you know it is a critical month to establish routines – particularly in the elementary and middle school grades. I don’t know if the phrase “Practice makes perfect” is completely accurate, but it makes a lot of sense. Another very important part of the first few months is establishing classroom community.
I think it is so interesting to see teachers work hard at finding common spaces and areas where the class can go to work on being in community. Establishing good community can set the tone and establishes a focus for the class for the entire year.
I suppose that is not much different with us as adults either. At the beginning of the year, we come together as a staff to build trust, relationships, and establish goals. This community lives on throughout the school year, and we come together in prayer often to share joys and also to lift each other up in those tough times.
While we all have a pretty good understanding of what it looks like to build community from within, I wonder sometimes how we do with what I call “Building an outward community”? I have the privilege of spending time in the first few weeks of school to sit down with mothers at our 3 School and 4 School Parent Coffees. It is a wonderful time just sitting and talking with these parents. One of the things I am very interested in knowing is how well HCS is doing at welcoming new families from outside our community. I believe we do many things well at HCS, but, as always, there is certainly room for improvement. If you have an experience to share or a suggestion to make, please let me know.
Let’s be a school that models good community building from the inside and out!
Serving Christ Together,
Dan Pott, Superintendent
