Things that are Atypical are Still Awesome!

Dear Families:

“The same song on a different day was a different song.” -- Bob Weir 

Fall is typically my favorite time of year, in part because of the busy yet fulfilling traditions it brings to my life. 

In “normal” times, TQS is launching a new school year, my kids are going back to class, the Eagles are starting their season, and Natalia and I are heading into Philadelphia on most nights to enjoy the Fringe Festival, when avante garde performing artists carry out plays, dances, readings, acrobatics, drag shows -- you name it -- in venues around the city. 

This year, every single thing in that typical list is … atypical. Yet just because something is no longer as we’ve always known it doesn’t mean it isn’t awesome in its own way. 

Take Fringe, for example. This year, the festival is going to be very different, and most of it is happening online. However, a few extremely creative artists are performing live under severe social distancing conditions. 

Natalia and I are attending a performance called Illimitabale Domination. During this performance, actors will create a meeting between Charles Dickens and Edgar Allen Poe while we stand in socially distanced circles painted on the ground of Laurel Hill Cemetery. 

This is going to be awesome. And, it’s completely different from what we have known before. Perhaps it never would have occurred if these artists weren’t forced to think outside the box (or, in this case, inside the circles). 

The same thing is happening at The Quaker School. It’s different than it was before, but it’s still awesome. 

Some of us are online. Some of us are in school. Students move around the school less, and with smaller groups. There is a lot of cleaning. We all wear masks. We stay home if we’re even a little sick. 

Yet: we’re in it together. We’re evolving what it means to learn, grow, and #shinetogether. 

Our systems are running beautifully. Our students are having FUN. Our teachers are rocking every day. Our new HyFlex model is helping us address a variety of student needs. Mask compliance remains at near perfect. Parents are keeping students home when they are sick. (Keep this up! It’s so important!) Together, we’re creating a TQS that meets the moment. 

Same song on a different day… 

As Week 3 closes, I want to thank you all for making something awesome out of our new different. Let’s continue to work together to make this fall a fulfilling season to remember. 

Shine on,

Alex