Sunrise on another great school year!

Dear Parents,

I have to thank my dog Bandit. She decided that she needed me to let her out early the other morning. I looked at the clock and saw that it was half an hour until my usual wake-up time so I decided that I might as well get dressed and brew a cup of coffee. Walking to the back door with a fresh cup of French Roast in hand, Bandit looked at me expectantly and "invited" me to follow her onto our deck. Agreeing to her request I stepped out onto the deck and followed her gaze. Looking up I was nearly floored. In the sky was one of the most beautiful sunrises I have ever seen. The sky was filled with various shades of pink and grey. Clouds were gently moving from one side of the sky to the other. I stood and stared, the French Roast forgotten. Eventually I did remember where I was (and that I was barefoot) so I moved to one of our Adirondack chairs and sat down to enjoy the sunrise, sip my cup of coffee, pat Bandit on the head, and watch the day wake up.

As I was taking it all in, myriad thoughts began bouncing around in my head. Of course Swan School played a major role and it didn't take long for me to start making some connections between the amazing sunrise unfolding over my head and the upcoming school year. This year, 2008-2009, marks Swan School's 25th anniversary. What began as a group of parents and a couple of teachers with a vision has grown into one of the best independent schools in our area. This year we will be at or near our full enrollment of 64 students with 6 full-time and 8 part-time staff members. Our music program has expended with a schedule that not only better supports student learning, but also provides more learning opportunities. Adding to our already excellent faculty, we have three new staff members who bring some amazing talents to our school family.

Melinda Pongrey is the new teacher for the Adventurers (5th/6th grades); she brings with her some inspiring instructional skills for meeting the needs of all learners as well as an easy, comfortable, and enthusiastic teaching style. Diane Porter-Brown is our new art teacher. She is a very talented local artist and also an experienced and highly skilled educator, working with adults as well as children. Our newest staff member is Darryl Rudolph. He has taken the job as custodian for our school and we couldn't be happier. Darryl just retired from Chimacum School District having been their head custodian for a number of years. He is an avid hiker and bicyclist and has an intimate knowledge of how to keep a school healthy for the students while using environmentally friendly and child-safe cleaning techniques.

I know that many of you have seen this already because you were here during registration on the 23rd but I have to state it again - the campus looks fantastic! Due to the efforts of so many, our school will be an even better place for children and for learning than it has been in the past. I could begin listing everything that was done over the summer (like the new fence that helps make our playground safer or the park benches that were made from a design by Aldo Leopold and donated to us), but that list would be so outlandishly long that I'd need to include an intermission in my letter!

Swan School has always been a special place. A place where ideals are not just dreamed of but are lived. As we celebrate 25 years of creative independent education this fall, we can also look forward to the next 25 years of Swan School continuing to grow from its well-conceived foundation. As another sunrise takes place over our school, we can look forward to a place where a child's education is as it should be, full of wonder, exploration, and creativity.

Russ