November 28, 2023
Dear Families,
Last Wednesday, we had a community luncheon. Children went outside for extended outdoor time. When they returned, they found a table set for 200.
A specially prepared table signals an occasion. Every class baked special to share with the whole group. No one ate until we all were served. First, Donna delivered a few words of thanks for being part of a community that cares about each other.
Earlier, while children were outside, we arranged place cards with their names. Children of different ages sat, side by side, with adults mixed in as well. Children looking for their names around the table is a small part of the event, but I think it means very much. All children find their names and can think, I belong here.
We have these unannounced luncheons about once a year. I love the warmth in this informal ceremony. I think the children know the table has been set for them. They can see their whole school stretching across that table, and know they all have a place there.
Festival of Lights – December 7 – 5:45 to 7:30
We soon will have the shortest days and longest nights of the year. Festival of Lights is CPE1’s celebration of light in the cold night skies. Diwali, Channuka, Kwanzaa, Christmas, Three Kings – from November into January, many traditional celebrations involve candles and other lights.
The centerpiece of Festival of Lights is families sharing their traditions. Some volunteer to tell a story, teach a new song, or explain a cultural practice from this time of year.
While we all sing and participate for some parts of Festival of Lights, this event is for listening. So in this part, I will be very direct: if you come to Festival of Lights, you have to contribute to that listening.
We start with a very social potluck, but once the presentations begin, everyone should listen respectfully to the family holding the microphone. At Festival of Lights, families should sit together. Young children feel especially excited to be at school with their friends at night; please make sure your child is seated and listening instead of chatting or chasing friends. And, we adult have to model for the children. When a family is sharing a tradition at the microphone, we adults have the rest of us have to listen, too.
Before we share our stories, we share a meal. It’s wonderful when families bring food that represents their seasonal traditions. Usually, there is a story behind traditional ingredients or preparations. Those traditions sometimes are just from your own family, commemorating or connecting us to the way the people from earlier generations handed down special cooking. You don’t have to sign up to tell a story on the microphone at Festival of Lights. But if you bring something from those old recipes to let others taste, you’ll be sharing and teaching us all.
Ice Skating Begins
Ice skating at Riverbank State Park will begin January 4. In December, we will be fitting kindergarteners through fifth graders for skates.
This year, like last year, Lasker Rink in Central Park will be closed for renovations. That means we have to take yellow school buses to Riverbank, and that pre-K children, per citywide policy, are not allowed on the bus. This year’s kindergarteners protested powerfully last year. I am glad they can go skating this year, but sorry that this year’s pre-K children will miss a year of learning and growing on the ice.
Coming Up Soon
School Leadership Team – December 7 – 3:45
Festival of Lights – December 7 – 5:30
Community Coffee – December 8 – 8:15
Winter Concert – December 14 – 5:30
Parent Association Meeting – December 19 – 8:30