As we get ready to head off for Spring Break this week, I wanted to wish each and every one of you all the very best. To some degree, I feel like we have been having one break “after” another throughout this entire quarter. These “snow breaks,” however, have not been relaxing at all and ultimately do not bring the rest, change of routine, and rejuvenation we all need at this time of the year. There was shoveling to do, scraping ice off the windshields, activities re-planning, and just trying to figure out what needed to get done before tomorrow… and we certainly weren’t sure whether “tomorrow” would be on time or delayed.  It has been quite the adventure and your patience and support have been deeply appreciated. So as we finally reach Spring Break, it is my sincere hope that each of us can pull away from school in the most positive manner possible and take full advantage of this time period.

Many of you may be staying close to home and utilizing the time as a way to change the schedule and routines. Above all, I hope you will have time to do something special with your children.  Whether it is going out to breakfast with them, having lunch some place new or familiar, going to a museum, watching a movie at an odd time of the day, or taking a long walk while talking, please make sure you catch up with them on how they feel things are going in their lives, and maybe even share a bit about what you are dealing with and how you hope the rest of this year goes. These calm and quiet moments can actually create some of the most powerful memories your children will have of growing up.

For others, I keep hearing tales of great trips that are planned. Some of you have not had enough of the cold and snow yet, and are even heading off to the cold Rockies to go skiing! Hopefully the snow that you will be able to enjoy there, will bring you great joy because you know you don’t have to shovel it, drive over it, or deal with all the complexities that have been a part of our daily lives this winter. Most of all enjoy your travels wherever they are leading you.

I know it is simplistic to say, “make certain we take advantage of this time,” but I do mean it. Find board games to play, find activities that we haven’t done before, or find different aspects of our time together (parent/child) that really can build a memory. And it doesn’t matter where or when we grab this quiet family moments. It can be a major trip, seeing something new together, or during that quiet moment just talking without feeling the pressure that kids need to go to bed at a certain time or go to school the next day. I hope to hear some of those great and exciting stories that will come out of this break.

I also hope that as we all get ready to come back, we will have a renewed energy and drive that will help propel us into our exciting spring! There will be lots of concerts and athletic games ahead, so we can cheer on our Huskies. The Special Olympics Track and Field meet is on Saturday, April 12. The Grades 5 and 6 theater production is coming up on April 10 and 11.  And on April 17, I hope everyone make plans to attend the Upper School Arts Jam at George Mason University. The concert will take place in their beautiful theater facility and all of our performing musical groups in the Upper School will participate.  For those of you with children in the Lower or Middle Schools, this is an absolutely amazing opportunity to come and see where the arts that your children are learning now will lead. It should be a spectacular event, so please mark your calendars. I always sit there in awe listening at that concert, realizing how much we often pay to buy tickets to go to the Kennedy Center or to New York City to see a performance that is not even close to what our young students are producing.

Also our 8th grade students and parents will have their Community of Concern on Wednesday, April 16, which is a tremendous opportunity for us to talk to them about the real dangers of alcohol and drugs in our culture today. I hope every 8th grade family will make plans to be there for that evening.

Springfest is on Saturday, April 26.  Please join us for our second annual celebration of spring. It will be a fun filled day with activities for kids, a “Fun Run” in the morning, games throughout the day, lots of food, and lots of sun! Like Homecoming in the fall and Winterfest, we hope that this day is one beautiful way for us, as a school family, to gather and enjoy the fact that spring is finally upon us.  And as we get into May, be ready to attend the Upper School Dessert Theater production on May 2 and 3, concerts in the Middle School and the Lower School, art receptions, and before we know it… we will be attending the school closing ceremonies! It is hard to believe how fast time really does fly by.

But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. Let’s take the next two weeks to rest, rejuvenate, relax, and get our energy back. I look forward for all us returning on Monday, March 31, ready for what should be an absolutely exciting snow free fourth quarter.