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What a Start!
Aloha Island School 'Ohana,
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What fantastic start to the school year! It is no small feat to get a school up and running each new academic year. And we all get into this work because we truly value working with young people during such formative times in their lives. And so, when the quiet of campus shifted on Wednesday morning for the first days of our K-12 students on campus, the excitement was palpable. One of my favorite moments of our first day was over at the Welcome Coffee. I was enjoying meeting new people and chatting about how drop-off went and where their child was in school previously, etc. And as I turned to refill my coffee cup, one of my colleagues, a veteran teacher, said, “OK, I’m on my way to teach my first class. And you know…after all these years, I still get a little nervous.” We all laughed and wished him good luck. And he then reflected back, “I guess when I don’t feel a little nervous on the first day, I shouldn’t be teaching anymore.”
And that’s it right there for me. I have had 31 first days of school as a teacher and administrator, and each year I feel that bit of nervousness, that flutter of excitement, that electric energy…why is that?
Because my colleagues and I love what we do, we work hard to do it well, and we want to bring our best to it each and every day. Our nervousness is a physical expression of our desire to do right by you and your children as we learn and grow together.
I know this week was not always easy – transitions never are. If you are new to our school, to our island, I hope you and your child/children will have time to rest this weekend, take this past week in and give yourself and those around you grace. It is exhausting to be new: to introduce yourself over and over again…to wonder if someone will sit next to you on the bus or at lunch…to not know where your next class is or the name of your teacher…to just wish your parent didn’t have to change jobs which makes you leave all your friends and everything you’ve known behind…
Many of us have experienced this “being new” feeling, so please know you can reach out if you or your child needs support. You’re a part of the Island School ‘Ohana now. Mahalo to all of the students and families in our community who reached out to their newest peers with kindness and care. We are so glad every year to welcome new people into our ‘ohana; it’s part of the great gift of being in a school.
And at the same time…the transition back to school can be filled with a different kind of heartache, having nothing to do with being new to a school: saying goodbye to your older brother when he gets to go into 1st grade and you have to leave him, your best friend, carried away by Dad…walking away from Mom when you’ve spent every day of the summer together and you don't want her to leave you at the classroom door…or heading into high school for the first time without your older sister, since she graduated and is on her way to college soon…
These transitions require us to receive this kind of tenderness too. I hope if your heart had moments of ache, that you can feel the love and support of your family and friends and be proud of yourself and/or your child/children for moving through the hard moments and making a way to moments of joy and fun this week.
I am filled with so much respect for how our students started off this new year with new expectations (including for some whole school days without their phones), a new schedule, and a new commitment to pursue excellence in all that we do, including building a community of care for all students. We have work to do to make all this happen together, and I am excited to be immersed in it all here at Island School.
Here’s to a great year ahead. If these opening days are any indication, we have a lot to look forward to!
In partnership,
Nancy Nagramada P’29
Head of School
n.nagramada@ischool.org
