December 2002/January 2003

Giving Thanks

Dear Members of the PDS Community,

By the time you read this, we will be well into the holiday season. Even the Thanksgiving turkey will be but a memory, and we will be looking forward to Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwaanza and the New Year. Before the year changes, I’d like to pause and share a few personal thoughts with you. It seems natural to do that within the context of thankfulness, wishes and resolutions.

I am truly thankful for:
· The opportunity to work with your amazing children; more than that, I am grateful to be entrusted with the care and feeding of such a dynamic group of young people who are thoughtful, curious, confident and ever eager to be helpful and kind;
· The gift of colleagueship with the finest teachers anywhere; more than that, I thank my lucky stars to count as peers consummate professionals, who love what they do, engage in honest and productive dialogue and, most important, bring to this institution remarkable energy and commitment;
· The challenge of carefully examining our program and practices, building thoughtfully upon what others have crafted so lovingly and finding ways to make PDS even stronger; more than that, I thank you for honoring me with the stewardship of what so many have worked so hard to create over the last six decades;
· The chance to know and work with you in collaborative and constructive ways; more than that, I am grateful for the spirit and enthusiasm of PDS parents and staff, which buoys my own resolve to do the best I can for all the members of the PDS family.

I wish that we could:
· Pay our extraordinary teachers more equitably;
· Improve upon our already beautiful campus, particularly our science laboratories, library and middle school area;
· Add key faculty and staff members so that we can continue to meet students’ needs and interests and also give teachers and administrators more time to think, plan and dream;
· Find the goose that lays those golden eggs.

Finally, I resolve that I will:
· Work hard to keep us on a steady course, true to our progressive traditions and responsive to new information and ideas;
· Strive to provide a safe environment rich in opportunities for learning and for teaching and to always remember how much all of you contribute to this unique institution;
· Harness the resources of our community and beyond in support of all of our programs so that our horizons can be stretched and our responsibilities shared, giving us all more time to enjoy one another;
· Keep my sense of humor.

May the spirit of this magical holiday time bring families closer together. May the hope and promise of 2003 bring peace and happiness to all!

Sincerely,

Mary Jane Yurchak