Friday Letter: May 8, 2020

Dear WDS Friends and Families,

The word of the week is upbeat, which according to Merriam-Webster dictionary means Having a positive, optimistic and lively tone, attitude, etc. Synonymous with bright, buoyant. See Adrian’s message to the community for example. It is the most accurate way to describe staring down uncertainty and adversity. Truth be told, the reportage in Our Friday Letter is slanted. Colored by affection, devotion and a keen eye on sharing and honoring what matters.

Starting with the rovings of Robin’s Story Journey. Witnesses sighted her yesterday in her bookmobile making deliveries of books. Do we need to be more emphatic about how we care about LITERACY? We also have the 6th grade’s newest edition of TYPEWRITER. And what I can best describe as these week(s) at a glance, events that are being planned by leadership, faculty and community members in a way that is pure WDS: creative and ingenious. Some, but not all of these happenings include: 

• The Battering Ram’s Global Salon called “Coming Together from Our Living Rooms” (May 21)
• Spirit Week /Virtual Field Day (May 18-22)
• Senior Presentations (June 5, 8, 9)
• Moving Up (June 10)Graduation (June 13)
• The WDS student Film Festival (June 5 platform TBD)

Stay tuned for details.

I also want to share the assembling and launching of the WDS 2020 Task Force that will be co-chaired by Sam Osterhout and myself. The deliverable is a fluid and comprehensive plan of how we will approach and operate opening WDS in the fall. There is also a parallel task force chaired by Bob Osterhoudt whose deliverable is a facility plan that addresses all aspects of hygiene and social distancing. 

And finally, the Leadership Team, including Sam Osterhout, will be holding three Town Hall meetings to take questions and to discuss next year. Please keep your eyes open for another email with more specific details about next fall and our path forward. 

Stay well and make happiness a habit.

David Penberg
Head of School