Dear Parents,

"Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day..." yes, the melodies from our mid-winter concert are still floating around in my head. In fact, I keep catching myself singing them at the oddest times - reading mail, driving to school, and even while correcting papers! I guess that is because I had such a wonderful time at the concert listening to our students perform and seeing the smiles on many proud parents' faces. The next day children told me over and over again how excited they were that they had done their "...best ever." Just another reminder of what a wonderful place Swan School is, an educational model proving that music truly is an essential part of learning.

Next week sees one of my favorite times of the year, Valentine's Day. I always find myself reflecting on the people who mean the most to me. This year I have been blessed with many new friends that I have met at Swan School, each of whom I just seem to feel closer and closer to as the year progresses. Although many of the students have known each other for several years or more, there seems to be a growing comfort, an acceptance, and a nurturing companionship among them. A number of parents have told me that the simple act of walking into the school feels as though one is being embraced and welcomed. The children seem to feel this as well, they hate to miss school, love to learn with their friends, and jump at the chance to do things together - they have developed many strong relationships that are interwoven throughout the school - something that can make all our hearts smile!

I hope you get the chance to join us at the ice skating rink in Bremerton this Friday. Be forewarned however, ice is slippery. I found this out one year when, in eastern Washington, we shoveled the snow off of a frozen pond, put on our ice skates, and proceeded to fall down...get up...fall down...get up...fall down...oh my gosh did my backside get sore! By the way, to spot me on the rink, just look for the tall guy with the pillow tied to his bottom!

Luckily we will have our winter break to recover from any bumps and bruises we may get. For those of you in the parent book group, it will be a perfect time to catch yourself up with our reading. We will have finished Alfie Kohn's "The Schools Our Children Deserve" and be discussing it at our parent meeting on February 28.

Oops, there I go again, thinking about ordering one more Swan School sweatshirt while singing one of the songs from the concert to myself... "Dicky, Dicky Dinosaur loves to roar; but really, she's a gentle herbivore. THUD, YIPES, RUN, ROAR!!!!!!!"

Have a wonderful Valentine's and I hope your heart is smiling as broadly as mine.

Russ