January Message from Meera

Dear Curtis Families,
 
Happy New Year! I hope that you heeded the advice in my December message to unplug a bit over the last two weeks. I definitely did and really savored my time with Philip. We enjoyed many sunrises together; I learned that “sleeping in” during vacation doesn’t exist in a 14-month-old’s world. Now, fully recharged, I am savoring the return of the joyful and industrious sounds on campus of our Cougar students running, laughing, singing, playing, reading, asking and learning.

As we launch into the new year, I want to draw your attention to our third annual Community Conversations next Wednesday, January 16. Community Conversations was created to provide a time for faculty, staff, parents and guardians to collaborate as thought partners in the work of Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity. As the adults in the lives of our children, it is critical that we come together to share thoughts, ideas and action items that help steward our commitment “to fostering a diverse community of students, employees and families; to supporting an inclusive environment for all children and adults; and to valuing the influence of a wide range of experiences and backgrounds in our curriculum, programs and interactions as members of a learning community.” (Curtis School Diversity Statement)
 
This year’s Community Conversations theme is “Rooting and Shifting.” Research shows that there are significant academic, cognitive and emotional gains when children are strongly rooted in their identity and equipped to shift to understand, respect and empathize with another person’s identity that is different than their own. During this school year, Dr. Elizabeth Denevi has been working closely with our teachers to develop curricular lessons and units of study that help to root students in their identity. Dr. Denevi will be joining us next Wednesday to share some of the research behind “rooting and shifting.” Along with Dr. Denevi, a number of our faculty members will share some of the work that they are doing in their classrooms with your children to develop identity. Finally, we will break into small groups of faculty/staff and parents to take part in an identity development activity ourselves.
 
The program will begin at 6:30 p.m., but I invite you to join us for dinner at 6:00 p.m. to break bread with other members of our community, including our faculty and staff. Just as our 5th and 6th grade students “break bread” each month, it seems appropriate that we follow their example and do the same.
 
I encourage you to join our faculty and staff in this important conversation about and celebration of our students’ and our own identities. Please RSVP for this event.
 
Finally, I want to thank you for your active, committed participation in our community in 2018. In 2019, I look forward to our continued work together in developing sound minds and sound bodies governed by compassionate hearts.
 
Best,
Dr. Meera Ratnesar
 
 
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Curtis School

15871 Mulholland Drive  ·  Los Angeles CA 90049
310-476-1251