Bonjour

First and foremost, I want to acknowledge that the events of this past week likely touched each of us in some way.  If you or someone you know was impacted directly by what happened in Danvers, know that the Coolidge community supports you and please let us know how we can help.  It was a  tragedy that has impacted us all of us for many reasons.  We feel impacted not only due to the proximity and similarity of the town of Danvers to Reading, but aslo we are impacted as teachers, students, mothers, fathers, guardians, sons, daughters, siblings, friends, and peers.  Know that at Coolidge and in all of the Reading schools, the safety of our students and staff is of paramount importance.

In times such as these, many of us feel the need to hold our own children a bit tighter, slip in an extra kiss (or for those of us who are parents of teens, then perhaps finding success by landing a kiss on them at all!), play a bit longer, and to be more present in our interactions.  Yet a true testament to the trust our Coolidge parents have in the school became evident on Thursday morning when parents of Team Gemini 8th graders brought their sons and daughters to Coolidge, their bags packed, ready for their trip to Quebec, Canada. Rather than holding them tighter during an emotional week, they had the trust and conviction to let their kids go.  Thank you, parents!  It was so nice to see the students lined up to get on the bus, the numbers of students exactly as it should have been, saying "au revoir" and "adieu" as they made their way onto the bus.

And what a success the trip was! As the students and chaperones got off of the bus on Saturday night, they were tired, happy, and safe.  The trip was filled with experiences that will become a lifetime memory for the students who could be part of this opportunity.  Special thanks to Mrs. Klein for leading and chaperoning the trip, Mrs. Cuscuna for helping to coordinate and for chaperoning, and to Mr. Smith and Mr. Bernard for chaperoning. Trips like these take full and complete attention and energy on behalf of the chaperones, with the cargo so prescious!

Enjoy the week ahead!  Happy Halloween!