• Curriculum Overview
• After School
• Events and Celebrations
• Service Learning and Partnerships
• Special Assemblies
• Mini Courses

by Robin Lasersohn, Service and Partnership Learning Coordinator

It felt eerily familiar to return to school on the heels of a flood disaster this fall. Last year after winter break, we all came back to SRV with images of the tsunami swirling in our minds and our hearts breaking for the people whose lives were devastated by this unimaginable catastrophe. I'm sure none of us expected to be haunted by similar images from the United States at the start of this school year. But as educators and as parents, one of our most important jobs is to help our children transform fear and despair into compassionate action in the world. Just as with the tsunami, SRV students are eager to take this action. With only a handful of days of school under our belt, already the Oldest Group, at students' initiative, is planning a relief campaign to aid families and communities of the recent hurricane disaster. Children learn so much from this kind of organizing, not just about the importance of sharing and helping people in need, but also about the skills that such action requires: leadership, decision-making, risk-taking, compromise, communication, and so much more. It is our hope that SRV teaches children not just to be responsive and generous, but to be imaginative and courageous–and to have practice in enacting their ideas for authentic purpose in the world.

The OG hurricane relief event is not the only way that news of the hurricane is being taught at school nor the only aid effort being planned. Look for further developments soon as the administration, teaching staff, and the Parent Community Organization (PCO) consider the most appropriate actions we can take as a community.

Adam Bolotsky, Oldest Group student reports: During the first couple of days of school we talked about the damage to New Orleans and how after the hurricane people had NOTHING. Then I suggested that it would be a good idea to do a class project for hurricane relief. I thought it would be a good experience for the class and it would be good for people affected by the hurricane. First we brainstormed on what project we could do. We had about a dozen ideas so we had to pick just a few ideas. We chose to do a movie night/ raffle/ donations/ bake sale all in one. We haven't decided who to give the money to yet but we hope you come to this important and FUN event. We will tell you the date as soon as possible.

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