Monday Message 8/16/2021

Dear Trinity Families,

This summer, I had the opportunity to travel to Portugal, and in particular, the Azores Islands of Portugal. These volcanic islands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean are majestic in stature and are said to be the Hawaiian Islands of the Atlantic. Located 850 miles off the coast of mainland Portugal and a four-hour plane ride from Boston, we decided to rent a car and just explore. The roads of these majestic islands are lined with hydrangea and there is just enough space for the oncoming traffic to traverse in the other direction along the mountainous terrain. My wife Lori is not a good passenger, in fact, she is such a bad passenger that she must drive. Being in Europe with stick shift in hand, I mumble to myself, “It is not the destination, but the journey.” As I sat in the passenger seat, I repeated that to myself, “It is not the destination, but the journey.” In that moment, I think how synonymous this is with the formative years of elementary education. This is the case with your children in every experience with its many twists and turns and scary views that are both terrifying and beautiful all at the same time. Once I focus on the journey, trust takes over me as I sit back in the passenger seat and begin to really enjoy the experience and exquisiteness of the Azores.

We, as adults, must trust the driver and trust that they are guiding their passenger on an incredible journey with adventure and beauty, albeit the teacher, your parents, or friend. Children need to explore and take risks to make lasting memories. Along the way, we all must stop and look at the GPS to ensure we are heading in the right direction; however, we must respect the process and this journey where the learning and pit stops are really the true education. The failures and how one recovers is the preparation of one's life and the true meaning of living life.

Please join me this evening at 6:00 PM in the church for our parent orientation (adults only). You will hear about our COVID protocols and how much better off we are than at this time last year. We will continue to lift protocols that make sense and that are safe for all. We are moving forward with parents back on campus and we will do our best to get back to life as we knew it before COVID. We are going to hold off on dismissal at glass doors.

Parent Orientation Schedule:

6:00 pm Church: All parents masked and in the church

6:30 pm Rotation 1: Middle School in MAC, Beginning School to stay in Church, Lower School in classrooms

7:15 pm Rotation 2: Lower School

 * Masks must be worn throughout the evening when indoors

 With warm regards,

 Mark Ravelli, Head of School