As parents at Silver Spring Day School, we don’t just stand outside the door to our child’s education: we walk right in. We wash the cups, wipe the tables, sit to read a book with three kids in our lap; we sing the songs, get the “sharing timer” when necessary and gently wipe noses and tears. Outside we spot on the monkey bars, direct tricycle traffic, get sand in our shoes and hold many hands.  We know the teachers; we know our child’s classmates, and we know each other.

SSDS is a unique community of educators, parents and students who come together to play, learn and grow. Parents who send their children to SSDS not only choose our school because it affords their child an excellent preparation for Kindergarten, but also because SSDS models a vibrant, engaged community.

Parents and kids alike are enthralled by the magician at Octoberfest

Our children not only observe our work in the classroom, they also witness our participation in a multitude of other ways. Parents at SSDS are a driving force for building our community. When our children see us haul mulch in the playground on clean-up day, leave the house after dinner to attend an Octoberfest committee meeting or even organize an impromptu playdate on our fourth snow day, they witness our choice to participate in the building of our school community.  Every day, in small and large ways, they see us working together towards common goals. In witnessing this engagement our children understand something vital: that each of us has the power to transform the world.

The SSDS Spotlight is a weekly community blog that aims to “shine a light” on the SSDS community. It will celebrate, support and challenge that very community that we all work so hard to create.

Children benefit from parents who have co-op duties in the classroom, and parents learn, too!

In Spotlight you can expect to read:

• Interviews with teachers and staff
• Articles on the programs, curricula, and philosophy unique to SSDS
• Features on how our families are helping to build the SSDS community
• Stories that highlight parents’ work in the local community (small businesses, nonprofits, volunteer efforts)
• Local resources for young children, and ways SSDS connects to the wider community.

Most of all we hope that Spotlight will respond to the needs of the SSDS community itself. If you have an idea for the blog and want to shine a light on something at SSDS, please reach out to us at ssdsoutreach@ssds-coop.org. If you’d like to be a contributor, we’d love your participation: pitch us an idea! We want this blog to be yours.

Families walked together in Sligo Creek in Spring 2015 to support an SSDS student who was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease.  Parents in Ms. Lisa’s 3s class organized the walk to show support for her family, and to raise money and awareness about the disease.

We leave you with a question: What do you value most about the SSDS community?

See you next week.

~By Liz Webster Duke, mom to Emma (Ms. Lesley’s 4’s) and Liam (SSDS ’14)