Greetings from the Head of School

Sixth Graders Smith and Matthew discuss their Leadership year with Joe Marshall.

Dear Trinity Community,

As we move into the fi nal weeks of this highly unique 2020–21 school year, I want to off er my deepest gratitude to our parents, faculty, and staff for their eff orts in working within our health and safety guidelines to provide a dynamic educational experience for our students. This year, they and our students have been incredibly creative, resilient, and, above all, steadfast. In addition, I am very grateful for our Trustees; their leadership, guidance, and support have been invaluable. Also, I would be remiss for not thanking our alumni, parents of alumni, grandparents, retirees, and other community members. Your notes of encouragement and fi nancial support, especially during a year when we had to cancel the Spotlight on Art Artists Market, mean more than you will ever know. While this year has clearly been the most challenging in my 40 years in education, it has also been my most fulfi lling. Seeing how our community members have come together for the seemingly endless health crisis will inspire me for the rest of my life. I am so proud to be a part of this amazing community! What feels like a lifetime ago in early August, after we created a Pandemic Response Plan (PRP) that detailed our health and safety guidelines, the Trinity faculty team set four goals for the 2020–21 school year: 1. Provide impactful on-campus learning experiences for students under the new PRP guidelines. 2. Off er at-home distance learning for students with health issues or parent safety concerns. 3. Transition quickly to distance learning for all students if needed.

4. Operate under our mantra of “Reimagination, Flexibility,

Patience, and Grace.”

Further work awaits us, yet I cannot state enough how much I appreciate everyone’s support for helping Trinity meet the aspirational goals the faculty established last summer. While we are waiting on herd immunity, I am looking forward to an eventual return to pre-pandemic normalcy. We all long for—and will certainly more deeply appreciate— life’s simple pleasures: hosting backyard cookouts with neighbors, enjoying a fi lm in a movie theater, going to sporting events, traveling by air, and dining at our favorite restaurants. While looking forward to familiar habits and routines, after experiencing the eff ectiveness of enhanced health and safety practices, we will continue to take the lessons learned to heart, both at work and in our personal lives. For example, my wife, Maria, and I will henceforth wear face masks every time we fl y. The past year has also reinforced that learning is truly an in-person, social endeavor, particularly with the ages of the children that Trinity serves. One of our guiding tenets is to cherish the wonder of childhood as we help shape our students’ academic and character foundation for success in middle school and beyond. At Trinity, we know that academic learning and social-emotional development are symbiotic. At school, children learn from one another and from their teachers. They observe and learn to share, negotiate, and resolve confl icts. While I am grateful Trinity has been able to off er at-home distant learning for those who need it, being in school with classmates is preferable for the development of the whole child, cognitively, emotionally, and physically. As you will see in this latest edition of Trinity’s magazine, whether it’s the varied off erings in our Extended Programs, the early childhood pedagogy of learning through interactive play, or how social-emotional growth and development are taught and modeled at school, learning at Trinity is optimized through interactions and experiences with others. Please enjoy this wonderful issue of Flourish. It is a testament to the strength, creativity, and unity of our incredible community! Sincerely,

Joseph P. Marshall Head of School @JosephPMarshall