Dear Families,

I wanted to take a moment and share some information about how we're handling this year's presidential campaign in our classrooms. As we all know, children pick up on things in the news, and the coarsening of our political dialogue this election season has led to some unexpected conversations and questions. We have done our best to view these as opportunities for learning and greater understanding, while reinforcing Foote's core values as an inclusive community that celebrates diversity.

In the Lower School, in partnership with classroom teachers, Beth Mello has been facilitating developmentally appropriate conversations about what it means to live in a democracy and express different viewpoints respectfully. The Middle School has approached the election from various perspectives: sixth graders learned about the electoral process, while eighth graders study elections (past and present), as well as presidential platforms, as part of their U.S. history curriculum. Teachers have used our community expectations to guide discussions about the campaign, reinforcing the respectful sharing of ideas as we approach this historic election.

Warmly,

Carol Maoz
Head of School