Good morning Lothrop Community,
As our Flag has been lowered to half-staff this morning to honor and pay our respects to the individuals who lost their lives on the 20th anniversary of September 11, 2001, we are also reminded of a time when great heroism was found in innumerable places. Our gratitude continues.
I held off on sending this edition of Panther Press as I was awaiting guidance on Open House-ours was the first scheduled. While creating a plan, based on the guidance given for Open House, and what it would need to look like at Lothrop, the plan created did not at all have the wonderful community feel that it has had in past years, so I have decided to push the Open House event to the spring where we will have a Celebration of Learning, inviting families in to see the highlights of our work from the year. (Should we still be in this same place, we would have time to plan for an outdoor event.)
Another large reason for postponing a gathering is that I recognize what a huge toll it has been on families when they have to quarantine, whether their child has been exposed or tested positive. While a gathering may not cause a spread of the virus if everyone is masked, a number of children could have to quarantine if someone unknowingly came to Open House with the virus. A neighboring school is currently experiencing a shutdown of classrooms, and I want to balance providing as much normalcy as possible without adding factors that increase our risk of exposure or a need to quarantine.
Open House has never been a time to discuss the individual needs of children, however, I strongly urge you to reach out to your child's teacher should you have questions or concerns so that they can set up a meeting prior to Family Conferences, which are scheduled for the 9th and 18th of November.
Here you should find the latest edition of Panther Press. It is a beautiful day today, I hope you are able to enjoy some of it 
Best,
Deb
Debbie Alexander
Principal, Lothrop School
3447 US Rte. 7
Pittsford, VT 05763
(Phone) 802-483-2242
(Fax) 802-483-2146
We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future ~FDR