We lit a candle—or at least we made a bunch of them.

Well, if you missed it, that’s a darn shame because our Inclusive Holiday Candle-Making Party was a whopping success. Hot cocoa (who knew Dunkin’ had such great hot cocoa?!), cookies, and lots of beeswax meant that 30+ people could use their hands to make beautiful creations to take home and light this darkest time of the year. We laughed, chatted, got to know one another, and agreed: a craft breaks the ice at a party.

So what did we do with that info? The same thing we always do with good info: we put it to use. We plan a valentine-making party in February, for any and all to come and hand-craft the perfect valentine for some special person in your life. In December, we brought a little light. In February, we’ll bring a little love. And who knows what we’ll think up for March?

But first comes January and some important dates, so mark your calendars:

January 9: School Board Meeting

January 17: AFIE book group meeting to discuss The Bluest Eye

January 23: Curriculum Committee Meeting

January 24: Policy and Facilities Committee Meetings

The new board majority has said that they want to hear what the community has to say about school board business. Their ears are open. They invite us to tell them what’s important to us, what ideas we have to make our schools the best they can be, how to unite our divided community around shared vision for our children’s future. So come and speak up. Add to the collective knowledge of the community and help our new board majority make good decisions that will set us on the path to excellence for ALL kids.

And to those of you who made a candle: we hope they burn bright in your homes over the winter break. We hope they bring a sense of hope to your celebrations, whatever they may be, and that they inspire you to keep on working on behalf of our district, our community, our public schools, our democracy, and above all, our precious children. ALL of them!