04/21- Update
Dear Friends,
Hang tight, we have a long housekeeping email for you tonight.
Did you notice today marked a week since we received the news? It feels like a lifetime ago, and I think we can all agree that many of us aren’t the same people who started the day on that Monday last week. In that time, we got the school to pause within five days, and as of this writing tonight, we have 1,447 members of the Coalition and counting within seven days!!!
We want to remind the Coalition that we cannot stop with the pledges: we must keep going! Here is the link to the pledge form.
Two Events for you
Alumni Zoom: Tuesday, April 22, 7 PM
Join us to support the school and the alumni, in this moment and beyond. We have lots of great initiatives and need your help make them happen! Open to all alumni and parents of alumni are welcome too!
Parent Q&A Session: Thursday, April 2, 8 PM
Join Coalition parents and Coalition leadership for an opportunity to have questions answered after a short presentation of updates. Link to follow.
A few updates on our tech:
Our new official leadership email address is coalitionleadership@friendsofssfs.com. You’ll notice that is the sender of tonight’s email and will be the main sending moving forward. This is also the inbox we will monitor and use for communications with members of the coalition. If you need to reach us, we urge you to use this email. If you previously tried another email and received an error message, please resend to coalitionleadership@friendsofssfs.com. As we enter a different phase of being part of this journey together, we will shift how we communicate with you. This Coalition is about the collective, not one person, not one act. It is all of the acts and the people that Sandy Spring Friends School is about. So, you’ll receive these updates from our core leadership team starting tomorrow.
We’ve created a vibrant online community forum in our organizational Slack account. This is a space where coalition members can collaborate, mingle, and dream together for the future of SSFS. Anyone who has completed the form to join the coalition is welcome into this space. We will be ensuring that everyone who has completed the form has received an invitation into Slack. You will need to use the same email address that you entered on the form to join the Slack. We’ll also be announcing some changes to the Slack structure later this evening in the Slack.
Update chats: These will be different from announcements because they will provide acute updates on what is happening.
Shoutout chat: The amount of work everyone is doing needs to be celebrated, and that creates energy that changes how we show up, so anytime you have someone you want to acknowledge, celebrate, drop it there so they can be seen.
Venting chat: Venting has its place in the world, and we want to offer a space where people can do it, so that our stakeholder channels remain productive workspaces, and hold accountability for that.
Finally, don’t forget that our website is now live at friendsofssfs.com. We encourage you to share it with others who want to join this coalition or to follow along with our progress. Our nightly updates will be posted there, along with additional information as they become available.
We are in a pause, and our Coalition leadership is working incredibly fast to establish operations, create an organizational structure, and schedule events so you can engage with us while others actively engage with the Board, as you know from Saturday’s Board of Trustees update. We are optimistic but need to respect the confidential nature of this process.
We are so grateful for the outpouring of support that recognizes how hard it is to do what this group of people is doing. Keep that coming because it does help us to know it’s seen!
Shoutouts
Students who made the most beautiful and creative signs lining the entrance
Parents at carpool today lining the road to celebrate all the special kids who were coming to school and celebrate SSFS
Bonnie Imlay for stepping up to handle the many media requests and supporting our decision-making around a values-based media policy
Jonathan Bagg (parent) for truly being the most supportive Coalition member for keeping a positive and happy energy
Amaya Henry is truly the engine that is keeping us moving and paying attention to all of the critical tasks that are important for us to function
Warmly,
Heather ‘00
Coalition Team
Friends of SSFS
