Welcome back to that same old place that you laughed about!

 Hey dudes and dudettes!  It appears we have a plan to proceed with in September.  From what I understand, teachers will be at school on September 8 to get things ready.  On September 10, you guys will come and find out about the safety procedures and how the school year will unfold.  Then "regular school" (which will be a bit different from what we've come to expect in the past) will begin on September 14.  Yes, it will be different from what we are used to, but if we are patient and positive, we will figure out how to muddle through it together.  I know that most of us benefit from routine and it will feel strange at first, but before you know it, it will feel like this is the way it has always been.

I am a bit anxious myself about how it will play out, but we have another week and a bit to relax and get outside and breathe deeply and listen to the birds (always a comfort).  The best thing you can do is enjoy your last week of holidays as much as you can.  Do something you really like to do.  Eat a bowl of blackberries that you picked yourself (they're nice with ice cream).  Finish the short story you've been working on.  Watch a movie that makes you laugh.   Read a book that's a real page-turner.  Go for a long walk with your dog (or, if your dog is Daisy and very slow, a series of short walks, with breaks in between!)  Get out the frisbee and throw it around with a buddy.  Then, you will come back to school all refreshed and ready for the challenges that await us.

I have been thinking about what we will be able to do for a play this fall.  I don't think they will be encouraging us to get together in a big group to rehearse and perform so I had this idea that might be exciting and fun and will still give us a chance to put something together as a performance.  There is this book called Spoon River Anthology by a poet named Edgar Lee Masters.  It tells the story of the people who lived in the fictional town of Spoon River, with each person in the Spoon River cemetery having a short monologue about his or her life.  It is really lovely and touching and I think we could make a very moving and thoughtful presentation with it.  I would also like to reach out to any alumni who might be interested.  There are about 200 short poems in the whole book, so there are lots of characters to choose from.  If you are an alumni and are interested, shoot me an email (hopefully before September 25) to let me know you'd like to take part (there is a link to my email on the school website).  If you are still going to SLSS, we will "get together" (maybe virtually, if necessary) once school is up and running.  If you are in touch with any alums, let them know what we're up to!  See you all soon.