WELCOME TO THE 2020/2021 SCHOOL YEAR!

Serendipity has just completed its first month of school and our staff and students are doing a remarkable job of adapting to our new virtual reality with creativity and resiliency. We, as always, are committed to supporting our students as we have always done in the past, through our four pillars of education, mental health, transition, and wellness.

As we look into the next few months, however, we know we will face many additional challenges and are evaluating what new supports our students will need throughout this year, and as especially as they transition back into our classrooms when it is safe to do so.

CREATIVE THINKING DURING COVID

Our Garden Manager Nicholas was preparing to compost 50+ pounds of giant zucchini that had overgrown while were on break at the end of the summer, when serendipitously, Taylor, his assistant, had made a loaf of zucchini bread and brought it to share. As they were eating it (in a physically distanced setting) in the garden, she mentioned having made it from one of the giants. Brian, our head chef, immediately signed on to process the rest of them and start making loaves.

We included a loaf in the first Family Food Share of the 2020-2021 school year since it was a way of getting some fresh wholesome food to students and as a reminder of their time at Serendipity (zucchini & pumpkin bread were part of the breakfast menu). In the following weeks, Tyler, Brian’s assistant got in on the project as well and now they plan to continue offering a loaf of zucchini bread in each share for months to come and potentially switch to pumpkin bread when the zucchini runs out. By grating & freezing it in batches, they were able to preserve the harvest and keep a little taste of Serendipity coming to students.

This is a great example of a deepening synergy between the garden and kitchen teams & the delicious result of some creative thinking and rock-solid follow-through that keeps Serendipity staff connected to our kids in tangible ways that go above and beyond education.

We will continue to share our journey with you as we navigate supporting Serendipity students in this challenging year. We are so grateful to have you as part of our community of supporters, and we hope you are well and thriving even as we all face difficult times.

We are so excited to welcome Kevin Thompson, Serendipity’s new Vice Principal!

Below is a short video from Kevin introducing himself and sharing a little bit of his background and passion for working with the students at Serendipity.

In Kevin’s own words to the staff in his introductory email:
“I’m super excited to work with you all and help you navigate instruction and classroom management in the current climate of distance learning and beyond. I know from first-hand experience the unique challenges presented by the students we serve, and I consider it my job to ensure that teachers have everything they need to do their jobs well.”

All of us here at Serendipity are thrilled to have Kevin join our management team. His experience and enthusiasm will be invaluable as we continue to navigate the unique and challenging times ahead!

WHILE THE PANDEMIC HAS CHANGED OUR WORLD DRAMATICALLY…

Serendipity’s commitment to providing special education together with emotional and behavioral growth remains unchanged. Our teachers and mental health clinicians work diligently each day to continue to deliver our unique model of special education, weaving mental health treatment into each student’s day.

As you can imagine, delivering mental health treatment from a distance has created new challenges for all of us. Working together, our students and case managers have demonstrated flexibility and resilience in their efforts to receive and provide mental health counseling remotely.

THANKS TO EVERYONE (INCLUDING THIS PAST WEEK’S DONORS BELOW) WHO DONATED TO MEET OUR URGENT TECHNOLOGY AND FOOD ASSISTANCE NEEDS! WE ARE SO APPRECIATIVE OF YOUR SUPPORT!

YOUR INCREDIBLE GENEROSITY HAS HELPED US COVER THE COSTS OF DELIVERING DISTANCE LEARNING AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES VIRTUALLY TO OUR STUDENTS!

For the last few weeks, we have reached out to you with the urgent needs we have encountered with the onset of COVID-19 and what Serendipity is doing to serve our students as we navigate this unprecedented school closure. Thank you to everyone displayed in the image below who responded so generously last week!

• This is how we are using your donations:
  To ensure that our students and families don’t go hungry we have spent $1,550 on grocery store gift cards which have been delivered along with vegetables grown on our farm by staff to our students’ homes. Our students love to be able to see their teachers from their windows.
• We have spent $2,600 on software licenses for Educational and Assessment platforms to continue to deliver Education and Mental Health services to our students as we transitioned to distance learning.
• We have spent $2,000 in art supplies and mailing packets to ensure that our students can continue to participate in both projects and Art Therapy at home. We continue to mail curriculum packets home to students who struggle to learn digitally.

Your continued generosity will help us to provide for our students as we navigate distance learning!

Please donate here to the COVID-19 Fund!