"The Spirit of Giving Tree"

As the holiday season is already off and running, I wanted to take the time to explain a new and welcoming seasonal addition to the front entryway at Marion W. Savage Elementary School - "The Spirit of Giving Tree". This tree was a collaborative effort among multiple staff members and students alike. As you can clearly see in the picture, MWS First Grade students are standing next to the tree, celebrating the newly created decorations they took the time to make and hang themselves - all in the spirit of giving.

The purpose of this tree is to serve as a reminder to one and all how important the act of giving to others truly is, around the holiday season in particular. Due in large part to the current state of our economy and unemployment in our area, it is possible that numerous families in our school community do not have enough food to eat. In "the spirit of giving", you will see boxes beneath the tree already filling up with food donations. As your family visits the grocery store in the upcoming weeks or even is cleaning out the cupboards of your kitchen, please feel free to send any non-perishable food items with your student to MWS and place them under the tree. All collected food items will be donated to the Community Action Council, which currently does not have enough food to give to families in need.

A dear friend and member of our learning community sent me the following quote, and I think it may serve appropriate as we consider tradition at Marion W. Savage Elementary and work to keep our school spirit alive. This is a portion of a local author's feelings on change in her community:

"We have work to do - all of us...the entire [MWS] community - staff, students, families, the community. We can question the changes, because that makes us reflective of the process. We can voice concern - AND celebrate the successes, because that forces us to take a broad look at exactly what is going on. But we must be committed members of the team."

Now, perhaps more than ever, I would like to invite each and every member of the Marion W. Savage learning community to be or to continue to be a committed member of our MWS team. The success of our students depends upon it. I wish you the happiest of holiday seasons, and I hope that your family continues to grow and prosper as the new year approaches.