Subject: Sidwell 8th Grade -- "Moment of Silence" in Upper School
From: "Mary Kostel" <[email-masked]>
To: "Mary Kostel" <[email-masked]>, "Tessa van der Willigen" <[email-masked]>, "Amy Gleklen" <[email-masked]>, "Elise Goldstein" <[email-masked]>, "Susan Wilder" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 2015 21:59:09 -0400

Dear fellow 8th grade parents,

Many of us have become aware, at the Conversation with Sally a few weeks
ago and/or at the recent tours of the Upper School, that the Upper School
day typically does not start with a moment of silence (MOS). We have heard
from many who are concerned that our kids may be about to abandon this
hard-earned practice, which they feel could help them throughout their
lives.

As your grade reps, we have set up a meeting with Mamadou Gueye, the Upper
School principal, to explain how parents feel on this issue and to discuss
options. Clearly the school is receptive to the idea of a MOS, although
there are difficult scheduling issues.

We plan to keep the meeting small, as we feel this will be most conducive
to an informal and productive exchange. But we need to hear your thoughts,
whether you want to support a MOS, or feel it is not very important, or
feel that our kids’ time could be better spent. We really want to represent
opinions fairly! We will compile what is shared with us into a “sense of
the parents” and present this to Mamadou.  If you would like to weigh in,
please e-mail the five of us by Friday May 8 (you will catch us, and only
us, by Reply to All on this e-mail). We will update you on the “sense of
parents” prior to our meeting, and of course on Mamadou’s response
afterwards.

Thank you in advance for your engagement on this issue!

Tessa, Mary, Amy, Elise, and Susa