A letter from Gordon's board chair

August 2020

Dear Gordon Families,

I hope that summer is bringing opportunities for your family to recharge and connect. We are all discovering new patterns as we adjust to this different reality, and although it still seems limiting, I hope that you have found a few silver linings. In our house, our dogs are certainly feeling the love, Peyton and Paige are stretching their independence on two wheels, and ice cream is a consistent element of our daily food pyramid! 

I write to you as Board Chair with several pieces of good news about the school year ahead. To be certain, there are many factors beyond Gordon’s control with respect to the pandemic. However, you can feel confident that Gordon’s Leadership Team has kept not only the health and safety of our children at the forefront of all decisions, but also in maintaining their joyful curiosity and inquisitive spirit.

First, you should know that we continue to attract exceptional families, and the Admissions Office has been busy enrolling new students this summer. As of this week, we have enrolled sixty-five new students, fifty-two whose families are new to Gordon and thirteen who already have siblings in the school. The total enrollment is 352 students, 43% of them are students of color, and there are new faces in every single grade level except eighth grade. Huge kudos to Veronica Jutras and the Admissions Team for continuing to communicate effectively about Gordon’s thoughtful response to educating children during this exceptional time. With so many schools facing uncertain futures, it is reassuring to be in an organization that is working tirelessly to build on our families’ collective investment in this school.

And for even better news… When we welcomed Dr. Noni Thomas López in 2018, she signed a three-year contract, and she would be entering her final year of that agreement this year. However, we were able to renegotiate her contract so that she will be at Gordon for at least five more years! That means that Noni will be leading Gordon at least until the 2024-2025 school year. Gordon is benefitting from Noni’s extraordinary leadership during this challenging time, and it should give this community great comfort to know that Noni will be able to address the short term needs of this school while also adding onto our firm foundation for generations to come. Noni and Rodney assert that it has been the unconditional support of Gordon’s Board and community that helped them feel comfortable in making this family commitment. 

Finally, I want to remind you that the Compassionate Community Fund has been set up to help families
impacted financially by COVID-19 remain at Gordon. If you would like to contribute to this effort, you can visit www.gordonschool.org/compassionatecommunity. If your family would benefit from this support, you can reach out to Tom Cicatiello at tcicatiello@gordonschool.org.

I hope that you find more reasons to smile this summer, and I look forward to seeing you on campus in September.

Fondly,

Amanda Riegel
Chair, Board of Trustees
amandagriegel@gmail.com