Good morning Coffin School,
I hope this morning finds you rested and ready for learning.
This weekend I found myself thinking about the ideas of commons
and community. You may have heard this word “commons” before – there’s the Brunwick Greater Commons down on the Harpswell Road – and a commons is often thought of as land that’s shared by an entire community. When you stop and think about it,
the idea of a commons can mean anything we all share – classrooms, hallways,
playgrounds, schools, roads, waterways, the great State of Maine, the planet –
all things that need our caring attention.
I get the sense that sometimes people think rules or laws alone
can protect the many commons in our lives. I believe there’s more to it
than that. One of the things I love about our school is the fact that
people continuously choose to do the right thing, even in situations where
there are no official rules.
Remember the playground flowers I mentioned on Friday? While
there are no official rules saying we can’t touch the flowers, students are
being thoughtful of the commons and are preserving these blossoms for all to
enjoy. Thank you for your commitment to the commons and please keep this
spirit alive here at Coffin and throughout our community.
Before I end – one compliment and a reminder.
Everyone did an excellent job during last week’s fire drill –
thank you!
Reminder – we’ll have more fire drills and inside safety drills in
the coming weeks and they’ll be unannounced – that means you won’t be told
before they happen. With a fire drill,
you’ll hear the alarm and with the safety drill you’ll hear a message over the
intercom. Just continue to follow your
teacher’s instructions and we’ll all do a great job.
As Baxter Bear and his helpers would say, be kind, be gentle, be
safe – and, be responsible – that’s our Coffin Way.
Have a great week, everyone
