Hello, Parkside Families and Friends.

I hope this message finds you well and recovering from the recent storms. Just when we thought we had a handle on life during a global pandemic, we were reminded once again how quickly things can change, and we were called upon to employ the attributes of Joe’s favorite Lao Tzu quote – humility, perseverance, and adaptability. 

For nearly a year, we have all been swimming in uncharted waters, and at Parkside, our community, programs, and finances have felt the effects. Tuition is our sole source of income, and the health and safety guidelines recommended for schools, while critically important during this time, have severely impacted our enrollment for this school year. In addition, we are now faced with significant storm-related damage to two of our buildings, so all Elementary children have had to resume online learning until we can make their classrooms safe and comfortable again. We have had to shift routines and expectations, and we have persevered thanks to the trust and commitment of our families and staff. We have also been fortunate to have rainy day savings to help cover some of the costs of pandemic-era operations, but it’s been pouring pretty steadily – particularly in the last two weeks – and we are now asking for your help.

This week is Parkside’s primary annual fundraiser,  Amplify Austin , a 24-hour online giving initiative for Central Texas non-profit organizations. This is our seventh year to participate in this accessible, sharable, and cost-effective way to support our school, and we hope you will be moved to give. We engage in annual fundraising because it is truly needed, not just as a matter of course, and to have a willing, giving community is a luxury that none of us take for granted.  We could not do this work without your support, and thanks to your generosity, we can continue to run a lean and thoughtful operation without sacrificing the quality of this beautiful experience or our sincere commitments to the children and our community. 

Current and former families and all friends of Parkside are invited to contribute to our efforts with your  online donations during Amplify Austin  from  6pm Thursday, March 4th to 6pm Friday, March 5th . We are extending and refocusing our Take Sweet Care of Parkside campaign to include pandemic and storm recovery as well as tuition assistance, and all donations are tax deductible. I’ll be sharing reminders throughout the week, but if you have any questions or are interested in becoming a matching donor,  please reach out to me  directly.

In this moment, we are humbled, but we are also hopeful. Despite it all, learning and growing are happening every day on campus, and love and laughter abound. Parkside has weathered other storms over the past 30 years, and we will weather these. Thank you for standing strong with us and sharing our belief in the brighter days to come.

With gratitude,

Courtney

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