Fall (and winter?!) days are upon us, and we are really in the swing of things, having just wrapped up some of our favorite Parkside events – Community Picnic, Fall Campfire, Fall Fest, and Ghosts of the Past (with a Living Wax Museum!). In addition to the work that happens in the classrooms every day, these events are also wonderful opportunities for learning, fostering community, and creating lasting memories, all of which Parkside is dedicated to providing to every child and every family entering our gates.

Don’t forget that all of you are invited to join us for special days like these as well as our Simple Gifts community sing-along (most Fridays from 8:45-9:15am, call to confirm). And for those with children currently at Parkside, make sure to Save the Date for Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day – Friday, February 14th! This event was a big hit last year, and we’re looking forward to welcoming everyone again. More details to come!

At Parkside, Community is our middle name – it really is! So in addition to our own community events, every year, our families support a variety of other non-profits through monetary donations and in-kind drives. Just this semester, we’ve already held a school supply drive for the SAFE charter school , raised money for Save Our Springs Alliance through the sale of children’s handwork, supported the St, Baldrick’s Foundation and childhood cancer research with our family talent show “Parkside’s Got Talent,” and donated over 350 pounds of food to the Central Texas Food Bank ! We are grateful to have generous donors who support our work year after year, so it’s important to us to share the love and have the children experience the gift of giving, too.

Speaking of, just in time for the holidays, the children have created a one-of-a-kind design for the perfect gift that gives back to Parkside! We have partnered with Austin-based Pamba Towels for these precious keepsakes, featuring handprints from the Primary children and self-portraits from the Elementary children, and we are excited to share them with you! The towels are made of high-quality, 100% cotton and measure 18″x30″. They are $20 each for 1-2, $15 each for 3 or more (enter promo code  Discount15  at checkout), and a portion of sales benefits our school. Order online by this Friday , November 22nd (password: Joe) and the towels will be delivered for pick-up at Parkside the week of December 9th (or we can ship to you from here). Get your holiday shopping started with help from our talented children – and give a little gift to Parkside, too!

And as a reminder, in preparation for our 30th Anniversary in Spring 2021 , we’ll once again be participating in Amplify Austin this spring as our primary fundraiser for the year. Last year, we launched our Take Sweet Care of Parkside campaign in honor of Joe and Claire and in support of the children, the teachers, and the campus. If you’re considering a year-end gift to Parkside, you can donate to our Amplify Austin fundraising page now or contact me , and know that your generosity is deeply appreciated and will help us continue delivering Montessori education from the heart for the next 30 years and beyond.

Finally, we celebrated two very special birthdays in October – Claire on the 3rd and Joe on the 29th. How lucky we are to have them both in our lives and to receive the many gifts they’ve given us through Parkside. Happiest Birthdays to Clarita and Jam-pa Joe!

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