Last week, we hosted our first-ever Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day – and by all accounts, it was a big success! The weather was glorious, the singing was beautiful, and the company was delightful. We had nearly 100 guests, and after Simple Gifts, they were invited to tour their child’s classroom. We know that many of our children are able to attend Parkside due to the generosity of grandparents, extended family, and special friends, and we are so grateful for the loving support of our community. We hold our Simple Gifts sing-along most every Friday of the year, and all are welcome to join us anytime. Now on to ordering up the same weather for next year …
We are so lucky to have the great benefit of Joe’s 40+ years of experience, wisdom, and passion for Montessori education, and we are thrilled that he is now sharing his gifts even further in two special ways: First, a podcast on Montessori philosphy and methodology and second, a series of instructional guitar videos featuring songs from Parkside’s Simple Gifts songbook. We hope you enjoy these rich resources that are unique to Parkside but helpful for anyone interested in Montessori education and the power of music. Take a listen!
While Winter and Spring are still deciding who’s showing up day to day, our children are readying the gardens for spring planting! Over the past few weeks, they’ve been harvesting and enjoying the fruits of their labors. In addition, we are looking forward to our Spring Campout , open to all current and former families and friends of Parkside, at Pedernales Falls State Park March 29-31 . We’d love to see you there!
Lastly, we are now just over a week away from Amplify Austin , Parkside’s primary annual fundraiser. For the children’s part, we kicked off Pennies for Parkside this week, so they are collecting and counting coins and bills in their classrooms, and their totals will be added to our school total during the 24-hour day of giving, February 28-March 1.
For the rest of our community at-large, we invite you to contribute to our new multi-year fundraising campaign, Take Sweet Care of Parkside! Our three biggest priorities are the Children, the Teachers, and the Campus, and with your help, we can provide more student scholarships, enriching staff development opportunities, and campus improvements that will benefit the entire community.
If you’d like to join us in this campaign, you have several options:
Donate Early , between now and the start of Amplify Austin, and your gift will be added to our total after midnight on March 1st.
Donate during Amplify Austin , anytime between 6pm, Thursday, February 28th and 6pm Friday, March 1st.
Donate during our Parkside Power Hour
from 9-10am on Friday, March 1st and help us earn an extra $1,000 for the most individual donations during that hour.
Please note that Amplify Austin has switched to a new giving platform called GiveGab, which Parkside will use throughout the year for fundraising, but for Amplify Austin, make sure to donate through the Parkside link on the Amplify Austin site.
No matter when or how much you donate, please know that every gift is much appreciated and will go towards our goal of raising $300,000 by Parkside’s 30th Anniversary in 2021! It’s a lofty number, but if the large and loving community that Joe and Claire have built since 1991 comes together to Take Sweet Care of Parkside, what a celebration we’ll have when we reach that goal!
Thank you again for your continued belief in our work and your support of our community. To see the dream we had nearly 30 years ago still coming true every day is one of our greatest pleasures, and we so appreciate your part in making that happen. Please stop by soon – we would love to see you.
With much love and gratitude,
Joe and Claire
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