Welcome from Aidan's Board President, Rachel Li

Dear Aidan Community,

Welcome to the 2020-21 school year at Aidan Montessori School! Allow me to introduce myself: I am Rachel Li and this is my first year as President of the Aidan Board of Trustees. My husband JP and I have one child at Aidan, Jamie, who is beginning fifth grade in the Sweet Gum class. We have been at the School since the fall of 2011, when we started as a Mountain Silverbell family.

When we joined Aidan, we knew very little about the School and almost nothing about Montessori. We began our Aidan experience cheerfully ignorant of all the science, research, and hard work that went into the pedagogy being used to educate our then-18-month-old. Sitting here today, I marvel at our dumb luck. I consider us fortunate to have happened upon an educational methodology and a school that have transformed our lives for the better. Being at Aidan has not only introduced us to a warm and nurturing community, it has provided us with an outlook on parenting and life that has helped us through the inevitable ups and downs of the past 9 years.

I am honored to be the President of the Aidan Board, to help the School that has supported my family and other families so much over the years. As many of you know from the School Zoom calls and other communications over the last few months, Aidan's faculty, staff, and Board have been laboring throughout the summer to prepare for the 2020-21 school year.

The dedicated members of the DLP 2.0 Committee and Reopening Task Force have been hard at work designing the next iteration of Aidan's Distance Learning Program and planning for the opening of our doors when it is safe to do so. The Board has also been meeting regularly and will continue to remain focused on the long-term mission and strategic goals for Aidan, in addition to supporting and overseeing Kevin in his role as Head of School. I extend huge thanks to our departing Trustees Sharee Lawler and Bryan Patten for their years of service to Aidan and I welcome our new Trustees Josh Ackil, Zoya Davis, Chris Eanes, Eoin Healy, and Jennifer Paige. I also remain immensely grateful for our existing Trustees, Mana Behbin Baltimore, Erika Braddock, Dan Cave, Leanne Davis, Paul Goldstein, Brenda Haendler, Emily Skor, and Kennedy Wright. The Board will continue to work hard, and well, for our School. 

I know we are all stretched this year. I hope that you will reach out—to the School or each other—if you need help or even just a listening ear. I also hope that you will participate in the life of the School whenever you can, in whatever capacity you can, because our families, teachers, and staff are what make our community so strong. Come to a virtual Parent Association meeting, join a group support call with our School counselor, log on to an online parent education session, or contact someone new in your class or maybe someone you don't know that well—whatever you can do is enough. So much about this year is different; it has to be. But there is still room for joy and growth—and I firmly believe that our Aidan community will come together with grace to create an enriching and meaningful year for our children.   

Sincerely,

Rachel Li

President, Aidan Board of Trustees