A Letter from Our Director

Dear Community Members,

It is so exciting to write about the merger of two like-minded schools that are meant to be together. I have been falling in love with the Khabele School ever since my two older sons began attending there—my oldest two years ago, and my middle son last year. I have been amazed at how similar Primavera and Khabele really are, even while serving completely different age groups. Both schools place enormous value on emotional intelligence; community values; family involvement; conflict resolution; and the incredible idea that if children grow up with knowledge of who they truly are, and love this authentic self, there is no limit to what they can become.

A little more than a year ago, I sat in a restaurant with Moya and Khotso Khabele as they began to describe the possibility of our two schools merging together. Quite honestly, it wasn't anything I had considered, but the more we talked, it began to make so much sense. Primavera educates children from 18 months through the elementary years, while Khabele educates children from middle school through high school.How wonderful to be able to offer families the opportunity to educate their children in a consistent educational environment from 18 months old to 18 years old. How incredible for these two small, non-profit private schools to come together to share the responsibility of fundraising, administration, communication, and financial management. Primavera has grown tremendously over the past 9 years, but not without sacrifice and a tremendous amount of blood, sweat, and tears. It feels so wonderful to be uniting with another team of educators that I admire and respect so much.

This merger is an incredible gift to Primavera—it allows us to see all our dreams for this precious school realized. Together, we will be able to purchase a new property and grow our elementary program. We will have support with fundraising and administration for all of our programs. We will have a feeder path for our elementary students whose parents frequently ask me where their children can go from here. It's incredible to know that our elementary students can continue their education through high school with loving, compassionate teachers; the freedom to express themselves; and the support to continue their love of learning.

Over the past year, I have met with Khotso and Moya weekly. We have met with administrative staff and teachers at both schools, and we have worked side by side on a merger task force. While it has been hard work, the predominant mood has been one of deep excitement at all the possibilities that are within our grasp. I have loved getting to know Khotso and Moya more deeply and am so delighted to be joining their team as we launch this opportunity to holistically educate children from 18 months to 18 years—from "cradle to college!"

Warmly,
Jennifer Tyson

“One test of the correctness of educational procedure is the happiness of the child."..…Maria Montessori