Welcome, friends and visitors!

            As I write this, I am watching a grandfather walk his kindergarten granddaughter down the sidewalk to go home:  He is carrying a beautiful pink backpack, and she is wearing sparkly red shoes, worthy of the Yellow Brick Road.  She is talking non-stop, explaining all the things that happened today, while he nods his head and smiles.  I am reminded of the comment of a recent visitor to Lum – “This place is a secret treasure!  These kids are really special!”

            Donald D. Lum School is a tapestried mix of students from 26 different home languages, a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds, and no single ethnic majority.  We are a school which is a community of great riches – starting with kids who move in a diverse, multilingual world with grace and confidence; working with teachers and staff who bring their whole heart and mind to the benefit of each child; supported by parents who help to maintain the foundations – financial and emotional – that protect the essential network of relationships that nurture student growth and learning. These parents help teachers teach students in Literacy Intervention, in Motor Fitness, in the Art Docent program, in the garden, and in the classroom.  They serve as reading tutors; organize PTA activities, assemblies and enrichment classes; work as chaperones on field trips; and participate in School Site Council, English Language Advisory Council, and Gifted and Talented Education Advisory Council.

            As learners, we all keep growing – setting new goals, learning from our mistakes, celebrating our successes.  As adults, we try to shape an educational experience that will satisfy time-honored human needs, while preparing students for the challenges of a new century.  As eternal children, we all look forward to telling, in our own words, what really happened in school today.