☀️ Summer Update ☀️

August 19, 2026

Greetings PDL Families,

We hope this message finds you well and that you are enjoying these summer days.  As we prepare to open our doors, we wanted to share a little snapshot of our summers so you can get to know us a little better. In July I had a lovely trip to Long Island, NY, to visit with family, and also spent some time in Florida and Maine. A few personal highlights of the summer were getting in some quality beach time, playing music with my band, and visiting four Art museums between FL and MA. Before we officially dive into the school year, I may try to venture out to MASS MoCA – which has become something of an annual summer tradition – if my schedule allows. Whatever adventures or quiet moments you and the family enjoyed this summer, I hope it was filled with plenty of relaxation and fun.

Ms. Carone here - I enjoyed a relaxing summer spending lots of time with family and friends by the pool, having BBQs, enjoying the beautiful summer weather, and spending plenty of time with my pup Albie, including trying out lots of ice cream spots and treating him to probably one too many pup cups along the way! A few highlights were heading into Boston to see the Tall Ships and taking a trip to Orleans on Cape Cod with my sister and her family. I loved spending days at Skaket Beach and exploring many of the Cape’s small towns. I also love thrifting, so I had fun discovering and stopping at different thrift and antique shops along the way.  I’m already planning another trip to explore even more! I’m looking forward to squeezing in one more summer celebration over Labor Day weekend, when I’ll be traveling to Westhampton, New York, for a family wedding. It’s been a wonderful summer, and I’m excited for the school year ahead!

With the school year just around the corner, staff have already begun coming into the building to unpack, set up classrooms, and gear up for what promises to be a wonderful year ahead. I've had the chance to connect with many of our PDL staff as we begin to build relationships and embark on this exciting journey as a new school community.  In all of my conversations, I've heard an unwavering commitment to creating joyful and meaningful learning experiences for your children, and there is a palpable enthusiasm for building something new together.  Despite the challenges that inevitably accompany change, we are already embracing a fresh vision and new beginnings.  If you can’t tell, we are getting excited for the school year, and can't wait to see the smiling faces of our students in a couple of weeks!

I’ve also had the pleasure of meeting many of you at the June open house, and a few of you over the summer.  As I’m getting to know new names and faces, I would love it if you stopped by when you’re in the building to say hello and introduce yourself to me and Molly Carone, our Assistant Principal.  We’d also like to invite you to our first virtual PDL Principal Coffee. Details are below:

Friday, September 11, 2026

9:00-9:45 AM

Link to Meeting: meet.google.com/kyz-kftm-dwj

We'll reach back out next week with information about Arrival, Dismissal and school logistical information. In the meantime, we wanted to check in with a summer greeting and let you know that we're busy getting the school ready to greet your children!

Feel free to reach out to me at cgavin@abschools.org or Molly Carone at mcarone@abschools.org should you have any questions. I look forward to seeing all of you soon as we begin this brand new year at Parker Damon Lower School!

Sincerely,

Christina Gavin