Our Core Values
The Deerfield community is one that truly cares about all students, families, and staff members. We strive to align our actions and behaviors with the following core values: Cooperation, Academic Excellence, Acceptance, Respect, Responsibility, and Effort. Forming the acronym CARE, our core values help us create an environment in which all students can learn and grow.
Dear Deerfield Families and Staff,
For this week's Principal's Message, I am sharing my remarks from the Principal's Welcome portion of last week's Elementary Curriculum Night:
Today is the Autumnal Equinox, the first day of fall. The word “Equinox” is a combination of the Latin words for “equal” (from Latin aequus) and “night” (from Latin nox). The Autumnal Equinox is denoted by the day and night, light and dark, being roughly equal in length. Traditionally, the full “Harvest” moon is visible in the sky for several nights, providing farmers with the extra light needed to finish gathering their crops before winter sets in. Curriculum Night occurring on the Autumnal Equinox feels like an apt metaphor for the start of the 2022-2023 school year. I am seeing a great deal of light at the beginning of this year. There is excitement and joy in the building each day. I have the opportunity to greet your children with smiles and high fives each morning. Students are sharing learning materials and collaborating in groups and with partners. We were able to hold a whole-school assembly to review our Core Values at the beginning of the year. And, I am standing before you all, as we are gathered in the Deerfield gymnasium, for an in-person Curriculum Night, for the first time since the fall of 2019. All of these things bring a great deal of light to our school and make me feel renewed and hopeful for the year ahead. At the same time, the darkness we have experienced over the past two years is still visible. The intensity, challenges, and many ways that school has felt different is still present in my mind. Like perhaps many of you, I am still processing all that has happened and the countless lessons the past two years have taught me. Although I am unwilling to say things like, “I’m glad that’s over” or “Now that that’s behind us,” I do feel lighter and more clear headed at the start of this year than I have felt in a long time. I see the light in the many ways we have worked together, taken care of one another, and supported our wonderful students, your wonderful children, during the dark times.
I am confident that the full “Harvest” moon of the new school year will provide us with enough light to lean on each other and lean into our partnerships, pick up the necessary tools, and care for our school garden together. I hope you will join me in harvesting the lessons we have learned previously and tending to the new ones that will inevitably pop up this year. I know our community has the strength, skills, and commitment to one another to sustain us all through the dark winter months, keep us safe and healthy, and allow us to Be Kind, Work Hard, and Have Fun all the way into next summer.
Thank you for being here this evening. Thank you for granting us the gift of being with your children each day. And thank you for your partnership and endless support. It’s an honor and privilege to be with you all tonight and throughout the year. Thank you so much.
Be kind. Work hard. Have fun!
Sincerely,
Joshua Baumer
Principal
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Joshua Baumer
Principal
Deerfield Elementary School
72 Deerfield Avenue
Westwood, MA 02090
781-326-7500 x8201
The Deerfield PTO Welcomes Students, Families, and Staff to the 2022-2023 School Year!
We are looking forward to a fun year ahead!
Once again, we will be using our Deerfield School Membership Toolkit Website (https://deerfieldschool.membershiptoolkit.com/) to share the most up to date information on PTO events, fundraisers, volunteer opportunities, and more throughout the school year.
Please visit the site to update your family information.
More Info about the Deerfield PTO
For additional information about your PTO, please visit the PTO section of the Deerfield Website.
To stay up to date on the latest events and activities visit our Deerfield Membership Toolkit Website, follow @DeerieldPTO on Instagram and join the Deerfield PTO Facebook Group (for members of the Deerfield Community only).
Contact Us
Email us at DeerfieldPTO@westwood.k12.ma.us.
The Deerfield School PTO is a tax-exempt organization under the Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3). Our ID number is 04-3394630.
