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You Can’t Say You Can’t Play
Adapted from a Letter from Principal Cathy Howard, Barron Park Buzz, January 18, 2002
“You can’t say you can’t play” is a familiar refrain on our campus. While we didn’t make up this phrase—we learned it from noted author and gifted teacher Vivian Paley—we’ve made it “ours.” Our expectations for playground behavior are similar to our class norms and are built on our school-wide core values. We want every member of our community to feel included and accepted at school. That means that any child who wants to participate in a particular game must be included. If you walk around our playground at recess you’ll note that nearly every group of children is mixed by age, gender, and/or ethnicity. First graders and fifth graders greet each other by name. Soccer and Capture the Flag include boys and girls from several different classes. The children playing handball together speak several different languages at home.
At home you can support our emphasis on inclusion in several ways. We ask that children share food either with the whole class or not at all—sharing with just a couple of friends leaves other children out. Please send birthday invitations (or other similar communications) outside of school. Unless you are inviting the whole class, some children will be excluded if invitations are distributed at school. Finally, reach out to new children and help your child make playdates with children he or she may know at school but have not played with outside of school.
