Dear TASIS Dorado Community,

As we approach the Thanksgiving break, I want to express my gratitude for the students, teachers, and parents who make up TASIS Dorado. Gracias for being a part of this remarkable community and supporting its mission!

I am reminded of how important it is to cultivate an attitude of gratitude. Recent research has shown that keeping a "gratitude journal" or simply pausing to focus on the positive has many benefits. Daily discussion of thankfulness with a friend or loved one "results in higher reported levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness, energy, and sleep duration and quality. Grateful people also report lower levels of depression and stress, although they do not deny or ignore the negative aspects of life." (Lambert, 2011)

Now we look forward to carrying on the great tradition of celebrating Thanksgiving with friends and family. A brief reminder of its origins: After their first harvest, the Pilgrims settlers of the new Plymouth Plantation held a celebration of giving thanks and feasting in the fall of 1621—even though nearly half had died during the previous harsh winter. The Native American chiefs Massasoit, Squanto, and Samoset joined the celebration with ninety warriors for the three-day event.

In 1789, George Washington issued a decree setting aside November 26 as "A Day of Public Thanksgiving and Prayer." In 1863, President Lincoln established Thanksgiving as a national holiday.

We often take good things for granted: health and food, which are daily blessings; family, which is the foundation of our societal well-being; and faith, which gives us hope and strength to live fully and carry on in difficult times.

I give thanks for the 790 children who fill our school each day with thoughtful inquiry and joyful creativity, for the 100+ hard-working, dedicated professionals who create a special environment and share the gift of learning with these youngsters, and for you who partner with us in educating the next generation.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Sincerely,

Tim Howard

Headmaster

"To educate yourself for the feeling of gratitude means to take nothing for granted, but to always seek out and value the kindness that stands behind the action... Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude." – Dr. Albert Schweitzer, Nobel Prize winner