Dear SAAS Community,
That guy in the front of the group in the picture above was me, headed up into the mountains with SAAS seniors on a Spring Break trip 30 years ago. Those were the days - haul a heavy pack up the mountain without thinking much about it, no gray hair, didn't need much sleep...and all with a healthy hip.
That healthy hip is long gone, thanks probably in part to those hikes, plus the years of kicking soccer balls into the penalty box during corner kick practices, and then hauling kayaks up and down the beach on the Alaska trips. And being on your feet and moving around is key for school leadership, especially at a dynamic place like SAAS. There’s so much great stuff going on all the time, and so much that I want to keep up with and be a part of, now and for years to come, so....
I'm headed to surgery over midwinter break for a hip replacement, which I hope gets me back to heading up a mountain trail again, minus the heavy pack!
While I'm recovering from surgery, Associate Head of School Giselle Furlonge will be acting Head of School. Giselle and I very much work in a shared leadership model, and she’s been acting Head of School these past couple of years whenever I’m away from campus.
I'll be off of email for a week or two, but I’m hoping to return to campus in mid-March. I will plan to see many of you upon my return, and if not then, at SAAS in the City on March 23rd. And then bouncing around SAAS with all of the cool stuff to be a part of, now and for years to come!
Thank you,
Rob Phillips, Head of School
headofschool@seattleacademy.org
P.S. Word is I should anticipate some serious Netflix and BritBox binging during my recovery. Feel free to send recommendations, as even a diehard fan like me can only rewatch the Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Shetland, and Gold Rush so many times….
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