As an English teacher, I have had many opportunities to teach myriad authors to children. Dear to my heart at this time of the year are the works of English writer Charles Dickens. Students, of course, are always intrigued to learn that Dickens was not only one of eight children, but that he had ten children of his own—a true family man. Thus, it is not surprising that his stories are imbued with messages of children’s hopes and dreams, joys and fears, accomplishments and obstacles. However, for me, the most remarkable characteristic of Dickens’ stories is the element of “defending the imagination” that is found in them. In each one, Dickens carefully guards the child’s inventiveness and supports the human capacity for dreaming.

Thus, in the spirit of Charles Dickens, I wish everyone in the Pinewood community this year the gift of defending the imagination during the holidays. Whether it is believing in Santa Claus or believing in miracles, I encourage you to use your imagination and inspire your children to do so, too. The imagination is, after all, one of the greatest gifts of the human spirit.

As Charles Dickens said, “Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home!”

Sincerest wishes for a holiday filled with miracles of the imagination for you and your children! And, thank you to everyone who made the Pinewood Christmas Bazaar an overwhelming success this year! Please enjoy the accompanying slideshow from the bazaar and relive the spirit of holiday joy that it brought to each of us!

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Warmest holiday cheers,

Dr. Roxanne Giampapa

Director

Thank you to the L.O.V.E. Club

I express my sincere gratitude for the incredible work that each of our L.O.V.E. Club members has contributed to making the Pinewood Christmas Bazaar possibly the best one in the history of the school! Their dedication, persistence and creative spirit are but a few of the characteristics that they used to magically transform our school gymnasium into a holiday wonderland for our children and parents alike.

From my heart, I thank you!

Thank you to Our Generous Donors for the Christmas Bazaar!

The following is a list of individuals, families and companies that generously donated prizes for our very successful raffle during the Christmas Bazaar. All proceeds from the raffle ticket sales go directly back to completing the theater & multipurpose room for our Pinewood students! A very big heartfelt thank you goes out to each of the following:
	Antoniadou Boutique Metro Travel & Tourism Turkish Airlines Tsangarides Family Andie's Hair Studio