There is little doubt that the highlights of the 2019-20 school year will be eclipsed by the COVID-19 pandemic; so many moments and milestones were overshadowed by social distancing, flattening the curve, quarantining, and of course, distance learning. 

The school year began with the inauguration of beautiful new learning spaces made possible by the generosity of our donors. The new Upper School Library opened its doors in August 2019 and has become a campus favorite for students, teachers, and parents. We celebrated the opening of the Lower School Innovation Hub for students in Pre-primary-grade 2 in January 2020. Our youngest STEM students barely had a chance to see what the space offered before we closed the campus. However, we look forward to all the amazing things that will take place in the Innovation Hub when we return. We are also keen to introduce the newest Graded space, The Learning Lab, a facility dedicated to faculty professional learning and adjacent to the Middle School Greens.

The 2019-20 Graded Annual Fund was just taking off when the pandemic struck, and students migrated to distance learning mode. During a time of economic hardship for many, we made the decision to broaden the scope of Graded Annual Fund support to include the One Community Financial Aid Fund. Under the auspices of the Graded Annual Fund, the One Community Financial Aid Fund offered emergency financial assistance to those Graded families facing temporary financial distress. I am proud to report that 44% of our Graded families opted to contribute their tuition refund to this fund.

This spirit of generosity pervaded our community. Graded’s PTA kicked off a COVID-response campaign to aid members of neighboring areas. With the support from our community, the PTA raised R$200,000+ and provided 4,500 baskets (cestas básicas) to São Paulo families in need of food and necessary supplies.

What I hope that you will see in this report are the many wonderful spaces and projects supported by your generous donations this year. What I hope you will remember though is how the students, parents, faculty, staff, and administration of Graded were able to come together stronger than ever.

All the best,

Tracy Harrison Peixoto
Chief Development Officer