School bell

Each day starts and ends with the ringing of a sweet-sounding vintage brass bell in the shape of an apple. Wanda comes running up with a big smile and a giant hug, and I tell her, “Good morning, Quercus Prep!” or “Thank you for another wonderful day, Quercus Prep!” Maybe we’ve got a Pavlov thing going on, I don’t know, but at the start of the day it gets us excited to do some fun learning and bonding, and at the end of the day it’s a nice moment of reflection on a day well-spent together. It doesn’t have the UGH or FINALLY SWEET RELEASE that one might associate with a school bell. Fingers crossed it remains that way for us, because it’s a lovely ritual.