Before spending the day in closed-door meetings at the White House, President Obama was off to school this morning.

The President and first lady spent the morning in parent-teacher conferences at Sidwell Friends School in NW Washington, D.C., where both of the their children are students.

Later this afternoon, the president will meet privately with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

In the evening, Obama will attend a Diwali reception at the White House.

“Diwali is a time for gathering with family and friends and as we experienced in India, celebrating with good food and dancing,” Obama said in a statement, recalling his memories of the celebrations in Mumbai last year.

“Today, here in America and around the world, Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and some Buddhists will celebrate the holiday of Diwali – the festival of lights,” he said.