Hi TakeruK-- thank you so much for both your response and your congratulatory wishes!
1. I definitely agree with you about informing the department/director as soon as possible. Being honest and upfront is important to me, so I think I will schedule that meeting within the next 2 weeks.
2. / 3. With regards to what I have to gain/lose by staying/leaving, I think this is where I am most conflicted. This is really where I had planned on continuing my studies, so I have set up my life so much here. I do enjoy the coursework that I am doing here, and above all else, I currently work as a TA and I absolutely love that! Additionally, from an unfortunately more practical standpoint, I'm not entirely sure what else to do if for some reason I was dismissed more quickly. My living situation as a graduate student is dependent on my financial support from the program, and so I'm not sure quite how that would all work. Of course, like you said, most basic jobs pay at lead what a grad. student stipend pays, but a last minute short term position can be very very difficult to obtain. I think this is one of my primary concerns. I really like your suggestion about asking if anyone has any more menial/short term lab work that might need to be done-- maybe a professor who needs an extra set of hands for a short term project , but doesn't have funding at the moment (my current funding is from a departmental fellowship, not a lab).
Thank you again!