| May/June 2010
News from the Head of School
It is hard to believe that we are at this point in the school year. We have many  exciting traditions and activities planned for the children to celebrate the end of another wonderful school year. Be assured that discovery and learning will be taking place right up to our final day of school!
With the arrival of Earth Day also came the preparation of the garden for planting. Many of the children worked with me during their recess time to help pull young weeds and till additional nutrients into the beds.
Last week we planted peas and will later add seedlings that are currently being tended to in the classrooms. There is something about gardening that sparks the interest of children. It was great to see the students add to their knowledge base as they set up for another gardening season.
Several weeks ago I was able to be part of a NYSAIS (New York State Association of Independent Schools) accreditation visiting committee. For 3 days the committee observed and interviewed faculty, administration and parents of an independent school in central New York. The committee used the school’s mission statement as its guide to measure if the school’s practices in all areas were consistent with their mission. This was a great learning opportunity for me as we will be visited by our own committee next April.
Over the next year the trustees, administration and the school community will be engaged in a self study of the operations of the school. This in return is reviewed by a team of visitors from highly regarded schools in New York that “audits” our self study to see if we do what we say we do. Successfully completing the accreditation allows us to join NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools) which will give us access to best practices of schools across the country. More importantly, it serves as an evaluation tool for the school and validates that we have reached a higher standard of peer review. While this will be an arduous process, I believe it will be extremely valuable to the school’s long term sustainability and maturity.
If you are interested in helping out on a committee, please let me know. We can work together to find a match between your skills, interests, and time constraints and the right committee for you.
The Steering Committee will soon be sending out a survey to the entire school community to seek your feedback on many aspects of the school. It is vitally important that we get a large percentage of our “stakeholders” to respond to the survey. This will be your chance to express your opinion and be heard!
Take care,
Wendy
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