| Great year so far; great one ahead; new board members The last board meeting of the 2010-11 year took place last week, with very encouraging year-end reports from key board and board-college committees. Some major highlights of the year that were reported include: · Governance: With Robert Schiappacasse starting on May 2nd as School Director, the Director Hiring Committee has concluded its work. The committee screened many candidates, conducted interviews, and led a consensus selection process, including meetings with full faculty and parents. · The Governance Implementation Team (GIT) supported Joe O’Regan throughout the year in his role as Interim School Director. The GIT and the full board thanked Joe for the wonderfully successful year as Interim Director. The GIT now focuses its efforts on planning and facilitating the new Director’s transition. Robert Schiappacasse reported on his initial very positive experiences at the school.
· Development Committee reported on lessons learned from the year’s activities: a very successful Annual Giving Campaign in Oct-Jan, a wonderful 40th birthday Gala celebration, and other work setting the foundations for a professionally-run Capital Campaign in the near future. · Enrollment Committee reported on next year’s expected numbers, which look positive, thanks in large measure to this year’s enhanced outreach efforts. Highlights include launching an Early Childhood remote site (Waldorf Park in Arlington), and opening a third kindergarten class in fall 2011 to meet demand. · Building and Safety Committee reported on efforts to maintain our campus, both ongoing and upcoming summer projects. The Committee also reported that a campus planning task force led by Jeff Ask and Karel Steiner has been founded. · Long Range Planning (LRP) committee reported on being close to finishing the year-long project of updating the School’s Long Range Plan (combining efforts and input from Board, College and the community). This group also reported progress in creating a new five-year plan, and preparing for the community-wide Fireside Chats initiative in the fall. · The Finance Committee reported the healthy budget status for the current school year, enabling initiatives to increase funding for program, professional development and teacher compensation. FinCom also presented the budget for next year, and the five-year financial plan. · The Board received an update on PCA activities, and decided to form two new committees for next year to strengthen and broaden our community: Mia Moran will form and lead the committee on next year’s community celebration and fundraising event. Carol Damm will form and lead the Alumni & Alumni Parents Association. In this final meeting of the year, the Board of Trustees also approved next year’s budget, elected board officers, and voted in new board members for next year. Robert Schiappacasse and Joe O’Regan attend Board meeting as ex-officio (non-voting) members. The Board will have its annual summer retreat in mid-June to review the year to welcome the new Trustees, and to thank the Trustees who are retiring: · Cheryl Dressler is ending her three-year term after making significant contributions, notably as co-chair of the year-long LRP update efforts. · Tom Digby is ending his three-year term after impressive contributions, notably around development and enrollment. · Jonathan Edson is completing his second three-year term as Treasurer. Jonathan did a remarkable job for this community as LRP Chair five years ago. Moreover, it was his guiding hand as Treasurer that helped us steer successfully through the challenging economic environment of the past two years. I want to thank Cheryl, Tom, and Jonathan for their years of capable and dedicated service to the school. Miguel Canizares will succeed Jonathan as Treasurer and Officer. Miguel served on the finance committee this year and co-chaired the LRP committee. Miguel will join the continuing three Officers: Helena Niiva (Secretary), Keith Hartt (Vice-President) and Mooly Dinnar (President). Other continuing Trustees for the year are Shannon Ames, Jeff Ask, Ted Braveman, Susan Cody, Jonathan Green, Wendy Margo, and Helene Svahnqvist. The Board is delighted to welcome three new Trustees, voted in for a three-year term, to start on July 1 2011. Congratulations to: · Chris Alaimo (parent of Louis Savarino – 2nd grade), Chris joins the board after two years as chair for the Parent Community Association (PCA). · Leah Palumbo (Kindergarten Teacher) is joining the board after many years as a faculty member. An alumni parent at the school, Leah served on the enrollment committee this year. · Juleby Hirsh (parent of Isabella Hirsch – Fairy Bell Nursery) is joining the board after major contributions on the development committee over the last two years. 2011-12 promises to be another great and exciting year. We look forward to working together with our new Director, wonderful faculty and staff, and an active, engaged parent community. Look for communication from us over the summer with further updates and announcements. We encourage you to consider spending some of your summer vacation revisiting our Vision 2020, or reviewing the soon-to-be-released updated Long Range Plan. We look forward to working with you next year in reflecting on our shared values and cultivating an exciting future for the school. Wishing you and your family a happy, healthy summer. Warmest, Mooly Dinnar President, Board of Trustees . |