Looking Ahead to Next Year
I’ve spent a lot of time this year listening—to students, faculty and staff, parents, alumnae—as a way of gaining a clear understanding of what we value as a community, what we are doing well, and opportunities for becoming an even more remarkable school. Many thanks to those of you who attended one of the community conversations we hosted last fall, or who completed the brief survey of parents we distributed early in the year. Today, I want to share some of the highlights of that feedback and some of the steps we are taking at The Ellis School in response.
First, it is clear that the strength of the academic program remains one of the core elements of the Ellis experience. We are always working to grow that strength. This June we are launching a week-long summer institute for faculty during which teachers will conduct workshops focused on sharing their best teaching practices and curriculum work with each other. And we’ll be focusing on enhancements to our Upper School Integrated Studies program for the 2018–2019 school year, including introducing an engineering and design experience for all juniors.
Second, parents have let us know that we have the opportunity to improve the clarity and coverage of our school communications. In response, we will be launching some exciting new communication efforts in the 2018–2019 school year designed to provide easier access to information about upcoming events and activities as well as comprehensive stories about life at the School. And of course, we will continue to share stories through social media!
Third, we heard a strong interest in continuing to build an ever stronger, more inclusive community among parents. I am so grateful to this year’s Ellis Parent Association (EPA) for the work they have done to create more opportunities for families to connect, whether it be through beloved traditions on campus like Heritage Day or the new Ellis Entourage activities. We launched a new group called Families of Students of Color that has met several times already to provide a forum for parents to share their experiences at Ellis and explore ways to make The Ellis School a more inclusive community. And stay tuned for information over the summer about some updates to our start-of-school activities for families within each division.
Finally, we know from your feedback that it matters for us to take good care of our campus. This summer will bring some welcome updates, including a new curtain in the auditorium, a resurfacing of the paved circle off the Lower School playground, and some repairs in the Middle and Upper School library in response to the roof leak caused by our extreme weather this winter.
Thank you, as always, for being a part of this special community. It’s an exciting time at Ellis and I look forward to welcoming everyone back again in the fall. My next newsletter will be my last of the year, as we celebrate the end of the school year and the graduation of our amazing seniors.
