Dutchess Day School Millbrook, New York Head of School July 2017 www.dutchessday.org
The Position Dutchess Day School, located in bucolic Millbrook, NY, is conducting a national search for a Head of School to lead its PK-8 community of 163 talented boys and girls, and 31 dynamic teachers. Founded in 1955 by a group of families who believed in the benefits of a rigorous academic program, athletic accomplishment, and appreciation for the arts, the School has consistently followed its mission while embracing a tradition of service, environmental stewardship, collaborative learning and respect for others. Throughout its history, Dutchess Day has balanced academic rigor with an intimate, warm atmosphere in which students and adults feel welcome and safe. There is a true collaboration among dedicated teachers and staff, committed and supportive parents, and very special children. Dutchess Day graduates are highly sought after by and well-prepared for leading secondary day and boarding schools across the country. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced leader with an unwavering commitment to providing topnotch educational opportunities to join the School at a time when it is thriving in every way. The next Head of School will build on the remarkable legacy of Nancy Hathaway, who will be retiring after a seven-year tenure as Head of School. During that time, the School’s campus has been expanded and enhanced, the program has been strengthened, the endowment has grown, and enrollment demand has been solid. The next Head of School will be responsible for providing an atmosphere where students are actively engaged and encouraged to take intellectual, athletic, and artistic risks to develop independence and confidence. S/he will continue Dutchess Day’s commitment to the whole child, while maintaining a clear focus on the School’s mission, and both determining and executing its next set of strategic goals.
School History In 1955, when the idea for an independent school in Millbrook was brought to fruition in two rooms at a local inn, something very special was born. Since then, Dutchess Day School has remained true to its roots and its mission while always growing and evolving and never resting on its laurels. As the School’s mission statement says, the School values children’s curiosity and fosters their enthusiasm for learning. They do so by tapping into students’ curiosity, creativity, and imagination; by providing them with teachers who are experts in their fields and are passionate about teaching; and by giving children the opportunity to think independently. Dutchess Day graduates become responsible citizens; explore art, theater and music; learn how to compete on the athletic fields; and communicate with power and efficacy.
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Mission Statement: Dutchess Day School is an elementary and middle school that provides a strong academic foundation, values children’s natural curiosity, and fosters an enduring enthusiasm for learning. In an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect, students are encouraged to take intellectual, athletic, and artistic risks and to develop independence, confidence, and imagination. A talented and dedicated faculty maintains high standards within a balanced curriculum that challenges students to discover their unique strengths. The School seeks diversity and respects the individuality of each child. Students share their talents through collaboration and through service to the School, the community, and the larger world.
The School Dutchess Day has a broad program, taught by a highly experienced faculty, and designed to challenge students and build academic excellence and interpersonal awareness and empathy. The goal is for all students to develop the academic skills, social confidence, and strength of character for success at their chosen secondary school and in life. To do so, a traditional academic program is combined with innovative, hands-on learning experiences. Each member of the community enjoys the rewards of belonging to a small, lively, extended family. Students at every level interact with one another both formally (older students reading to younger students and acting as “pen pals� and weekly all-school assemblies) and informally (through school-sponsored events). The surroundings are warm and hospitable, reminiscent of the private home the School once was, and there are many reassuring, enriching and challenging traditions. In addition, parents are an integral part of the School community: they serve as class parents, chaperones on class trips, volunteers at school fund-raisers and community events, and as mentors who visit classrooms to share their expertise and life experiences. It is in having parents, faculty and students working together that Dutchess Day assures a successful individual experience for each child.
Preschool The Lillian Goldman Preschool experience is the beginning of a Dutchess Day School education. At the core of the broad, childcentered program is the philosophy of learning through play. The curriculum focuses on the social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development of preschool children. It stimulates the imagination of each child by instilling an appreciation for and natural curiosity about the world around them. A team of teachers builds an atmosphere of trust, cooperation, and collaboration, in which children can celebrate differences of all kinds. Within this safe and nurturing environment, children explore and learn while being encouraged to take risks. Children are supported at all times as they move toward independence. The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates
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Lower School (Gr. K-4) Students in the lower school learn in classrooms filled with books and materials with which to explore, discover, and invent. Their teachers understand the needs of children at different stages of development. The curriculum sets a strong foundation in reading, writing, and mathematics and provides rich experiences in the arts, science and technology, and physical education. The reading program in each grade is designed to enable students to become joyful, confident, and habitual readers. In writing workshop, students create poetry and prose as they engage in the process of writing, editing, and sharing. Mathematics lessons build skills and emphasize the connections between math and everyday life. Each grade focuses on a social studies theme, which is explored through reading and writing as well as field trips, skits, and special projects. Beginning in kindergarten, all students take part in the French language program, which introduces common vocabulary through games, songs, and activities, and provides insight into the French culture. Kindergarten students also begin the science program, which exposes young learners to scientific information, the concept of investigation, and the scientific method through hands on learning and interaction with their world. In addition to learning in their self-contained classrooms, students visit co-curricular teachers in the science lab, French room, gymnasium, music room, art studio, computer center, and library. Teachers use the pond, fields, gardens, and woods to inspire poetry, conduct science labs, and provide an outdoor setting for reading classes.
Secondary School Attendance In addition to local public schools, the following is a partial list of independent secondary schools that Dutchess Day’s students have recently attended: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Andover, Philips Academy Berkshire School Choate Rosemary Hall Deerfield Academy Emma Willard School Hackley School Holderness School The Hotchkiss School Kennedy Catholic School Kent School Lawrenceville School Middlesex School Millbrook School Our Lady of Lourdes High School Poughkeepsie Day School Salisbury School St. Mark’s School St. Paul’s School The Taft School Westminster School
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Upper School (Gr. 5-8)
Emerging from the lower school as active learners, students have a strong foundation of skills and a great enthusiasm for investigation, reading, learning, and discussion. In the upper school, students move from class to class, with a core of homeroom teachers and advisors overseeing their progress. Academic subjects include science, mathematics, social studies/history, English, foreign language (French, Spanish, Latin), computers, art, music, and physical education. Dutchess Day School emphasizes independent thinking and exploration, a strong academic foundation in the key disciplines, writing and speaking skills, social and community responsibility, collaboration, and integrity. As in the lower school, projects and field trips augment classroom study and provide many opportunities for interdisciplinary learning. Fifth and sixth graders experience an in depth two-year water study and marine biology curriculum that incorporates many field explorations and culminates in a week long environmental and biology field trip to Cape Cod. Seventh and eighth graders explore history and art in a week-long trip to Washington, D.C. Historical landmarks in the Hudson Valley are excellent resources for students as they study American history. Local museums as well as the proximity to New York City provide rich opportunities for students to explore the arts, such as an extensive unit on the Hudson River School. These learning adventures are exciting and highly anticipated traditions at Dutchess Day School.
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Fast Facts • • • •
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Students: 163 Faculty members: 31 Students of color: 27% Student Teacher Ratio: 10:1
Faculty holding advanced degrees: 71% Founded: 1955 Campus size: 30.7 acres Counties served: 6; Towns served: 38
Physical Education The physical education program at Dutchess Day School provides a fun and stimulating way for students to be physically active, while learning lifetime fitness habits. In lower school, physical education is activity centered, utilizing a problem-solving approach to skill development. The program is designed to teach basic motor skills, game strategies, teamwork, cooperation, problem-solving, and leadership. Physical education classes also incorporate themes from classroom topics, and students learn associated games, such as colonial games in second grade when they study colonial America, and Olympic games in fourth grade when the class studies ancient Greece. In upper school, Dutchess Day offers a comprehensive program which includes team sports, lifetime activities, international games, physical conditioning, and team-building. Students are encouraged to refine individual skills, to work as a team, and to win or lose with grace. Dutchess Day provides a variety of sports experiences and helps each student to appreciate the value of physical activity and fitness. Emphasis is on respect, integrity, and fair play, as students develop coordination, agility and game sense. In addition to physical education classes, Dutchess Day offers competitive, interscholastic sports for the upper school. Students may choose to participate in soccer, field hockey or crosscountry in the fall; basketball, volleyball, and squash in the winter; and tennis and lacrosse in the spring. Teams practice after school and compete against a number of local schools. While all students are encouraged to participate in one of the after school sports, participation is optional. The entire School, and many parents, participate in the ski/skate program Friday afternoons in January and February, during which the students go skating at a local hockey rink or skiing at a ski area in the Berkshires. The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates
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The Arts Dutchess Day School offers exceptionally strong and sophisticated programs in visual arts and music, as well as in drama in the form of class plays. The School believes that the arts are a fundamental part of the academic curriculum. Art and music are integrated into the program through projects directly related to class work. As first graders study Asia, they learn Chinese brush painting and build sculptures of Buddha in art class. The examination of European musical styles throughout history and global music broaden students’ musical and historical awareness. The musical roots of American jazz dovetails nicely with the study of American history in 7th grade, for example. At every grade level, music and art teachers, active practitioners in their fields, strive to awaken each child’s creativity. Students shape and fire clay pots, learn to play the recorder, dulcimer and guitar, design and build architectural models, compose instrumental quartets, and more.
Technology Dutchess Day recognizes that Technology is pervasive in our lives and is a critical component of children’s education. As such, technology in the School curriculum is not taught in a vacuum. Just as integration is essential in history, art, and music, it is also important for technology. Students use computers in the lab, in classrooms, and in the library. New concepts or software are taught during lab time. This time is also used to reinforce basic skills such as keyboarding and word processing. Students also use computers to help strengthen math, language, problem solving, and research skills, and SMART Boards are used in virtually every classroom. In addition, laptops provide upper school students with online research resources and enable them to have computers in virtually every classroom when needed. Further, upper school students are taught spreadsheets using Excel, lower and upper schoolers learn PowerPoint presentation software, and eighth graders learn page-layout and Photoshop basics to produce the School’s yearbook.
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Physical Campus For a small school, Dutchess Day has an exceptional campus. Situated on nearly 31 woodland acres in the Village of Millbrook, the School feels very much like a home. Most classes are held under one roof in the main building, an extended and renovated nineteenth century farmhouse, and students and teachers eat lunches together family style prepared by a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef, who prepares healthful, varied, fun, and, as often as possible, locally-sourced offerings. The conversion of the old gym into a mixed-use building for the performing arts and physical education is underway and will be completed by September. Moving the performing arts classes into the new space is enabling the School to expand the library, increase the size of several classrooms, and add other instructional spaces. This new construction, all of which will be completed over the summer, joins a new the science wing, which was constructed in 2014. The main building is surrounded by gardens maintained by parents and students. An outdoor classroom offers a sheltered area for classes to meet in the fresh air. Beyond the recess fields and pond is The Bontecou Gymnasium, built in 2002, and six acres of athletic fields. Farmland and forested hills allow teachers to extend their classrooms into outdoor exploration.
Millbrook, New York Originally settled by Quakers in the middle 18th century, the Village of Millbrook is a small country village 80 miles north of Manhattan, in Dutchess County. Located in the scenic Hudson Valley, 1.5 hours drive upstate of New York City, Millbrook is home to horse farms, vineyards, a quaint village life, and some of the best antique shopping in the region. It is considered one of the more affluent towns in New York State, and has a population of approximately 1,450 individuals. The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates
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Opportunities & Challenges Dutchess Day School is in its strongest position in recent history: the academic program has been strengthened, enrollment is solid, the endowment has grown, and there have been impressive additions to the campus. In addition, the School’s graduates are sought after by highly competitive secondary schools, and student attrition is low. In great part due to the work of Dutchess Day’s retiring Head, Nancy Hathaway, the incoming Head will find a high-functioning school that is eager for a visionary educational leader who will help Dutchess Day preserve all that is outstanding about the School and take it to an even higher level. The new Head of School will embrace the following opportunities and challenges: Maintain Academic Excellence: Dutchess Day is proud to offer an academic program as strong and highly regarded as those of the top day schools in New York City. The Head of School, aided by the senior administration and in partnership with the faculty, will provide the academic vision and leadership necessary to ensure that the School’s program fully reflects current best practices and prepares its graduates to succeed at academically demanding high schools. The community expects that the next Head will help the School maintain its dual commitment to offering a rigorous, forward-thinking program, combined with a traditional focus on student character and empowerment within a strong, caring school community. Provide Visible Leadership and Clear Communications: The Dutchess Day community places a high value on the Head as a visible symbol who embodies the values of the School and its mission. The strong sense of community requires that the next Head be highly visible and establish strong relationships with all constituencies of the School. The next Head of School will need to maintain clear communications with faculty and staff, parents, and alumni, thus ensuring a sense of community and a common purpose.
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Continue to Build Enrollment: Faced with declining number of school age children in the county, the School has focused on maintaining enrollment. Over 90% of the students offered admission enroll, a remarkable conversion rate. The next Head of School will work with Admissions to expand the pool of inquiries and applications by strategically targeting prospective families and by communicating effectively the School’s benefits. Maintain and Develop Physical Campus: With the movement of the performing arts program into a new performing arts center and the subsequent reconfiguration of space in the main academic building, Dutchess Day will have an exceptional campus for a small school. The next Head of School will be asked to work with the Board to create a plan for the ongoing maintenance and development of its extensive campus. Board Collaboration and Strategic Planning: The Board of Trustees is a healthy, self-perpetuating governing board that clearly understands its role as fiduciary and strategic guide. The next Head will have the opportunity to grow and work with an extraordinarily committed group of trustees who entrust the daily operations of the School fully to the Head. The Board has decided to wait for the arrival of the next Head of School to develop a new Strategic Plan. Provide Balanced and Motivational Leadership: For a small school, Dutchess Day is both highly successful and aspirational. In order for the School to achieve all of its goals, the Head will need to mobilize and manage effectively the collective rapport, respect, and commitment of the administration, faculty, staff, and parents. At the same time, the small size of the School will mean that moments will inevitably arise when the Head must be hands-on. Community Outreach: Dutchess Day has worked hard to be a valued member of the Millbrook community and beyond, resulting in considerable goodwill and philanthropic support from outside the School community. The next Head of School will need to commit the time to sustain the School’s strong relationship with the community. The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates
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Qualifications & Qualities of the next Head of School The Board of Trustees and the Dutchess Day School community are interested in candidates who possess most, if not all, of the following professional qualities: • Willingness to join the Dutchess Day School community as an active and visible presence in the life of the School and the larger Millbrook community and beyond • A deep understanding of important trends in education and the ability to combine that understanding with an appreciation for the School’s values, in order to articulate a compelling vision for Dutchess Day’s future • Ability to think and act strategically to support and enhance the School’s program, finances, and enrollment • Effective communication skills to refine and articulate the School’s identity and message, as well as its policies and procedures, so that organizational structures and strategies are apparent and effective • Excellent administrative skills with the commitment to delegate appropriately and hold everyone accountable, serving first as a role model of self-awareness and honest, personal evaluation • A warm, approachable presence that invites and respects the views of others, yet is able to be decisive when needed • Ability to work closely and comfortably with the Board of Trustees to build a true partnership in governance and leadership • Understanding of an effective external affairs program, which includes admissions, fundraising, secondary school placement, and broader community involvement. The successful candidate must be comfortable asking for financial support and have a commitment to sustaining a culture of philanthropy In addition, the favored candidate is an approachable, outgoing, energetic, confident person of keen intellect and strong emotional intelligence. S/he will exhibit fine personal values, courage, and deep integrity, and will enjoy developing and guiding the Dutchess Day community. The School will be best matched by a leader with heart—someone with a down-to-earth, hands-on style and a sense of humor. The School’s intimate atmosphere requires someone who connects easily with parents, teachers, staff, and students, and whose vision and energy unite the community.
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To Apply Interested and qualified candidates should submit electronically, in one e-mail, the following materials to Bob Fricker and Beth Dietz: • • • •
Cover letter expressing your fit with the specific values and needs of Dutchess Day School Current résumé Personal Statement that shares some of your educational philosophy List of five references with name, phone number, and email address of each to: Bob Fricker | Beth Dietz Bob.Fricker@carneysandoe.com | Beth.Dietz@carneysandoe.com Senior Search Consultant | Search Associate Carney, Sandoe & Associates 44 Bromfield Street, Boston, MA 02138 www.carneysandoe.com
Search Calendar: July 15: August 8: August 20-21: Mid-September:
Applications Due Search Update First Round Interviews Finalists Visit
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