San Diego French-American School San Diego, California Head of School July 2017 www.sdfrenchschool.org
The Position Multilingual, multitalented, world-ready. These are the qualities that San Diego French-American School nurtures in its 350 students in grades PK-8. Through a rigorous dual-language immersion curriculum and a unique array of multicultural experiences, the school helps students develop the intellectual and cultural skills they need to excel in today’s truly global society, whether they attend an American private school, a French lycée, or American public high school.
Mission San Diego French-American School provides a rigorous dual-language immersion curriculum and unique multicultural experience that forges open-minded citizens.
Values Respect and tolerance, multicultural awareness and open-mindedness, achievement, hard work, ethics, and courage.
Fast Facts • • • • • •
Total students: 350-360 Students of color: 29% Faculty members: 32 Faculty with advanced degrees: 88% Student/teacher ratio: 10:1 Students receiving financial aid: 20%
For nearly 30 years, SDFAS has offered a rich duallanguage program characterized both by rigorous academics and the emotional success of its students. Teachers strive to ensure that students are happy, nurtured, and individually supported, as well as fluent in two (or more!) languages. Parents seek out and praise the school for the quality of its dual-language curriculum, for its highly qualified and talented teachers, for its comprehensive math program, for its multicultural environment that promotes understanding and respect, and for its pedagogic approach that fosters creativity, critical thinking skills, and debates in small classes. SDFAS now seeks a new Head of School, effective July 2017, to lead this diverse community of learners. The successful candidate will be committed to multicultural education and a proven, capable leader. This is an exciting opportunity for a qualified candidate to make his or her mark on a high-performing, bilingual school.
School History
SDFAS was founded as the San Diego International School in 1988 by Andre and Chandra Bordes. In that year, the school enrolled just five preschool-aged students in the Clairemont Mesa neighborhood of San Diego. From 1988 until his retirement in 2010, Mr. Bordes served as the school’s beloved Headmaster. He oversaw multiple moves, enrollment expansion, and accreditations throughout his tenure. After just two years of operation, the school moved to a new campus and was accredited by the French Ministry of National Education. By 1997, when it gained accreditation by WASC, its enrollment was at 130. In 2006, the school changed its name to the San Diego French-American School. It is one of 43 French international schools in the United States and the only fully accredited PK-8 grade school in San Diego.
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The School At its core, SDFAS provides students with the life skills necessary to adapt to the challenges of the future: the ability to communicate in several languages, the ability to understand other cultures, and the opportunity to become creative, independent thinkers. Students are encouraged to grow with an open mind, to enjoy teamwork, and to develop leadership skills. While they focus on a rigorous and challenging academic program, teachers also emphasize character development and promote the acquisition of positive qualities such as critical thinking, respect, tolerance, resilience, and openmindedness. The school’s academic program is derived from the strengths of both the French and American systems of education. Along with a strong commitment to excellence in math, science, arts, and sports, SDFAS prepares students with the skills they need to face future challenges. Students emerge from SDFAS with strong communication skills in at least two languages, which help them adapt to different cultures and diverse environments. Autonomy is encouraged from a young age, and students develop a sense of responsibility that deepens as they move through the school’s three divisions: pre-elementary, lower school, and middle school. The pre-elementary program at SDFAS combines several distinguished philosophies and pedagogies to provide a firm foundation. The goal is to help each student find independence while expanding their skills and knowledge. The school’s dual-immersion program reinforces vocabulary and structured language studies. The division also balances structured and free activities, providing an educational experience that is both challenging and playful. In the lower school, the school’s bilingual program combines the pedagogical core requirements of both the French Ministry of Education and the framework of standards put forth by the California State Department of Education. Structured in accordance with the French cycle system, the number of hours students spend learning in English increases gradually as students advance through the cycles. Teachers blend French and American programs to offer a unique, challenging, and balanced program that meets the requirements of both countries and yields a stimulating, culturally rich, and intellectually stimulating environment. Students pursue coursework in English and French, math, social studies, civic and moral education, arts, physical education, and information technology. Students who need extra support find it through the Individualized Program for Student Success, the Learning Center Program, and/or classes in English as a Second Language or French as a Foreign Language. This extra help prepares students for the rigors and challenges that accompany SDFAS’ rigorous middle school program. Students who have attended SDFAS graduate from the school well-prepared for smooth transition to high The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates
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school, which is most often an American private or public school. In middle school, students are endowed with more independence and expected to work well within a group. Teachers at this level understand that middle school can be a particularly challenging social time for adolescents, and they provide individual and group support for students grappling with mental, emotional, and physical changes. The school also fosters independence and team spirit by sponsoring a middle school sports league and by taking each grade on week-long educational field trips that further encourage learning and teamwork. After school, students can select from more than 40 afternoon and evening classes to enrich their learning. Fun, educational activities are offered in French/English, Chinese, Italian, and Spanish, including cooking, yoga, basketball, volleyball, soccer, gardening, surfing, dance, art, theater, and more.
San Diego, California Located on the Pacific Coast in Southern California, just 120 miles south of Los Angeles and next to the Mexican border, sunny San Diego is the second largest city in California—and one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation. The Presidio and Mission of San Diego, founded in 1769, was the first European settlement in California. The city became part of Mexico in 1821 until 1850, when it joined the United States in the aftermath of the Mexican-American War. Today, San Diego remains a vacation hotspot for tourists drawn to its warm climate, natural harbor, and beautiful beaches. The city has one of the best top-ten climates in the Farmer’s Almanac and is one of the
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Weather Channel’s picks for the two best summer climates in America. Visitors flock to attractions including Balboa Park, the San Diego Zoo, and SeaWorld San Diego. Attractions such as the San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego Natural History Museum, San Diego Museum of Man, Museum of Photographic Arts, and San Diego Air & Space Museum provide cultural learning opportunities for residents and visitors alike. Additionally, the city is a recent hub for healthcare and biotechnology. A longstanding relationship with the Navy ensures that defense and military work comprises a significant portion of the city’s economy. Bases for the Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard stand in San Diego. Sports fans cheer on the NFL’s Chargers and MLB’s Padres. College athletic teams also draw crowds; San Diego is home to several colleges and universities, including San Diego State University, University of California, San Diego, and University of San Diego, among many others. The city is the ninth-most educated in the U.S.
Opportunities and Challenges Overview: With 40 cultural backgrounds represented at SDFAS, it is a true multilingual, multicultural, and multinational community. The school prides itself on being a warm, welcoming, safe environment in which the students, parents, and teachers celebrate the different background and unique characteristics of each community member. Culture: A strong sense of community permeates SDFAS. Students are known, valued, and appropriately challenged, and the bilingual curriculum requires an unusually high level of coordination and collaboration among the French and American teachers. Parents feel welcomed at the school, and they respond generously with their time and philanthropic support. While the school is delighted by the significant increase in enrollment over the past few years, the next Head will want to ensure that the strong sense of community is maintained as the school grows. Curriculum & Instruction: SDFAS prides itself for the way its combines the rigorous French curriculum with the best of American independent education. Students and parents praise the creative and meaningful ways that faculty engage students in their learning. The next Head will support the ongoing utilization of the best of French and American approaches while also ensuring that the school is well positioned to meet the needs of bright students who need additional support to be successful. Faculty: The French and American faculty members are recruited through various means, including an annual trip to France to interview teachers. The next Head will need to work with the Board to ensure that compensation continues to support recruiting excellent teachers who are committed to the school’s program and unique culture. Allocating time and resources for the ongoing professional development of the faculty will also deserve continued attention. Enrollment: The next Head will be expected to work with the Director of Admissions to ensure that the school is well-known among prospective families, particularly the international families who relocate to San Diego. The dual-language curriculum limits the ability to recruit new families after kindergarten. Although some attrition is due to families relocating, the next Head will want to reduce attrition, particularly as students enter the middle school. The Head will also work with the Board and administration to explore the potential benefit of creating an additional curricular track in the middle school, as other French-American schools have done.
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The Campus: The school has expanded and enhanced its campus, a former public school. The next Head will work with the Board to secure a longer lease so it can achieve a greater sense of permanence, thus allowing further enhancements to the campus. Staffing Levels: Guided by the desire to keep tuition affordable, SDFAS runs a fiscally conservative operation and has maintained a lean administrative structure. As the school expands, the next Head will need to partner with the Board to review the existing staffing levels to ensure that it meets fully the needs of its teachers, parents, and students. Philanthropy: With a tuition that is modest compared to area independent schools, SDFAS takes particularly seriously the role of philanthropy. This year, the Annual Fund will raise more than $200,000, and the recent gala produced a net income of more than $400,000—second in the country per capita for a French-American school. The next Head will be expected to continue to nurture this spirit of generosity and will be expected to work with Board members and other volunteers in soliciting support.
Qualifications and Qualities of the next Head of School The SDFAS community seeks candidates who are experienced school leaders who appreciate both French and American approaches to education and understand the challenge and opportunity of leading an international/ French school in San Diego. The school seeks a Head who leads with imagination, vision, energy, and drive. The most promising candidates will be strategic thinkers and team builders who understand the interdependence of all aspects of a school. The school is most interested in candidates who are: • Strong communicators and listeners who can communicate the school’s distinctive form of excellence and who seek and value input from parents, faculty, teachers, staff, and students. • A visible presence on campus with parents, faculty, and students; in the community, with donors, potential supporters, community leaders; and in French-school and independent-school networks. • Bilingual speakers with native or near-native proficiency in French and English and meaningful international experience. • Forward-thinkers who will partner with the Board of Directors to create ambitious goals for the school and assemble the team of leaders needed to achieve those goals. • Skillful managers and administrators who are comfortable delegating responsibility, developing professional capacity within the organization, and assessing the existing administrative structure to identify where more staff and more competencies are needed; with excellent financial management skills as well as experience building and maintaining enrollment. • Committed to working closely and comfortably with the Board of Trustees in a true partnership in governance and leadership. • Committed to strategic external affairs programs, including admissions, fundraising, marketing, secondary school placement, and broader community involvement, including cultivating relationships with local high schools. The successful candidate must be committed to asking for financial support while encouraging a culture of philanthropy. • The favored candidate will believe deeply in the value of a global approach to learning. The school seeks a leader who is approachable, outgoing, and energetic—a confident person of keen intellect and strong emotional intelligence. S/he will have excellent communication skills and be a person of deep integrity who will enjoy developing and guiding SDAFS at this exciting moment in its history. The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates
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To Apply Interested and qualified candidates should submit electronically in one e-mail and as separate documents, preferably as PDFs, the following materials: • • • •
Cover letter expressing communicating your fit with the values and needs of SDFAS Current résumé Statement of educational philosophy and practice List of five references with name, phone number, and email address of each to: Robert Fricker | Art Charles | Burke Zalosh Senior Search Consultants Carney, Sandoe & Associates bob.fricker@carneysandoe.com | art.charles@carneysandoe.com | burke.zalosh@carneysandoe.com
Search Calendar • • • •
June 15 August 1 August 13-14 Mid-September
Applications Due Search Update First Round Interviews Finalists Visit
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