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ANNUAL R E PO R T
The mission of FSM is to prepare children to
embrace life, learning, and community with
hope, skill, understanding, and creativity.
We are committed to the Quaker values of
peace, justice, simplicity, and integrity.
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Contents
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Committee Update
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Financials
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Volunteer Recognition
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Building Campaign
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Contributions
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Circle of Friends
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Letter from the Head of School Friends School of Minnesota is a vibrant and healthy school. Over its entire history, Friends School has been grounded in and led by its mission: to prepare children to embrace life, learning, and community with hope, skill, understanding, and creativity. We are committed to the Quaker values of peace, justice, integrity and simplicity. This strong and clear mission has helped FSM develop into what it is today. Looking back on the 2014-15 school year, several areas stand out to me as indicators of health and strength.
• A highly skilled and dedicated staff. Our teachers and administrators choose to work at FSM because they believe in the mission. They know that education that pays attention to the person, that builds its work around knowing and loving children, and that allows flexibility in the ways we educate children, is both effective and full of promise for the world.
• Clarity in expressing who we are. We have become unified and clear about what a Friends School education is. We can articulate what progressive education is at our school, and we can share that identity with others in clear and direct ways. Whether through our outreach work, admissions, or parent information
sessions, we do a good job telling who we are and what we believe.
• Steady and strong enrollment. We are close to capacity enrollment, and admissions activity is healthy. For plenty of families, Friends School of Minnesota is just what they dreamed of for their children!
• Very healthy finances. As you will see in this annual report, FSms fiscal health is strong. We have funded reserves, maintained our commitment to offering need based tuition aid to over 30% of our student body, exceeded fundraising goals in all areas (plant sale, annual fund, gala), and funded a significant building expansion project.
• Students who show the powerful effect of a Quaker education. We are proud of the successes of all of the students, whether that means qualifying for national level competition in science, learning to read, settling conflicts using words and respect, or choosing to speak up about something.
It has been my privilege to have served FSM in living into its mission. Lili Herbert Head of School, 2014
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2014-15 School Committee O FFICERS
Cathy Jordan, Clerk Christine Salomon, Assistant Clerk John Kraft, Treasurer Mary Lilly, Recording Clerk Bird Anderson, Member at Large DI RECTO RS
Christina Boyd-Smith Carolyn Carr Christopher Dart Lael Gatewood Doug Herron Paulette Lonzo John McVea Marybeth Neal Chana Ouray Shauen Pearce Kathy Quick Lori Ricke Kate Walthour EX-O FFICI O
Lili Herbert, Head of School
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Update for the School Committee The mission of the Friends School of Minnesota is advanced by the founders, families, faculty, Quakers and friends who have been generous in their support and so invested in the success of the school. Thank you for all that you do for our amazing school! Please take a few moments to read this report to learn about all the wonderful activities and opportunities your support helped make possible. On May 17 we celebrated Lili’s career at Friends School (in its many forms). This was an opportunity for our community to express our gratitude for her strong and visionary leadership and conscientious stewardship of the school. Threatening weather held off, allowing the Friends School community to participate in a school grounds service project in Lili’s honor. A video documented the sentiments of parents, students, alumnae, faculty, staff and Lili’s family. We hope Lili treasures the stories and well wishes forever. The school community’s gift to Lili, a reading nook in the school library, was inspired by one of Lili’s favorite activities – reading to the children. Lili and new head of school Latrisha Chattin worked collaboratively over the course of the winter and spring to prepare for a smooth transition.
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We welcomed Latrisha to the Twin Cities and to Friends School on July 1. Latrisha is digging into her new role with great energy and creativity. I look forward to an exciting year of collaboration. The ISACS accreditation process is one area in which Latrisha, the School Committee, and faculty and staff will be working closely. The 2015-16 school year is a year of “self-study� in our ISACS accreditation cycle. This process provides an opportunity to reflect on all facets of our school. We will create a report that describes how our school meets the needs of our constituents, addresses ISACS standards, and carries out our mission and values. This report is used by the visiting accreditation team in their evaluation and in formulating their recommendations. It will also be used by Friends School administration, faculty and School Committee to understand our strengths and limitations and to make plans and set priorities for our future. This is a deliberative and generative process that promises to strengthen our identity as a Quaker school grounded in the philosophy of progressive education.
the 2015-16 Friends School Fund. The Fund provides for need-based scholarship assistance, professional development opportunities, and extending activities beyond the classroom. It has been my tremendous privilege to be part of the Friends School community for 15 years as a parent, volunteer, Development Committee clerk, and now clerk of the School Committee. I look forward with hope and enthusiasm to the adventures of the next year. I am excited to watch our treasured school grow and change during this year of self-study and leadership transition. With a healthy financial footing, a strong new leader, a stable and dedicated staff, a passionate and generous parent community, and wonderful and amazing students, we are well-poised for the next chapter in our history.
Warm regards, Cathy Jordan Clerk, FSM School Committee
You are a valued partner in creating a learning environment where children with diverse talents, skills and personalities are appreciated, respected and nurtured - academically, spiritually, socially and emotionally. I hope that you will continue to support this mission by renewing your support for
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Financial Spread / Graphs + Charts Friends School of Minnesota Financial Report, 2014 – 2015 Audit will go for full approval (Garth – to send spreadsheet) 2 – page spread Friends School of Minnesota 2014-2015 school year snapshot: • 158 students (79 boys/79 girls) • ? faculty and staff • 37% are students of color • ?% of students receive need-based tuition aid • ?% of students are from Quaker families • ?% are from LGBT families
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+ Numbers
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Volunteer Recognition
2014-15 Collins-Fieldseth Award for Exceptional Volunteerism
Our volunteers are amazing! They serve on committees, care for our community, run our gala, assist in after school activities, chaperone field trips, run the Plant Sale, support students’ reading, organize the book sale, take photographs, work in the library, and serve in countless other ways to support the school. Each year we recognize two to four volunteers with the Collins-Fieldseth Award for Exceptional Volunteerism. The 2014-2015 recipients are:
B IR D AND E R S O N
For her service as a member of School Committee, member-at-large on Executive Committee and a member of the Development Committee, as well as helping in the art room. Bird previously served as clerk of School Committee, ex-officio member of the Head Search Committee, clerk of the Strategic Planning Review Committee, member of Finance Committee. She has also been a room parent and the Lower School Room Parent Coordinator and more. K IM L AZ AR S K I
For her assistance with the inventory and crew and the plant sale, her help in the art room, with the book fair, in the library, and more. TR INA M C NE E LY
For collecting thousands of boxes for the plant sale as well as working as the plant sale Volunteer Sign-Up/Email Coordinator. For her service on the Committee of Trustees, help with organizing the book fair and assistance with the gala, and more. C H R IS TI NE SALO M O N
For serving as clerk of the Committee onTrustees, assistant clerk of School Committee, as well the co-clerk of the Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) and service on the head search committee, and more.
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Campaign for Building Expansion Request update from Garth <Photos of construction >
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Contributions/Donations Pages 2014 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2015 Friends School Fund Contributions Gifts and pledges between July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015. We make every effort to assure the accuracy of our report. However, if you note any errors or omissions, please contact us at 651-621-8936 or development@fsmn.org. Friends School of Minnesota is deeply grateful to all of our contributors. Quaker Organizations Institutions and Foundations Matching Gifts Individuals In Memory of What about building campaign? In Honor of In-kind Donors
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Contributions/Donations Pages
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Contributions/Donations Pages
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Contributions/Donations Pages
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Circle of Friends Society The Friends school of Minnesota is fortunate to have a society of founders, faculty, alumni/ae parents, current parents, grandparents, and Friends who have included us in their estate plans. We are deeply grateful to these individuals for their profound generosity and investment in the Friends School of MN. Their gifts benefit the school in significant and enduring ways. CI RCL E OF F RI E N DS SOCIE T Y
Sofi & David Ali-Caccamo Toria Erhart Cathy Jordan and Fred Dulles Sheila Herbert* Lili Herbert and Tim Sheldon Judy Lutter Wendy Lutter & Eric Bosler Pam and Nancy Newman-Heggie Sandy Olson Leslie Partin Sarah Pradt Emil* and Emily Slowinski Joy and Rich Swanson *deceased
If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve included the Friends School of Minnesota in your planning and your name is not on this list, please let us know by calling Jennifer Bratulich at 651-621-8936 or development@fsmn.org. It takes just a few simple steps to make a bequest or charitable annuity to the Friends School of Minnesota.
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TO M AKE A BE Q UE S T
Outright bequests in your will are the most straightforward way to leave a planned gift to the Friends School of MN. Consider using the following same bequest language:
“I give and bequeath the sum of $XX (or XX% of my residuary estate) to the Friends School of Minnesota, a non-profit corporation, located at 1365 Englewood Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104.”
Bequests to the school are free of state and federal taxes and qualify your estate for a charitable deduction equal to the entire amount of the bequest.
CHARITABLE GIF T ANNUI T Y
You may also make a charitable gift annuity to support the Friends School of Minnesota. A charitable gift annuity allows you to make a significant gift to the Friends School of Minnesota, receive a charitable deduction for a portion of your gift, and retain a stream of fixed income for life, among other benefits.
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