Ad Summum Volume 1, Issue 2
November 2013
Strategic Planning: At the Heart of School Excellence
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n my office, I have a painting of a ship under full sail with a following breeze. Clearing skies push the storm clouds to the horizon as the windjammer makes steady progress on a set course to its destination. Just as a ship must, so, too, must a school chart its course if it is to reach its destination, no matter how distant or challenging. Where are the shoals? Are there tides and currents that push and tug at the vessel? Is the weather stormy or clear? Is the right crew in place? Is it the right season to set sail, and are the moon, the planets, and the stars in alignment? Most importantly, of course, what is the destination, and what is the next port of call? At The Kew-Forest School we have institutionalized a process of strategic planning that charts the School’s journey in three to four year increments. As a direct result, in the last four years we have improved Faculty salaries and increased funding for Faculty professional development to retain and attract top-tier Faculty; implemented an Early Childhood Development Program (ages 3 and 4) and English as a Second Language; developed and implemented educational travel opportunities in the Upper School; and determined and hired the senior administrative staff necessary to operate effectively and maximize management and instructional effectiveness. Additionally, we have continued rehabilitation of the physical plant, including basic maintenance and Union Turnpike façade restoration; developed an effective Admissions Office, increased funding
for marketing and public relations, and created increased demand for the Kew-Forest brand; and, developed balanced budgets and maintained hard income at or above 98 percent of all expenses while building a plant replacement, renewal, and maintenance fund, replenished cash reserves to 7.5 percent of our operating budget, and incurred no indebtedness, to name a few. Working with Independent School Management, an organization that works with over 3,000 independent schools worldwide, Kew-Forest has spent much of 2013 laying the foundation for this week’s Strategic Planning Retreat. Preparation for the current planning cycle includes the most ambitious and comprehensive evaluation yet of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, one that includes separate, anonymous surveys of current parents, students from Grades 5 through 12, the Faculty, the administration, and the Board of Trustees. For the first time, these paper surveys will be complemented by a series of in-person Faculty and Parent Focus Groups led by ISM Senior Consultant Terry Moore on Thursday and Friday, November 21 and 22. Mr. Moore will then meet with the Board and the senior educational administration all day on Saturday, November 23, and with the Executive Committee and me on Sunday, November 24. By Monday evening, November 25, a final draft of the 2014-18 Strategic and Strategic Financial Plans will go to the entire Board for review and approval.
— Headmaster Mark Fish, Ed.M.
Just as a ship must, so, too, must a school chart its course if it is to reach its destination, no matter how distant or challenging. With clear goals set and resources dedicated to them, the new Strategic Plans will chart a course for The Kew-Forest School that will propel it to its Centennial in 2018 and beyond. I look forward to sharing that plan with you and, then, with a steady hand on the wheel, continuing this journey together. Thank you to all for contributing to this process.
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ditor’s Note: As a reminder, Ad Summum regularly features an article from Headmaster Mark Fish, alternating Board of Trustees or Parent Association news, and a profile on a teacher, a program, and a student.
— James David, Director of Institutional Advancement
PA News: Community Building and the Faculty Gift Fund
On behalf of the The Kew-Forest School Parent Association (PA), season greetings. I can’t believe it is already the end of the first quarter and that we are rapidly approaching the holiday season. The PA has had a very productive start! Our goal for this year is to strengthen our sense of community. To that end, we have hosted many successful community events – Parent Cocktail Receptions, Garden Day, Pumpkin Decorating Party, and Potluck Bingo Night, to name a few. With the holiday season now upon us, I wanted to remind parents of my invitation to all families to make an annual one-time gift of $110 (suggested – your gift amount
is confidential) per enrolled child for all of our Faculty/Staff appreciation efforts this year. Every member of the Faculty & Staff will be acknowledged. This is a gift collection only, thoughtfully organized by fellow parents. Though encouraged, you are not obligated to participate. We use the funds to provide morning breakfast treats, a birthday cake celebration, and a gift in December and June with a card listing the names of the families that have participated, and a cake during National Teacher Appreciation Week. For me, this is a great way to show appreciation to everyone in the school who touches my childrens’ lives. I have three kids enrolled at K-F and, between them,
they have more than 15 teachers, plus all the staff and administrators that support them daily – the people that run the school, welcome them in the morning, make their lunches and snacks in the afternoon, and clean their classrooms when they are home. Each of them receives a personal thank you and a gift from my contribution. Please visit www.kewforest.org/ FacultyGift to learn how to contribute to the Faculty Gift Fund. I hope that all of you will join us for our next event – The Gingerbread House Decorating Party on December 4th. — Amy D’Amato, P ’18, ’19, ’21 Parent Association President
Amy Byrnes: Student-Centered Teaching
After working in six schools, some as far away as Switzerland and Japan, Fourth Grade Teacher Amy Byrnes now finds a new home during her first year at The Kew-Forest School. While teaching at Lycée Français de New York, she met Headmaster Mark Fish and Lower School Dean Katie Rayer at a job fair. Upon
The Kew-Forest School
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meeting, she noted that both had a clear set of values and vision for the position, which Mrs. Byrnes respected. In describing her approach to teaching, Mrs. Byrnes explains she is a realist. “I like to teach things that matter,” she said. “I like to find student-centered ways for kids to develop their own opinions. I prune things out here and there. If it does not make kids empowered, I contemplate if I should bring it to them.” For Mrs. Byrnes, academics are at the forefront of her teaching. In Fourth Grade, the students undertake a lot of writing and work that sharpens their critical-thinking skills, which builds on the preparation they had the year before. As she is prioritizing learning, she un-
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Cans collected during the Food Drive
derscores her care for the whole child. She says, “I want to help the little diamonds grow into the sparkling ones that they can be. I want to have those conversations that spur emotional growth and celebrate life as they grow and mature.” Mrs. Byrnes enjoys the School’s diverse community and extremely supportive administration, but points to school size as being one of the highlights of Kew-Forest. “There is something special about the size of the school,” she said. “I am coming from a school where there were more than 1,400 kids, but here at Kew-Forest, I know all of the kids’ names. It’s important to be able to stand outside of the classroom, recognize every student and help each one start and end the day in a warm way.”
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Students dedicated their time to the Youth Service Opportunities Project (YSOP)
Capital Project to Begin Restoration of Historic Building The Kew-Forest School will soon undertake the largest capital project in decades to address serious deferred-maintenance issues. After nearly a year of architectural and construction planning, competitive bid submittal, and permitting, last month the School entered into contract with AllconContracting Corporation to undertake the restoration and repair of the Union Turnpike and Kew Forest Lane elevations of our historic school building. Water and weather damage to many elements of the building is extensive. The work will include replacement of wood columns, column bases, and fascia and repair and painting of features not replaced; window cladding replacement; brick pointing, re-pointing, and
power wash; replacement of the entrance stoop, including new handrails and guardrails; new Lower School shingle roofs, gutters, and leaders; new Gym windows, and; foundation repair and painting, among other work. Cost of this phase (Phase II) of restoration will run close to $400,000, paid for from a Plant Reserve, Repair, Replacement, and Maintenance Account carefully built up over the last three years through prudent financial management of the operating budget and strong Annual Giving. Work will continue around the building in subsequent restoration phases (Phases III and IV) as we are able to conserve and raise money for what will ultimately be a multi-million dollar project.
Within weeks, scaffolding and a sidewalk bridge will begin to rise along Union Turnpike. Allcon has a great deal of experience working with schools, and safety is and will be a number one priority for them and for Kew-Forest. The flow of student drop-off and pick-up may become even more challenging than it is now, and during a certain period of time the Lower School entrance will become the Main Entrance when the entrance stoop is being replaced. We thank you in advance for your understanding, feedback, and support as we begin this important work. To learn more about the impact created by supporting Annual Giving, visit www. kewforest.org/Giving
Akilia Jackson ’15: Finding Yourself
Akilia Jackson ’15 is an active participant in Model UN and Mock Trial, as well as a member of the Girls Volleyball Team. Entering The Kew-Forest School in seventh grade, she knew this was the high school that she wanted to attend. “I’ve been able to develop and focus on the individual I am going to become. You have a stronger sense of who you are, but who you are as part of a community.” Akilia
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has fantastic things to say about her relationship with the Faculty at Kew-Forest. “You have your teacher-student relationship, but you get to the point where you have a mentor-student relationship.” Akilia says that she has been able to nurture her curiosity and criticalthinking skills because of the Faculty. “Reasoning is something that’s a part of me and I didn’t realize it, so now it’s coming out. Even in history, I’m reasoning. I’m not just accepting something as fact. I’m thinking and I’m challenging ideas. I think that’s more important than memorizing, and that is something that is going to be a part of me, even as I go into the real world.” Although she is in her Junior year, Akilia has already started thinking about college. “It’s definitely a college preparatory school. Classes are challenging, and I feel like I know that once I go on to
Visitors Attended Grandparents and Special Friends Day
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college, it can’t be any harder than Kew-Forest. I know things I want to continue in college. I’ve been able to figure out my interests. I have direction.” Akilia’s final thoughts about her time at Kew-Forest are a reflection of the community at the School. “There are so many kinds of people. Being in this small school, it’s like being in this perfect little place where you can interact with so many different people. I think at a time where you’re still developing, and still learning who you are, it should be taken at a much calmer pace. If and when I have children, I would like for them to attend KewForest because I want them to actually take time and look at who they are.” To read the full transcript of our interview with Kew-Forest Junior Akilia Jackson, visit www.kewforest.org/JaguarProfiles
Final score of the Championship Soccer Game
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Thankful mobiles created in LS buddy pairings
119-17 Union Turnpike Forest Hills, NY 11375
Welcoming Grandparents & Special Friends
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or the first time in many years, The Kew-Forest School was pleased to host Grandparents and Special Friends Day. Visitors from near and far had the opportunity to spend time with our students, both in the classroom and in the Gym, for an all-school craft project. Kew-Forest is looking forward to hosting this event annually for years to come.