Evolve Newsletter: November 2015 Edition

evolve

K I N G S L E Y ’ S C A M PA I G N F O R I N N OVAT I O N A N D E XC E L L E N C E INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Letter from the Head of School and Board Chair......................................... 1 Overview of the Evolve Campaign...... 3 Celebrating Kingsley’s Evolution.......... 4 Innovation Through Collaboration: Librarian Bindy Fleischman................... 5 Evolve Campaign FAQs........................... 6 New State-of-the-Art Learning Spaces...................................................... 7/8 Investing in a Kingsley Education: A Parent Perspective............................... 9 Capital Campaign Donors & Campaign Steering Committee.......... 10

#TALKINGaboutANevolution

#TALKINGaboutANevolution Dear Friends of Kingsley,

completely transformed our elementary building as a 21st century learning environment. We also took the first steps in some of the long term restoration projects we have planned for our early childhood building by renovating the courtyard.

While there is more work to be done, we improved the learning experience in the near and long term for all of our students.

We hope you enjoy the first edition of our Campaign newsletter. In each edition, you will find parent, donor and teacher perspectives on the impact our expansion has made on our students’ learning. You will also find updates about our fundraising goals and photos highlighting our integrated curriculum and programming made possible by our newly enhanced learning spaces.

This is such a momentous time in the history of our school.

As Kingsley has grown, our faculty has expressed a strong desire to create new opportunities for collaboration and integration in delivering our educational programs. Our faculty’s wish to enhance students’ learning spaces led us to develop a strategic plan to accomplish these objectives.

Over a period of just a few summer months, we made significant progress in achieving the goals set forth. We

Kingsley continues to be a leader in early childhood and elementary education. We will continue to raise the bar as a center of excellence in learning and teaching. We have yet to fully realize the impact these enhanced spaces will have on our students’ learning, and we look forward to what new opportunities will arise as our faculty develops Kingsley’s exclusive Montessori PLUS curriculum.

We thank you for your commitment to our students and appreciate your support of the Evolve Campaign. The generosity of our entire community will help us pave the way for current and future students to experience an unparalleled education during their Foundational Decade of learning at Kingsley.

Sincerely,

Renee DuChainey-Farkes, Head of School Charlotte Hemr, Chair, Board of Trustees 1

WHAT IS THE EVOLVE CAMPAIGN ABOUT? The Evolve Campaign is a one-time, multi-year fundraising effort to facilitate the expansion and enhancement of Kingsley’s programmatic offerings and physical spaces. This effort seeks to raise $6.7M in support of: • Annual operating expenses • Full reconfiguration of the Exeter building along with the addition of the fifth floor • Restoration of the Fairfield building, including an overhaul of the courtyard

EVOLVE CAMPAIGN Annual Fund

$1,200,000

2016 School Year

$

600,000

2017 School annual Year fund

$

600,000

Exeter Exeter Renovation & Expansion Fairfileld

$4,500,000

Fairfield $1,000,000 Restoration COMPREHENSIVE GOAL $6,700,000

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CELEBRATING KINGSLEY’S EVOLUTION

on

Friday, April 24, over 250 community members gathered at the Mandarin Oriental to celebrate the School’s bold vision to expand our programs and physical space with the launch of the Evolve Campaign.

Head of School Renee DuChainey-Farkes with​ Lowell Kingsle​y​.

SHARING OUR VISION • Head of School Renee DuChainey-Farkes

shared Kingsley’s decision to expand our elementary school’s footprint in order to enhance our programmatic offerings.

• In announcing Kingsley’s first

comprehensive Campaign, Renee laid out the desire for more integrated, projectbased learning opportunities at the elementary level and a commitment to preserve our physical asset, the Fairfield building.

Campaign Co-Chairs Jill Shah P’19, ’17 and Hal Hess P’22, ’18.

THE EVOLVE CAMPAIGN • Led by a parent volunteer committee, the Campaign Co-Chairs announced the goal to raise $6.7M by 2017.

• Gifts to the Annual Fund in FY16

and FY17 will be counted toward this comprehensive total and will account for $1.2M of the overall goal.

• Kingsley also seeks to raise a total of $5.5M in support of the capital improvements to the Exeter and Fairfield buildings.

Kicking-off the celebration (left to right): Richard Lim P’25, ’18, Lisa Jaynes P’18, ’16, ’16, Jamie and Damon Brown P’21, ’18, ’17, Brett Moss P’18, ’16.

OUR PROGRESS • At our Campaign launch we were

pleased to announce that over $3M had been raised toward the $5.5M capital goal.

• This event was a great celebration

of Kingsley’s future. We are deeply appreciative of our community for allowing us to advance our mission to offer the best teaching and learning for our students.

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“

I can’t tell you how many conversations we’ve had over the years about the kind of projects we could do together. Now, all these conversations that were left on a to-becontinued basis have the space to come to life. The new spaces and collaborations allow for these conversations to become a reality.”

TEACHER PERSPECTIVE

once

you’ve joined the Kingsley community, it’s only a matter of time before our librarian, Bindy Fleischman, learns your name.

Bindy’s collaborative nature is reflected in her excitement for the Evolve Campaign and the resources it stands to offer students and faculty. Expanding the Library and Digital Media Center provides the necessary space to accommodate more students, technology and books, as well as facilitating more live author visits. Bindy is also eager to implement ListenCurrent, a cutting-edge teaching tool for students who excel in auditory learning environments.

“As an auditory learner myself, I want to make sure we have the room, devices and tools to support that kind of processing,” she explains. “ListenCurrent is the only offering of its kind: an archive of public radio stories and interviews, categorized and vetted to coordinate with school age children and their curriculum and research. I got to play around with it this summer, and I am so excited to roll it out!”

Bindy has consistently demonstrated passion for enhancing our students’ learning experience on multiple specialized levels. She has served on the Writing Curriculum Committee and is one the key orchestrators behind Kingsley’s Visual Thinking Strategies curriculum. Jointly inspired by STEAM education objectives and Montessori philosophy, this curriculum promotes cognitive development through discussion-based group observation activities. Thanks to the Evolve Campaign, the expanded library space provides access to new technology that better supports all learning styles.

For Bindy, the learning resources made available by the Campaign represent unprecedented opportunity for enhancing the consummate Kingsley library experience.

She will soon add her ideas and insights to our new Tech Innovation Committee, continuing the brainstorm she has sustained throughout her years at Kingsley.

​ ibrarian Bindy Fleischman with L a Lower Elementary student.​

“I have the best position in the school, as I get to interact with and be a resource for all teachers and all students,” Bindy says. “I can’t tell you how many conversations we’ve had over the years about the kind of projects we could do together. Now, all these conversations that were left on a to-be-continued basis have the space to come to life.

The new spaces and collaborations allow for these conversations to become a reality.

And of course, I’m more than excited to have spaces to fit the books and the bodies that come to access them!”

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LIVE. GROW. GIVE. ANNUAL FUND GIFTS HELP US LIVE. CAPITAL GIFTS HELP US GROW. GALA GIFTS HELP US GIVE. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GIVING TO THE ANNUAL FUND AND THE EVOLVE CAMPAIGN? The Annual Fund is one of the three priorities of Kingsley’s Evolve Campaign. For this year and next year, when you make a commitment to the Annual Fund you support a Campaign priority. The Annual Fund allows Kingsley to LIVE, as it is a necessary component of our operating budget.

In addition to your Annual Fund gift, we ask families to consider making a one-time capital commitment, payable over three to five years, to the Evolve Campaign. A capital gift supports the physical renovation of Exeter and the restoration work taking place in our Fairfield building.

Capital Campaign commitments allow Kingsley to GROW and thrive.

WHEN WILL I BE ASKED FOR A GIFT?

HOW DO I GIVE TO THE CAMPAIGN?

All members of our community will be asked to support the Campaign first through their Annual Fund commitment this year and next year.

In the spirit of sustaining our annual operations, we ask you to make your Annual Fund commitment as soon as possible in addition to considering a capital gift.

In addition to maintaining your annual support, over the next two years our parent volunteer-led Campaign Steering Committee will also ask each family to consider a special gift in support of the capital objectives.

If you are interested in making a capital commitment or learning more, please contact Kristi O’Connor, director of advancement, at koconnor@kingsley.org or the Development Office at 617-226-4902.

#TALKINGaboutANevolution

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NEW STATE-OF-THE-ART LEARNING SPACES THAT WILL‌

Clockwise from top left: Lower Elementary students dissecting plants to learn about cellular structure and the process of plant reproduction in the new Science Lab. Third-Grade students in a new Project Studio with Physical Education Director Josh Squire.

Preschool students create a wooden fort with new building materials in the renovated courtyard at Fairfield.

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ADVANCE OUR PROGRAMS AND INNOVATE OUR CURRICULUM.

Clockwise from top left: Upper Elementary students with Technology Innovation Coordinator, Tara Hofherr, learning how to utilize Google Chromebooks for research.

Fifth-Grade students work on a “scanology” art project in the new Visual Arts Studio with Visual Arts teacher, Emily Valenza.

Third-Grade students practicing their recorders in the new Performing Arts Studio.

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“

…the Evolve Campaign is about the future: allowing Kingsley to expand its programming and curriculum to provide my daughter with an education that will meet the demands of a changing world.

The campaign will allow for this curriculum innovation to happen, and I’m thrilled to support this vision.”

PARENT PERSPECTIVE

growing

up in a family of educators offered Molly Shannon a firsthand look at the ways in which an empowering educational environment can augment the earliest years of a student’s academic journey. When the time came for Molly’s daughter, Elle, to begin that journey, Molly found herself faced with a question that continues to challenge parents with young children and a deep love of learning: Where?

A strong believer in the Montessori philosophy, Molly decided to pay a visit to Kingsley. After a round of informal and encouraging meetings, Molly returned home confident that she had found the right place for Elle to cultivate her creative side and grow as a learner. Sure enough, Molly’s decision to enroll Elle at Kingsley has proven most rewarding for both mother and daughter.

“Elle has flourished in the [Kingsley] environment and has developed from a toddler into a confident, focused Molly Shannon with daughter, Elle. and very curious pre-schooler,” Molly remarks. “Elle is receiving the best Montessori foundation for her learning right now in the Early Childhood Program, and I’m excited for her experience in the Elementary Program, where she’ll not only begin to learn more abstract concepts but also participate in new, cutting-edge programming.”

Seeing Elle excel in her new learning environment was all the imperative Molly needed to add her support to Kingsley’s Annual Fund, as well as the ongoing Evolve Campaign.

Looking down the road that awaits Elle and her classmates, Molly explains, “the Evolve Campaign is about the future: allowing Kingsley to expand its programming and curriculum to provide my daughter with an education that will meet the demands of a changing world. The Campaign will allow for this curriculum innovation to happen, and I’m thrilled to support this vision.”

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CAMPAIGN DONORS We would like to recognize the generosity of the following families who have made capital commitments of over $3.7M in support of the Evolve Campaign as of November 20, 2015. We sincerely appreciate the leadership and support these families have provided in helping us launch our Campaign. We hope you will join friends and families who have supported the Evolve Campaign. Please contact any member of the Campaign Steering Committee, or the Advancement Office if you are interested in learning more or making a gift. Your partnership and support are critical to Kingsley’s success.

Meg Succop and Robert Adams P’21, ’18 Liz and Steve Beckhardt P’16 David Belluck P’15, ’11, ’10 Jamie and Damon Brown P’21, ’18, ’17 Mei Mei Chow and Edgar Casado P’19 Ellie and Brian Chu P’25, ’23 Yael and Thomas DeCapo P’18 Kim Dellarocca P’21 Renee DuChainey-Farkes Jessica and Greg Fisher P’20, ’18, ’16 Tracy and Matt Friedman P’22, ’19 Dee and Richard Gordon GP’22, ’21, ’21, ’16, ’14, ’10 Charlotte and Kurt Hemr P’20, ’17 Gabriela Cesaro and César Hernández P’20, ’20 Jodi and Hal Hess P’22, ’18 Viva and Geoffrey Hyatt P’22, ’20 Ashley and Bruce Jacobs P’21, ’16, ’14, ’10 Jessica Duda and Marc Jaffan P’25, ’21 Lisa and Chris Jaynes P’18, ’16, ’16 Tara and Reid Jordan P’22, ’20 Lauren Joy P’17, ’15 Leslie and Chris Kingsley Charlotte and Lowell Kingsley Juanita and Victor Kingsley

Lucy Moon-Lim and Richard Lim P’25, ’18 Melani Cammett and Angelo Manioudakis P’22, ’14, ’13 Michael Mars P’15 Erica and Chris Mastrangelo P’21 Vicki Delmonico and Chris Merrill P’23 Stephanie and Todd Morrison P’23 Mimi and Brett Moss P’18, ’16 Kristi and Brian O’Connor P’22, ’19 Maria and Thanos Pantazis P’25, ’23 Catherine and John Pena P’22, ’20 Stephanie and Randy Pierce P’22 Kathleen and Whit Porter P’20, ’18 Erin and Robert Reilly Jill and Niraj Shah P’19, ’17 Molly Shannon P’24 Becky Kidder Smith and Tom Smith P’21, ’16 Darla and John Soukas P’19, ’17 Stephanie and Brian Spector P’25, ’22, ’20 Kristina and Hunt Stookey P’21, ’18 Wendy Yeh and Larry Tsai P’20, ’18 Alexandra Chabrerie and Ian Watson P’16 Nicole Zatlyn and Jason Weiner P’22, ’19 Ilana Braun and Jed Weiss P’25, ’22

CAMPAIGN STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS: HAL HESS, Campaign Co-Chair (hal.hess@americantower.com) JILL SHAH, Campaign Co-Chair (jill@jillshah.com) NIRAJ SHAH, Campaign Co-Chair (nshah@wayfair.com) BECKY KIDDER SMITH, Campaign Co-Chair (bkiddersmith@gmail.com) JOHN SOUKAS, Campaign Co-Chair (johnsoukas@comcast.net) *RENEE DUCHAINEY-FARKES (rduchaineyfarkes@kingsley.org) *KRISTI O’CONNOR (koconnor@kingsley.org)

DAVID BELLUCK (david@belluck.com) CHARLOTTE HEMR (charlotte@hemr.net) ASHLEY JACOBS (ashleygjacobs@gmail.com) JOHN PENA (johncbpena@gmail.com) ROB REILLY (rob.reilly@fmr.com) MOLLY SHANNON (mkshannon@wellington.com) KRIS STOOKEY (kstookey@gmail.com)

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KINGSLEY MONTESSORI SCHOOL 26 Exeter Street, Boston, MA 02116

#TALKINGaboutANevolution