Parents,
It is a pleasure to send you this message as we depart for the summer.
I wish to begin by thanking our wonderful students, faculty, and parents for a great year! Special thanks to the Parent Association and outgoing President Leigh Clyde for all your hard work!
Just like a year ago, the marker of a great year is that it is not yet over for some students. Talented All Saints students have won out this spring in district and state competition and will compete this summer on the national and world stage. At this writing the 3rd Grade Odyssey of the Mind Team (creative problem solving) is in world competition at Iowa State University where they will try to prevail over last year's champs from Singapore. Next month, four Upper School students advance to LFG/NFL National Speech and Debate Tournament in Indianapolis, all four for the second time.
Looking ahead to next year, it is not just our students who will be doing summer reading. The faculty will be reading Curriculum 21: Essential Education for a Changing World, Heidi Hayes Jacobs editor. We understand we are preparing your children for college courses and career fields that have not yet been invented, but will be common in less than a decade. We want to ensure your children "Win the Future!" This book will help inform our work in curriculum ensuring it is dynamic and at the forefront of college prep. The book is readily available in hard copy and electronic versions if any parents would like to read along.
Technology at All Saints is well positioned to support teaching and learning in this dynamic environment. Next year we will continue to embrace BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) for grades 5 - 12 while in the Lower School technology will be classroom based. There is no requirement for students to have a device, but they are encouraged to bring them. If a teacher plans for students to work wirelessly on devices, All Saints maintains a large number of iPads to ensure all students have a device for any project a teacher may direct. Students with personal iPads may find some of their textbooks available for it. Of note, our state-of-the-art wireless system filters out most inappropriate content. Students do not need personal 3G/4G data plans on their devices to use the school network. Moreover, devices working on personal data plans do not go through the content filter. We are developing policies for student use in this area. Click here to link to an excellent short article describing how one private school has moved forward with BYOD.
Other administrative matters for next year include our plans for the yearbook, our new food service provider, FRESH; and work in enrollment. 2011 - 2012 yearbooks will be distributed next fall and will have the advantage of capturing the entire school year before going to print (cost of yearbook was included in this year's supply fee). This summer FRESH in conjunction with the school and interested parents will be building menu options for the fall. If you would like to participate, please contact CFO, Crissy Huffman. We are planning for enrollment growth next year with retention of current families hovering at 93% at this writing and new families touring in record numbers. The addition of faculty to ensure small class sizes is likely. Thanks for talking us up in the community. It is the number one influencer of a new family choosing All Saints.
Again, it is a pleasure to bring you this great news of our forward moving school! I wish our families a relaxing and safe summer.
Sincerely,
