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THE COALITION CONNECTION
October 7, 2016
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 Dear NCGS Community,
Our National Coalition of Girls' Schools trustees and staff spent a fair amount of time last year reflecting on our purpose, principles, and practice. As outlined on the NCGS website, our purpose is to be the leading advocate for girls' schools, connecting and collaborating globally with individuals, schools, and organizations dedicated to educating and empowering girls. In addition, we focus on four areas of practice: advocacy, research, networking, and professional development. NCGS holds as its principles the importance of community and collaboration, opportunity and innovation, leadership and integrity, and self-efficacy and agency.
While I realize I am biased, I believe there is nothing more energizing and powerful than working in a girls' school environment. The daily opportunities to witness our girls' authenticity, their collaborative approach to learning, and their self-efficacy and agency are evidence of the impact of our schools. We are also afforded with learning environments that foster broad leadership options and many opportunities to encourage our girls to realize the power of innovative and diverse approaches.
While our purpose, principles, and practice are equally important to us, it has been our principles upon which I have been reflecting most after hosting my first NCGS Board of Trustees meeting as the new President. It has struck me that our trustee interaction and work is guided by these principles just as much as member schools.
On Saturday evening, many NCGS trustees, staff, and representatives from all of our Ontario NCGS member schools came together for dinner and discussion about our shared experiences at girls' schools. We were fortunate to have Anne-Marie Kee, Executive Director of Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS) in attendance to speak briefly on trends within our Canadian schools. This was a perfect opportunity for collaboration, community, and opportunity. During our ensuing meetings and time together on Sunday and Monday, our trustees demonstrated innovative thinking, integrity, and collaboration in every conversation, consideration, and decision.
As I paused to reflect on this first board meeting, I felt a great sense of comfort in knowing we, as a community of girls' schools, are being supported by NCGS through a strong purpose, thoughtful principles, and important practices. I also have great confidence that our trustees are demonstrating these in their leadership of this important organization.
Martha Perry
NCGS Board President
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NCGS Starting Monthly Podcast: PEP Talks
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 We are excited to announce our latest professional development resource! Created by NCGS, PEP Talks: Podcast on Educational Possibilities will air the third Thursday of every month starting in October. PEP Talks will be hosted by experienced educators Ayanna "Yanni" Hill-Gill and Sarah Edson. Current members of the NCGS Board of Trustees, Yanni is Head of Atlanta Girls' School and Sarah is Dean of Academic Technology and Innovation at The Ethel Walker School. PEP Talks will bring together experts from NCGS member schools to share and discuss best practices in educating and empowering girls. You will also have a chance to hear from students about how this current generation likes to learn and the teachers who inspire them. As we lead up to the 2017 NCGS Conference, Education Innovation: Building Cultures of Creativity, PEP Talks conversations will cover innovations in girls' schools in the areas of health and wellness, maker spaces and innovation labs, admissions and communications, scheduling and assessment, community involvement, advancement and alumnae relations, and global programs.
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Final Reminder: Call for Proposals for New York Educating Girls Symposium
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 Presented in partnership with the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS), this professional development opportunity is for educators to come together and exchange best practices for teaching and working with girls. School Communities: The Power of Many Voices will be the theme of the day with discussions addressing: - How do the various "communities" in your school -- students, teachers, administrators, admissions teams, advancement officers, parents, and more -- collaborate to create a space where girls feel safe, valued, and appreciated?
- How does your school resolve conflict when any one of these voices is perceived to overshadow others?
- How are the mission, vision, and values of your school reflected in the development of your school community?
We invite you to submit a proposal to present on your related area of expertise. Click here to learn more about the process and access the submission form.
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Be a #GIRLHERO: Celebrate International Day of the Girl October 11
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Tuesday, October 11, 2016, marks the fifth annual International Day of the Girl. Join the global movement to stand up and take action in solidarity with girls around the world!
This #IDG2016, NCGS and its strategic partner Girl Up are asking you and your students to be #GIRLHERO(es).
Join the conversation and show your support. Give a social media shout out to your favorite #GIRLHERO(es) this International Day of the Girl -- and keep the celebration going all week (October 11-18). Take action to show your support for girls everywhere. Together, we can light up social media feeds with #GIRLHERO stories around the world. It is as easy as...
- Posting a photo on social media of a girl who inspires you, tag her, (tag @girlsschools and @GirlUp, too!), and write why she is a #GIRLHERO.
- Sharing your favorite #GIRLHERO quotes. Get inspired. Inspire others. Download ready-made graphics like the one pictured above or make your own.
- Showing your support by asking world leaders to stand with #GIRLHERO(es) and commit to education for girls everywhere. Sign and share this pledge for the education of vulnerable girls.
Click here for more information about the #GIRLHERO campaign.
Be sure to let NCGS know how your school celebrates #IDG2016! Send event recaps, photos, and links to posted videos to Olivia Haas.
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Don't Miss the DASL Data Entry Deadline
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Here are some key resources to help you with the process:
- DASL Data Entry Guide: Walks you through data entry from start to finish with screen shots and step-by-step directions.
- DASL Core Data Definitions: Gives instructions and data definitions for all data points requested in the core data areas in DASL.
Watch the video below to learn more about why entering your data in DASL is so important for your school and our industry.
Questions? Contact the DASL team at daslhelp@nais.org. All school data will be ready for your benchmarking projects and reports by October 31.
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Highlights from the NCGS "Listening & Learning Tour"
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It has been a busy two weeks of travel with Megan flying to London to be a guest speaker at the 5th conference of the European Association of Single-Sex Education (EASSE) as well as meeting up with NCGS team members in Toronto for the first-ever internationally hosted NCGS Board of Trustees meeting, and Jen spent time in and around the New York City area. Here's what they said from across the pond, north of the border, and from the road:
"I enjoyed speaking on a panel alongside executive directors of associations in other parts of the world that advocate for all-girls and all-boys education. We shared best practices from our regions with regard to the EASSE conference's themes of character building, equality, and wellbeing. Specifically, I spoke about girls' schools as unique places where girls develop their authentic voices. I am looking forward to exploring this special outcome of an all-girls education in my next blog post on 'political voice' and civic engagement.
While in London, I was thrilled to meet with Jane Burton, the talented Executive Head Teacher of the Nonsuch and Wallington Education Trust (NWET). The NWET was formed last year as part of the growing multi-academy trust initiative in the UK. There are two schools in the Trust: Nonsuch High School for Girls and Wallington High School or Girls, which are brand new members of NCGS. Both are long-standing, high performing selective public all-girls schools located near London. The aim of NWET is to be a collaborative model that provides a first-class education for girls, in both schools, ensuring they are well prepared for the future.
In addition to an energizing and productive Board of Trustees meeting (described above by NCGS Board President Martha Perry), the Board and NCGS team had a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with Global Forum strategic partner, Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS) to co-host a dinner with Executive Director Anne-Marie Kee to discuss trends in Canada influencing NCGS member schools in Ontario, including Elmwood School, Branksome Hall, Havergal College, Holy Name of Mary College School, St. Mildred's-Lightbourn School, The Bishop Strachan School, The Linden School, Trafalgar Castle School, and St. Clement's School."
--Megan Murphy, NCGS Executive Director
"I visited Trinity Hall in Tinton Falls, NJ, which opened in 2013 with 30 students in the 9th grade, today has 159 students and will graduate its first senior class next spring. I had a wonderful time meeting with Head of School Mary Sciarrillo and her administrative team and touring their beautiful new facility, which opened this fall and was constructed according to the WELL Building Standard. I especially enjoyed watching students -- all of whom are required to take four years of engineering -- conduct experiments on their response times in comparison to those of a fighter pilot.
The next morning, I had the honor of attending the Young Women Leadership Network's (YWLN) 20th Anniversary (Em)Power Breakfast. YWLN founders Ann and Andrew Tisch were honored for their tireless commitment to providing girls in underserved communities in New York City with a high-quality college preparatory education through a network of public all-girls schools -- The Young Women's Leadership Schools (TYWLS) -- and the CollegeBound Initiative. The event, emceed by two TYWLS students, was full of powerful and moving tributes from teachers, students, parents, and more. Congratulations to YWLN, and here is to many more future decades of success!
At Convent of the Sacred Heart in Greenwich, CT, I toured the gorgeous campus, including the state-of-the-art athletic center, which opened in 2015, with Head of School and alumna Pam Hayes. We discussed, along with Upper School English and World Literature Teacher Linda Vasu, the founding of the school's Center for Research, Teaching, and Learning (CRTL), which Linda directs. The CRTL functions as an in-house professional development community and promotes collaboration and curricular innovation in eight mission-related areas.
I completed my travels with a visit to The Ursuline School in New Rochelle, NY, one of 15 Ursuline secondary schools in the US. Head of School Carol Killebrew and Global Education Coordinator Maria Barton talked about the school's focus on the connection between its motto 'Serviam' ('I will serve') and global education. For the past two years, Ursuline has hosted a one-day symposium featuring distinguished speakers and breakout sessions facilitated by students addressing topics of global concern. Ursuline also recently began a Global Scholars Program for students who 'have successfully demonstrated a strong interest in global citizenship, international issues, and Serviam.'"
--Jen Shakeshaft, NCGS Director of Strategic Initiatives & Professional Development
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