 A Note from the President
Dr. Steve Robinson
Once again the summer has passed too quickly and a new school year is upon us. I trust you all had productive summers participating in professional development, attending conferences, completing capital improvement projects, and planning for next year. Hopefully you also had time to put the devices away and enjoy a book, indulge in a hobby, spend time in nature, take a trip, or be with family.
We have also been busy organizing a host of valuable events for the coming year. The SAIS Annual Conference, which will be held in Atlanta, October 18-20, will feature a range of compelling, cutting-edge, and practical content for independent school leaders. The conference is the perfect event to grow professionally and network with other educators. This year we are also offering a Board/Head Retreat for heads and their current and incoming board chairs.
The 2014-15 academic year will be my last as President of SAIS. Next summer I will join the dedicated professionals of the Episcopal Diocese of Honduras as Superintendent of Schools. My wife, Rhonda, and I are excited and humbled by this incredible opportunity. Read my letter to SAIS schools regarding this change.
Over the coming year, in addition to conducting workshops for SAIS member schools, I plan to visit as many schools and leaders as possible. I have been honored to serve SAIS for the past seven years and I trust that my final year as President will be the best yet.
Sincerely,
Dr. Steve Robinson
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Board/Head Retreat
October 18, from 10:00 AM-4:00 PM
Featuring Rob Evans, Steve Robinson, and Michael Thompson
Effective leadership drives the success of any great organization. In independent schools, the board of trustees and head of school set the tone. A strong working relationship between the board chair and head is critical to a school's success. This year, heads and board chairs will have the opportunity to deepen this important relationship at the SAIS Board/Head Retreat, October 18, from 10:00 AM-4:00 PM, at the Crowne Plaza Ravinia in Atlanta, GA. The retreat will precede the SAIS Annual Conference. $195 per person. >>Read article. |
 FAST STATS
The Growth of LD Schools
The focus of this FastStats is on the growth of LD schools within NAIS over the past 20 years. Growth will be measured both absolutely and as a proportion of non-LD schools. As an absolute measure, in 1993-1994, there were 862 non-LD schools and 20 LD schools in NAIS. By 2013-2014, the number of non-LD schools reached 1,392, while the number of LD schools reached 86. This represents a 161% increase in non-LD schools, and a 430% increase in LD schools. >>Read article. |
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 Who Owns Water?
Annual Conference Keynote
Who owns water? This was the question that intrigued brothers David and Michael Hanson and inspired their latest documentary investigating the "water war" between Georgia, Alabama, and Florida over the use of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin and the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin. In the documentary film Who Owns Water? the brothers investigate the conflict, paddling the 493-mile length of the Chattahoochee River and talking to locals and stakeholders about the issue. The Hansons are the Monday morning keynote speakers at the SAIS Annual Conference in Atlanta, October 18-20. >>Read article. |
 BOOK REVIEW
Life, Animated by Ron Suskind
In his recent memoir Life, Animated: A Story of Sidekicks, Heroes and Autism, Ron Suskind chronicles his family's journey and his son's battle with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Ron is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and best-selling author of numerous books on national affairs. His memoir provides a glimpse into the many difficulties faced by families and children with developmental disorders, the roller coaster of both progress and emotions in dealing with the diagnosis and finding treatments, and the emergence of a new form of therapy. >>Read article. |
Measuring Your Global Education Program
The Global Education Benchmarking Group and SAIS have teamed up to offer a comprehensive tool to measure the effectiveness of your global education program. In beta testing right now, it is designed to be deployed in conjunction with your accreditation visit and will prove instrumental in helping develop a vision for your school's global future. For more information please contact GEBG or [email protected]. |
 Retiring This Year?
If you are a head of school who will be retiring at the end of this school year, please let us know so we can induct you into the SAIS Legacy Club, a group of retired heads of school who gather twice a year. The induction ceremony will take place at the dinner on Saturday, October 18, 2014, in conjunction with the SAIS Annual Conference and the dinner celebrating Steve Robinson. Please email [email protected] before September 19 to make sure we have you on the list. |
 October 18-20 at the Crowne Plaza Ravinia, Atlanta, GA * Deadline for earlybird registration and hotel: Sept 26DON'T MISS THIS: Be sure to register for the special dinner celebrating Steve Robinson on Saturday, October 18. Cocktails at 6:00 PM followed by dinner at 7:00 PM. |
 Looking Ahead to 2015
Mark your calendars for next summer and don't miss out on these great professional development opportunities! Pre-registration opens in September. - Institute for Strategic Leadership >> June 15-17
- Institute for the Head's Assistant >> June 16-17
- Administrative Leadership Institute >> June 17-19
- Institute for Heads >>June 24-26
- Institute for New Heads >> June 29-July 1
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SAIS Survey Center
Visit www.sais.org/surveys to see the stakeholder surveys available to your school community. SAIS has created a series of highly reliable and valid stakeholder surveys for use either in conjunction with a strategic visioning process or just to take the pulse of your community. Be sure to check out the video, sample questions, timelines, and sample reports.
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WANTED: Photos!
Got any great photos of your campus, students, or a special occasion at your school? Would you be willing to let SAIS use them on our website, in marketing materials, and in publications such as this? If so, please send them to [email protected].
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Blogs of Note
Teaching for Tomorrow
Ned Murray, Head of Episcopal Day School in Augusta, GA, discusses the incredible value of independent schools in today's fast-changing world, and the skills that students will need to succeed.
Three Strategies of an Ed PioneerJackie Westerfield, Head of Grandview Preparatory School in Boca Raton, FL, shares three strategies for creating an environment that encourages education pioneers.
Rebecca Moore, Director of Communications for Randolph School in Huntsville, AL, shares some rising seniors' unique Ethnography Projects, such as an investigation into the sport of roller derby. Click here for more blogs. |
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Tweets of Note
"You can't microwave change; something other than the prevailing system; power of doodle; Taylor Mali - What Teachers Make; respecting the student . . ."
Click here for more tweets.
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