DON'T FORGET TO REGISTER FOR 2016 SAIS EVENTS!
Letter from the President
Kirk Walker, Ph.D.
Crafting a Compelling High School Resume 
Graduation Speeches Seek to Inspire
Rights, Race, and the Confederate Flag: Global Education in Our Own Backyard
By Kent Lenci, Brookwood School and Bo Garrett, Highlands School

We Americans don't seem to agree about much these days. Political discord reveals deep cultural divides, one of which runs along the Mason Dixon Line. In Massachusetts, students freely refer to southerners as "racist hillbillies," and many southern students imagine their northern counterparts to be "rude" and "bossy." We know this because our middle school history students are engaged in a lively collaboration that binds students in Alabama, Massachusetts, Tennessee, and Vermont. Through a mock Supreme Court case, students at our schools collaborate to decide whether a Tennessee student had the constitutional right to bring a Confederate flag to school. Rights, race, and the Civil War feature prominently in our dialog, although the historical content of our exchange is merely a vehicle to instill open-mindedness in our students. The primary vehicle of communication between students from "the North" and those in "the South" is a blog, where, over the past couple of years, students have exchanged their perceptions of the "other" across the Mason Dixon Line, in the process dismantling some sturdy misconceptions. >>Read more. 
The Importance of Being Little
By Erika Christakis
Reviewed by Mark Bauerlein, English Professor, Emory University, Atlanta

Last year, Education Next published the findings of a study of the academic achievement of two groups: those who in adolescence lived in single-parent households and those who lived in two-parent households. The researchers found a significant gap in years of schooling completed between the two groups. Worse, the gap has widened over time: "American children raised in single-parent homes appear to be at a greater disadvantage educationally than ever before," they write. One would think that a book subtitled "What Preschoolers Really Need from Grownups" would acknowledge the single-parent problem and list answers to it among the needs. But only a few times in its nearly 400 pages does this concern come up. The aim of author Erika Christakis is to alter our conception of childhood and improve pre-K practices, and that seems to go along with not differentiating among children in any way at all. >>Read more.
Stephen P. Robinson Collaboration Grant Recipient Report: McCallie School and Girls Preparatory School

This is the final report from the 2015 Stephen P. Robinson Collaboration Grant Recipients. For more information about the grants, please visit www.sais.org/grants.  
 
In addition to teaching content, methods of thinking about that content, and skills to articulate those thoughts to a larger world, we at independent schools also desire to instill the more human side of how knowledge can be used. We expect our students to act on what they have learned to benefit their communities. Much of their energies may be revealed through their chosen profession: a doctor who works to save lives, a lawyer who works on behalf of those needing fair representation, a teacher who instills confidence in the next generation of leaders. But many of our students will go outside daily jobs to share their gifts through charitable work with direct financial giving through professional or personal avenues, by volunteering with local non-profit organizations, or by serving on these institutions' boards. >>Read more.
2016 SAIS Summer Events: Which One is For You?
 
Still looking for a professional development program for the summer? Sign up for one of SAIS's many institutes and gain new ideas for your career! Whether you are a new teacher, an experienced administrator, an aspiring head, an assistant to the head, or the head of school, SAIS is here to support you in your development. SAIS events also allow you to expand your professional network while brainstorming with your colleagues and new contacts. Get outside of your classroom, school, or office and learn some best practices for working in independent schools. >>More information. 
SAIS Membership Dues 2016-17
 
Just a reminder that your SAIS membership dues invoice for the 2016-17 school year were sent electronically May 9. Dues are calculated based on information your school provided via our annual spring survey. The payment deadline is August 1.  

There are three ways to pay dues: ACH transfer, credit card, or check.
 
If you are paying by check please note our new mailing address:  6050 Peachtree Pkwy, Suite 240-199, Norcross, GA 30092. 

As a member of SAIS you can take advantage of member pricing for all of our professional development offerings listed at www.sais.org/events.

Thank you for being a member of SAIS. If any of our staff can be of service to you or your school, please do not hesitate to call upon us. Our staff list can be found at www.sais.org/contact
The word Events in cut out magazine letters pinned to a cork notice board. Events may refer to news
2016 Calendar of Events
On-Site Board Workshops
 
SAIS President Dr. Kirk Walker and Vice President Damian Kavanagh are available to visit your campus and conduct on-site governance workshops.
  • Trusteeship for Independent Schools
  • New Trustee Orientation
  • Becoming an Outstanding Board
  • The Changing Landscape of Independent School Governance 
Just Say Cheese: 
Your Photos Wanted!
Technical Assistance Services:
Benchmarking and Bylaws

Now is the time to use NAIS DASL data to plan for next year. Do you need benchmark salary information? SAIS can help and can teach you how to use this powerful tool. 
Do your bylaws need a refresh? We have read quite a number and are happy to read yours and will provide suggestions on aligning your bylaws with your aspirations of being and remaining a strategically effective board. Contact Damian Kavanagh at SAIS, (404) 918-8850 or [email protected].
WANTED:
Your School's Logo 
 
Does your school's logo appear in the SAIS Online Member Directory?  If not, please send your school's logo to [email protected].



 

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Crafting a Compelling High School Resume
Graduation Speeches Seek to Inspire
Collaboration Grant Report
Article Headline
Tweets of Note
QUICK LINKS
Looking for Advice?

The SAIS listservs provide a great resource for heads and other administrators to learn how schools handle common issues, share ideas, and more.

Some recent hot topics among Heads include how to recruit board members, staff confidentiality agreements, merit pay, and whether to add boarding to day schools. Upper school heads talked about how to select department chairs and class trips, while middle school heads discussed social studies and science curriculums. Lower school heads looked at reading assessments and whether to assign summer reading. Heads' assistants recently shared thoughts about graduation. Listservs for athletic directors and communication directors were added just this year. 

Not on our listservs? Contact [email protected] to sign up and join the conversation!    
SAIS Featured School
 Mill Springs Academy

Since its founding in 1981, Mill Springs Academy has been supporting student learning through small classes and an individualized curriculum. We help students capitalize on their strengths and learn compensatory strategies to help overcome their challenges.The philosophy of the school is best stated in a quote from our founder, Tweetie L. Moore, "I've always believed that if a student can't learn the way we teach, we should teach the way a student can learn.>>Read more.

Would you like to be an SAIS Featured School? Contact [email protected]
    
SAIS By the Numbers

What a year for SAIS! We've seen many of you on school visits, at workshops, and at our Annual Conference. Here's a recap of the 2015-16 school year for SAIS: 
  • 84 school accreditation visits
  • 420 accreditation team members
  • 100 school visits by SAIS President Dr. Kirk Walker
  • 26 SAIS institutes, workshops, summits, retreats, and conferences attended by 1,066 people
  • 17 new member schools
  • 377 total SAIS member schools
Blogs of Note
 
Jay Underwood, head of High Meadows School in Roswell, GA, gives credit where credit is due. 

Author Peter DeWitt finds a place for blogging in the classroom. 

Consultants at Crane MetaMarketing share tips for adding some wow to your welcome. 

Educational blogger Tamra Dollar reflects on a teacher's error and the importance of a child's name. 
Tweets of Note
 
Awards, graduations, SAIS school visits, and more!
 
Retiring in 2016?A blue nametag sticker with the words Hello I Am Retired to illustrate that you are done with your career and are living off a pension or 401k or other retirement savings
If you are a head of school who will be retiring at the end of the 2015-16 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 annually. Please complete our Legacy Club bio form.

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