From the Desk of the Principal… “Building Bridges Together” September, 2010 Dear Parents and Families of Meredith-Dunn Students, Here we are at the beginning of another school year and we are once again off to a wonderful start. Our classrooms and hallways are filled with the energy, enthusiasm and positive spirit that are such a part of our students and staff. We begin our year with 192 students, including 37 new students. We presently have three 8th grade classes and three 7th grade classes. Our faculty and staff consist of 51 individuals, including new staff members- Ellen Nord-7th grade teacher and Michelle Monahan and Jodi Muhich-teaching assistants. As Head of School it is most gratifying to have such a highly trained, child-centered faculty and staff. Through the support of our Adopt-A-Student tuition assistance program as well as the monies raised by grants, our Walk and other efforts, we awarded $161,000 in tuition assistance to qualifying families- 28% of our school population. This is an ongoing critical need and we appreciate those of you who have supported our efforts. The economy continues to be challenging for all of us as fundraising dollars are no longer a luxury but have become our lifeline. We are excited that this year through the support of the Norton Foundation, we have a continued partnership with Dr. Mary Goral from Bellarmine University. Dr. Goral is an expert in Waldorf inspired education and will support our teachers’ efforts to integrate movement, art, music and storytelling into their instructional practices. In addition, we recently received $10,000 from Kosair Charities to support our language therapy program and $20,000 from the WHAS Crusade for Children for technology support such as additional laptop computers for our 7th and 8th grade students. This school year also represents Year 2 in the ISACS accreditation cycle, which is the year designated for our self-study. This process requires us to diligently scrutinize all aspects of our school program. I truly believe that our self-study year could not have come at a more opportune time. We have continued to redesign our curriculum and have integrated specialized instructional methods throughout our program. We have strategically looked at how we can most effectively support every facet of student learning. We have worked to integrate technology into all aspects of our instructional program. We are considering alternative assessment tools and determining how we will use assessment information to improve instruction. But I also know that the only way we will continue to improve is by reflecting on what is working and what is not; on what we do well and what we do not do so well; on what our strengths and weaknesses are as a school community. Your input last spring, when you along with many members of our school community completed the school survey, provides invaluable information in regard to your perspective on how we’re doing. On Friday, September 3rd Kevin Rooney, Director of Accreditation Services for ISACS will visit Meredith-Dunn to kick-off our self-study year. He will meet with our faculty and staff and members of our Board of Trustees to share the importance of this process. Meredith-Dunn has come a long way since our last self-study seven years ago, but there are still challenges ahead as we strive to grow and improve. Our theme this year-“Building Bridges Together” reminds us that the many bridges that have been built and will be built at Meredith-Dunn are a direct result of a true learning community where all members-trustees, teachers, parents and students are true collaborative partners in a common purpose. Our achievements are shared and our challenges are shared. It’s why when hearts and minds are connected, great things happen for children. My best wishes for a wonderful school year, Kathy Beam, Head of School |
