By Lucy M. Gowdie, Head of School
It will come as no surprise to our community that next week we will have our NEASC/IB Accreditation visit. While we have worked with great care and perseverance to showcase our identity these past eight months, this process is not a moment in time. It is not something we view as a shopping list of items to collect, collate, and then cast aside.
Who would we be as a school if each of us did not embody and embrace what we expect of our students each day - to accept feedback, comprehend it, and consider its impact on our path forward? We continue to focus our work on what we can improve while at the same time, celebrating all that we have achieved.
The re-accreditation process speaks to the School’s daily success, to the success of our staff, and most importantly, of the success of our students. We are not a school that squanders an opportunity to learn more about ourselves from outsiders and from those who bring a fresh lens with which to view how and what we do. While they are but one aspect of how we come to better understand ourselves, they are an important one because they critique all elements of our campus so that we may consider the future direction of our school.
There is an air of anticipation amongst our staff - a readiness, and a resolve to celebrate the uniqueness of our school. At our whole school staff meeting on Tuesday, we walked through the week ahead, and we did so with a collective determination to let them see who we are.
"The process has provided all of us with the opportunity to reflect and review what we do, how we do it, and most importantly of all, why we do it. Our focus, driven by the determination to know the impact of our teaching on student learning, will help shape the strategic roadmap of our School’s path forward."
I want to take this opportunity to thank, amongst many, Mrs. Gretha Wocke, our on-campus Accreditation Officer. To know Mrs. Wocke is to know the very soul of our School and we are so very grateful for her unrelenting resolve these past eight months in selfless service to our school.
I also wish to extend my thanks to the Trustees, the parents, the staff and to I also wish to extend my thanks to the Trustees, the parents, the staff and to the students, who have all participated in this process for which we will soon be assessed. I have said on many occasions, "It takes a village …" Perhaps we should change this to "It takes a community..."; a community of caring, collaborative, and considerate people to bring us to a place where we are proud to showcase our purpose. This is our school.
I look forward to sharing the results of our re-accreditation with you when we receive them.