What's the Leadership Team Been Up To?

The Leadership Team (see 'School Organization and Roles) meets every Wednesday afternoon for two hours to take care of some of the business of the school. Each Leadership Team member commits to attending two Board meetings per year.   Leadership Team members are:

Trish Bondurant, Pedagogical Chair
Laura Crandall, School Director
Andrea Eichinger-Wiese, Salmonberries Lead Teacher
Mia Fioravanti, Grade Eight Teacher
Bryan McGriff, Movement Teacher
Cindy Weinberg, Grade One Teacher

Due to the demands of the eighth grade year, it is our group's policy that the eighth grade teacher rotate off the team in spring.  A new member will be selected by the faculty to join the group after Ms. Fioravanti's departure.

Our group routinely reviews the policies of the Board making a particular policy the topic of review and
discussion in the month preceding a monitoring report.  Monitoring reports are required by the Board of Trustees, and are written by the School Director according to a planning cycle that is determined by the board.  These reports provide evidence-based assessments of school compliance with board policy.

Another regular part of the Leadership Team's work is to provide input and guidance for the Pedagogical Committee, as requested or as necessary.  The Pedagogical Committee has worked on scheduling and reviewing grades teachers' evaluations, has formed their guidelines for membership to the Pedagogical Committee, and has finalized some extra elements for grades teachers' evaluations.  The Leadership Team provided input regarding the last two of those three items.

Our group also writes policy or approves/vets new policies and proposals.  This year we've looked a parent fundraising proposals, Sugar Plum Faire proposals, and we'll look at a revised field trip policy and procedure and a yearbook proposal in the new year.

Some of our most exciting work this year has been around School Culture, our Mission Statement and Core Values, and our new science room plans.  We've brought these discussions to our faculty at our Thursday meetings, and continue with the theme tomorrow, when we discuss our school's identity further and bring our Mission Statement for review.  On January 2, the Leadership Team and the Board of Trustees will ring in the new year by engaging in a half-day retreat to engage in work related to our Mission Statement and Core Values.   I look forward to sharing the fruits of that work with you in the new year.