Actively Engaged

Spring Concert

It is an overcast Friday and the peels of joy are coming from Lower Schoolers in the gym and the angelic voices of first graders are trumpeting next door.  Indeed the activities that concluded last week and make up this week represent a wonderful flurry of all that makes St. Anne’s such a special place.  At every level there are signs that teachers and students want to make the most of their end of the year.

• Last Wednesday we honored all of the spring athletes and coaches, including the inaugural season for the girls’ lacrosse program.  There was real pride in the room for the growth and sportsmanship demonstrated in this season and a genuine appreciation for the opportunity to represent St. Anne’s on the playing fields.  Did you know we had 83 students playing a spring sport, and we had 8 students who played on four different teams throughout the year? Many thanks to all of the coaches, players, and supportive parents that made this spring season such a fun success.
• The spring concerts last Thursday were a delightful mix of energy, talent, and variety.  There was indeed something for everyone.  Many thanks to Lauren Cataldi, Bill Drazga, and the support team for helping our young artists to shine like the stars.
• Last Friday, the Heron Hustle was such an upbeat time for everyone with students and adults giving it their best in support of the school and good fitness.  Kudos to Carey Koppenhaver and her team of volunteers.
• Also on Friday we had the fourth graders teaching the first grade all that they have learned about corn during their in-depth study through the year as part of their social studies classes.
• At the same time our third grade students enjoyed a delicious Scandinavian Feast, as part of their unit on that region, while our sixth graders were launching the rockets that they had made in science class.



Heron Hustle

• Last week ended with our 8th graders dancing and remembering at their class semi-formal held at the Parkside Community Center on Friday evening, followed by our Girls on the Run team showing their pride and personal development at the community race at the Riverfront in Wilmington.

This week also had many highlights; let me name just a few:

• The fourth grade took their Ellis Island trip on Monday culminating their study of immigration to America, and demonstrating to their parents, teachers and tour guide just how much they had learned along the way.
• The fifth grade tested their earthquake towers in science on Tuesday with a whole lot of shaking going on, while the spring athletes celebrated their seasons with student/parent games, contests, and lots of good food.
• On Wednesday the second grade performed their talent show in front of the entire school who were seated with connection buddy pairings and were so supportive of our young performers. It was precious moment for our school, that began back in September with the idea of one student who got to see his dream come true.
• On Thursday in addition to Colonial Fiber Day in second grade, the fourth grade led an Instructed Eucharist in chapel and the entire school honored the 22 years of combined service to St. Anne’s by Pat Davis and Carey Koppenhaver.  Good humor and loving appreciation were abundant in the blessings offered.



Fifth Grade Earthquake Tower

• Today our 7th and 8th graders began their final exams, and we honored our SAPA volunteers at breakfast, and they in turn honored our faculty at an appreciation luncheon by covering classes and recesses while serving a delicious meal to the faculty.  The SAPA co-presidents also presented a check for $2000 to help offset the cost of our planned refurbishment of the Outdoor Chapel.  On behalf of all the faculty and staff, let me say a heartfelt thank you to our SAPA parent body.

I have worked in other communities where the late spring starts to merge into summer early on and the productivity and purposefulness tends to wane.  I see no signs of that right now at St. Anne’s.  Our students and teachers are staying engaged in their learning and teaching.  It is impressive to watch!

Promise and Potentiality

Watching our youngest students perform their Spring Concert so wonderfully this morning, I was especially moved by their opening number which had them singing about their “promise and potentiality.” They sang with such vigor, confidence, and joy that you could not help but share their sense of hope for their future, and frankly our future.  For me this concert is always the first signal that the school year is beginning to wind down, so I want to provide an update on all of the excitement of our last few weeks that represent more of the “promise” of St. Anne’s.

I have to begin with the gala auction which was a huge success.  We exceeded our goal by netting over $79,000 for the school, and all 280 guests seemed to have a wonderful time.  Gratitude and congratulations go to Carey Koppenhaver and her 50 volunteers who worked so hard to make the evening a success, and to everyone who so generously supported the event.  This success was followed quickly by the entrepreneurs in second grade whose used bookstore raised over $2100 for the Ronald McDonald House and promoted good (and affordable) reading to so many in our community.  Then the fifth grade continued their tradition of leading the spring food drive and gathered over 1550 food items to pass along to area food banks.

Girls On The Run

In addition to this excellent charitable spirit, the many talents of our community have also been featured lately. At the Middle School Talent Show last Friday we got to watch and listen to a wide variety of young performers from dancers, to singers, to instrumentalists, to a martial art demonstration, and a rock band.  There were so many “goose bump moments” for me, but I think what I loved most was the genuine appreciation, respect, and pride that the audience showed for the performers who were taking such a big risk by performing in front of their peers.  A similar show of support happened as our older students and many adults encouraged our younger students in the Girls on the Run group as they ran their practice 5K run last week.  Then last Saturday a host of students and adults participated in the Dover Days parade representing St. Anne’s and spreading good cheer and sharing packets of wildflower seeds to our friends in Kent County, Delaware.  We also invite everyone to come to our spring concerts next Thursday to hear the musical talents of the galaxy of “stars” in grades 2 – 8.

A martial art demonstration
during the Middle School
talent show

Our students have also shined brightly in other ways as well.  Recently in the election of student council officers for next year in the Middle School we had eleven seventh grade students who gave eloquent speeches in front of the entire middle school to express their interest and qualifications for one of the four offices in student council.  Curiously, even after three run offs, the race for Vice President still ended in a perfect tie, so those two finalists happily opted to share the duties for next year. In addition on Wednesday our seventh grade social studies students presented their final presidential debates which demonstrated just how much they had learned about their particular U.S. President as well as about the opposing President and the protocols of a formal debate.  In the end Harry Truman defeated Abraham Lincoln as the best President. J

Finally, this week I received a lovely letter from new parents whose son came to us this year.  In their letter the parents write about their son’s decision to ask them to allow him to apply to St. Anne’s for his eighth grade year.  The last two paragraphs of the letter read as follows:

Needless to say, we could not be happier with the investment we have made in our son and your school.  This has been a happy year for (him) – full of great memories, constant mentoring and support, and a first class education.  We are happy to tell you that he has been accepted into the high school of his choice and we know that St. Anne’s played a big role in that acceptance.  We also believe (he) is better prepared for high school due to the high quality of instruction he has received this year.

Above all, as we reflect on our short time at SAES, we will remember what a special place it is and how we could not be happier with the choice we made.”

Relaxing after a successful
Pre-K - 1st grade Spring concert

Just as our PreK, Kindergarten, and First Grade friends reminded us this morning, there is such promise and hope in our world if we take time to notice and listen.  As the promise of spring nudges its way into the summer months, I hope you will find time to enjoy the “potentiality” represented in our young people and the dedication of the many parents and teachers at this special place who are helping our children to grow and learn.

Earth Day Thanks

I want to express my deep gratitude to all of the St. Anne's students and parents who contributed to the many different Earth Day projects that we undertook on Wednesday afternoon.   We had students and adults assisting with trash cleanup all over our campus.  We weeded the garden beds and prepared our vegetable gardens for spring planting; we turned the compost pile that holds all of our discarded biomass; we cleaned up the stream bed area behind the outdoor chapel; we prepared the outdoor chapel area for a summer renovation project that SAPA is helping to co-fund; we tidied and marked the Harvey Zendt trail; we cleaned and mulched the Peace Garden; and we had a Brownie troop planting colorful annuals in the front entrances to the Lower School and the main entrance.  It was a fun and productive afternoon all around.

As our students and teachers heard in chapel on Thursday, we are all called to be good stewards of God's creation.  We are blessed to have wonderful places in nature that we can turn to for refreshment and inspiration, and the challenge to protect and preserve the gift of nature rests with all of us.  We are called upon to think globally and act locally, and this is exactly what we saw happening yesterday.  On behalf of Harvey Zendt, our founding and current trustees, and our community minded faculty and families, I offer my heartfelt thanks to all those who helped to participate.

On a more practical note, I also encourage all students and adults who worked in the woods and walked in our grasses to be on the lookout for those pesky ticks that can sometimes start hitching a ride on innocent naturalists.  If one has attached to the skin, be careful to remove all of the tick and not leave portions under the skin to cause irritations and infection.  Seek medical attention if you think the tick might have been attached for more than 24 hours and you are not sure you were able to remove all of it.

Finally, I want to say a special thanks to all who have worked so hard to pull together our Gala Auction for Saturday night.  Already the gym has been transformed into a celebratory space where over 270 guests are coming to dine, dance and demonstrate their support for our great school.  It should be a ton of fun.  This is a wonderful school community.

Embracing Change

Our theme at St. Anne’s during Lent, adopted from the challenge often attributed to Mahatma Gandhi, urged us to “be the change you want to see in the world.” We talked about how the sacrifice of a Lenten observance does not have to be giving up something that we like; it can be taking on a new challenge that stretches us to embrace a change that makes us better people, better community members.  One of the lessons of the Easter message is that the disciples were not all ready to understand the transformative change represented in the resurrection of Jesus.  As most of us would be, they were skeptical, even frightened of the change.  As Reverend Juan George spoke to the students in chapel yesterday, what ultimately saw the disciples through was not a scientific analysis but an abiding faith.

The legacy of an institution starts with its people. 
This group has been with the school since the very begininig

A few parents have stopped in to see me in the weeks since spring break, and one question that has come up more than once is, “Should we be concerned about the change represented in so many key positions turning over at St. Anne’s?”  It is a very understandable question, one that for some is a source of anxiety.  Carey Koppenhaver and Pat Davis have been such a part of the fabric of St. Anne’s; it is hard to imagine the school without them.  The marks they have left on this community will continue to be woven through every thread, and will be reflected in how we carry out our mission for many generations to come. As Valerie White prepares to move from her role as Director of Admission to Lower School Head, she and Pat will be working together to make that transition as seamless as possible.  In independent schools the average tenure for a division head is around seven years, for an admission director it is three to four years, and for a development director it is four to five years.  In our eleven years, counting the start-up phase, St. Anne’s has had one Lower School Head, two admission directors and two development directors (and for the first six years they were the same person).  That is actually a very healthy sign of stability.  That both Pat and Carey have chosen to move on to another stage of their lives, while slightly unnerving for us, is laudable and healthy.



Looking at the overall employment turnover at St. Anne’s, we are significantly more stable than what NAIS reports as typical. At this time I am anticipating just the two current searches for Directors of Admissions and Development for next year.   This compares favorably to the national average employee turnover of roughly 9% per year.  In a school of over 70 employees that would mean that we would average changing more than six employees each year.  In my four years at St. Anne’s, the only year where we had six or more new hires was last year, and these changes were all for good reasons and with good results.  What strikes me as a tribute to the health of our school is that we are able to be very selective in our candidate search process, receiving anywhere from 30 – 65 resumes for any full time opening.  While we are still in the early stages of our search for the two important advancement openings, I have faith that we will find talented people with fresh ideas and energy to continue the good work of Carey and Valerie in Development and Admissions.



The Math league team heads off to the State Tournament on
Tuesday.  We wish them good luck!



Pat Bassett, the president of NAIS, reminds us that school communities are typically rather change averse.  Our fears can sometimes win out over our faith.  Yet if we embrace the understanding that change is inevitable and healthy in schools, we will be surprised at how much positive energy and growth come from it.  As Ben Franklin wrote, "When you're finished changing, you're finished."  Pat Bassett also cited in last year’s NAIS annual report that schools need to be prepared for the “volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity” of our times.  To be able to manage in these times, he says, school leadership members need to work collectively to have the “vision, understanding, courage, and agility” to embrace and manage change.

If we can keep the faith, treasure the legacies of those who have come before, and embrace the promise of what lies ahead, the community of St. Anne’s may also maintain our Lenten theme as an everyday reality.  Indeed we can stay true to our founding mission and continue to encourage people to “be the change we want to see in the world.”

The Signs of Hope in Springtime

Welcome back!  I hope that Spring Break was restful and fun for your family.  Since it has been a while since I wrote to parents in this forum, I want to share with you some of the news from the past few weeks.

o        First, I want to congratulate the SAES 5^th and 6^th grade Odyssey of the Mind Team which took first place in their division and will be traveling now to the State Competition on March 31.  Congratulations to Kristin Cunningham, Mary McMillan, Cara McTaggart, Nia Pope, and Elena Sherman for their hard work and great showing.

o        The St. Anne’s math league teams also finished their seasons with great success. The school had two 8th grade teams. One of them came in 2nd place in the Region out of 11 teams. The only 7th grade team came in 2nd out 12 teams. Both teams will attend the invitation meet in April.  In addition, some students were recognized for their individual contributions to the meets. Vinay Kasat, of Camden, was tied for first for 8th graders in our Region with 23 total points (out of a possible 28 points). In 7th grade, David Kim (19 points) and Marc Gorum (18 points), both of Middletown, came in 2nd and 3rd place respectively in the Region for total points.

o        The National Association of Episcopal Schools had an article in their February 29 newsletter about the our January Ordination at St. Anne’s.  Here is the link:    http://www.episcopalschools.org/newsMembers/index.cfm?fa=news&id=2517

Governor Markell and Mr. Thayer admire a
10th anniversary cake for St. Anne's at the
Middletown Area Chamber of Commerce
Business to BusinessExpo on March 8th.



o        On Tuesday, March 6, I had the pleasure of trading places with Ava Ferrara in 4^th grade.  Ava assumed the role of Head of School and had a full day of meetings with many different school constituencies, and I got to play Race Across America, do some math problems, learn about the difference between physical and chemical changes in science, and play scooter games in PE and football during recess.  I think we both had a good day!

o        On the first day of our break, we had roughly 500 people come through our building for the Middletown Area Chamber of Commerce Business to Business Expo.  Governor Jack Markell joined us for the event and was present when we cut a 10 year birthday cake for St. Anne’s.  Here is a link to some Transcript newspaper photos from that event. http://www.middletowntranscript.com/photos/x1160500508/PHOTO-GALLERY-B2B-Expo 

o        Over the break many of our eighth graders received their acceptance letters from boarding schools that observe the March 10 notification deadline. We had five students admitted to St. Andrew’s School and one to The School at Church Farm.  When all of our decisions are in, we will publish a list of the acceptances for the entire 8^th grade, but clearly this class can be proud of their acceptance rates.

o        We have begun the search for our two openings in Admissions and Development. Here is the link to the employment section of our website: http://www.saintannesschool.org/employment.php to see what we are looking for in these two positions. Please help spread the word to promising candidates.

o        Also our Curriculum Overviews are posted now on the website with some photographic accompaniment.  Click on the grade level links on the upper right side of these pages:

For the Lower School:   http://www.saintannesschool.org/lower_school.php 

            For the Middle school:   http://www.saintannesschool.org/middle_school.php 

o        To help us with keeping our parking lot secure, our surveillance camera system is now up and running, giving us a full view of the parking lot when we need it.

o        Please be sure to finalize your conference times for next week if you have not done so already.  The scheduled no classes dates for conferences are March 29 & 30.  I plan to keep fairly open office hours those days, so if you would like to schedule some time to talk, please let me know.  Starting the following Thursday, April 5.  I plan to keep open office hours from 8:00 - 9:30 each Thursday.  Come in for chapel and conversation if you would like.
o We have Admission Coffees scheduled for two Fridays in April.  One will be on the 13th at our home in Galena and the other on the 20th at the the home of Lisa and David Kenney.  Please let Valerie White know if you have friends or acquaintances with school age children that might be interested in learning more about St. Anne's.

o        Also please mark Wednesday, April 25^th down as a day when parents and students are invited to help celebrate Earth Day with some campus enhancement projects after school.

o        Finally, today we welcomed three new students who have moved to St. Anne’s from schools outside the area.  Shay and Barrett have joined the first grade, and Brielle has entered in the PreK.

With the cherry trees, daffodils and forsythia in full bloom, we are feeling the beckoning of Spring.  It has been a remarkably mild winter, and as our spring athletes take to the fields again today, our players and coaches wish for the trend to continue. May your springtime be just as promising in your home.

Looking Ahead to 2012-13

February begins that interesting time in the academic calendar when we continue to engage children in this year’s important work and pleasure of learning, while at the same time planning how to make next year another great year for our kids and their teachers. 

Students at various grades are busy studying arctic habitats, presenting on the solar system, solving problems, discussing other cultures and religions, reading good literature, writing increasingly challenging papers, learning Spanish vocabulary, preparing for the Middle School science fair, and competing in math league, basketball and indoor soccer… Meanwhile we are also actively getting ready for next year, and on that I would like to share some further thoughts.

First, our goal with the February 15 “Re-enrollment Day” was to provide a fun incentive for people to promptly return their contracts and to celebrate the commitment to the next decade for St. Anne’s.  It is important that we receive re-enrollment contracts by the deadline so that we can appropriately plan for how many spaces we have available to offer during this busy admission season.  However we recognize that without much advance notice, the shorter turnaround time poses a challenge for some families. 

To relieve this time pressure and give everyone the opportunity to participate in the excitement of the drawings, we have decided to extend the re-enrollment deadline to February 29, a leap year Wednesday, and to have our ”Re-enrollment Day” celebration that day.  For those who have already submitted your matriculation agreements, we say a special thank you.

Second, we are deep into our Lower School Head search and from a pool of 38 resumes we are inviting three candidates as finalists to spend a full day on campus with an opportunity to meet with all school constituencies.  Please mark your calendars for February 16, 21 and 23 when parents are invited to meet each candidate at the end of the school day to hear from them about their educational approach and to answer questions.  Details about the candidates for this critical position at our school will follow in an all school email.

Each year our faculty review course offerings, curriculum connections, educational research, and our own ERB testing analyses to make sure we continue to align with local and national standards. As we evaluate and prepare for next year, we are considering adding more resources to our program, including technology upgrades and a math textbook to go along with the current materials in Math 8. For clarity with our receiving high schools we are also considering renaming our two faster paced 8th grade classes to more clearly reflect that the students are taking an Algebra I class. The title of Pre-Algebra is also under consideration for the grade 7 classes. The current titles read Math 7 and Math 8. We will continue to use our ERB analysis to inform our instruction, both for individuals and for each grade level. The teachers at each level and subject area develop their curricula to fit the needs of the students so that they are the best prepared that they can be for the next level. Curriculum is always meant to be dynamic.

Since our mission states that we “prepare students for secondary education and lifelong learning,” it is helpful to hear what our alumni say about their readiness. Last spring we surveyed 33 of our earlier graduates and their parents, and they provided us with some valuable feedback on their experience at SAES. We learned that the overwhelming majority of our students felt “Very Well Prepared” for their high school experiences in each of these broad areas: academics; arts and music; social life; and character and discipline. We saw a wider range of comments in the area of athletics where the ratings were 10 Very Well, 11 Well, and 10 Somewhat Well. 85% of the alumni were able to enroll in an advanced track or honors courses when they entered high school. 

In the specific content areas, our alumni felt confidence and preparedness in science, social studies, math, English, Spanish, art, music and drama, with Spanish having the widest range of responses but still a majority (58%) who felt very well or well prepared.  94% of those surveyed said that their family would recommend St. Anne’s to a friend, colleague or neighbor.  In the spring we plan to bring back some of our alums to talk to our students and parents about their experiences about the transition to high school.  For a glimpse at some of the more tangible accomplishments of our alumni, visit the SAES website page: http://www.saintannesschool.org/alumni_success.php

As we look ahead to the 2012-13 school year, the new school calendar is now available.  You will note that following a leap year and an early Labor Day, we have decided to open school on Wednesday, September 5 and have our last day of school be on Friday, June 7.  The rhythm of the holidays also means a few adjustments at the Christmas season.  The calendar for next year will be forthcoming in an email.

Finally, please check out our newest website feature that allows us to share schedules and other information with the schools that we compete with athletically.  http://heronssports.com/

As always all of us at St. Anne's are thankful for your commitment to independent school education.  We recognize and appreciate your partnership in the education of your children, and we firmly believe there is no better investment that we can make than in the education of today's youth.  I look forward to continuing to work together with you for the sake of our children next year, and for years to come.

Go Herons!

St. Anne's: Telling the Story in 2012

January 18, 2012

To the St. Anne’s Community,

I would like to welcome you to the first public posting on this new site. We are hoping it provides an easier access for the various media tools our parents are using, and it allows me to share thoughts about what is going on at St. Anne's and other educational musings without locking into a bi-weekly communication format. Please let me know what you are thinking, since this format does provide an opportunity for comments as well. Tomorrow you will also receive the new version of the St. Anne's Newsletter in a similarly more interactive format. Please feel free to subscribe, follow, or share using the prompts in the right column.

At the midway point of the academic year, I would like to take this opportunity to provide an update on some of what has been going on at St. Anne’s in this 2011-12 academic year. To structure the update I will take you through some of the progress on the seven broad initiatives that came out of the strategic visioning process of this past year: http://www.saintannesschool.org/documents/SAES-Strategic-Plan-2011.pdf . Of course these initiatives represent long term priorities that are not easily measured in the short term.

Strategic Initiative #1: Maintain high expectations for everyone in our community, both in the academic, artistic, and athletic pursuits and in the positive ways that we interact with one another.



A Middle Schooler practices for the Christmas concert.

Indeed, this is part of what defines the difference of a St. Anne’s education. We expect a lot of our students and adults at every level. Sample specific evidence this year can be found in the high standards being set in our writing initiative in both the lower and middle school; the quality of our science program that has our alums return to say they are studying in ninth or tenth grade what they did in seventh grade at St. Anne's; the degree to which the Lower School is able to differentiate the instruction in four and five different skill groups both in math and reading; the integrated learning and performance assessment of the Shark Fashion Shows; and in the high calibre of our newest faculty hires. Outside the classroom similar high standards are reflected in the undefeated field hockey season; in the entertaining production of the Fall Play; and the creativity of the Middle School Fashion show in November. Probably the biggest challenge each year is to make sure we hire the best possible candidates for any opening, and the search for the next head of the Lower School is a case in point. From a pool of about 35 candidates from as far away as China and Switzerland to as near as Middletown and Townsend, we have narrowed the search to roughly six candidates who bring to the table a wide range of leadership experience and passion for educating children. Later this month we will conduct personal interviews and reference checks before determining which candidates will get to spend time on campus and meet with a full array of Lower School constituencies. Our standards for the next Lower School leader are quite high.

Strategic Initiative # 2: With new understanding of the many ways that children learn, we must make sure that our program continues to prepare students for the challenges of the 21^st century as well as for the most rigorous high school programs.

Middle Schoolers study specimens under a microscope.

The ERB scores of our 7^th and 8^th grade students this fall help demonstrate a measurable difference of the education at St. Anne’s. 64% of our students scored in the 95th percentile or better and thus were invited to participate in the Center for Talented Youth (CTY) search program sponsored by John’s Hopkins University. Once again several of our eighth grade students have received early notice of their admission to high school, and at least five students have been offered attractive merit scholarships. In addition, our alums continue to report that they were placed into the accelerated levels of their high school coursework, and nearly all have found that the high expectations set at St. Anne’s made the transition to the most challenging programs smooth and navigable. To provide more specific details of our alumni success, we have begun to gather some examples on our website: http://www.saintannesschool.org/alumni_success.php. In our tenth year we are also able to share some statistically significant lists of where our students have gone on to college, a list that includes schools such as Berklee College of Music, Brigham Young, Brown, Colorado College, Cornell, Davidson, Delaware, Dickinson, Duke, Hamilton, James Madison, Penn State, Swarthmore, Trinity, University of Virginia, and William and Mary, just to name a few. While the addition of the laptop carts has helped us make progress on our goal of more fully integrating technology into our instruction, we continue to take steps to make sure that our technology resources are as current as they can be. Recently we ordered replacements for some of our pod computers, and we are budgeting to continue this upgrade plan through next year. While our curriculum meets or exceeds the state and national standards, we also recognize that there are still places where we can fine tune our program, and I am proud of our teachers for making such reflective thinking part of their ongoing work.

Strategic Initiative #3: Develop lifelong learners who have a global perspective, a strong sense of stewardship, and the skills and character to make their world a better place.

Kindergarten celebrates Martin Luther King's birthday with
a peace march into chapel.

After last Thursday’s chapel honoring Martin Luther King Jr. where we considered topics of peace and justice, Lora Byrd shared with the Middle School her experience as a young child in Virginia in the 1950’s when she was told by her grandmother that she would not be able to go to a particular amusement park because of the color of her skin. She spoke to the students about how far we have come in our country today, and at the same time she invoked Dr. King’s challenge to all of us to continue to “hope out loud” about how we can make the world a better place. This week the Middle School Student Council is leading our “Week of Courage and Compassion” in devotions. The council has also kicked off another recycling initiative as a lower school parent has generously offered her time to support a foil juice packet recycling program. Student outreach efforts this fall included the successful food drive, the Jesse Tree gifts program, and we are currently collecting clothing for our annual clothes drive which our fourth grade leads.

Strategic Initiative # 4: Embrace our Episcopal identity as a school that honors, celebrates, and worships God as the center of life, modeling God’s love, compassion, and grace, and serving God in all persons, regardless of origin, background, ability, or religion.

Past and present: Chaplain Howlett leaves the 2011
graduation ceremony accompanied by Chaplain Taylor.

Former chaplain Louise Howlett helped clarify our Episcopal identity during her nine years at St. Anne’s, and Gary Taylor has continued to shape that identity in his first year as chaplain. At the recent meeting of the Board of Trustees, Chaplain Taylor asked the board to “pair and share” on the practical manifestations of our Episcopal identity. The group observed that you can tell we are an Episcopal school by the way children and adults treat each other, the joy that you see in students and teachers, the exposure to many other religions, the honoring of many voices, the daily devotions and weekly chapels, the commitment to service, and by an understanding that “we build God’s kingdom by building up God’s people.” Certainly this Friday’s ordination service will be quite an event in the life of St. Anne’s as our gym and worship space will play host to two bishops, dozens of Episcopal clergy, and the President of the National Association of Episcopal Schools (NAES).

Strategic Initiative # 5: Build toward full enrollment by finding the most effective ways to tell the story of St. Anne’s to a wider audience.

Fourth graders dissect owl pellets during
science class.

At last week’s well-attended Open House for the parents of PreK and Kindergarten applicants, one of our current parents who came to us from another independent school said to a prospective family something that we hear all the time: “It is such a warm community, and the teachers really know the kids. We love it here.” That is the kind of unsolicited ambassador work that we love to see, and we hope that your experience has been similar. Probably the most important challenge for the school is to spread the good news about St. Anne’s so that more families choose to enroll, and all reports tell us that families usually learn about St. Anne’s through word-of-mouth. To develop this culture of ambassadors for the school, we encourage families to share with others their own stories of what they love about St. Anne’s and how it has made a difference for their children. The website page http://www.saintannesschool.org/important_facts.php, as well as the alumni success stories referenced earlier, might offer some further talking points if families need them. We are also working on a print brochure featuring some alumni profiles that should be ready in the spring. We continue to seek ways to get more exposure for St. Anne’s with events like the Chamber Mixer last spring, the Vendors' Fair this fall, and the upcoming Business to Business Expo on Thursday, March 8. If you are aware of a civic group that might like to use our campus as a gathering place, please let us know.

Strategic Initiative # 6: Establish short and long term goals of financial sustainability and campus stewardship.

The Lower School playground at sunrise.

St. Anne’s continues to be one of the best values in independent education in Delaware. Our endowment allows us to provide a $2,000 "discount" on tuition for every family before consideration of financial aid need. The St. Anne’s tuition is 33% below the median tuition for independent day schools in Delaware including Tower Hill, Tatnall, Sanford and Wilmington Friends. Our small class size, close collaboration between students and teachers, and a strong co-curricular program rivals that of any school in the State. The Board of Trustees has prudently chosen to limit the draw from our endowment to no more than 5% annually, allowing the endowment to grow over time along with modest increases in tuition and operating costs. This model also looks to a growing enrollment and a strong Annual Fund to protect and strengthen the St. Anne's mission. Since tuition does not cover the full cost of running the school, the differential is narrowed by endowment earnings and other revenue sources and the Annual Fund is crucial in closing the remaining gap (see upcoming Report on Giving 2010-2011). Fortunately we are blessed with very supportive families whose contributions are running ahead of where we were a year ago. Last year’s gifts ranged anywhere from $25 to $15,000, and we hope that all families will be able to support the Annual Fund in whatever way fits their situation. Our priority is again to get 100% participation from our families. We hope you will help us Celebrate the Decade at the Gala Auction on Saturday, April 28. We are also excited to report that we have received nearly $30,000 in foundation grants to help support some of our technology initiatives this year and to support our most expensive field trip, the overnight to Echo Hill Outdoor School.

Strategic Initiative # 7: Seek to develop the most effective forms of school governance that engages and represents all parts of the school community (trustees, administration, faculty, parents, alumni, and students).

We have formed a new Committee on Trustees that will be looking at governance issues and by-laws more closely as well as making recommendations each year for new board members as the terms expire for current board members. We are also working to find ways to engage our alumni more fully in the life of the school and are planning a panel program to assist our families in knowing about the high school options available to our students. SAPA continues to be an important part of our school community, and we will keep looking for more ways for the parents' association to involve and engage an even broader group of parents. Our faculty committees (Advancement, Curriculum, Diversity, Environmental Stewardship and Campus Use, Professional Growth and Development, Religious Life, Safe School, and Technology) that meet five or six times per year provide a great way to collaboratively enhance our school community.

There are several other initiatives on campus that may not neatly fit any one of the categories above, but they certainly have been sources of excitement and enthusiasm.

• It is good to see so many students sporting their St. Anne’s spirit wear at school as well as off-campus.
• Thirteen 5^th and 6^th grade students and two parents used a fall elective period to produce the first M.S. Times, a student newspaper.
• Our math league members continue to do well at their regional competitions.
• Our trustees have begun to spend half and full days visiting classes to see for themselves all that is going on in our classrooms.
• We are excited about the surge in interest in our middle school girls and boys lacrosse teams for the spring.
• It is also great to see so many children enjoying our campus for extra-curricular events such as Crafts for Kids, Odyssey of the Mind, Girls on the Run, Girl Scouts, Tae Kwan Do, Special Olympics, Soccer Shots, as well as club practices for soccer, baseball and girls lacrosse.
• We also look forward to hosting Attorney General Beau Biden on campus on Friday, February 10 at 1:00.

We have so much to be grateful for and proud of at St. Anne’s, and yet we also have work to do to achieve our longer range goal of being regarded as one of the best PreK – 8^th grade schools in the country. We hope that you will share your story as an “ambassador for St. Anne’s,” and let your voice be heard in the upcoming parent survey when you receive it. On behalf of all of the faculty and staff at St. Anne’s, I say thank you for continuing to entrust your children to us at St. Anne’s.

I wish your family God’s blessings of hope and joy in 2012,

Sincerely,

Peter C. Thayer

Head of School