The Ridge Report for September 2012

Report

The Ridge

September 2012

There is nothing like the start of a school year There is nothing like the start of a school year. The first few days remind me of that wonderful line from the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins’ work “God’s Grandeur”: “There lives the dearest freshness deep down things.”

The freshness of the first few days of school are rarely mimicked in any other environment or profession.

With predictability, one school year ends and another comes along. We are blessed to start fresh every year.

The ability to start fresh each year at Forest Ridge is even more spectacular. There are new classes and teachers, new classmates and routines; along the way you might see a familiar face or place, but you know you have the gift of starting new—your past is just that — and what matters is what you do from this day forward.

Over the course of the next few months, you might want to quiz your daughter again. We all get busy, fall into old habits, and run the risk of having this year seem like any other. Let’s commit this year to enjoying and celebrating the unique opportunity we have to start fresh—and realize not everyone is given this blessed opportunity in life.

When I spoke to the community at Convocation during the first week of school, I asked three things of everyone in our community this year:

All of us at Forest Ridge wish you all the best this school year.

And I personally want you to know that I value your trust in us and appreciate your confidence in our mission to form young women who will tomorrow’s leaders. This is one special place.

1. D o your best. Don’t be haunted by what could have happened, what should have been done, and all the “what ifs” that waste a lot of time… just commit to doing your best every time so you have no regrets.

2. T ell the truth. As Sister Joseph Christi told us all in first grade, “If you tell the truth you only have to remember one story.”

There is nothing worth compromising your values for, no reason to sell yourself short. Be upfront, admit when you fall short, and trust that you are in a community that will be there for you. Tell a consistent story.

3. Work and play well with others. When you spend time with peers, you get to know them and they get to know you. With time spent together comes an appreciation for one another and the unique gifts each person brings to this community.

Respect others as you would like to be respected; love others as you would like to be loved. And respect and love yourself.

At the end of Convocation, I gave a quiz and am pleased to report that everyone could repeat the three requests for the year… so we all start the year with an A+.

Mark Pierotti Head of School

Children still need us

no matter how independent they become Dr. Regina Mooney Director of Advancement

“No matter how independent our children become, they still need us.”

This is a message that recently was reaffirmed by my teenage son as he went off to college for the first time. Increasingly, he has ventured more on his own, traveling on airplanes by himself, driving to and from school during his senior high school year, and assuming responsibility for holding down a job, making his own spending money while getting all his schoolwork done - properly and on time. Has he made all the right choices along the way? Of course not! But he generally knows he can be trusted only if he is trustworthy and that he’ll advance on his own merits if he is dependable and hard-working. So I have been easing my mind into thinking my work is done and now I can just begin to enjoy him and be supportive as he continues to create a life for himself.

Imagine my surprise when he called me from Franklin and Marshall College seeking advice. What was going on, I wondered.

Was he scared? Was he feeling insecure? Was he just trying to make me feel useful? He hadn’t asked advice since the word “teen” became applicable as a description of his position in life. Not one to miss such an opportunity, I leapt to attention and wracked my brain for immediate inspiration. None came to mind. Sensing my want for words, he prompted, “Well, tell me what you told me every day before middle and high school. Just say it so I have something.”

Then I recalled the litany we composed together. “Be good. Behave.

Be helpful. Be thoughtful. Pay attention. Learn lots. Have fun.”

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Thinking through the words as they spilled from my mouth now routinized with the years, I realized they were as important now as ever. And he wanted me, his mother, to recite them so he could hear them in a new context: at college where he was, perhaps, feeling the enormity of his independence.

Was I the conscience in his ear, his moral compass pointing out true north? No, I simply was the close, connected, unconditionally loving ground of his being that he grew up relying on and from whom he now simply needed the strength of assurance. In that very repetition of a simple set of virtues, I was reminding him of his capability and how he possessed the tools to go forward. As I heard him repeat the words (employing the jingle to which we had set it years ago), other voices came into the background of our phone call. He quickly told me he had to go and so he was on to his next task of becoming the man he can be. Or maybe he was just off to enjoy a few friends.

I hope that parents can identify with my experience, particularly because I have already noticed that Forest Ridge provides those same grounding virtues that help steer a solid course for each student. The Goals and Criteria are accessible to each of us and they infuse the curriculum and environment with deeper meaning. The Forest Ridge advantage is the set of values that seep into every part of the education here and into the lives of each student – written a different way, but echoing perfectly those words I said years ago and again last week: “Be good. Behave. Be helpful. Be thoughtful. Pay attention. Learn lots. Have fun.”

Dr. Regina Mooney joined Forest Ridge in July as the new Director of Institutional Advancement.

Claremont Graduate University, receiving the degree in 1992.

Regina Mooney is an educational administrator with experience at both colleges and independent schools.

Raised in Connecticut, Regina earned a B.A. in philosophy and environmental science at Southern Connecticut State University before entering Yale Divinity School in 1976. Upon receiving her M.Div. she became a lay minister at the Newman Center at St. John’s College in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Realizing she was gravitating toward more scholarly passions, Regina pursued a Ph.D. in theology and social ethics at

Dr. Mooney has taught religion and philosophy at Harvey Mudd College, Mount Holyoke College and Reed College, where she was also vice president and dean of student services and lecturer in philosophy and religion. Transitioning to the independent school realm, she began her career in development at Miss Hall’s School in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, before taking the helm of the development office at StoneleighBurnham School in Greenfield, Massachusetts, her post prior to accepting the position at Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart.

Implementing

thoughtful change

based on good information

Dr. Carola D. Wittmann Director of the High School

“With the new day comes new strengths and new thoughts.”

This quote not only precedes the beginning of Chapter 10 in Jennifer Fox’s Your Child’s Strengths, it also encapsulates the sense of a new beginning that new start typically associated with the month of September.

In this chapter, Fox argues that “meaningful lives are those that are filled with meaningful work, regardless of whether you are actually paid for that work.” Making work meaningful, recognizing how ideas and concepts are interconnected and applied in ‘real’ life is also what contributes to a successful classroom. In order to be solution-focused, we listen to our constituents, the students; faculty; parents; staff; administration; alumnae, and friends, while staying attuned to the paradox of too many options becoming debilitating rather than liberating.

In practice, the high school’s Challenge Success Team experienced this quandary first hand. Data gathered from students anecdotally as well as through the Stanford Survey clearly identified the need for change; however, the temptation to get lost in too many possibilities was just as relevant. Therefore, the team spent last year in concentrated discussions with each other and with our Stanford school coach, in order to identify and solidify the top priorities as affirmed by our students and other constituents. Specifically, the needs to change the high school grading scale and to develop a daily rotating schedule that enabled a more manageable school day emerged early on.

How hard was it for us to change? In their book, The Switch, Chip and Dan Heath devote a fair amount of time discussing the vagaries of change, the resistance that is experienced as soon as the needs for change become evident. But they also emphasize that “clarity resolves resistance,” and that was certainly the case for our high school. The data was clear and supported by the observations made by faculty, students, parents and administration. In its willingness to change for the right reasons Forest Ridge can proudly be called an anomaly; it was finding the right path that proved most difficult.

In the end, the hours invested in researching options were well spent and we are starting our new day/new academic year with new strengths: primarily a revised grading scale and a daily rotational schedule that mirrors the concerns voiced by students and affirmed by the observations of faculty, parents and administration.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Our new schedule is based on a seven-day rotation with each class meeting for 75 minutes; that meant faculty agreed to not seeing their students every day. Our work and research with Stanford’s Challenge Success Program also brought to light the importance of staggering class periods, interspersing them with shorter periods that stress the value of community and self-care.

In that light, we have built in what we call a Common Work Period; the Common Work Period immediately follows the first 75-minute block of the school day. This 25-minute time slot is designed for our students to be used in their best interest, be that a time to “regroup,” have a snack, catch up on some work, or print a paper.

The second 75-minute block period of the day is scheduled between the Common Work Period and lunch. As opposed to past years, lunch is for lunch only. Faculty and students know that it is not to be used for any other purpose than to have a lunch break.

After lunch, students have two more block periods. The afternoon schedule mirrors best practices by not scheduling more than two classes after lunch. The end of the day is bookended by another 25-minute time slot, called Meeting Period. The activities for Meeting Period depend on the day of the rotation and can range from Academic Advisory (Day One) to Study (Day Seven).

Viewing these changes through the lens of the survey results, we are reminded of that one set of questions in the Stanford Survey that addressed students’ perception of teacher care. In the answers given, 70 percent of our students reported that there is at least one adult on campus whom they view as a trusted adult; this speaks to the relationship our students and alumnae refer to when describing their school experience. As a matter of fact, the first three words students used in the survey to describe the high school at Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart were: caring, community, family.

And isn’t that what a caring community or family does: evaluates what works; discerns carefully what needs to be addressed and implements thoughtful change based on good information?

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Taking our collective responsibility as Sacred Heart Educators seriously Julie Grasseschi Middle School Director

The Middle School Program: Educating inclusive, ethical and innovative leaders who seek justice through service to others.

More than 200 middle school girls arrived at school during the last week of August, looking forward to all that the new school year would bring. Little did they know that before many of them had entered elementary school, the middle school program at Forest Ridge was beginning a process of ongoing enhancement, revision and growth. This is part of the preparation for each group of girls who enter middle school each fall.

Phase One of that ongoing growth and enhancement involved a yearlong review and re-articulation of best practices, statements of belief and curricular goals for each academic department. This process has been very helpful to incoming teachers and has served as a vehicle to question and dig more deeply into what we believe is important for middle level learners in math, English, social studies, international language, physical education, religion and technology classes.

This past spring, the entire middle school faculty began work on what we call the Middle School Roadmap, which is the next phase in the articulation of our overall program. This work layers into the departmental curricular work which was so important to laying a solid and consistent foundation for our work with our students. The Roadmap takes us even more deeply into how we live and express the Mission of Sacred Heart Education for middle school girls from fifth through eighth grade. Embedded firmly in the Goals and Criteria of Sacred Heart Education is our overall middle school goal for each and every one of our students: Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart Middle School Program educates inclusive, innovative, globally-minded leaders who seek justice through service to others.

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Across the middle school, we believe that every student can be a leader because every person can serve. We see leaders as people who use their gifts to create positive solutions and change while exhibiting empathy, optimism and persistence in an open-minded, authentic, curious and ethical manner. Our program develops inclusive leaders who understand, appreciate and value difference while treating others with respect; innovative leaders who believe that problems have solutions and put their gifts in service of others to find solutions; ethical leaders who look out for the good of others and understand that their actions have impact; and globally-minded leaders who understand that people, cultures and places have equal value and worth.

During the six days prior to the start of the school year for students, all middle school faculty members engaged in a deep discussion around the areas in which our overall goal comes alive in the daily lives of students. These four cornerstones: Goals and Criteria, Reflection, Growth Mindset and 21st Century Skills are the avenues through which the development of leaders occurs. Faculty started the process of identifying where we are engaging our students in each area and where we have room for growth and further development. Just like the process of department work which began more than five years ago, the work on articulating where our goal for our students is being met and exceeded and where we can grow will be ongoing, deeply integrated into our faculty work days (professional development) and threaded through each conversation and topic in the years ahead.

As you can see, when our girls arrive at the start of a school year, much has been going on behind the scenes to make that year the very best possible for the girls we are entrusted to serve. Thank you for sharing your daughter with us. We take our collective responsibility as Sacred Heart Educators very seriously.

Welcome to a New School Year!

As we welcome a group of new students to campus for the 2012-2013 school year, the recruitment wheels are already in motion for the 2013-2014 school year and beyond! The staff in the Office of Admission has been working all summer to put together a recruitment plan and prepare for the process of matching a new group of “mission-fit” families with Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart.

While there is so much we do from a marketing perspective

drama program, and while serving the community, and have

to encourage students and families to consider a Forest Ridge

such phenomenal opportunities to develop as leaders! As

education for their daughters, we know that positive word-of-

their parents, you understand that better than anyone. You see

mouth is probably the most effective way to spread the word

the transformation in your daughter and how Forest Ridge

about what Forest Ridge has to offer. Parents of girls who

has influenced that; others you know would love the same

currently attend Forest Ridge are quite possibly our most

thing for their daughters. The current parent-to-prospective

genuine spokespersons and the voices others will listen to

parent interactions about Forest Ridge are viewed as more

when making decisions about their daughter’s educational

real, and perhaps more influential, than the Forest Ridge-to-

future. Just like you, we look to friends and neighbors for

prospective parent interactions. That’s one of the many

advice when considering something new for our families;

reasons why we love our parents and why we need your help

most recently that was about gathering information from

throughout the recruitment and enrollment process.

them about “good” summer day camps. For something as important as education, many parents begin to discuss

Later this month, you will receive a packet from the Office

options for middle and high schools with friends as early as

of Admission which will include a few of the brochures we

second grade, and it is an ongoing topic of discussion.

are using as part of our prospective student communication activities during this recruitment cycle. If you have an

As we know these conversations happen naturally, we

opportunity to share the brochures in your neighborhood,

would like to encourage you to communicate your positive

community, or with co-workers or in the workplace, we would

experiences at Forest Ridge, and all the wonderful things

greatly appreciate it. With your help, we will continue to

that our community has to offer, whenever the opportunity

spread the word about the amazing opportunities available to

presents itself. These girls do such amazing things in the

girls at Forest Ridge, and continue to enroll amazing girls

classroom, on the athletic field, while participating in our

eager to embrace them.

Tara Waller Director of Middle School Admission

Shana Abner ’94 Director of High School Admission

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Inspired

to embrace more change

One of the most important lessons I learned during my training as an improvisational actor was this: right when you’re in the meat of a scene, and its feeling comfortable, SWITCH! I learned this through countless classes where my teacher would create premises for the actors and through space work (the theatrical term for pretending the existence of physical objects), dialogue and connection with each other we had to create authentic scenes. Then, just as the Kisha Palmer Director, Women As Global Leaders

story started really moving and the audience was laughing, or gasping, or crying - the teacher would call out “SWITCH!” As actors, we were obliged to change pace, change accents, or leave the stage altogether.

I remember thinking, “What?? It was just starting to get really good!” I soon learned that for improvisational theatre to work, to move, to inspire, and to authentically push the boundaries, the actors were never to get comfortable in their own story, or lulled by laughter from the audience. Our job was to stay connected to each other and be willing to constantly change.

“The comfort of the actor is the death of interesting improvisational theatre,” a Second City teacher told me. I remembered this lesson as I read Chip and Dan Heath’s Switch – How to Change Things When Change is Hard, one of the high school selections for the Book Club this year. I won’t be a spoiler, but the premise that change requires a commitment to final destination, a willingness to trust in the bright spots, and the courage to go for what gamers call “the epic win” is very similar to the tenets of successful improvisational theatre.

As I look to what is ahead for our community with respect to Women as Global Leaders I am inspired to embrace more change. We have defined the anchor points of Women as Global Leaders (global education, leadership and diversity), and we have succeeded as a community in defining and acknowledging the importance of cultivating young women who will practice these leadership skills in their communities near and far. We have provided opportunities for our high school students to explore the complexities of conflict and the pathways to peace and reconciliation, and this year we will be offering students the opportunity to explore the bounty of our natural resources and the imperative of ethical management of these resources for a sustainable world. And we have only just begun. As we embark on the journey of this academic year 2012-13, our challenge is to push ourselves beyond the comfort zone of what we as a community have done so well and reach for the highest potential of what an institution that embraces Women as Global Leaders can look like.

For those of you whom I have not met yet, my office is in the library and I am always available for a conversation, phone call, email or pop-in to introduce myself. For those of you I already know, I am excited to be working with you again. I look forward to our continued dynamic exploration of Women as Global Leaders.

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Ann Rillera and Luann Desautel PA Co-Presidents

Welcome

to what will be a busy 2012-2013 school year!

As co-presidents of the Parent Association, we are happy to welcome you to the 2012-2013 academic year at Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart. We have an exciting year planned and look forward to working together with you to make this a successful school year.

PA sponsored social clubs, including Wine Club, Walking Club, Book Club and Scrapbooking Club, among others, are parent-only activities organized to help parents of all grade levels connect with other parents with similar interests.

The purpose of the Parent Association (PA) is to support the parents of Forest Ridge and foster good relationships between the parents and the faculty and staff of the school. Our main focus is consistent with Goal IV for Sacred Heart schools: the building of community as a Christian value. To that end, we organize events throughout the year to strengthen our community. The PA hosts a Family Picnic for the entire Forest Ridge community, including the girls, their families and the faculty and staff, held this year on August 30. For parents and their daughters, we host separate middle school and high school events: the Middle School Father/Daughter Games Night (October 11), a Middle School Mother/Daughter event (March 8, 2013), a High School Mother/Daughter event (November 4) and a High School Father/Daughter event (February 1, 2013).

In addition, each grade holds a morning Coffee Social or an evening Wine and Cheese Social or both for parents at their grade level.

These events are designed to provide an opportunity for the parents in each grade to get together and share the joys and challenges of raising an adolescent girl!

As a way for families to express our appreciation for all the faculty and staff of Forest Ridge do for our daughters, the PA hosts our traditional Apple Brunch one Monday of each month. Each grade level has the opportunity once each year to bring in delicious food for teachers and members of the administration to enjoy. The PA also hosts two formal lunches for the faculty and staff, one at Christmas (December 20) and one at the end of the school year (June 14, 2013).

We also support Love Your Library week (February 11-15, 2013), the annual Forest Ridge Auction (March 16, 2013), the Ski Bus (January–March) and Grandparents Afternoon (April 15, 2013).

In addition to the social events, we want to invite you to the Parent Association General Membership meetings: The Parent Welcome Coffee which was held on August 28. The second meeting, a “State of the School” address by Head of School Mark Pierotti, will be held on November 1 from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. The last General Membership Meeting will be held on Thursday, May 2, 2013, from 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. We welcome you to come to any or all of these meetings to learn about what is happening in the school.

It takes many people to make all of these events successful. Each activity has a chair in charge, with many volunteers who help make it happen. The PA depends on you and will need to call on you for some help now and then. Please consider volunteering - whether it is bringing in snacks for the girls, decorating for an event, or hosting a grade-level social event at your home, we want to thank you in advance for your help and support. We couldn’t do it without you!

Please call or email us with questions, or visit the PA page on the Forest Ridge website.

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Forest Ridge Welcomes New Boarding Students Late last month, more than two dozen international students from China and Korea arrived on campus and moved into the newly created dorm space in the former convent on the Forest Ridge campus. The first few days on campus featured a whirlwind of activity for the girls, as they got fitted for Forest Ridge uniforms, went shopping in Factoria, received their new laptops and participated in the new student orientation in the high school. Welcome to your new home on the Ridge, girls!