Autumn Views: Head of School Newsletter, Fall 2021

Head of School Newsletter, Fall 2021

13th Head of School Dr. George Conway and 15th Head of School Dr. Autumn A. Graves

1

Student Body PresidentsHudson Stolz '22 (right) a Channing Shilling '22 (left) speak at the Annual Convocation & Head of School Installation.

IN THIS ISSUE 4

From the Desk of Autumn A. Graves

5

Shooting for the Moon

6

Fall Family Fest Photos

7

Day of Impact

8

2020-21Student Survey Results

9

2020-21COVID-19 Family Satisfaction Survey

10

Connect With Us

11 Thank You, Coach Blake!

12

ight) and ual

2 2

FROM THE DESK OF

Dr. Aut um n A. Gr aves Building Community

children.? Like a family, at St. Anne?s we have tough love and growing

The idea of community is one I?ve been reflecting on a lot since coming

pains, but ?we must work as a family to work through the challenges.?

to St. Anne?s-Belfield. Last school year, I interviewed 218 teachers and

For students, community is often tied to a sense of connection,

staff members to hear each person?s story as it relates to the School.

belonging, and respect for each other?s humanity. One student who is

During these meetings, I asked everyone to give me one word to describe

now in ninth grade described it well: ?My teachers communicate with me

our School and why. Almost 33%said ?family,? ?community,? or similar.

about my progress and individual assignments, and they get to know me

When you ask our students and families why they love St. Anne?s (see

as a person, not just a student. I have friends who share common

page 8), a good portion will also tell you: It?s the community.

interests, and I feel like my classmates respect my work and ideas.?

How people define family or community can be quite personal. Sandra

I spoke about my own definition of community, and how it's time to

Sohne-Johnston, our director of college counseling, explained to me that

shoot for the moon and reach the next stage of our School's evolution,

the word ?family? has a greater meaning in her native country of Ghana.

during my installation as head of school on Oct. 15. You may listen to my

She said, ?Family goes beyond nuclear ? beyond your parents, siblings or

remarks in our Raise We Our Voices podcast, or view the full ceremony.

grandparents. Family means all of us are fully invested in raising the

A summary of my vision is on the adjacent page.

44

SHOOTING FOR THE MOON Here?s How We Will Build an Even Stronger Community PEOPLE

PLACE

Build on our commitment to academic excellence by fostering an even more diverse, inclusive, and equitable community.

Fully embrace our civic leadership role in Charlottesville and be a true partner to servant leader organizations

-

Grow students?sense of belonging Increase diversity among students (especially Residence Life), faculty, and staff Create a signature global education program for PS - 12 Renovate Randolph Hall into a community center

-

PROGRAM

-

Educate the whole child ? body, heart, mind, and soul -

-

Continue being an early adopter in emotional and mental health education Athletics: enhance professional development and expectations for our coaches, develop more profound strength and conditioning programs for our students, provide safer and sounder equipment for our teams, and improve competitive and conditioning spaces, including a new field house Build a robust alumni network to support current students and alumni

4 4 5

Create and strengthen community partnerships, like the Awareness to Action Summer Program (see below video) Civic Engagement: Design a comprehensive curriculum and leadership development strategy that includes volunteerism, service learning, and social entrepreneurship Leverage our geographic place and current courses to build a STEM program with an environmental thrust Utilize our strong humanities program and computer science investment to build a signature digital humanities program centered around regional artifacts related to the founding of the United States and citizenry.

FALL FAMILY FEST PHOTOS

6

STUDENT DIVERSITY DAY OF IMPACT All in 4 All Saints We began Day of Impact 2021on Thursday, Oct. 21with

909 Donors

an incredible goal of 785 donors. When we surpassed that with four more hours to go, we raised the bar to 909 ?

$1,228,832

one donor for each student enrolled at our school. And WE DID IT!

Rai sed

Humbled, moved, deeply grateful ? there are not enough words to describe how thankful we are for our community and for every donor for being All in for All Saints! Be sure to watch the thank you video below.

Donors came from 28 states and 3 countries

6 6 7

Scale 1(low) - 5 (high)

We want prepare students to become exemplary citizens.

A Place Where You Belong

Having age-appropriate freedom around your learning, knowing your opinions count, and knowing your actions contribute to a community are important contributors to that mission. Our students credit our teachers for providing chances to make choices, come up with their own projects, and giving

STUDENT SURVEY RESULTS

opportunities for independence. ?It?s the lengths to which teachers are willing to go to make sure I succeed.?

Last year, we surveyed students Grades 6 - 12 in the fall and spring to measure their sense of motivation and engagement at School. The survey instrument, developed by SAIS, tracks these traits:

We know that students will truly meet their potential when they feel heard and when they feel part of a community. Overall, students feel a deep, meaningful connection to the School, especially their peers and teachers. There do not appear to be

? Autonomy: How well can I do the things that I

significant differences between genders, grades, and

want to do and have some choice over my experiences?

race/ethnicity identities, in students' sense of Autonomy, Belonging, or Competence, but we are especially pleased not to see major differences along these dimensions in Belonging.

? Belonging: Do I feel heard, and do I feel like I

"The teachers genuinely care about you. They ask about what you're doing out of school

am really a part of this community?

and how you're doing. I also have good friends that make me feel part of the community."

? Competence: Am I well prepared to do the More than grades and test scores, Competence measures if our

things that I want to do?

students feel they have the resources and support they need to

The results of the first survey in fall 2020 were reported in a previous Autumn Views. With thanks to St. Anne?s alumnus and Executive Director of MISBO Damian Kavanagh ?93, Ed.S., CAE, who helped develop the survey in a former role with SAIS, we are able to report the these findings from the spring 2021survey.

complete challenging work, and if they believe hard effort will have rewards. Based on national data, we would expect to see differences among gender, older students, and students of color in how they rate their capability to do good work. We did not observe any differences in these groups in this survey.

"We are given a lot of time and opportunities to improve our work. Once I finally finish my work, I feel satisfied, because I know it's the best I could do."

8

COVID-19 FAMILY SATISFACTION SURVEY In spring 2020-21, we sent parentsand guardiansan anonymoussurvey from the National Association of Independent Schools(NAIS) asking about their experiencesduring the pandemic. A total of 15 independent schoolsparticipated in the same survey. 360 (~58%) of St. Anne?sfamiliesresponded.

Here are the summary findingsfrom our School.

72%of St. Anne's-Belfield families experienced negative effects from the COVID-19 pandemic. 42%reported "moderately-great" or "great" effects, while another 30% reported "somewhat-moderate" effects.

82%?agreed or strongly agreed? that their children felt connected to other students. Peer connections was a strong highlight of the 2020-21school year.

12%lost a job or temporarily closed a business 20%took a salary cut 6%took on debt to make ends meet 15%saw negative impacts on savings or retirement 21%described mental and emotional strain from social isolation, health concerns, and issues related to remote learning or working.

52%?agreed or strongly agreed? that their children felt connected to school leadership.

Themes from Parent Comments ? Parents/guardians overwhelmingly expressed a desire for their

? COVID was similarly divisive. "Things need to get back to normal

children to be in person. ?There really is no substitute for the social

next year. No masks on a regular basis. More interaction with other

connection and the fluidity of in person learning. I am forever grateful

students in grade level. More gatherings of our school community.?

that school was in-person this year.?

Others wished for more restrictions. ?A more stern stance for how

? Parents were divided around homework. Said one parent/guardian,

families should limit activities is important during a pandemic.?

?It seems like there isn't as much homework this year and I'm worried

? Overall, however, most parents were grateful. ?This has been an

about my child being prepared for a jump to reality next school year.?

extremely challenging year and there have been so many demands on

Versus another: ?The amount of homework is extraordinary. I don't feel STAB staff, students and parents alike...You went over the top to make with the changes that homework should fill the gaps.?

8 8 9

a safe and welcoming environment for our kids."

CONNECT WITH US Get the Latest School Updates in the Weekly Belfield Bulletin

Subscribe to Our Podcast, Raise We Our Voices, on Apple Music or Spotify Follow Us on Social Media

10

Thank You, Coach Blake!

Football Coach Retires After 25th Season

Coach John Blake (center) poseswith a commemorative poster surrounded by former and current football players, including histwo sons, Patrick Blake '16 and Hunter Blake '20.

10 2132 Ivy Road | 799 Faulconer Drive | Charlottesville, VA 22903 | (434) 296-5106 | stab.org 10