SAES NOTES - AUGUST 2024

Gearing Up!

Last month, I had the great pleasure of hiking with my oldest daughter for 1.5% of her journey along the fabled Appalachian Trail. In preparation for this adventure, I spent weeks “gearing up” by scouring Facebook Marketplace, Amazon, and REI for all the stuff I thought I might need along the way. When we finally met up in a remote section of central Maine, I hoisted (heave-ho!) my overstuffed stuffed pack onto my shoulders and we began a 31 mile trek through the green tunnel of Maine. Although the first several miles were peaceful and relatively benign, we soon began the first ascent - a long, steep, and rocky climb to the top of Pleasant Pond Mountain. (note: maybe the pond is pleasant, but the climb was certainly less pleasant, IMHO). Although my daughter assured me that this hike was rated as a “medium” difficulty hike, I soon began to feel the ill effects of my oldness, my questionable fitness, and the crushing weight of my overstuffed pack….

With another school year looming on the horizon, you all are no doubt “gearing up” for an amazing adventure as well. My prayer for you all is that the journey of the 24-25 school year will begin smoothly, with lots of positivity and joy as you welcome back eager and excited faculty, staff, students, and families. Based on my experience, I would encourage each of you to think carefully about how you “gear-up” and what you pack for your adventure this year. What will you be carrying this year? What is yours to carry, and what things might be carried by others or even set aside? Is there an opportunity to take less so you can do more? As a leader in an Episcopal School, there are certainly some essentials that you will need to carry, such as grace, courage, mercy, humility, joy, faith, and love. On the other hand, maybe you can think about letting go of other things like fear, pride, or negativity. But no matter what you decide to carry, please remember to let your SAES family know where you are and when you need help because we are standing by to encourage you and to help you carry the load.

And in case you were wondering, after lots of huffing and puffing, and despite the unnecessary weight of my pack, I eventually made it to the top of Pleasant Pond Mountain, and then again to the top of Moxie Bald Mountain the next day. As we stood upon those glorious mountaintops together, my daughter and I soaked in the panoramic views of the mountains and lakes of the surrounding wilderness, and we were filled with joy and gratitude as we contemplated the wonder and goodness of God’s creation. My prayer for all of you that you may experience a similar sensation at the conclusion of this school year - that you will all conquer the highs and lows of the adventures of the school year ahead, and that come May, you will join together with those you love and respect, simultaneously thrilled and exhausted by God’s blessing and provision.

LGLO,

Selected Resources for Reflection, Learning, and Growth

Welcome Rt. Rev. Sean W. Rowe, our New Presiding Bishop

The Secrets Of Olympic-Level Coaching In The Workplace

Leadership Fitness: The Path to Developing Human-Centered Leaders Who Drive Employee Fulfillment

Being a truly human-centered leader requires having a genuine intention to help each person succeed and find fulfillment at work, along with a disciplined approach to effectively choosing and exhibiting the leadership behaviors appropriate for the individual and the context.

Managing Polarities In Schools

Consider how teachers and leaders can treat challenges facing their schools as “polarities” which require regular work and attention to the needs of the entire community, as opposed to quick, one-time fixes. This approach not only provides more effective solutions to ingrained difficulties, it also helps support the learning environment and bolsters educator well-being.

Problem? or Polarity?

If you feel caught balancing the tension of “both/and” or taking sides with “either/or” thinking, you’re not alone. But not everything is a problem to solve; sometimes leaders are facing a polarity to manage.

The SchoolSafety.gov Back-to-School Checklist outlines seven school safety actions that K-12 school leaders and personnel can consider leading up to and throughout the new school year. These actions can help support comprehensive school safety programs and include activities such as exercising emergency operations plans, enhancing staff mental health literacy, and increasing awareness of school safety reporting options.

The SchoolSafety.gov Back-to-School Reading List offers ten resources that provide guidance and insights on timely school safety issues. These resources can help inform school safety plans and initiatives and cover topics such as bullying prevention, student mental health, cybersecurity, and school climate.

Retention is about relationships . It’s normal to set results goals. It’s leadership to set relationship goals.

Roger Federer on Leadership

https://leadershipfreak.blog/2024/06/14/3-life-lessons-from-roger-federer/

Three Dangers and Three Gifts of Fatigue

https://leadershipfreak.blog/2024/07/31/fatigue-3-dangers-3-unexpected-gifts/

What Happens to Gifted Children?

“When you get a glimpse of the real lives of gifted people,” says Brooks, “you see that it’s a mistake to separate this thing we call intelligence from all the other aspects of their lives.” Do they have deep friendships, rich intellectual conversations, unconditional love, conscientiousness, self-confidence, and resilience? These are harder to measure than intelligence but just as important to the quality of a person’s life.

Countering Misinformation

In January, a report from the World Economic Forum found that over 1,400 security experts consider misinformation and disinformation (misinformation created with the intention to mislead) the biggest global risk in the next two years — more dangerous than war, extreme weather events, inflation, and everything else that's scary

Classroom Walkthrough FAQ for Instructional Leaders

There are many approaches to walk-throughs, from casual “smile and wave” visits aimed at visibility to more in-depth mini-observations. Here are some recommendations for making visits that are in the sweet spot.

Nerds and geeks are taking over the Paris Olympics

2024 Head’s Meeting and Leadership Institute

Friday, September 20, 2024

9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Featuring sessions on:
Trust and School Climate
Operationalizing Episcopal Identity through the Evaluation Process
Risk Management
Scenario Simulations

The Westin Riverwalk

San Antonio, TX

DON'T DELAY! - REGISTER TODAY!

Early Learning Mini Series

Four Pre-Recorded 1.5 Hour Sessions

Available for Viewing

Topics Include:

Powerful Learning Through Student-Centered Project Work
Working Science and Environmental Initiatives Into School Culture
Bridge to Kindergarten: Give the Gift of Possibilities
WonderLab

ACCREDITATION NOTES

Every year in June the Standards Committee meets in person for two days not only to review reports from schools and visiting teams but also to assess the Standards and protocols of the Association. During the 2023-24 school year, a Standards Committee Task Force considered whether SAES Standards adequately articulated our expectations for Safety and Security, and for Health and Wellness. Based on the work of that group, the Standards Committee recommended revisions of the Standards to the SAES Board of Directors, and those revisions were accepted and approved by the SAES Board over the summer. The Task Force recommendations reflected both the experience of Standards Committee members in their work and recommendations from ICAISA (The International Commission for Advancing Independent School Accreditation) which reviews and recognizes SAES accreditation. Accordingly, one Standards section was renamed and a new standards section was created.

Standards Section G, formerly entitled “Facilities and Safety” has been renamed “Facilities, Safety & Security,” with the addition of the following Standards:

G.6 The School has made reasonable efforts and uses appropriate material resources to control access to the campus and to maintain situational awareness and appropriate supervision of the full campus facilities.

G.7. The School has established and regularly reviews general protocols for safety and security, including but not limited to student safeguarding; child abuse prevention; and recognition, intervention, and mandated reporting of abuse and neglect.

Standards Section H, entitled “Health and Well-being,” is a new addition and includes the following Standards:

H.1 The School provides age-appropriate instruction in personal health and wellness.

H.2 The School articulates and communicates age-appropriate policies and practices for healthy relationships and personal interactions.

H.3 The school implements programs, training, and education to promote the physical, mental, and emotional health and well-being of its students and employees.

None of these new standards fundamentally changes SAES expectations for accredited schools, but they do more clearly articulate our commitment to our student’s safety and well-being and reflect the practices that protect and support our children and the faculty and staff who serve them. Click here to view the complete Standards 2024.

Chris Carter

SAES SOLUTION PARTNER HIGHLIGHT

Contact: Amanda Reed

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The mission of the Southwestern Association of Episcopal Schools is to lead, nurture, and unify Episcopal schools in order to advance academic excellence within the faith community of the Episcopal Church.

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