State of the School Recap; New PA Officers Elected

NCS Head of School Kathleen O’Neill Jamieson opened this year’s State of the School address to parents with a recap of NCS’s reaccreditation process. Starting April 8, a team of 16 educators will come to NCS for several days of observation, visiting classrooms and meeting with faculty and staff. Prior to their arrival, they received a nearly 400-page self-study from NCS. All faculty and staff participated in working groups that contributed to the self-study, which responds to questions posed by the accreditation authority, the Association of Independent Schools of Maryland (AIMS).

Observing that year’s NCS strategic plan and the self-study have arrived at similar conclusions and goals, Mrs. Jamieson said, “The links between the strategic plan and the reaccreditation self-study are gratifying and represent shared commitments among our constituencies."

Mrs. Jamieson then focused on the priorities of NCS’s academic program. “Number one is the daily schedule, particularly for the Middle and Upper Schools and in coordination with St. Albans,” she said, stating that she and St. Alban’s Headmaster Vance Wilson have agreed there will be a new Upper School schedule in September 2014. A new schedule is one of the goals of NCS’s 2012-2017 Strategic Plan.

Noting that a new schedule will involve compromises, she said, “the premise for us [NCS] is that we want a schedule that is considerate of the research out there about the best schedules for young people, which include some rotation and longer periods, as well as community time."

Other priorities for the academic program include instructional responsiveness to students and greater coordination between the disciplines. Coordination between disciplines is increasingly evident, Mrs. Jamieson said, adding, “We are trying to have the girls be as flexible and capable of moving between group of students and other disciplines with comfort, confidence, and a sense of their own expertise and ability to tackle problems.”

In the realm of student support, NCS is looking at ways to provide support for girls and their parents in the transitions between divisions, NCS’s advisory program also aims to support students in the choices they need to make between the many opportunities they wish to pursue, “all on a very high level.”

Mrs. Jamieson thanked past PA President Amy Dunbar and current President Ana Small for their contributions to the school’s efforts to build community, a priority of both the strategic and reaccreditation plans. “Our parent volunteers have led productive change to broaden the involvement of a diverse group of families and match events to our mission.”

Governing Board Finance Chair Margarita Dilley then presented a report on the 2013-2014 budget. “NCS is in a very strong financial position,” she said, noting that the school’s budget performance continues to meet the goals of:

• Improving excellence in education
• Advancing long-term financial health
• Managing costs to keep tuition increases low (this is the fourth year in a row increases have been 35 or lower)
• Keeping faculty compensation in the top 10% of our peers

The meeting concluded with the election of next year’s Parents Association officers. They are:

President : Cathy Horvath (Hanna and Hallie NCS ’14 and Hazel NCS’16)

Vice President, Upper School/Senior VP: Tricia Karppi (Alexandra NCS ’16 and Lawson STA ’19)

Vice President, Middle School: Sharman Edge (Allyson ’18 and Alexander ‘STA 15)

Vice President, Lower School: Husnal Gill (Naazneen NCS ’19 and Kareen NCS ’22).

Co-Vice President, Community Service: Fena Macdonald (Annabel NCS ’19)

Co-Vice President, Community Service: Susan Parkinson (Cate NCS ’21)

Co-Vice President, Finance: Lisa Mould (Lesley NCS ’15)

Co-Vice President, Finance: Barbara L. Rollinson ’77 (Elizabeth Crowdus ’16)

Vice President, Parent Education: Ian Cameron (Maris Rice-Cameron NCS ’21)

Co-Vice President, Program Support: Kirsten Albers (Elisabeth Sicoli ’19)

Co-Vice President , Program Support: Windsor Freemyer (Lilly ’18 and Lucy ’20)