Dear families,
This past Wednesday, my oldest child, Lily, swung through campus for 10 minutes to say good-bye to me before heading off for her junior year at UCSB. To be clear, she did it for me. In other words, she could have quite happily driven off to college without saying good-bye, but I really wanted to have one last chance to connect before she took off. She humored me, which was very sweet. As she headed out, I thought to myself about a different set of good-byes and transitions that we had back when she was younger. In her earliest days, transitions were hard. I will never forget my Mom describing Lily’s behavior when she was a little under 2 and Carla and I had gone on a short overnight trip. Every few hours she would go stand at my Mom’s front door and cry, looking out the window forlornly, eagerly hoping for our return. We also experienced several painful departures from preschool and Junior Kindergarten, where we had no choice but to walk away – and yet it took all of our strength to leave our crying child behind. More than our other two children, Lily struggled with transitions. It was hard for all of us.The start of the school year is right around the corner, bringing with it a whole set of good-byes and transitions. For some of our youngest students – and their parents, these good-byes will be full of big emotions and hard separations. For others, the child may have no problem (I’ve seen many very young children confidently walk into the classroom without a glance), but that doesn’t change the flurry of emotions for the parent who is left behind. For our older students – and parents, the transitions will also be full of emotions – excitement, anticipation, trepidation, although given the children’s age and stage, they may be less likely to show those big feelings at school. And, of course, even those of us who work at the school, including many of us who have been through decades of opening days, will have our own set of first-day butterflies. Regardless of whether the transition is visibly hard or quietly emotional, I want to reassure all of you that we are ready to support you and your child in these first few weeks. Our exceptional teachers and our support team of Division Heads, counselors, and others know that the most important focus of this first week is making sure that children are feeling known, seen, and valued. Each grade-level will work together to develop community agreements and to establish a learning environment that will allow all children to thrive. And, even with that intentional focus and effort, I know that the early days will inevitably have their share of bumps. I ask that all of us do our best to remain flexible and patient, knowing that we are all doing our best to make every child and every family’s experience a good one.The launch of the 2022-23 school year is one that is full of possibility. We welcome 364 students to campus, including 84 new students. Reflecting our commitment to creating an intentionally diverse community, we are enrolling our most diverse student body ever, with more than 54 percent of our students identifying as students of color and more than 30 percent of our families receiving Flexible Tuition grants. A group of dynamic new teachers and staff members also join our talented team, all prepared to carry on Hillbrook’s 87-year commitment to inspire children to achieve their dreams and reach beyond themselves to make a difference in the world.It is an incredibly exciting moment to be a part of the Hillbrook Community. We are energized by a range of initiatives and programs happening on our Marchmont Campus, including:
- A renewed focus on providing the just-right challenge for all students, recognizing the importance of ensuring that children are stretched to be their best each and every day on our campus. We have created a new role, Challenge Coach and Learning Support Specialist, which will be filled by long-time Hillbrook teacher and leader Kelly Scholten. Kelly will work closely with our Director of Teaching & Learning Ilsa Dohmen, our Division Heads, and all of our teachers to help us better meet the needs of each child.
- The implementation of a new math program across grades K-8 that will more effectively provide a low floor/high ceiling program for students. Over the course of last Spring, Ilsa Dohmen and teachers reviewed and piloted a range of research-backed math programs, and chose Illustrative Math as the best option for our students and our school. We believe this rigorous, standards-based curriculum aligns with our philosophical approach and will ensure our students are well-prepared as mathematical thinkers in high school and beyond.
- The continuing development of our Lower School Literacy program, something we have highlighted over the past few years. We were thrilled to see that our work in this area is already leading to measurable improvements in reading comprehension and writing mechanics scores, as evidenced by the performance of 3rd and 4th graders on the ERB tests last Spring.
We are also paying close attention to the home/school partnership, something that has always been at the core of the Hillbrook experience. The past few years under COVID have heightened a trend that was already developing – an increasing difficulty in building meaningful connections in an ever-busier world, as we strive to find ways for families to connect with the school and school leaders. This year, we will be hosting grade-level specific Welcome Back Breakfasts for each class (view the dates here), which will include not only an opportunity to connect with other families but also participate in a program led by one of our two Division Heads – Head of Lower School Heather Stinnett or Head of Middle School Gulliver LaValle. Families will have an opportunity to learn more about our approach to social-emotional learning, better understand the developmental milestones children are experiencing as they grow up on our campus and how that influences our work with children at each grade level, and the ways we proactively create classroom community at each grade level, as well as how we manage conflict and unkindness when it arises. In addition to the many things happening on our Marchmont Campus, we have started the process of expanding from a JK-8 into a JK-12 with a brand new campus in San Jose. New Head of Upper School Mike Peller, along with other key members of our team, have been working hard this summer to design a preliminary schedule and program that will be available for everyone to see in the coming months as we launch the enrollment and admission cycle for the founding Class of 2027. A growing group of families from outside Hillbrook have been reaching out to us for tours, and we are excited to work both with our current families and new families as they help us co-create our high school program. Interested in following along with this transformative journey? I invite you to follow a JAM (short-form podcast) I started this summer – “The Education All Students Deserve: The Founding of Hillbrook High School” – which provides a short, weekly insight into this important and exciting project. You can check out this link here to hear the first 7 episodes. You can also sign-up to receive the JAM as a text by texting HILLBROOK to 552266 (JJAAMM on the keypad). Returning to where I started this essay, it doesn’t matter how old your children get, it’s never easy to say goodbye. For those who are going through what I might term “the early Lily years”, know that you are surrounded by a community of educators and other parents who are here to support you and your child through it. And, for those whose child is now humoring you by saying goodbye, know that we are here for you too. Warmly,
Mark SilverHead of School