Good evening, and welcome to the 2022-23 Back to School Night.
The other morning I was in the JK classroom delivering birthday cards to two of the newest 5 years old on campus. As I was moving my way around the room, another one of the JKers came right up to me and stopped me. “I know you from somewhere,” she said confidently. “Hmmm,” I said. She looked at me a bit more closely, and it was clear she was trying to place me. Then, her eyes lit up, “You’re the Flag teacher.” It actually took me a moment to realize what she had said – the Flag teacher. I immediately loved it.
Standing here on this stage it is impossible for me not to think about the defining event that happens in this space every week – Flag. And now, thanks to my new JK friend, I have a fancy new title to go along with my weekly role. In fairness, STUCO advisor Clara Ngo is a critical co-teacher for Flag, along with our Tech team and other key members of the community providing at-the-ready support. Clara is really the lead teacher, the one who works with the MS students each work to design and ensure that we have a Flag that highlights activities happening on campus, opens space for conversations about our core values, about DEI, about Social Impact, and about other issues that are important to students, and that creates space to celebrate students for things ranging from birthdays to success on the sports fields to accomplishments with the math club or at the spelling bee.
My role, in the end, is to call on students at the end of Flag to tell a joke. It’s a role I have treasured since I first arrived at Hillbrook 14 years ago and has led to my other favorite title on one of my nametags – Facilitator of Jokes. Jokes are such a valued part of our school culture, providing children an opportunity to take a risk and speak in front of a large group of people, and showcasing the value of humor and laughter in our school culture. If you can make it to Flag on a Friday, I highly recommend it, and, if you aren’t able to join in person, I encourage you to jump online and watch it either live or recorded. There really is no better way to start a Friday than to hear a group of children introduce themselves on stage – ‘Hi, my name is….” and then tell a joke.
And, perhaps less obvious to students but no less critical, my role is to use Flag as a venue to ensure our core values – be kind, be curious, take risks, be your best – are front and center for children and our community. Each year we choose one of the core values as a theme for the year. This year it’s “Be Your Best.” At the Opening Flag I shared a children’s story – Don’t Worry, Little Crab, by Chris Haughton. In brief, the story is about Little Crab overcoming fear as Big Crab guides Little Crab to the ocean and then to the ocean floor. Big Crab stays steadily by Little Crab’s side, repeating, “I know you can do this.” In the end, Little Crab loves being on the ocean floor and realizes the benefits of taking a risk and pushing to move beyond fear. In the preface to the book, is the following inscription: “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” (Anais Nin) I love that quote and how it speaks to why we challenge our students to be curious, take risks and be their best.
It is not only students who are focused on “being their best” this year. Our adult community of educators has been inspired this year to refocus our energy on what is at the heart of the Hillbrook experience – providing an extraordinary educational experience for each child that helps them reach their highest individual potential in school and in life. Following several years in which we have been consistently challenged by the pandemic, this year we are eager to double down on our commitment to deliver on our vision and mission each and every day.
With that in mind, I want to highlight several key initiatives.
- The implementation of a new math program – Illustrative Math – across grades K-8 that will more effectively provide a low floor/high ceiling program for students. Over the course of last Spring, our Director of Teaching & Learning Ilsa Dohmen and our 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.
- 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 is being 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.
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. As parents in several grades – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th – have already experienced, we are using the grade-level breakfasts to bring families together, share developmental milestones, talk a bit about key priorities in the grades, and help families get to know more about the school and each other. We hope that these are just the beginning of a broader focus on community building.
And, of course, we are incredibly excited about our expansion from a JK-8 into a JK-12. The launch of the high school is on its way, and we have recently opened applications for students who are interested in being part of the founding class of 2027. We have had a number of families from around the Bay who have joined us for tours and a number of families have opened applications after only the first week. Just today, the Upper School Course Catalog went live. Of course, current Hillbrook students have an advantage – they will not need to apply to be part of the high school, as they – and all future Hillbrook students – will automatically gain acceptance into the high school through the re-enrollment process. We know that many of our current 8th graders will be part of this founding class, and we are excited to co-create this school with the founding students and families in the years ahead. I encourage you to look for Upper School Head Mike Peller at one of the tables behind the stage tonight to learn more about what we are doing and to find out how you can tour the space and get more engaged in this transformational moment in the school’s history. I also invite you to listen to my short-form podcasts on JAM “The Education our Students Deserve” each week as I share the story of the creation of the high school experience all of our students deserve.
The shift to a JK-12 is not simply the addition of grades 9-12. It represents a moment where we will evolve across the school, building on our existing strengths and longstanding history to develop a JK-12 program that is unmatched in the Bay Area. I am excited to invite all of our families to help us think about this unique and compelling opportunity as part of our strategic planning process this year. Please look out for opportunities in the months ahead to join community conversations and share with us your ideas for how we can lay the foundation for Hillbrook 2030 and beyond.
Returning to where I started, my role as Flag Teacher is, in the end, a child’s just right explanation of the most important role I believe I play – honoring, sharing, celebrating, and strengthening the culture that has been part of Hillbrook for more than 85 years. It is a culture that honors childhood, that challenges students to take risks, that creates space for curiosity, exploration, success, and failure, and that prepares students to thrive in school and in life. It’s a culture that will grow even stronger as we evolve from a JK-8 into a JK-12. Each day I wake up, excited to come to school and do this important work, knowing that I am profoundly grateful for the opportunity to be the Flag Teacher at Hillbrook at this exciting moment in our history.