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Thursday - January 13, 2011


January 13, 2011Dear Sidwell Friends School Community,One of our most important responsibilities as a Board of Trustees is to chart a clear path for the future of Sidwell Friends School, a path that safeguards the mission of the school and provides a vision for the future. As we now are at about the midpoint of the strategic planning process that we announced last summer, I write to share with you a progress report.In the decade since our last strategic plan was adopted, the Board has worked closely with the administration, faculty, and staff to realize the objectives identified at that time. Parents, alumni, and friends of the School contributed generously toward the realization of an ambitious physical transformation of our two campuses and the creation of an innovative Venture Grant Program for faculty to support their pursuit of professional and curricular growth. The results of those initiatives are most evident in the new Middle School building, new classrooms at the Lower School and new athletics facilities at the lower and upper schools. This spring, as we celebrate the opening of a Quaker Meetinghouse and Arts Center in the heart of the Wisconsin Avenue campus, a chapter in the cycle of planning and growth at Sidwell Friends will draw to a close. The next chapter is in the making.As we embark on a new round of planning, the Board has set an ambitious goal - to imagine the world into which our youngest students today will graduate in 2024 and to identify the program enhancements necessary to prepare them for the dramatically changing world they will encounter in their years after Sidwell Friends School. While operational and academic excellence will continue to be critical to the school’s success, we also seek to ensure that moral intelligence, character values, social awareness and intellectual curiosity will distinguish Sidwell Friends School students through academic, creative, and experiential learning opportunities that will best equip them for leadership and service in this changing world.The Board spent much of last year crafting a set of queries to provide the framework for our planning process this year. We have grouped these broad, thought-provoking questions into four primary areas of inquiry:What educational skill sets and preparation are necessary for the year 2024, including a consideration of technology, globalization, and environmental sustainability?What expectations do we have of our faculty as part of a learning community and do we need to do to support them?How do we ensure that the Quaker character of the school defines our values, priorities and programs?What are the implications for the school’s financial and operational model in ensuring a vibrant and healthy future that will support this plan?With these queries as the framework, we have engaged in discussions with faculty, staff, parents, alumni, former Trustees and students. We have spent a day in dialogue with former Sidwell Friends School administrators who are now Heads of School elsewhere. We have sought the perspective of experts in science, technology, public and private education, the humanities, higher education and other fields. As a result, we have a wealth of ideas and a rich diversity of perspectives.A strategic plan is a blueprint that describes intentional, informed and integrated choices about the future. Our challenge, above all, will be narrowing our choices and making bold decisions about what will be a well-considered vision for Sidwell Friends School. As we consider our global opportunities, we must also consider our local responsibilities. As we consider multi-disciplinary curricula, we must ensure foundational knowledge. As we sustain a rich and rigorous academic experience, we must stimulate creative inquiry, encourage innovation, and expand collaboration among students and teachers. As we explore ethical dimensions, we must embrace risk taking and independent thinking. As we welcome our new Meeting House, we must reinforce our Quaker character and the testimonies central to the Society of Friends. These are simply a sampling of the choices and issues we must consider.Ours is a bold and necessary undertaking. Our world is changing rapidly and Sidwell Friends School cannot stand still. The Board of Trustees will spend the remainder of the school year working in partnership with the faculty and administration, sifting through ideas, narrowing the options and making choices. We must ensure that our vision is educationally sound and inspired, that it exhibits good stewardship and fosters accountability. The path we forge now must set the direction for the next decade and beyond.We are extremely grateful to those of you who have shared your ideas and participated in discussions. We welcome continued input from all members of our school community. Our objective, now and in the year 2024, is to be a school that nurtures the love of learning and teaches students “to let their lives speak.” Thank you for being part of this vital and vibrant community.Katie Smith Sloan ’73, ClerkSidwell Friends School Board of Trustees


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