We are accepting late registrations for the annual conference. Download a registration form at the right and zip it off to the ESHA office. You'll also find an updated conference program and venue list in the downloads section. Don't miss this opportunity to gather in Washington, DC to connect with colleagues and participate in a series of important presentations and discussions!

This letter from Dick Ewing, ESHA Stats Committee Chair, was e-mailed to active ESHA members on September 23:

As reported in the June and August issues of ESHA News, we are pleased to announce that we are offering comparative statistics for ESHA-member schools this year through NAIS StatsOnline. This service is available for all ESHA-member schools as a membership benefit, regardless of whether or not a school belongs to NAIS. There is no charge for participation.

This initiative will give you data on our ESHA-colleague schools as a group. It also will allow all ESHA members to compare one’s school to national and regional averages for comparable schools in financial operations, personnel, compensation, admissions, enrollment and attrition, and development. We think this is an exciting new offering!

ESHA members new to independent elementary school headship are invited to join Lenesa Leana, ESHA President, and Greg O'Melia, ESHA Vice President, for a lunch discussion about how ESHA can best meet the needs of new heads: Sunday, October 18, 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m. at the Washington (DC) Marriott, immediately preceding the ESHA Annual Conference. We look forward to meeting some of our newest members and to some good colleague discussion at this event. RSVP to info@elementaryschoolheads.org.

We're offering a series of three fall sessions on "Web 2.0 for the Head of School." Jump in to one, two, or the full series for a thorough introduction to the use of Twitter, Facebook, blogs, nings, and other social media tools by independent elementary schools.

Incorporating Social Media in Your Communications Plan: Two Examples
Tuesday, October 20, 8:00-8:45 AM
ESHA conference session presented by:
Lee Burns, Presbyterian Day School (TN); Claudia Daggett, ESHA Executive Director

Introduction to the Nuts and Bolts of Social Media
Tuesday, November 17, 2:00 PM EDT
Webinar presented by:
Lorrie Jackson, Lausanne Collegiate School (TN); Rob DiMartino, Finalsite
RSVP to info@elementaryschoolheads.org by November 3

Finding Your Voice in Social Media
Tuesday, December 1, 2:00 PM EDT
Webinar presented by:
Travis Warren, WhippleHill Communications
RSVP to info@elementaryschoolheads.org by November 17

A small group of school heads in our first five years recently discussed the challenges and satisfactions we have experienced. Since a number of us just completed our first year of headship, a good part of our conversation focused on transition issues. While our schools had been well-meaning, a number of us had encountered substantial stress during the entry process.

On Friday, September 24, six ESHA heads with 6-10 years of experience (and rather a lot more grey hair!), gathered for a Skype conference to discuss the particular challenges and rewards found at this point in our collective experience. The conversation revealed some experiences that had been shared by most as well as some lessons that might be learned.

 

The group recognized that among the new challenges is the question of whether we have become more predictable in our work. As well, we noted that any problems we currently face are really ones that we “own.” No longer can we claim that these problems are something that we inherited.

A few veteran school heads (who have been at our jobs longer than most of us thought we would be) had the opportunity to chat about why we continue to do what we do. Our conversation began with the admission that we are happy to be employed! We all agreed that we continue to enjoy the challenge and the variety of tasks that present themselves each and every day and that there is great satisfaction in being change agents.

Kevin Conklin, Montgomery School (PA), offers this:

"If I could design psychologically safe schools, every elementary school in the United States would go from kindergarten through grade eight and would be no larger than four hundred children. No high school would have more than eight hundred students." -- Michael Thompson and Catherine O'Neill Grace, Best Friends Worst Enemies: Understanding the Social Lives of Children (New York: Balentine Books, 2001, p. 230)

If you've spotted a good testimonial or meaningful research that supports the elementary school model, share it with us by sending it to info@elementaryschoolheads.org.

New members Scott Baytosh, Buckingham Friends School (PA), and Mark Silver, Hillbrook School (CA), joined us since August 1; and Chris Pryor, Harbor Day School (NY), recently returned to ESHA membership after a hiatus. Please welcome them! You'll find photos of our newest members in the gallery to the right. The gallery also includes members introduced sans photos in the August issue of ESHA News: Cynthia Strickland, St. John Greek Orthodox School (FL); Liz Barnes, St. Paul's Episcopal School (MO); Bob Kaufmann, Fairfield Country Day School (CT); Mike Vachow, Forsyth School (MO); and Camille Wright, Fox River Country Day School (PA). You'll find a photo of new member Ilana Kaufman, Windrush School (CA), in the "Member News" section below.

Ilana Kaufman, Windrush School (CA), has been named to the Board of the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS).

Robin Douglass has retired from Stanley Clark School (IN), having served the school for 21 years. You'll find contact information for Robin in the Member Directory (found in the downloads section of every issue of ESHA News).

Scott Laird, St. Mary's Episcopal Day School (FL), is serving as Co-Chair of this year's Florida Council of Independent Schools (FCIS) annual convention, Value Added -- Why Our Schools Are Special, to be held in Orlando from November 18-20, 2009.

The Beauvoir Center for Teaching and Learning at Beauvoir, The National Cathedral Elementary School (DC), is offering an institute for teachers, preschool to grade three, entitled Emerging Technology and Young Children: Learning in the 21st Century, on October 19-20, 2009. (ESHA member Paula Carreiro)

The Institute for Excellence in Teaching at Belmont Day School (MA) is offering a fall seminar series including:  Schooling in America: Theoretical and Social Context on October 13 and Risks, Challenges, Policies, and Politics on November 10, 2009. (ESHA member Lenesa Leana)

St. Thomas Parish Day School (FL) has been selected as a Dream in Green School, one of 50 from a field of 200 applicants to participate in a Dade County initiative to create environmentally sustainable schools. (ESHA member Kris Matteson Charlton)

Presbyterian Day School (TN) opened its new Norma T. Wilson Early Childhood Center in August. (ESHA member Lee Burns)

New websites were launched recently by St. Matthew's Parish School (CA), St. Mark's Episcopal School (TX), The Buckley School (NY), Sonoma Country Day School (CA), and Presbyterian Day School (TN). (ESHA members Les Frost, Merrill Hall, Greg O'Melia, Brad Weaver, Lee Burns)

Conference attendees, in particular, will enjoy reading Facing the Lion: Growing Up Maasai on the African Savanna (National Geographic, 2003), a compelling young-adult book written by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton. Lekuton will speak to ESHA members about his life's journey and its relevance to "Leading in an Interconnected World" on the Monday morning of the conference.

Harvard Graduate School of Education's Ed.magazine, Winter 2007, offers an excerpt.

On ESHA's Facebook page, you'll find announcements about ESHA activities as well as links to Facebook fan pages for more than 60 independent elementary schools that could be useful as you consider your school's communication strategies. You'll find us at Elementary School Heads Association. Check us out and become a fan! Not yet a Facebook user? You can see our most recent Facebook postings on the ESHA website.