We are able to take your registration for "Refreshing Leadership: From Savvy to Wise," the 2011 ESHA Annual Conference, until October 11. If you'd like to attend but have not yet registered, make haste! Register online or contact info@elementaryschoolheads.org to expedite your registration by mail. You'll find information on our conference program, venues, sponsors, registration, and lodging on the conference page of the ESHA website.

We're pleased to offer comparative statistics again this year, a service through NAIS StatsOnline launched in fall 2009. This program is an ESHA-member benefit, available regardless of whether or not the member's school belongs to NAIS. There is no charge for participation. This service allows all ESHA members to compare one’s school to national and regional averages for comparable schools on tuition and fees, admission, attrition, enrollment, diversity, financial operations, teacher salaries, executive compensation, and annual and capital giving. To be included in ESHA's 2011 statistics reports, data must be submitted to NAIS StatsOnline by November 18.

Join Maggie Granados of Montclair Cooperative School (NJ) and fellow ESHA members for a discussion of strategies for marketing our schools in an environment where many of our current and prospective families feel less secure about their economic future. Bring stories of your successes and failures, and plan to share and take away some innovative ideas. The first session, scheduled for Thursday, November 10 at 1:00 PM CT, filled in September not long after posting on the ESHA Ning. But don't despair, because we have added another: Thursday, November 17, at 2:00 PM CDT. RSVP by November 10 to info@elementaryschoolheads.org.

We're looking forward to our next Annual Dinner, scheduled for the Wednesday of the NAIS Annual Conference again this year. Mark your calendars for February 29 at 6 PM at Seattle Country Day School, where ESHA member Michael G. Murphy will be our host. Registration will open on December 1.

Our Annual Dinners feature colleague time, a festive shared meal, a tour of the host school, and a student performance. While held in conjunction with the National Association of Independent Schools conference, one need not be a member of NAIS to attend. Spouses, partners, guests, and prospective members are welcome.

We're planning our second biennial travel program for ESHA members. In 2010, a small group of ESHA members spent two weeks in Kenya. In late June 2012, we hope to take a delegation to China.

Several ESHA members and other school folks in the U.S. and abroad gathered online for an ESHA-sponsored webinar with finalsite's President and founder Jon Moser on September 13. Jon offered an overview of current, relevant use of mobile technology, emphasized the importance of designing for mobile access, gave examples of school mobile websites, and offered some strategies for content management. He also whetted our appetites with some thinking about application in the classroom.

ESHA Executive Director Claudia Daggett kicked off the 2011-2012 school year with a trip to the greater Chicago area. Among her stops was lunch with several heads of independent elementary schools, where trends in independent elementary schools and, of course, the benefits of ESHA membership were topics of discussion. Thanks to ESHA member Ben Hebebrand, Quest Academy, for coordinating this gathering.

ESHA sustaining members commit to an additional level of financial support to move forward the work of the association.  We are pleased to report that the sustainer ranks have grown to 32 members!

We are saddened to report that ESHA honorary member Rudolph H. Deetjen, Jr., passed away unexpectedly on August 29, 2011. Rudy served as headmaster of Brookside School (NJ), until its merger with Montclair Academy, and The Peck School (NJ) from 1977 until his retirement in 1994.

We were saddened to learn recently of the death on July 9, 2010 of John (Jack) H. Wright, Jr. Jack was an honorary ESHA member and served as headmaster of Gill St. Bernard's School (NJ), The Master's School (NY), Bermuda High School, and St. Luke's Episcopal School (AL).

Please welcome these new ESHA members:
Susan Scarborough, Powhatan School (VA)
Thor Kvande, Grace-St. Luke's Episc. Sch. (TN)
Peter Klekamp, Holy Comforter Episc. Sch. (FL)
David Stettler, The Fessenden School (MA)
Melissa Grubb, Stanley Clark School (IN)
Stephen Edele, Academy Hill School (MA)
Jon Ninnemann, Keys School (CA)
Joan Hill, The Lamplighter School (TX)
And welcome back after a hiatus:
Dave Michelman, Duke School (NC)

You'll find contact information in the Member Directory (upper right hand corner of the member edition of every newsletter).

Transitions
Chris Pryor to position as financial advisor for Strategies for Wealth
Jeff Devin departed from St. Philip's Episcopal School (FL)
Jeff Jonathan on medical leave from Cold Spring School (CT)
Merrill Hall to Cold Spring School (CT) as interim head

Published
"Dual role: The challenges of being a parent and a faculty member in a school," Independent School Magazine, NAIS, Fall 2011, Annette Raphel, Belmont Day School (MA), and Diane Dillon
"Head as blogger: Should the Board applaud this new role?," The Trustee's Letter, Educational Directions, September/October 2011, Claudia Daggett, ESHA
My 60th first day of school, alaskapublic.org, 8/16/11, Arnie Cohen, Pacific Northern Academy (AK)

Highlighted in the media
Passion for learning: Jim Larkin, Principal of Tampa Day School, shares his passion for education and the child's mind, Focus Magazine, South Tampa edition, August 2011 Spotlight
New school sets agenda: Grace Church adding facility to open in 2012 with innovative lesson plan, Wall Street Journal, 8/15/11 (George Davison)

Launched
New websites or website designs:
Tower School (MA) (Peter Philip)
Burlington Day School (NC) (Steve Switzer)
The Gordon School (RI) (Ralph Wales)
Meadowbrook School (MA) (Steve Hinds)
New Canaan Country School (CT) (Tim Bazemore)
Beauvoir (DC) (Paula Carreiro)

Completed
Educational specialist degree (Ed.S.) in education administration & supervision, Lincoln Memorial University, Sean Corcoran, Brainerd Baptist School (TN)

Hosting
Evening lecture for educators and parents featuring Alfie Kohn, January 12, 2012, The Children's School (CA) (Brian Oliphant)
Carol Dweck kicks off the 2011-2012 Dolores Evans Speaker Series, January 30, 2012, The Lamplighter School (TX) (Joan Hill)

ESHA honorary member Doug Lewis was kind enough to send us a copy of "Heads," an ESHA-member photo album published in 1990. Some of you may enjoy taking a look at your youthful selves and colleagues. Don't miss Doug's amusing foreward as the editor of this publication.

As two heads of school who wound our way to that position over many years in the classroom and administration, we share a sense of what works with kids and what doesn’t, though neither of us can always say why. We both have always been active physically, playing on a variety of team sports into adulthood as well as running, biking, and training individually. John Ratey’s book, Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain (with Eric Hagerman, Little, Brown and Company, 2008) spoke to each of us personally and professionally.

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