Page 3 - Priorities #32 2005-November

From the Headmaster
• A new Academic Resource Center fills an important niche. All students can turn to the center for help in bolstering academic performance. Mrs. Sandy Martignetti, who heads the center, also takes the lead in coordinating support for students with learning differences, which is her area of expertise.
• Summer Grants again made it possible
for teachers independently to pursue training that makes a difference in their classrooms. About half of our teachers took advantage of this offer. One offshoot is growing use of “digital whiteboards” that make it possible for students
to view a lecture and notes online after class—a terrific resource in learning complex subjects such as advanced math.
It is important in a highly academic school to keep
in perspective our outcomes not just for top scholars but for students in the academic middle and bottom of the class. We believe strongly in preparing students for their individual futures as determined by who they are and who they want to become. It was reassuring
to me in reviewing the data in our school accreditation report to see that students at the academic low end of our last three graduating classes in fact had GPAs in the “solid C or better” range, and they matriculated to very good colleges. Universities of Colorado, Arizona, Hawaii, San Francisco, Willamette, and St. Mary’s are examples. Their high school experiences hopefully also gave them the personal strengths and self-awareness that will carry them to successful and satisfying adult lives. That’s our goal for every student we graduate, and we evaluate our program to that standard.
I wish you time to enjoy the remaining weeks
of autumn and a happy holiday season ahead.
The school’s Annual Report, which in the past has been included in this fall issue of Priorities, will be published as a separate document in January, and you will receive your next Priorities Magazine in the spring.
The WPS annual report will be published as a separate document and mailed in January.
The student body theme for
the year is “All Things Just Keep Getting’ Better” and that optimistic assessment seems to be true so far. Our campus is a busy place:
• We have reached a juncture in
the Golden Jubilee Campaign and
we need to make things happen
NOW! The “Now” refers to moving
forward with the Trinity Project—the capital phase of the Campaign. This three-part project begins with a new all-school auditorium (the“Performing Arts Center”) and new classrooms. Once this leg is underway, it will open up space for a renovated and integrated Library and Technology /Media Center and new Student Center in the upper campus. We have some critical decisions to make this month concerning the funding and timing
of this project, and everyone in our community will be receiving further information soon in the mail. I hope that once groundbreaking occurs, everyone will join in supporting this milestone in the Priory’s history. If you are interested in more information now, please call me at 650-851-8221.
• Our accreditation self-study shows a school that has come a long ways in the past six years and is in sound condition in all important respects. Obviously, we can’t stand still. One point of these studies is to focus on areas that need attention, and we will do that. (See the article, page 6).
• Students’ volunteerism is now rooted in their course work. Students volunteer in work that is directly related to the theology or social studies class they are taking. This “service learning” approach gives teachers a better chance to prepare students and debrief after. The graduation requirement for an additional 10 hours per year of independent volunteer service, plus participation in a class project, is just the beginning for many students.
Sincerely
Tim Molak, Headmaster
3