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Home , Ethel Walker School, Renbrook School, Watkinson School

WeST hArTford, heAd of School STArT dATe: July 2019 WWW.renBrooK.org Mission Statement Fueled by a tradition of innovation, self-discovery, and the pursuit of excellence, Renbrook School places students at the center of their learning.

We educate and inspire students to develop the character, knowledge, and creativity to lead in an increasingly global and inclusive world.

In a nurturing community, Renbrook students gain the skills and dispositions of engaged, life-long learners.

Value Statement Renbrook School prizes respect, integrity, empathy, tenacity, and service to others. We believe in the power of a supportive community to effectively instill these values in our students.

oVerVieW

Founded in 1935, Renbrook School provides students in Preschool through Grade 8 with a robust and purposeful educational experience of the highest caliber. Located on an exceptionally beautiful and resourced campus, small classes in an intimate community of supportive and caring teachers allow for an individualized approach to learning, enabling each child to learn to take appropriate risks and identify and cultivate his or her own strengths. Renbrook knows how impactful a child’s early education experience is on his or her life trajectory, and therefore strives to lay the foundation for its students to become active citizens, stewards of diversity, and life-long learners.

Renbrook seeks a Head of School (to begin in July 2019) who will reinforce the integrity of Renbrook’s current programming, as well as extend its mission to reach new students and their families.

School hiSTory

Renbrook School began with a conversation in the living room of Mr. and Mrs. John Lee of Farmington, Connecticut. Then and there, the Lees and seven like-minded families decided to establish a progressive, learn-by-doing school on the model established by educator John Dewey.

Founded in 1935, the Tunxis School—named in recognition of the Native American tribe that was local to the Connecticut River Valley—was housed in an aged Victorian home at 2431 Albany Avenue in West Hartford. Within months, an increase in enrollment forced the small school to change location. The new institution enrolled 39 students and was renamed Junior School. With three teachers and 17 students aged three to nine, the school grew under the guidance of Florence Greene, who would

The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 1 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com Fast Facts Students currently enrolled: 333

Faculty members: 54

Percentage of faculty holding an advanced degree: 54%

Lower School (PK-5) class size range: 12-17

Upper School (6-8) class size range: 10-16

Average student-teacher ratio: 6:1

Percentage of student body that receives some degree of financial aid: 30%

Percentage of student body that is students of color: 36%

Annual operating budget for current school year: $9.3M

Endowment: $17M

serve as the headmistress for 32 years. Two years later, enrollment had reached 69 and Junior School purchased a building lot at 950 Trout Brook Road. The move was made during spring vacation in 1938, after teachers had painted all their mismatched furniture the same shade of blue you can see on campus today.

By 1956, Junior School was bursting at the seams. When the estate of Frederick B. Rentschler, co-founder of Pratt & Whitney Aircraft, announced it would lease its family home to a worthy not-for- profit institution, Junior School applied for the opportunity. Selected first among 18 applicants, the school was awarded the rental of the Albany Avenue home at $1.00 annually. In appreciation, the Junior School renamed itself ‘Renbrook,’ the original name of the Rentschler estate.

In January of 1958, the school moved to its new location at 2865 Albany Avenue. In 1996, when the Faye Belden Rentschler Foundation merged with Renbrook School, Inc., it inaugurated a new era for the school.

The School

Today, Renbrook enrolls 330 students from more than 35 cities and towns in Connecticut and Massachusetts and celebrated its 80th anniversary in the academic year 2015-16.

Diversity is of the utmost importance at Renbrook; the community encourages diversity that spans racial, religious, national, ethnic, socio-economic, and other lines, emphasizing the differences woven into the fabric of our increasingly global culture. Accordingly, Renbrook values the diversity of its own students, families, faculty, and staff because this diversity helps Renbrook students be successful in

The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 2 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com today’s world—and prepares them for the future that awaits them. Renbrook is a founding member of SPHERE, an consortium that supports the better understanding of race, diversity, and multicultural issues.

Traditions like the daily Morning Meeting are uniquely Renbrook, kindling a collective sense of community while providing daily occasions for individual growth. In these meetings, students come to the podium to share news about school teams, clubs, and accomplishments. These daily experiences strengthen public speaking skills, peer recognition, and leadership development.

Technology is another essential facet of culture and curriculum at Renbrook. Mac laptops are used across campus, and Apple TVs coupled with projectors and wireless mobile labs enrich the teaching and learning experience. Students regularly use The Geometer’s Sketchpad, graphing calculators, and other advanced educational software.

Finally, learning for at Renbrook is not limited to the classroom. With a ropes course, woods, trails, sports fields, and cultivated gardens, the Renbrook campus is a safe, varied, and beautiful outdoor classroom and learning laboratory. Not surprisingly, working with others to accomplish shared goals is an essential part of a Renbrook education. Community work can range from buddy class with other grades to social service projects on and off campus, that benefit area agencies, shelters, hospitals, and soup kitchens.

Renbrook School is accredited by the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), is approved as a non-public school by the Connecticut State Department of Education and is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools.

The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 3 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com Academics

Renbrook’s model of 21st-century education builds upon traditional pedagogies of learning and recasts them to fit the emerging needs of today and tomorrow’s learners. A leader in the implementation of project-based learning, the ultimate goal of all of Renbrook’s rich and challenging coursework is to foster the ability for students to stretch themselves intellectually and develop a lifelong love of learning. Renbrook graduates enter secondary school knowing how to think critically, to speak and write clearly, and how to conduct themselves with poise and confidence in leadership roles.

Lower School Because many crucial skills children need to be life-long learners are established during the earliest years of school, Renbrook strives to promote positive learning dispositions such as creativity, curiosity, perseverance, resilience, and initiative. Across Renbrook’s Lower School curriculum, teachers incorporate the Responsive Classroom approach into instruction, emphasizing social, emotional, and academic growth within a strong school community.

Renbrook’s full-day approach to Kindergarten provides children and teachers with the opportunity to extend and elaborate on projects and class work. Kindergarten relies on themes and projects to integrate thinking skills, promote positive social interaction, and enhance the development of cognitive, social, emotional, and physical skills. Children gain knowledge from direct teaching, research, field trips, and play activities.

In Grades 1-5, students continue to leverage the Responsive Classroom model but spend the bulk of their day immersed in a rigorous, balanced curriculum. This curriculum includes a language and literacy program that builds reading proficiency and fosters a love of literature; writing in a

The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 4 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com Secondary School Placement Renbrook’s student acceptance rate for Secondary School placement is over 90% for eighth- grade graduates. The following is a selection of schools to which students were accepted from 2016- 2018:

Andover () Canterbury School Interlochen workshop-style approach; mathematics using Singapore Kingswood Oxford Math; STEAM, an integrated, cross-discipline approach Lawrenceville linking science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics; social studies; Spanish; instrumental and Madeira choral music; visual art; and physical education. Master’s School, Dobbs Ferry Upper School Miss Porter’s School At the heart of a Renbrook education is the meaningful Northfield Mount Hermon relationship that takes place between the accomplished and deeply committed faculty and the inspired and engaged student body. Upper School students (Grades 6-8) have St. Paul’s School faculty advisors with whom they meet individually or in a Stoneleigh Burnham School small-group setting weekly. The average advisee to advisor ratio is 10:1. The advisor is the first point of contact for Tabor Academy parents with questions or concerns about their children’s academic success. The Gunnery The Putney School In addition to core subjects of English, mathematics, Westminster School science, and history/social studies, Renbrook Upper School students learn French, Spanish, or Latin, and participate in music and the visual and performing arts. The STEAM program assumes that by sixth grade, students have gained a solid underpinning of science, technology, and math skills. They learn to apply math concepts with engineering skills to help solve practical problems and applications.

The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 5 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com Arts and Athletics

Arts education starts with the school’s youngest learners in Preschool. Students use art materials at an experiential level to begin, then explore a variety of materials and techniques as they get older, building their creativity and refining their design and expression skills. Projects are often tied to topics in other subject areas. The Upper School Arts Program offers two unique opportunities for Renbrook students. Students spend one half of the year in the Visual Arts Studio and the other half of the year in the Woodworking Studio. Each year, students have several opportunities to exhibit their work. Renbrook students participate annually in “Our Work, Our Choice” a collaborative exhibit with Kingswood-Oxford and .

Renbrook School also believes that participating in music fosters confidence and discipline. The music curriculum in Lower School allows students to experience music through song, movement, games, and instruments and learn to read, write, and perform. Older students participate in choir weekly and can choose to study an instrument of their choice. All sixth graders participate in either band or chorus three days a week. Students learn the basics of healthy vocal technique such as singing with forward placement and tall vowels, and choral ensemble skills such as balance and blend. Ear-training and musicianship skills are strengthened through sight-singing practice and through singing more advanced repertoire.

The Physical Education and Athletics program offers a variety of activities to meet each student’s physical, emotional, and cognitive development. The curriculum focuses on building individual skills, including physical fitness, as well as cooperation and competition through team sports. Faculty stress safety, support for the emerging athlete, and a balance between competition and good sportsmanship. Two gymnasiums as well as an abundance of athletic fields and outdoor learning spaces are available

The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 6 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com to all students, and Grade 4 and 5 students participate in a low ropes course. A dedicated Early Learning Physical Education program for Preschool and Junior Kindergarten students promotes large-muscle development, an appreciation of the natural world, and ways to socialize.

The Upper School athletic program gives students the opportunity to participate on teams, as individuals, and in other group activities. Students choose which sports they wish to participate in each season, and everyone is given the chance to play. Sports include cross country, soccer, field hockey, ski team, snowboarding, basketball, gymnastics, squash, softball, baseball, lacrosse, tennis, physical fitness, and the Project Adventure ropes course.

School Life

Renbrook seeks to inspire responsibility, encourage compassion, and build confidence and leadership in its students during their most formative years of development. Starting in Preschool, students are introduced to three values: caring for self, caring for others, and caring for the environment. Throughout the year, students are encouraged to put these ideas into practice. Renbrook students learn to care for themselves by working on their self-help skills. To care for others, children participate in service learning, by doing things such as making sandwiches and cookies for local charities. To care for the environment, the children help clean up their playgrounds, hiking trails, and playing fields. Through these and other guided experiences, which help to develop character and leadership in the youngest students, children will also learn about cooperation, responsibility, empathy, honesty, and self-control.

The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 7 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com Lower School students build and hone their leadership skills through the many guided opportunities that Renbrook provides for group presentations and performances in the classroom and at assemblies and variety shows, through work with younger children in “buddy classes,” and through the fifth graders’ role as leaders in Lower School. In the Upper School, Renbrook students further learn to think critically, independently, and take responsibility for his or her own success. The eighth-grade theme is Leadership Development, and by eighth grade, the oldest Renbrook students are leaders on campus in sports, the arts, and independent study service. The opportunity to lead in the middle school years gives students confidence to step up to lead in secondary school.

Renbrook’s commitment to service is integrated into campus activities in a variety of ways. The service learning program at Renbrook expands on community service by integrating classroom instruction with an emphasis on reflective thinking, civic responsibility, and a strong sense of stewardship. Across divisions and throughout the year, students participate in many community drives that benefit area agencies, shelters, hospitals, and soup kitchens, and assist at area day care centers, retirement, and convalescent homes. Students have raised money and volunteered time for the Salvation Army, Loaves & Fishes, Red Cross, Connecticut Humane Society, Heifer International, Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, and other nonprofit agencies. Graduates emerge from their middle school years with intrinsic motivation to give back to their school and greater communities.

Campus

The indoor facilities at Renbrook are top-tier. The school building is filled with science labs and STEAM classrooms for both the Lower and Upper School, two theaters, music and arts studios, a Junior Makerspace and Upper School Makerspace, an Upper School Math Center, computer

The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 8 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com labs, three Harkness Table classrooms in the Upper School, and a 16,600 square foot Library and Technology Center.

Students at Renbrook have the ability to avail themselves of unapparelled opportunities on the campus. Renbrook is comprised of 75 acres of, ponds, woodlands, wetlands, hiking trails, and gardens. It offers four athletic fields including tennis courts, a high-and low-ropes course, three pools, three playgrounds, and a natural pond for science study.

West Hartford, Connecticut

The Town of West Hartford is dynamic and diverse, offering a balance of both the urban and suburban experience. Residents are enriched by excellent schools, outstanding public safety, vibrant public spaces, and programs and services for all ages. Incorporated as a town in 1854, West Hartford is five miles west of downtown Hartford and has well over 60,000 residents (2010 census). The town’s popular downtown area is colloquially known as “West Hartford Center,” or simply “The Center,” and has been the community’s main hub since the late 17th century. That’s where visitors and residents can find The Children’s Museum of Connecticut and the Noah Webster Museum, as well as Connecticut Veterans Memorial Ice Skating Rink and Rockledge Golf Club. Today it is home to , as well as the University of Saint Joseph.

The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 9 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com Opportunities and Challenges

Academic Excellence: Renbrook is committed to an outstanding educational program that is forward looking, that is attentive to best practices in education, and that incorporates attention to the whole child. The school has a very strong faculty who will welcome collaborative leadership and a clear sense of direction. There is also the opportunity to continue efforts to update the program to ensure that it meets the needs of students preparing for success in the 21st century. There is an expectation that the next Head will help the school strike the right balance between innovation and thoroughness in the implementation of new ideas and approaches.

Visible Presence: The strong sense of community at Renbrook requires that the next Head be highly visible and establish strong relationships with all constituencies of the school. The school seeks a head who will be an effective and enthusiastic communicator and a capable manager.

Enrollment: Hartford County has seen a significant drop in the school-age population in the communities that typically enroll their children in independent schools, resulting in a decrease in enrollment demand throughout the area. The next Head of School will need to support and expand ongoing efforts to communicate the power of a Renbrook education. In addition to supporting the current marketing and admissions efforts, the Head will play an important role in developing new community partnerships and personally connecting Renbrook more extensively in and around the West Hartford community.

Team Leader: The school benefits from an exceptional faculty, staff, and leadership team who have been empowered to use their gifts and talents in support of the school’s mission. The Head will work to ensure that staff, teachers, and administrators are supported in their roles, and will foster an environment that continues to attract and retain the best educational talent possible.

The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 10 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com Desired Qualities and Qualifications

Renbrook seeks an inspiring leader who will continue to foster a culture of academic excellence, curiosity, and child-centered learning. The school seeks a talented, experienced, and dynamic school leader who will bring the school community together around a compelling sense of purpose and direction. The school will be most interested in candidates who demonstrate most, if not all, of the following qualities:

• A passion for education. • Warmth, integrity, and a strong moral compass. • Energy, confidence, keen emotional intelligence, and exceptional personal values. • A palpable enjoyment at being an active and visible presence in the life of the school as a foundation for strong, supportive relationships with faculty and staff, thereby fostering a strong sense of community. • Aptitude for strategic thinking and planning. • A sense of and a passionate belief in the importance of equity and diversity. • Exceptional communication skills, both in large settings as well as in smaller venues. • An ability and commitment to work collaboratively and delegate effectively. • A firm grounding in the principles and practices of K-8 education and an understanding of curriculum and pedagogy. • An ability to think and act strategically to support and enhance the school’s program, finances, and enrollment. • An understanding of an effective external affairs program, which includes admissions, fundraising and broader community involvement. The successful candidate must be committed to asking for financial support while encouraging a culture of philanthropy. • Significant experience as a senior administrator; teaching experience strongly preferred.

To Apply

Interested and qualified candidates should submit electronically in one email and as separate documents (preferably PDFs) the following materials:

• A cover letter expressing their interest in this particular position; • A current résumé; • A one-page statement of educational philosophy and practice; • A list of five professional references with name, phone number, and email address of each (references will not be contacted without the candidate’s permission) to:

Bob Fricker Senior Consultant [email protected]

Lisa Parsons Senior Associate [email protected]

Bob Vitalo Senior Consultant [email protected] The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 11 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com