Saddle River Day School

Saddle River, New Jersey Head of School Start Date: July 2020 www.saddleriverday.org Mission We inspire each student to achieve personal and academic excellence and to become a caring and ethical contributor to society. • Everyone Counts: At Saddle River Day School, all children and adults matter; their talents and contributions are prized. • Love of Learning: Saddle River Day School engenders a lifelong love of learning in our students Fast Facts with a caring and committed Student enrollment: 302 faculty, staff, and administration. Students who identify as individuals of color: 38% • Intellectual Risk Taking: Intellectual Student-teacher ratio: 7:1 risk taking is encouraged and Total faculty: 47 celebrated through an inspiring, Faculty holding an advanced degree: 74% intimate environment that ensures Annual operating budget 2018-2019: $9.7M the physical and emotional Campus acreage: 25.5 security of each student.

Overview

Deeply committed to inspiring its students to become critical thinkers, responsible citizens, and collaborative individuals, Saddle River Day School (SRDS) takes pride in doing more than preparing young people for higher education – indeed, preparing them to live their lives fully and with purpose, no matter where their paths might lead. Since its founding in 1957, Saddle River Day School has served a PreK-12 coeducational student body drawn from families across Northern New Jersey and New York (on the west side of the Hudson).

Situated on a beautiful 26-acre, suburban campus in Northern New Jersey, less than 30 minutes by car from New York City, Saddle River Day School provides a warm, personal, and rich educational experience for roughly 300 K-12 students. Its strong, dedicated faculty averages 18 years of experience at the school, and its new hires reflect the same values and commitment as their longer-serving colleagues. With small class size and excellent student-teacher ratios, faculty and staff challenge each student, to realize his or her potential with confidence. This careful, intentional attention means that intellectual risk-taking can occur at all levels and across disciplines.

Saddle River Day School seeks a new Head of School who is dynamic enough to connect with the School’s youngest learners just starting their educational journey, as well as with Upper School seniors who are trying to determine their next steps. The strong candidate will have demonstrated experience driving curriculum that is innovative and forward thinking, as well as considering where and how character development can seamlessly integrate into that curriculum. SRDS is looking for someone who can listen to community needs, lead and motivate the faculty, and continue to inspire and grow this small, but vibrant community, that makes SRDS unique in its market.

The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 2 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com Saddle River Day truly feels like “home” for students and their families because its community has a remarkable energy that visitors and SRDS veterans alike acknowledge and come to value. SRDS is a place where Chef Mark, in the dining commons, will recreate a special dish on a student’s birthday from a grandmother’s recipe and where teachers use their lunch breaks to work one-on-one with students. It is a place where students and teachers bundle care packages for new alumni starting their first year of college. It is a place where educators and parents join together to make great ideas happen, where priorities are determined by educational impact, backed by leading research – not by standardized tests or budgets – and where, above all else, the School is focused on what’s best for the students.

The School

One of Saddle River Day School’s greatest strengths is its ability to anticipate what students need in order to be successful – and to adapt quickly to meet those needs. Through the innovation and resourcefulness of the School’s leadership and faculty, and the individual focus the educational environment permits, learning feels both challenging and satisfying to students. In a part of the country where public schools have a strong reputation, Saddle River Day is distinctive. The School’s goal is developing motivated, confident, and well-balanced individuals who challenge themselves to achieve academic and life success. To accomplish this takes several key ingredients. There is a focus on finding ways to inspire students, for example, with project-based learning and interdisciplinary projects. Critical to success is a motivated faculty that creates an innovative learning environment where trying things out is both encouraged and accepted. Students say they feel they have grown in important ways and “had teachers who have really changed the academic trajectory” of their lives. The special sense of community and encouragement to try new things creates opportunities for all

The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 3 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com types of students (academics, artists, and athletes) to personalize their experience, develop critical thinking skills, create leadership opportunities, and be equipped for success in the 21st century.

SRDS teachers create active learning opportunities that go beyond content knowledge to develop deeper understanding and, perhaps most important, they lead by example. As part of the SRDS strategic plan, the Excellence in Teaching initiative requires all teachers to earn their master’s degree within five years of their hiring. Currently, 74% of SRDS faculty holds advanced degrees, with additional teachers currently working towards completion.

Having grades PreK-12 on one campus also contributes to the closeness of the community. Students support one another and the atmosphere is welcoming, trusting, and friendly across all levels, students and faculty alike.

Among the notable aspects of the School’s academic and co-curricular program are its impressive use of technology including: • The K-12 research and analysis program, where students gather, analyze, and convert data into information for decision-making; • An abundant digital resource catalog and tech-ready collaborative spaces in the library and media center to support independent and group research; • A preeminent commercial quality computer graphics lab featuring powerful iMacs with Adobe Creative Suite applications; large-format color printing and scanning capabilities; cutting-edge high-definition drawing tablets; multiple Sony HD and GoPro Hero 4 mobile video cameras to film content for the video studio and editing deck; • An IDEAS Lab (Innovation, Design, Engineering, Arts, and Science) with 3D printers, circuit and electronics kits, robotics, and much more.

The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 4 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com The work turned out by students (covering many hallway walls) is truly impressive both in its imaginativeness and quality.

Technology is also part of the prevalent STEAM initiative at SRDS. STEAM integrates the classic sciences of biology, chemistry, and physics with the applied sciences of technology and engineering, while using the languages of art and mathematics. Reflecting real life, STEAM does not segment knowledge into disciplines – it invites students to bring everything they know to bear on a project.

SRDS is accredited by the New Jersey Association of Independent School (NJAIS) and Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools.

Academics

Lower School (Pre-K to 4) SRDS has carefully curated its Lower School curriculum, which includes a science program developed by the Smithsonian Institution, a Spanish program that emphasizes speech first, and a math program that focuses on mastery rather than memorization. The Lower School’s goal is to encourage each child’s sense of curiosity and explore basics that set the foundation for higher learning.

Lower School students have Middle School “pen pals” and Reading Buddies who help make the Middle School feel more familiar. The Middle School Dean also comes to talk to fourth-grade students toward the end of the year about what to expect as fifth graders, reinforcing SRDS values of community, connection, and individualized support for each student.

The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 5 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com Middle School (5 to 8) In Middle School, the study of core subject areas is an interdisciplinary practice, weaving together a variety of skills and content. Middle School faculty focus on helping students to build essential skills such as critical reading, time management, and self-reflection. The SRDS STEAM initiative is especially important at the Middle School level, integrating science, technology, and engineering with art and mathematics. As students progress, the academic program expands to include more options in the arts, language, and mathematics. Advanced students take classes with higher grades, including the Upper School, as appropriate.

A variety of clubs and activities offer students opportunities to pursue their interests and develop passions. Offerings include Comic Book Club, Film Club, Rebel Muffins (weekly talk show), Rebels 404 (technology club), Running Club, SRDS Cares (service), and Vid Kids (video production).

Upper School (9 to 12) The Upper School focuses on preparing students to speak effectively, read intelligently, and write well in all subject areas. Course offerings change each year to accommodate student interests; SRDS will offer an Advanced Placement course for as few as five students. Teachers have also created college- style seminars such as “Memoir: Telling Our Stories” and “International Relations in the 20th and 21st Centuries.” The Upper School has a full selection of Advanced Placement courses.

Clubs and activities in Upper School include Amnesty International, Future Business Leaders of America, International Club, Math League, Mimesis (literary magazine), Robotics, Model U.N., TED- Ed (TEDxYouth), and Unplugged Café.

The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 6 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com College Acceptances

The following is a selection of colleges and universities to which students recently matriculated:

American University Hofstra University University of Rhode Island Bard College University of Illinois at Urbana Rice University Barnard College Champaign University of Rochester Bates College Indiana University at Bloomington Roger Williams University Binghamton University Ithaca College Rollins College Boston College James Madison University Sarah Lawrence College Boston University Johnson & Wales University Savannah College of Art and Brown University Lafayette College Design Bryant University Lehigh University School of Visual Arts Bryn Mawr College Long Island University Simmons College Bucknell University Loyola Skidmore College California College of the Arts (San University of Maryland Smith College Francisco) Manhattan College University of St. Andrews University of California, Berkeley Manhattan School of Music (Scotland) Capilano University Marist College St. John’s University Carnegie Mellon University McGill University St. Lawrence University Chapman University University of Mary Washington St. Thomas Aquinas College Coastal Carolina University McDaniel College Stanford University University of Colorado at Boulder University of Miami Stevens Institute of Technology Clark University Northeastern Stony Brook University Columbia University University of Michigan Susquehanna University Connecticut College Montclair State University Syracuse University University of Connecticut Mount Holyoke College Temple University Cornell University College of Mount Saint Vincent The New School - Parsons Dartmouth College Muhlenberg College Trinity College University of Delaware Neumann University Towson University Dickinson College New England College Tufts University Drew University New Jersey Institute of Union College Drexel University Technology United States Military Academy at Eastman School of Music of the The College of New Jersey West Point U of Rochester New York Institute of Technology Ursinus College Emmanuel College New York University Vanderbilt Emory University University of North Carolina at Villanova Endicott College Charlotte University of Arizona Endicott College Northwestern University University of Delaware Fairfield University Norwich University University of Hartford Fairleigh Dickinson University Ohio Wesleyan University University of Kentucky Florida Gulf Coast University Pace University University of Rhode Island Fordham University Pennsylvania State University University of Rochester Franklin and Marshall College Providence College University of Virginia The George Washington University of Pennsylvania University of Washington University Purdue University Washington and Lee University Hamilton College Quinnipiac University Washington University in St. Louis Harvard University Rutgers University University of Wisconsin, Madison Haverford College Ramapo College of New Jersey Villanova University High Point University Rhode Island School of Design Wesleyan University

The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 7 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com Juniors and seniors enroll in a weekly college-counseling workshop with the college counselor, who guides students as they choose their schools, complete applications, and prepare for interviews. SRDS believes the college counseling process hinges on close communication and cooperation among the student, their family, and the counselor. These partners work together to find the best college to fit the abilities, strengths, and needs of each student. Students have attended the most highly selective and competitive colleges and universities in the country and abroad. Recently a number of the School’s student-athletes have gone on to play competitive athletics at the college level. From the School’s championship girls’ basketball team, the Class of 2019 has four members that will play Division I basketball at the University of Michigan, Duke, Long Island University, and Arizona State.

Arts and Athletics

The SRDS curriculum celebrates the arts believing that creative expression leads students to become perceptive, inventive, and able to interpret information in an entirely different way. Every student at SRDS has the chance to explore the visual and performing arts. More than 14 courses are offered each year in studio art, graphic arts, dance, vocal and instrumental music, and theater, a truly impressive number for a school of this size. A state-of-the-art graphic arts lab is one of the most unique digital programs in the state. From grades 4-12, students learn leading tools for print and animation tied to real-world applications and school projects. Additionally, the arts are often incorporated into academics via STEAM initiatives. SRDS’s proximity to New York City offers opportunities to experience the arts through trips to museums, artists’ homes, design and advertising agencies, film and animation firms, galleries, and college art departments.

The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 8 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com For the serious athlete, the recreational athlete, or the non-athlete, sports and fitness can bring out the best in anyone, building their confidence for whatever else they encounter. While the School has many highly competitive sports programs at the Upper-School level, all Middle School and Upper School students have access to SRDS’s teams and programs. Rebel Athletics is an accomplished program, with hard-working and ambitious coaches and players. SRDS student-athletes compete with passion and find joy in their achievements at all levels. Recent successes include Sectional State Championships in girl’s basketball and lacrosse, while boy’s basketball, golf, and tennis programs are among the best in their small school county division. Achievement is merely a sign of the program’s focus on life lessons – sportsmanship, camaraderie, and grit. (In fact, the SRDS Athletic Director regularly receives compliments from competitor schools on the conduct and sportsmanship of SRDS athletes.)

Student-athletes compete on 22 teams at the Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Middle School levels in the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference (NJIC). All students participate in physical education classes. Team sports include basketball, cross-country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, track, bowling, and volleyball.

School Life

At Saddle River Day School, opportunities to learn permeate every aspect of school life. Faculty and staff constantly work to capture student curiosity and encourage creativity at every turn. Recently, during a “Mystery Skype” session with another school, a sixth-grade humanities class asked the mystery students yes or no questions about where they lived. They used these clues, along with maps and atlases, to determine the school’s location. This is one example of many that illustrate how

The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 9 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com SRDS strives to motivate its students to become problem-solvers by inviting them to take agency over their learning. That way, learning ceases to become about assessment or evaluation and instead becomes about the journey in and of itself.

Furthering this ethos are the structures SRDS has in place to foster interpersonal relationships. Small classes allow teachers to stay closely connected with each individual’s progress and the student-to- faculty ratio averages 7:1. Because all three divisions are housed on one campus, Middle and Upper School teachers get to know younger children as learners, and students develop friendships across grade levels. This closeness, combined with an emphasis on acceptance and inclusion, creates a friendly and caring environment where students feel supported personally and in their studies. It’s a community treasured by adults and students alike.

Campus

The Saddle River Day School 25+ acre campus sits squarely in the middle of the town of Saddle River, a largely affluent residential community just across the Tappan Zee Bridge from Westchester County. The School’s complete facilities provide students with stimulating learning environments and a variety of locations for classes. Students travel between buildings for classes depending on department and grade level. The campus is well cared for and has a uniform look of stone and clapboard with deceptively spacious buildings that take advantage of the gentle sloping landscape, which flows down to the athletic fields.

The Main Hall on Campus was the original home on the estate that became the school and has been expanded to include buildings that house the Main Office, Lower School, Office of the Head of School, Business Office, Admissions, and the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs. North

The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 10 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com Hall features the Gymnasium, Technology Lab, Library/Media Center, state-of-the-art Graphic Arts Studio, the Senior Commons and the Dining Commons. In addition to these all-school areas, the building holds the academic classrooms for the Middle School and Upper School. Alford Hall is situated behind North and Main Hall and contains the Performing Arts Center, Studio Art rooms, and Music Room, as well as a majority of the Science and Middle School Classrooms.

The IDEAS Lab allows students to investigate hands-on learning in a designated maker space that serves as an extension of the STEAM curriculum; Desktop 3D Printers and much more are available for student use.

Saddle River, New Jersey

Saddle River is a small rural community of 3,000 residents, and approximately 1,250 homes, within an area slightly less than five square miles. The local government is dedicated to maintaining the bucolic character of this Northern New Jersey borough, and providing a peaceful, close-knit environment in which to live and raise a family. Despite being fairly close to Manhattan (approximately 25 miles), a pastoral atmosphere pervades the town, due in part to a minimum-zoning requirement of two acres for homes. Those who reside in Saddle River represent diverse cultural backgrounds and a wide range of professions, businesses, and the arts. In an era of unbridled development, Saddle River is committed to the preservation of a community that embraces a quiet, rural lifestyle.

Though Saddle River itself is charmingly small in terms of residents and square mileage, it enjoys a multitude of amenities thanks to its location in the much larger Bergen County. The County has more than 9,000 acres of parks, five world-class golf courses, a nationally accredited zoo, horseback riding, skiing, camping, hiking, swimming, concerts and movies in the park, Winter Wonderland,

The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 11 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com and five outstanding colleges. Bergen County also has MetLife Stadium, home to the New York Giants and the New York Jets; the Meadowlands, for horse racing; and a wide variety of concert and entertainment venues.

Saddle River is further distinguished by having a rich history, which local historians trace with exceptional accuracy and detail. Many will tell you that the Lenni Lenape Native Americans were the first to settle in what we now know as Saddle River; the Lenni Lenape arrived approximately 10,000 years ago and stayed until the mid-18th century.

The first house in Saddle River was built by the Van Buskirk family in 1709. The original Van Buskirk homestead still stands at 164 East Saddle River Road. In 1709, the Lenni Lenape native Americans sold the land on the west side of the Saddle River to English settlers. From there, several new families populated the area; their homes and histories are still evident today. On December 8, 1894, the Borough of Saddle River was officially formed, marking the beginning of Saddle River’s independent town government, which is still recognized to this day. From there, life in Saddle River flourished.

In 1981, Saddle River was thrown into the national spotlight when former President Richard Nixon moved into town. Additionally, the area known as Sammy’s Hill (the former Sunnyside Dairy Farm) was turned into “High Ridge” in the early 1980s. Today, members of the town’s Saddle River Landmarks Commission play an important role by documenting the Borough’s extensive history and working to preserve buildings of historical significance. In 1986, the 65-acre Saddle River Historic District was awarded a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 12 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com Opportunities and Challenges

The School takes special pride in its intimacy and personal nature. Every student is truly known and valued, and there are abundant opportunities for students to be actively involved in all aspects of school life. Beyond its fine academic program, SRDS is especially proud of its athletic and arts offerings, boasting several recent graduates who have gone on to compete at Division One schools, and a unique and exceptional program in graphic design is available to students from the early grades through Upper School.

With much to celebrate, Saddle River Day School is not without its challenges. Maintaining and increasing enrollment is a major objective. Competing with outstanding public schools, SRDS has experienced some enrollment slippage, particularly in the younger grades. The Board is seeking a new Head with the energy and vision to move the school forward academically and to drive creative initiatives. The candidate will be an individual who can embrace the challenge to improve the School’s position in the surrounding communities, expand its enrollment outreach in creative ways, and employ innovative funding models. The current Head has achieved a great deal in the past 10 years, but SRDS is ready for a new leader to bring enhanced clarity and focus to its mission, align the constituencies, and continue the School’s trajectory to a secure future.

The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 13 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com Desired Qualities and Qualifications

Saddle River Day School seeks a new Head of School who is: • A collaborative and creative problem-solver and out-of-the-box thinker. • An excellent communicator who inspires trust, pride, and commitment, and visibly shows his or her genuine care for students and respect for colleagues. • Open to hearing from others, transparent, able to display excellent listening skills, and demonstrate ability to execute on new ideas and directions . • Experienced as an educational leader who believes in the importance of academic rigor. • Able to define and articulate the unique value proposition of the SRDS experience to families who have access to excellent public schools and other nearby independent and parochial schools. • Accessible, responsive, confident, and comfortable working in a demanding, high-expectation community. • Diligent in upholding the values of the School. • High energy, with an enthusiasm for new ideas and innovations that will enhance the School’s unique offerings. • A hands-on, roll-up your sleeves individual who can lead from the side as well as the front of the room. • Experienced in addressing admissions and enrollment management challenges. • Warm, personable, and engaging.

To Apply

Interested and qualified candidates are invited to contact one of the consultants for a conversation about this exciting opportunity. All candidates will ultimately submit electronically the following materials (separately as PDFs):

• A cover letter expressing interest in this particular position; • A current résumé; • A one-page statement of educational leadership 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:

Ben Bolté Senior Consultant [email protected] 617.933.3430 (direct) Skype: benbolte

Bruce Dennis Senior Consultant [email protected] 917.416.0660

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