Bertschi Head of School

Compassionate. Creative. Confident. Mission Bertschi School educates children to become compassionate, confident, and creative learners in a global community. Values Our community values integrity, inclusiveness, respect, equity, and a commitment to sustainability. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement We value equity and inclusion and believe engaging our differences makes us better and stronger. We welcome and honor the unique contributions of people from all racial, ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds, gender identities, learning styles, physical abilities, and sexual orientations. Our commitment to equity drives us to be inclusive and diverse in all areas of our school. Head of School Bertschi School, a PreK-5th grade school in Seattle, is eager to welcome a highly skilled educator as the next Head of School, with an official start date of July 1, 2022, leading into the 2022-2023 school year. Bertschi kids are curious, enthusiastic, cooperative, open to new ideas, and eager to explore the world around them. Talented faculty and staff integrate core academics with art, technology, science, dance, music, Spanish, physical education, movement, and drama on an urban campus that exhibits the School’s commitment to sustainability and nature with buildings designed to teach and demonstrate social responsibility. The next Head of School will report to the Board of Trustees and will be responsible for providing a vision to advance the School’s mission of educating children to become compassionate, confident, and creative learners in a global community. The Head of School will provide leadership for a highly capable faculty and staff while overseeing the School’s academic program, enrollment, strategic and campus planning, fiscal sustainability, and fundraising. The strongest candidate will be a dedicated elementary school educator with significant leadership experience who cares deeply about students, families and staff. The next Head will possess a joyful attitude and progressive approach to educating young children, and bring a demonstrated track record of advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion and building a strong community within an organization. About Bertschi School At Bertschi School we: Provide cohesive and meaningful learning experiences that balance structured instruction with inquiry-based learning. Blend the academic and social-emotional experiences of children. Invest in the fundamental skills of literacy, numeracy, and communications. Foster intellectual curiosity, creative expression, and critical thinking. Develop each child’s individual strengths and identify and support areas of challenge. Ensure that every child feels safe, welcome, and has a sense of belonging. Prepare the global citizens of tomorrow. By the numbers: 38 faculty supporting 225 students in grades PreK-5 Average class size of 19 Student/teacher ratio of 7-to-1 61% of faculty hold advanced degrees Annual budget of $8.9 million Operating surplus in nine of the last ten years, with average surplus of just under $400,000 Bertschi Fund goals achieved for the last three years with greater than 85% family participation 100% Board participation in the Bertschi Fund each year Enrollment inquiries increased 48% from 14-15 to 20-21; applications increased by 28% in the same time period Teaching and Learning Our approach toward teaching and learning at Bertschi School is one of cooperation. We believe in: Collaborative problem solving in and out of the classroom The richness of our global environment, as well as our local one Teaching and modeling respect for others Practicing social responsibility in concrete ways Bertschi teachers are exceptional professionals known for their passion, vitality, and creativity. Dedicated to the Bertschi mission, they work hard to create a culture of kindness where Bertschi students actively take part in their community and learn to seek and appreciate continual innovation and growth. Our interdisciplinary curriculum begins with challenging core academics at the appropriate level for each child to build a strong foundation in math and literacy. We then enhance our curriculum by integrating additional, developmentally appropriate resources to foster creative and analytical thinking and effective communication and collaboration. The combination has proven to foster successful learners and thoughtful contributors to society. Our curriculum is made even deeper and richer through our outstanding specialist classes, including: Art PE & Creative Movement Drama Spanish Music Science Library Robotics & Technology Because Bertschi’s curriculum is interdisciplinary, specialist classes are often connected to classroom learning. Specialists collaborate with classroom teachers and make cross-curricular connections that deepen learning and provide multiple perspectives. Capstone events in each grade, including the beloved second-grade market and an immersive geo-political simulation (The World Peace Game) in fifth grade, give students the opportunity to explore topics in depth. We also believe deeply that social-emotional learning goes hand in hand with academic readiness. From Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade, our curriculum includes a detailed scope and sequence for social emotional learning and our teachers are trained in a variety of strategies specific to the needs of each child and each grade level. In 2018, Bertschi School became an Institute for Social and Emotional Learning school and has a mental health and SEL specialist who works with both students and parents. Learning Services At Bertschi, we seek and truly value neurodiversity. One of our core beliefs is that everyone benefits from learning in a diverse community. Our Learning Services team, composed of Learning Specialists and a Coordinator for Advanced Learning, is dedicated to understanding the complexity of every student through consistent communication with parents and teachers and twice annual student assessments. We understand that each student has a unique constellation of strengths and challenges. Learning Services’ goal is to create opportunities for all students to work to their full potential within the context of their classroom community. Learning Specialists collaborate with teaches and provide lessons in math, word study, linguistics, philosophy, and other areas of emerging need or interest. In grades K-2, Learning Specialists also work with small reading groups, in coordination with classroom teachers. Additionally, when students need individual support, we have a team of Learning Specialists with expertise in helping students develop academic skills. This one-to-one instruction is the only area of Learning Services where families pay an extra fee. Currently, the school also contracts with a Speech Language Pathologist and an Occupational Therapist. Community Bertschi kids are part of a community that embodies our mission and values. Our students are on a life-long discovery process to be compassionate, confident, and creative learners in a global community. Bertschi is committed to socio-economic diversity, spending 15% of tuition revenue on Financial Aid. For the 20-21 school year, the average Financial Aid award is $23,373 and 44 of 225 students are receiving aid. Forty-three percent of the student body identifies as people of color and families hail from 43 different zip codes. Bertschi parents and caregivers bring a strong commitment to collaboration and inclusivity and actively engage with the School in myriad ways: through participation on committees (including the Bertschi Parent Council, with two or more representatives from each grade), Board service, classroom support, book clubs, school-wide community service opportunities and more. The Bertschi experience is not only for kids—it’s an opportunity for an all-in family connection that builds lasting friendships and learning for all. Many are drawn to the Bertschi because of the level of family engagement throughout our community. Strategic Planning Building on Bertschi’s 46-year legacy, we look to the future, firm in our commitment to treasure childhood in a 21st-century world. In 2018, the Board of Trustees approved a strategic plan to help guide our work as we seek to find innovative solutions to some of our biggest questions: How do we prepare our students to be adaptive and resilient learners in a future we cannot predict? How do we continue our longstanding commitment to diversity in a city that is increasingly inaccessible financially and logistically? How do we fully leverage an urban campus built to teach children to develop ethical decision- making skills regarding the Earth, its people, and our resources? The three goals of this Strategic Plan are: INVEST in the success of each child, THRIVE as a diverse community, and STEWARD our resources. In 2019, Bertschi School embarked on a campus master planning process, catalyzed by the purchase of a building at the heart of campus that had been the last leased property on campus. A Facilities Task Force was created and performed an in-depth analysis of campus needs and opportunities, culminating in the hire of a top architectural firm to lead our community in the development of an updated campus master plan. Due to the pandemic, this work was put on hold shortly afterward. This past summer, a property adjacent to campus became available and the Board seized this rare opportunity to acquire property next to the school in this coveted neighborhood. Benefitting from Bertschi’s careful financial stewardship and the forward-thinking

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