June 23, 2008 / 20 Sivan, 5768
Dear Barrack Families and Friends:
As I begin my tenure as Head of School, I want to express my appreciation
to staff, faculty, students, parents, board members and alumni for the warm and
embracing welcome I have received these past months as I have become more
familiar with the school and its many components. I share your passionate
commitment to academic excellence, pluralism, menschlichkeit, and community.
We are all embarking on an exciting new journey together as we transition to
our new home in Bryn Mawr. During the course of the summer, I will be sending
you updates on policies and procedures that will help to make our move as smooth,
safe and secure as possible. Please watch for emails from me, all of which will be
archived on the "News" section of our website, so that if you are busy with summer
travel, vacation, or just want a break from email, you will be able to review our
progress and requests.
I'd like to share with you some of my own goals for the coming year. Your
feedback, suggestions, and help regarding the following major goals will be greatly
appreciated:
- Successfully move our school to its new site, oversee the creation of new
procedures, and polices to ensure a safe, secure environment.
- Promote the many benefits provided by our new site, while retaining the
intimacy, warmth, pluralism and positive aspects of our current school culture.
- Leverage the excitement of our new facility to grow the school, including an
investigation of moving to an earlier decision making process on tuition aid.
- Continue to strengthen an outstanding academic curriculum by mobilizing a
faculty and administrative task force to complete our Middle States Interim
report, due in the spring of 2009.
- Increase the excellence of our athletic programs and broaden the range of music
and art experiences available to our students.
- Actively and aggressively, work on the capital campaign and annual fund to
ensure goals are met and exceeded.
- Reconstitute an active Rabbinic advisory group made up of area Rabbis of all
denominations. They will advise me and help us assure that the theological,
philosophical, spiritual and religious practice needs of our diverse and
pluralistic student body are sensitively attended to by the school and
incorporated into an enriched Jewish studies program. Rabbi David Ackerman
will chair this group.
- Work closely with faculty to look at scheduling, workload, and personnel
utilization patterns and needs to ensure efficient, cost effective, but
educationally excellent use of people and resources.
- Examine student workloads to ensure they are developmentally appropriate and
educationally meaningful.
- Try my best (this is the hardest goal of them all!) to get to know everyone's
name!
I have arrived at these goals following five months of my listening tour at
meetings with staff, faculty, students, parents, board members, alumni and
community figures. I am confident that with your help, and that of the faculty and
student body, we can accomplish much of what I have outlined. There is a
common Hebrew expression that "kol hat'halot kashot"—"all beginnings are
difficult." Somehow my experience thus far belies that truism. I relish the
challenges before us and look forward to an energizing new chapter in the life of
our wonderful school.
Bivracha,
Dr. Steven M. Brown
