Ongoing Work to Strengthen Our Community and Learning

Today I am writing to inform you of some of the work we have been doing this year. First on the list is our new Fayerweather Street School mission. The FSS Board of Directors, in collaboration with FSS Staff, students, parents, former FSS families, and alums, created a new Fayerweather mission statement. The mission work took incredible focus, commitment, and follow-through, especially amid the disruption of the pandemic. Co-chairs Amy Abelove, one of our board community members and past parent of Eli ’20 and Max ’14, Courtney Quinn, Board Chair and current parent, and a small committee of staff and board members collaborated harmoniously to bring this project to fruition. 

There is a lot of excitement around our mission work. Courtney and Amy attended one of our last staff meetings before the holiday break to present the new mission to the FSS staff community. When they completed the presentation, there was a standing ovation and heartfelt appreciation for how the mission committee captured our core beliefs and values. We will find time to celebrate the new mission, which reflects our growth and continued evolution.

In February, the majority of the FSS Board supported our Gender Vision Statement and Pronoun Policy. For 56 years, Fayerweather’s culture has been one of seeing the forest. The school’s founders had a broader vision of education. I imagine they wanted their children to have their hearts and minds nurtured and cultivated in pursuit of meaningful, thought-provoking, and joyful learning. What was known then, and what we know now, is to be fully engaged in one’s learning is to feel supported and seen for who you are. Fayerweather’s mission, from its inception to the present, has always prioritized the importance of relationships and community as a central tenet of progressive education.

Earlier in the year, I shared with you that we are in the implementation stage of our new Illustrative Math program. Mike Bowler has been out front leading this effort. He has worked closely with our math consultant, Jennifer Hawkins, to set up professional learning opportunities for staff throughout all grades. Director of Technology Ray Giles and School Librarian Zoan Stokes are leading a group of staff members collaborating to create our Technology Vision Statement, which we will share in the coming months. Director of Student Life Jarvis Wyche leads a group of staff members working on a vision for Placed Based Education at FSS. During our PD day on February 27, he partnered with a consultant from the Teton Science Schools who demonstrated ways we can effectively teach skills and increase student engagement by connecting our students to local communities surrounding FSS. Kindergarten teachers Tara McCaffrey and Brett Torres collaborated with PreK teachers on implementing nature-based practices in their curriculum and what this can mean for the program's growth.

With three months and two weeks left in the school year, we look forward to strengthening our relationships and seeing you at more in-person events in the spring. Thank you for being an active part of what makes FSS an excellent place to learn, grow and flourish.

In partnership,

Kim Ridley

Head of School