Putting the A in STEAM
By Christina Mimms, SAIS
Some will argue that art has always been part of science, technology, engineering, and math, even without representation in the STEM acronym. Look at a smartphone, for example. Is the design not equally important to the mechanics of the device? What it looks like, for some, is equally important to what it does. And thus, art is added to STEM to become STEAM. Recognizing the importance of art in engineering as well as the science in art, schools are finding unique ways, such as sewing, to marry the different aspects of their curriculum and give art equal footing.
>>Read more.
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Stephen P. Robinson Collaboration Grant Report: Mount Vernon Presbyterian School and Second Baptist School
This is the final report from the 2016 Stephen P. Robinson SAIS Collaboration Grant Program. Reports from the 2017 grant recipients will be shared at the 2017 SAIS Annual Conference and published next year. For more information about the Grants, visit sais.org/grants.
This report began its journey in Houston, TX. It tackles the problem of diseases in the homeless population of Houston and explains how the homeless population lacks correct infrastructures to sanitize their belongings. Avoiding sickness remains a nearly impossible task in the homeless population. In order to solve this problem, questions such as
"how to prevent epidemics" and
"how to approach this problem" required answers. Conventional methods such as soap and water simply could not resolve this issue. The population needed a faster, more economical and reliable solution. The answer came in the form of a UV radiation system coined "Radix."
>>Read more.
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Screenwise
By Dr. Devorah Heitner
Reviewed by
Philip Cummings
,
6th grade reading teacher, Presbyterian Day School, Memphis, TN
Let's face it. Screens and devices are everywhere. At least they are in my home and my classroom. Between our 1:1 classrooms and the smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktops, and TVs we have at home, we are continuously plugged into the outside world. The connection to technology isn't all bad, but it isn't all good either. As a parent, I struggle with how much screen time to allow my kids and with how much supervision and monitoring of their devices they need. I've not allowed certain video games in my house, and we have rules that limit the amount of time our kids can watch TV and play video games during the school week. We also require devices to be brought downstairs each night to be charged and so that the kids hopefully will get some sleep.
>>Read more.
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FastStats 2017: Admissions Trends
By Dr. Jeffrey Mitchell,
head of Currey Ingram Academy, Brentwood, TN
In this FastStats, I investigate the 10-year trends for admission funnel and attrition data in SAIS schools.
The admission funnel describes the numbers of students who move from inquiries, to applications, to acceptances, and finally to enrollees. Naturally, the numbers of students in the process decrease as they filter through the process at a given school. Attrition is defined as the number of students who leave your school (other than by graduation).
>>Read more.
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Submit Your Session Proposal for the Dean of Students Symposium
Proposals are currently being accepted for
breakout sessions for the NEW
SAIS Dean of Students Symposium,
June 19-21 in Atlanta.
The deadline is May 1. Please submit your proposal
using
this form
.
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Farewell to Damian!
 This month, SAIS bids farewell to Damian Kavanagh
, SAIS VP of accreditation & membership. He has been appointed the new executive director of MISBO, effective July 1. Please join us in congratulating Damian on his appointment, thanking him for his service to SAIS, and wishing him the very best in his new endeavor. Over the last six years, he has shepherded multiple new members into the SAIS fold, led the maturation of the SAIS accreditation process, and developed the SAIS accreditation portal. We look forward to continuing to work with him in his new role at MISBO.
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Call for SAIS Board of Trustee Nominations
The SAIS Board of Trustees is responsible for the supervision, control, and direction of the association. Per the bylaws, trustees must be heads of SAIS member schools. Review the current board of trustees
here.
The SAIS Committee on Trustees will process the nominations and review the nominees. The slate will be presented for approval by the membership at the SAIS annual business meeting, which takes place at the SAIS Annual Conference, October 22-24, 2017, in Atlanta. New trustees will begin their terms on January 1, 2018.
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NAIS Call for Proposals
NAIS is seeking proposals for workshops and presentations at its 2018 Annual Conference, to be held in Atlanta, March 7-8, 2018. Guidelines for proposals can be found here. The deadline for submissions is June 9, 2017.
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2017 Calendar of Events
SAIS offers a variety of affordable, accessible, and relevant professional development programs for independent school leaders.
June 19-21 | Emory Conference Center | Atlanta, GA
June 19-21 | Emory Conference Center | Atlanta, GA
June 20-21 | Emory Conference Center | Atlanta, GA
June 21-23 | Emory Conference Center | Atlanta, GA
June 21-23 | Emory Conference Center | Atlanta, GA
June 27-30 | Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa | Palm Beach, FL
July | Charlotte, NC | Nashville, TN | Atlanta, GA
July 13-14 | Atlanta, GA
October 22 | Crowne Plaza Ravinia | Atlanta, GA
October 22-24 | Crowne Plaza Ravinia | Atlanta, GA
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On-Site Board Workshops
SAIS President Dr. Kirk Walker is available to visit your campus and conduct on-site governance workshops.
- Trusteeship for Independent Schools
- New Trustee Orientation
- Becoming an Outstanding Board
- The Changing Landscape of Independent School Governance
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SAIS Featured School
Palisades Episcopal
School
Ten years ago, a group of visionaries came together to create the best school they could imagine. They envisioned a Christ-centered school that would instill values, inspire creativity, and develop individuality in its students. They dreamed of an environment where children's innate enthusiasm for learning would be nurtured and cultivated so it could serve them for a lifetime. They envisioned graduates who would excel academically and be able to connect their heads to their hearts. They envisioned Palisades Episcopal School.
>>Read more.
Would you like to be an SAIS Featured School? Contact
christina@sais.org.
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Margaret Moore, head of St. Michael's School in Tucson, AZ, shares lessons learned from sports.
Christy Johnson, director of communications at the Covenant School in Nashville, TN, writes about the gift of a small community.
Educational blogger
Tamra Dollar reflects on a fiasco with Flat Stanley.
Professor and author John Spencer shows some respect for the creative process.
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Voltaic cells, sea turtles, musicals, art shows, and more!
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The
SAIS Value Narrative Survey
is a school culture and climate survey that helps schools understand the important beliefs of stakeholders and the perceptions of how well the school is delivering on its mission. More than 150 schools have used the survey and more than 100,000 responses have been generated.
NEW! SAIS is piloting TWO new surveys:
The Self-Determination Survey is for faculty and students and helps the school measure and understand the critical relationships between these two groups.
The Board Governance Survey is aligned with the SAIS Governance Training and measures the board and the head's commitment to the SAIS five domains of governance.
Both of these are available in pilot phase and at no cost, for now! Email surveys@sais.org for more information. Both surveys can be delivered with the Value Narrative Survey or as stand-alones.
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