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MID-ATLANTIC EPISCOPAL SCHOOL ASSOCIATION
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MAESA Matters August 2019
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Greetings!
Greetings from MAESA! No matter where your journey leads this summer let it be with the gospel of love and a spirit of compassion for one another.
Thanks to many of you that have renewed your membership and sent your dues for the 2019-2020 year. We look forward to seeing all of you at the
MAESA Annual Members Meeting on September 27, 2019 at
Episcopal High School
in Alexandria, VA. Please let us know you're coming by e-mailing maesaschools@gmail.com or
clicking here
.
Renewing Your MAESA Membership:
Your school received a letter at the end of June with membership renewal details. You may renew by completing the remittance and mailing a check or by completing the form and payment on our website. Renew using
this link
. Thank you for your support of MAESA!
MAESA 2019 Early Childhood Conference October 25, 2019, "School, Family & Teacher Partnerships: Working Together for Success”
at St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School. The conference theme offers the chance to hear from professionals supporting families, schools and students with a wide range of expertise. It's not to early to register! Check out the workshop offerings and view the registration materials on our
webpage.
Don't miss our keynote speaker
Carol Stock Kranowitz
author of the "Out of Sync Child" series.
Register HERE.
We hope that you will read on and enjoy our featured educator and school news this month. In
Why I Teach in an Episcopal School
Mehdi Elkassem,
early childhood and 6th grade science teacher and elementary STEM teacher at
Washington Episcopal School,
shares how he works with students to find meaning and make a difference in their world through the framework of living the mission of their school. In
Spread the Word
hear how
Grace Episcopal Day School
has earned a "Green School" designation from the
Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education
through its school practices and curriculum offerings. We would love to include a teacher or student reflection or news from your school in our monthly MAESA Matters newsletter. Please email maesaschools@gmail.com to be included.
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MAESA Welcomes Caroline Blackwell
Join us at 10a.m. on September 27, 2019 for the MAESA Members Meeting at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, VA to hear Caroline Blackwell, Vice President for Equity and Justice at NAIS, as our keynote speaker. Please invite your school's administrators and faculty leaders as well as chaplains and board members for this important conversation followed by lunch with affinity groups.
Finding Your “Why?” Leadership for Diversity, Equity,
Inclusion in Episcopal Schools
What are some of the unique value propositions of Episcopal schools that support diversity, equity, and inclusion? How do these foundations inform your work and collective responsibility to help ensure success for the students and adults they serve? Drawing on the belief that successful leadership is an “inside out job,” Caroline will take us deeper into the purpose that drives our daily work, including a quick review of Simon Sinek’s framework and invitation to “Start With Why.”
As Vice President for Equity and Justice, Caroline Blackwell leads the creation and implementation of products and services that support
NAIS
’s commitment to develop and sustain inclusive independent school communities.
Prior to joining NAIS, Caroline served as the executive director of the Metro Human Relations Commission in Nashville, Tennessee. Before that, she worked as director of multicultural affairs for the University School of Nashville. Caroline holds numerous certifications in mediation, conflict resolution, and facilitation. A long-time volunteer with NAIS, Caroline is the lead facilitator for the Diversity Leadership Institute, has been a chair and now leads NAIS’s People of Color Conference, and is also a contributor to NAIS publications.
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2019 Members Meeting Luncheon Sponsor
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MAESA is pleased to have Southern Teachers as the 2019 Members Meeting Luncheon sponsor. Founded in 1902, Southern Teachers is the premier recruiter for independent schools in the South.
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Why I Teach in an Epsicopal School
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Mehdi Elkassem
Washington Episcopal School
Early Childhood & Grade 6 Science Teacher
Elementary STEM Teacher
I started teaching at Washington Episcopal School (WES) in September of 2001. A few days into the school year, the world changed with the tragic events on 9/11. The level of anxiety was high, and it was a very difficult time for everyone. As a Muslim and Moroccan immigrant who just arrived in the US the year prior, I was worried about how I would be accepted at WES and in general. Fortunately, at school, I felt (and continue to feel) a very strong sense of community, love, and inclusiveness.
I share with you this experience because I reflect upon it regularly. I strongly feel that among all the duties that come with being an educator, the most important duty we have is to intentionally help our students find meaning in what they do and to feel passionate about making a positive difference in the world. Our responsibility includes building our students’ character and guiding them to be the best human beings they can be. Ultimately, we want our students to continuously ask the question, “Now that I have acquired this level of knowledge, what now? What I am going to do with it to make a difference?”
Episcopal schools support and encourage teachers to teach to this broader mission. The mindset is to foster our students’ social, spiritual, and emotional development, not just their academic acumen. While we still have a lot of work to do in our world in celebrating each other’s differences, cultures, and beliefs, teaching at an Episcopal school has personally given me profound hope and has shown me firsthand what genuine acceptance and inclusiveness looks like so that I may reflect that back to my students.
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Spread The Word
News From Our Schools
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Grace Episcopal Day School Receives "Green School" Designation
Grace Episcopal Day School
Kensington, MD
The feeling of being connected to something larger than yourself: as Episcopal schools, this is an experience that we hope all of our students have, and a guiding force for us as we think about our curriculum, schedule, and school spaces. Time spent in nature is one of the most wonderful ways to help young children awaken their connection to a bigger whole. Here at Grace, we have the pleasure of being situated on 11 acres of green space in Kensington, MD, with a large piece of Rock Creek Park literally in our backyard. Hawks and deer are frequent visitors to our backyard, especially on any days when students are not at school; and the diversity of plant and animal life surrounding us is breathtaking. Now more than ever, we believe that it is our sacred duty to play a part in preserving that beauty for generations to come.
To that end, the community here at Grace decided several years ago to pursue the designation of “Green School” from the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education. Maryland Green Schools are part of a national and international community of sustainable green schools. Receiving this designation means that, over the past two to four years, Grace has demonstrated and documented a continuous effort to integrate sustainable environmental management practices, environmental education curriculum, professional development opportunities, and community engagement into our daily operations. It signifies that our school has made a commitment to developing stewards of the earth and reducing our environmental impact.
Under the leadership of teachers Marisa Martucci and Gavin Hymes, we completed an application that catalogued our many sustainable and environmental education practices over the last two to four years. From our recycling, to our compost, to our gardens, Grace is living into a mission of teaching children about the importance of caring for the earth. Our students have embraced this call and taken up the responsibility of guiding our whole community in this work.
Several student-led assemblies this year explained our recycling and composting procedures. Our Girls on the Run team wrote a mission statement that included the intention of “caring for the earth and the world around us.” Each time our students write Chapel prayers, at least one child asks for guidance and help in caring for the earth and God’s creation. Design Thinking projects in Grades 4 and 5 invariably include elements of sustainability, and Grade 1 students’ Project-Based Learning this year focused almost exclusively on environmental responsibility. Over the course of several months, Early-childhood and Kindergarten students planted, harvested, and sold produce at a Farmers’ Market. These ongoing, hands-on experiences are creating lasting connections for our students.
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2019-2020 MAESA Event Dates
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Next Up:
MAESA 2019-2020 Membership Renewal:
Please renew your annual membership in MAESA by paying your dues through our
website
or by mail before the deadline of August 31, 2019. Thank you for your continued commitment to MAESA through your support in annual dues as well as participation in our events listed below!
Upcoming MAESA Event Dates:
MAESA 2019 Members Meeting
: Join school leaders on Friday, September 27, 2019 at 10a.m. at
Episcopal High School
in Alexandria, VA for a keynote address and networking luncheon. Please invite your schools' leadership team and directors and others to join MAESA for our annual meeting and luncheon.
RSVP here
.
MAESA 2019 Episcopal Schools Day Service in Richmond, VA
: Wednesday October 16, 2019 at All Saints Church, Richmond, VA hosted in partnership with
St. Catherine's School
.
MAESA 2019 Early Childhood Conference:
Friday, October 25, 2019 at
St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School
in Alexandria, VA. Details for registration are available on our website at this
link
. MAESA members and non-members are welcome to attend.
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Let us hear from you!
Katherine F. Murphy
MAESA Executive Director
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