January 4, 2022
2 Shevat 5782
Dear Heilicher Parents,
We hope you all had a relaxing winter break.
We would like to share an update with you regarding the search for Heilicher’s next Head of School and to ask for your input and participation in this process.
A search for a new leader is an important time for a school to consider what aspects of the school should be preserved under new leadership, our hopes and dreams to strengthen and enhance the school and its programs, and the opportunities and challenges ahead. These shared perspectives will help to define the type of leader and leadership experience the school needs.
Our search consultant, Jane Armstrong from the firm Independent Thinking, has already been working closely with the Head of School Search Committee Co-Chairs, Esther Goldberg-Davis and Michele Kaplan Clinard. In order for Ms. Armstrong to gain a good sense of our community and culture, she will soon begin a series of conversations with Board members, faculty, staff, students, parents, and other stakeholders. Due to the ongoing pandemic, these conversations will be held virtually, with the hope that Ms. Armstrong will be able to visit campus in the coming weeks.
For current Heilicher parents, Ms. Armstrong will facilitate three, one-hour listening sessions via Zoom on Wednesday, January 12. The session times are:
- 9:00 a.m.
- 7:00 p.m.
- 8:00 p.m.
Please join the listening session that works best with your schedule.
In order to address some commonly asked questions about the process, we have compiled responses to some FAQs. We ask that if you are planning to participate in one of the virtual parent listening sessions, you review the FAQ document in advance so that the meeting time can be focused on gathering parent input rather than on process-related questions.
In addition, we encourage you to complete this anonymous online survey to help us understand your perspectives on a new Head of School. This survey will remain open through January 20, 2022. We encourage all parents to complete this survey, the results of which will be reviewed in aggregate by our consultant and the Search Committee.
We fully recognize that virtual meetings have inherent challenges and ask in advance for your patience and for your recognition that this format does not enable the same ease of conversational exchanges that in-person meetings offer. The online survey is designed to enable more in-depth sharing, and we hope you will take advantage of that vehicle as well.
A Head of School Search page will be added to Heilicher’s website to serve as an informational resource throughout this process. We will provide a link to the page in an upcoming issue of The Roar.
The Head of School Search Committee is still in formation. We recognize that there are many individuals eager to help in this process. At this time, we welcome all parents’ engagement through completing the online survey and participating in the listening sessions. We will reach out with other substantive ways to be involved as the process progresses.
Thank you for your engagement in this important endeavor for Heilicher.
Best regards,
Esther Goldberg-Davis, HOS Search Committee Co-Chair
Michele Kaplan Clinard, HOS Search Committee Co-Chair
Robyn Schein, President, Heilicher Board of Directors
