Introducing Our New Faculty & Staff

Dear Elms Family:

I hope your child has had a happy start to the school year! We recognize that with new beginnings come opportunities -- changes to routines, lots of questions ranging from the very simple to those more complicated and shifts in friendships/relationships. From our perspective, we would say the transition from summer has been very normal, particularly since we have more students enrolled than we did a year ago.

As we move into the year, I want to share with you a comprehensive listing of new academic faculty and staff. We are impressed with the credentials and experience of those who are new to the Elms, and we believe they complement the amazing teachers who have returned for this school year.

Lower School families may have noticed the absence of Dan Mitchell. Mr. Mitchell was offered a principal position at a Catholic School in Canton in early August. After much prayer and reflection, he decided to serve the community he calls home. We wish him much success in his new role.

For the Elms, we decided it was best to move in a different direction, rather than start the year without administrative leadership in the Lower School. Consequently, Ms. Kim Lucas is the Dean of Students for the elementary building, and we have appointed someone to that role in the Upper School, too. Ms. Molly Speyer will be joining us on September 1; an Elms alumna from the Class of 2016, Molly will be the perfect student advocate in the Upper School. With Mr. Kevin Kelly continuing as the Academic Dean, overseeing academics in both buildings, along with teacher evaluation and assessment, I think we have a strong team for 2021-22.

We will be formally introducing a new program this year, which impacts students in all four divisions and each division in unique ways. Elms Girls LEAD (Learn, Engage, Advocate, Discover) will formalize the differentiated learning models we explored in the past two years, as it enhances project-based learning schoolwide. In the Upper School, our plan is to continue individualized academic schedules for every girl and to introduce project-based learning activities that will culminate in a capstone project and/or internship in Senior year. We will keep you apprised of our progress; we anticipate sharing news of differentiation in primary grades following MAP testing next month.

I look forward to seeing more of our girls and their families this year! Blessings to you and your family for a happy and healthy school year.

Blessings,
Deborah Farquhar Jones
President