ANNUAL REPORT, 2007-08 ACADEMIC YEAR download the new 07-08 as pdf file

Waimea Country School’s mission is to provide our Island community with an outstanding K-6, child-centered, multiage and multicultural learning experience which incorporates the core values of inclusion and respect.

Our children are inspired to learn creatively in a safe, healthy, and academically challenging environment which honors and embraces childhood and the love of learning.

Summary

The 2007-2008 Academic Year was a period of positive and deliberate growth. Our Strategic Plan (adopted September 2005) served as a guide for ongoing improvement efforts school wide, and we made progress in several key areas.

Highlights of the year include:

• The curriculum restructuring project continued with funding support from the Hawai’i Community Foundation
• Students actively participated in a range of activities that utilized community resources, such as the Thelma Parker Memorial Library, Kahilu Theatre Arts Program, Waimea Riding Academy, Paniolo Preservation Society, Canada France Hawaii Telescope, International Peace Poem Project, St. James Episcopal Church, Kahua Ranch, The Kohala Center, Recycle Hawaii, and Waimea Nature Park.
• Going Green! A new garden shed, compost area and organic garden were developed to teach children about organic gardening, composting, and sustainable living in Hawai’i. The Garden project was funded by a matching grant of $2,500 given to us through The Kohala Center. We also became members of the Hawaii Island School Garden Network, facilitated by The Kohala Center.
• Our Annual Fund Raising event was successfully organized and executed by WCS parents and raised $27,000 to support our learning program and student financial aid.
• A new brochure was produced to represent our School in the community and to prospective families.
• With the support of the Board, parents and professional staff, resources were secured and applied to developing an enrichment program in the performing arts.
  The Parent Association, led by Jonathan Walsh, was instrumental in bringing outside funds for playground maintenance and facility improvements.

Our Administration and Faculty

Interim Head of School Amy Salling was promoted to permanent Head at the close of the 07/08 school year. Salling was hired by Waimea Country School in July 2006 to serve as the Curriculum Administrator for the 2006/2007 academic year. She was appointed Interim Head of School in March of 2007. Salling brings 14 years of professional experience, with 11 of those years at a small, independent multiage school similar to Waimea Country School.

Under her leadership and with guidance from the Board of Trustees, a seasoned faculty and staff worked as a team to benefit the students. Sherry Hewitt served as Office Manager for the school.

The quality of the learning program is dependent on the dedication, passion, and professional expertise of our teachers. This year the school was fortunate to have the retention of entire faculty, who returned with high morale, strong job satisfaction, and professionalism.

Collaboration amongst the faculty was excellent, and teachers integrated new ideas while maintaining key school traditions.

Highlights of this year’s internal partnerships include:

• The development and implementation of the Hui ‘Ohana program, used to strengthen cross grade level relationships and provide mentoring opportunities for students of all ages. Each Hui ‘Ohana ate lunch together once a week and developed a strong team spirit through many activities and events, such as scarecrow building and athletic field days.
  
• The production of the annual school Science Fair, which included all students in the school and utilized visiting scientists from our community partners.
  
• Participation in a variety of arts and cultural activities including the Kahilu Theatre Student Art Show, WCS Literacy Day, and Hawai‘i Library Annual Book Poster Contest.
  
• The production of annual school programs, such as Lei Day, Harvest Festival, and our Makahiki event, that incorporate volunteers from the community.

The Interim Head of School continued the curriculum restructuring process by working with faculty to review and modify the current curriculum, to learn new methods of implementing the curriculum, to assess student performance, and to ensure school-wide common standards were maintained.

All teachers worked to deliver a solid learning program every day in their classrooms. Teachers developed and implemented art and music, working those topics into their weekly class schedules and incorporating the talents of parents, Trustees and community volunteers.

Members of the 2007-08 teaching staff are:

All full- and part-time teachers have committed to returning for the 2008/2009 school year. This level of commitment and the continuity of faculty adds depth to the learning program as teachers build on established relationships with students, families, colleagues, board members, and community partners.

While maintaining a full time teaching position at the school, Marcie Neubecker earned her Masters of Education from the University of Phoenix and scored in the top 15% of the nationwide testing on the Praxis exam. Neubecker earned the 2008 Educational Testing Service Recognition of Excellence Award for ranking in the top 15% nationally on the Praxis Series. Neubecker joined the faculty of Country School in 2006 and is a graduate of Parker School (1990) and the University of Hawaii (1995).

Our Students and Families

We began the year with 34 students, representing 31 families, in grades K-5. Three additional students joined the student body closing the year with a total of 37.

Parent Association President, Jonathan Walsh organized a new structure for the group, minimizing meetings and directing parents through email and ad hoc committees.

The Level Leaders were:

• Genevie Pilayo ~ Level 1
• Denise Dills ~ Level 2
• Kehau Lincoln ~ Level 3
• Andy Alderson ~ Level 4

The Parent Association ran a profitable Car Wash/Bake Sale Fundraiser in the fall, earning $1,500 for playground maintenance and school improvement projects. The Parent Association also supported the school program by their active involvement in Makahiki, the Harvest Festival, Admissions Open Houses, and fundraising events.

Parent volunteers also:

• chaperoned field trips
• helped with special classroom activities
• supported teachers by doing classroom prep work
• participated in work parties
• shared their personal experiences and expertise in the classroom
• acted as school ambassadors in the community

The Annual Benefit Auction was headed up by parents Kathryn Freitas and Beth Dunnington, with the assistance of the following team leaders: Gina Willman and Jonathan Walsh, Art Auction co-Chairs; Genevie Pilayo, Decorations Chair; and Sui Lan Gomez, Performance Chair. In addition, more than 25 family volunteers worked on committees or on the day of the event to add to its success.

Throughout the School’s history, parent involvement has been a cornerstone to Waimea Country School’s outstanding learning program. Building volunteerism and creating an active, functioning Parent Association was a major focus for the School for this year. This goal was met.

Our Learning Program

We continued the Curriculum Restructuring Project by honing the curriculum in each Level, drawing on community resources and partnerships to a great degree, and making connections between Levels to ensure a smooth academic transition for students. This project is supported by a $25,000 grant from the Hawai’i Community Foundation and by grants from past funders, including the Atherton Family Foundation and Bank of Hawai’i.

Working together, faculty and administration realigned the K-6 Curriculum Scope and Sequence, based on the configuration of the school. Consequently, each teacher produced a Curriculum Guide for her Level that delineated the goals, objectives, and core content for each subject taught. The Level Curriculum Guides were distributed to current families and also made available for download on our Web site.

Faculty continued to improve their professional practice through the Step Up to Writing seminar attended by all faculty and the Interim Head of School and the Differentiated Instruction workshop attended by all faculty.

Highlights of the learning program strategies this year include:

Our students continue to do extremely well in the new schools they join. Reports from teachers and administrators at other schools reflect well upon the effort and achievement of former Waimea Country School students.

Congratulations to our keiki artists and poets! Throughout the year, our students participated in a number of contests.

Highlights include:

• Kahilu Theatre Art Show—100% student participation; 5 student pieces chosen for display at Tiffany’s in the Kings Shops
• Hawaii Public Library Book Poster Contest—100% student participation, with 1st place, 2nd place, and honorable mentions for each grade level on display at the Thelma Parker Library
• Recycle Hawaii Annual Recycle Art Contest —Level 2, 1st Place in the Elementary Group category; Level 3, 2nd Place Best in Show
• International Peace Poem Project 2008 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace Poetry Contest —1st and 2nd place to Level 4 students

Our Finances

Waimea Country School faced some challenges this year, mainly as a result of reduced enrollment. Tuition revenue is our main source of income. More than half of our income is generated by tuition, with the remaining half being covered by grants, private donations, events, and the Annual Giving Campaign. The bulk of the School’s income went to paying for quality faculty and staff, the keys to sustaining a solid learning program.

It has been through diligence in the fiscal management of our funds, along with the generosity of personal time and resources, that have allowed us to face these challenges head on and succeed, leaving the school to finish the year in the black and ready to head into next year with adequate resources to sustain our educational program.

Financial highlights include:

• Our Annual Benefit Auction was a great success due to the support of parent organizers, the event grossed over $27,000, including the seed moneys for the Performing Arts Program and the Garden Project.
• The Kohala Center awarded us a $2,500 matching grant for our Garden Program: Na Keiki Aloha 'Aina. In conjunction with the Fund-A-Project money raised at the Benefit Auction, our letter writing campaign brought in $2,605 in contributions, enabling us to match the grant and launch the program.
• The Student Financial Aid Program continued to provide meaningful assistance to families whose children would not otherwise be able to attend our school. Financial Aid is a critical element in achieving the goal of including families that are a good match to the WCS program but may have financial challenges. A total of $21,500 was allocated to WCS families in 07/08. Funding sources for financial aid are the McInerny Foundation, the G.N. Wilcox Trust, the Frear Eleemosynary Trust, St. James Episcopal Church, and private donations.
• The Annual Giving Campaign raised $13,205 and was supported by 56 private donations, representing 100% of the Board of Trustees, 100% of the Faculty and Staff, and a significant number of community members outside of the parent body.
• More than 15 benefactors contributed to the Performing Arts Program fund, providing $3,150 in seed money to establish a music program beginning in the 2008/2009 school year.

Our Campus Home

St. James Circle continues to partner well with our School. In 2005 Waimea Country School added a 12 foot lanai running the length of the main building and accessed from each classroom by French doors. This lanai helped create more learning space and led to the vision of our new school playground and garden.

In 2006 and 2007 we made great strides in raising enough funds to add a playground to the school campus. During the summer of 2007, the playground was installed by a team of volunteers that included current and former parents, extended family members, faculty, staff, board members, and friends of the school.

Significant capital improvements to our campus included:

• New play structure installed by volunteers
  
• 3 added picnic tables with shade cloth over the back lanai for shade
  
• Creation of a stage by making a portion of the lanai railing temporarily removable
  
• New garden shed, compost area and organic garden to teach children the importance of growing vegetables for sustainable living in Hawai’i, all about worms, composting and their importance in organic gardening
  
• Tether Balls
  

Looking to the future, our goals include:

• A covered area on the lanai to increase classroom space and to make greater connections between traditional classroom and outdoor classroom
• A sidewalk in the front of the school building to connect the side gate and the front walk
• Increasing the garden area by adding new beds and an automatic watering system

Our Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees is the custodian and defender of the School’s mission and each member assumes a role that is primarily future-focused and strategic. Board members are enthusiastic champions of the School—its mission, faculty, students, and curriculum—and they advocate vigorously on the School’s behalf throughout the community, at every appropriate venue. The value to the School that an informed, engaged, passionate Board of Trustees brings is of fundamental importance. We are fortunate to have just such a Board of Trustees guiding the fortunes of our School.

Officers and Members of the 2007/2008 Board of Trustees:

President—Debbie Goodwin
Vice President/Treasurer—Randy Campbell
Secretary—Peter Gregg, MD
Members—Felicity Johnson and Nancy Perry

Elections held for the upcoming 2008/2009 school year confirm the following officers:
President — Peter Gregg, MD
Vice-President — Nancy Perry
Treasurer — Randy Campbell

Our Donors

Waimea Country School is grateful to have the support of our community and is committed to remaining true to our strategic plan and core values, being willing and able to adapt to changing circumstances, and placing the educational needs of our children first.

What the Future holds for our School

With the curriculum restructuring project underway, administrators and faculty will continue honing the learning program and fine tuning the assessment tools. This is joyful work done with great enthusiasm because we all know it makes us a stronger, better school.

Waimea Country School also began a Self-Study as part of the accreditation process for Hawai‘i Association of Independent Schools. Having just completed our eleventh year, the School is primed for this process.