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TANDEM FRIENDS SCHOOL STRATEGIC PLAN 2019 2024 Preparing Our Students for a World That Needs Them Learning Relationships Resources

Entering OUR NEXT 50 years TANDEM FRIENDS SCHOOL STRATEGIC PLAN 2019 2024 CONTENTS 3 Overview 4 The Strategic Planning Process 6 Strategic Goals Learning Relationships Resources 11 Participants TANDEM FRIENDS SCHOOL Our Mission Rooted in Quaker values Tandem Friends School prepares young people for higher education and fulfilling lives of integrity creative expression and service Our Values Freedom with Responsibility Kindness and Wisdom Creativity and Integrity We believe in developing the capacity for critical thinking formulating questions to guide a lifetime of learning in recognizing and attending to each student s unique potential as a learner and as a human being it is important to educate the whole child intellectually spiritually emotionally and physically in cultivating powerful and meaningful relationships between students teachers families and the greater community in collaboration as a means to guide students toward kindness and inclusivity the best learning happens when students are engaged inspired and take responsibility for their own learning Entering Our Next 50 Years 2

Entering OUR NEXT 50 years TANDEM FRIENDS SCHOOL STRATEGIC PLAN 2019 2024 Entering Our Next 50 Years Preparing Our Students for a World That Needs Them LEARNING Amplify the strengths of our educational program implementing emerging best practices in curriculum and pedagogy To accomplish this goal we will Strengthen individualized and capstone learning opportunities diversity equity and inclusion DEI and service learning curricula Continue our focus on whole child approaches to adolescent education optimize our health and wellness programming Enhance integrated interdisciplinary instruction focused on depth and relevance Deepen the ways that Quaker values and practices enrich our educational experience And more RELATIONSHIPS Create the best possible experience for all members of the present past and future Tandem Friends community To accomplish this goal we will Tell our story boldly as relates to mission educational program values identity and history Be a community leader in areas of diversity equity and inclusion DEI Deepen connections with families alums and other Tandem community members Provide excellent and comprehensive professional development for faculty and staff And more RESOURCES Secure long term financial sustainability and vitality including strategic investments to support program and enrollment To accomplish this goal we will Build to an optimum level of enrollment of approximately 245 students Continue to support families with need based tuition assistance Nurture a community culture of philanthropic stewardship Focus on buildings and grounds improvements that will provide an immediate impact for a moderate level of investment And more Entering Our Next 50 Years 3

Entering OUR NEXT 50 years TANDEM FRIENDS SCHOOL STRATEGIC PLAN 2019 2024 THE STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS In the Fall of 2017 the Board of Trustees in conjunction with the Head of School initiated a strategic planning process Our most recent completed strategic plan was published in 2012 and much community conversation for the next phase of planning was already underway The recently completed head search process had identified areas of strength as well as opportunities for growth and new school leadership was generating fresh energy as we were approaching our upcoming 50th anniversary The time was right to thoughtfully consider the path ahead Our History We took our time to do it right devoting two years to the planning process and actively involving all constituencies including past and present parents alums faculty and staff members of the Charlottesville Friends Meeting students trustees and other supporters We focused initially on Educational Program kicking off with broadly inclusive community sessions facilitated by Drew Smith Executive Director of the Friends Council on Education We identified broad goals for Educational Program and further refined the areas we would study next From its start in 1970 our school has been progressive and innovative focused on the intellectual and human development of our students Tandem was Charlottesville s first independent school to be both co educational and racially integrated from its founding From its inception Tandem has sought to offer the most essential and relevant education possible in an engaging and egalitarian setting We have always focused on preparing our students to be both intellectually curious and self assured In year two we engaged a seasoned consultant Ginny Christensen of Strategy for Growth LLC bringing additional experience with both Friends education and strategic planning We created multiple opportunities for written and in person reflection and sought out the ideas of many people to ensure that we had solid information about our strengths as well as what community members wished to see in Tandem Friends School s future We ultimately convened seven working groups composed of truly impressive experts from every constituency in Tandem s community to propose recommendations that formed the basis of our final plan Becoming a Friends Quaker school in 1996 was a visionary and essential move in the life of our young school In joining 80 member schools across the country in the Friends Council on Education we found kinship in the rich longstanding traditions of deep inquiry recognition of the inherent value and potential of all individuals and values based educational approaches that aligned with our founding principles As a unique and independent voice among other Friends schools we grew and flourished We re very proud to share the product of all this strategic thinking here We believe our plan will move Tandem Friends School forward in new and exciting ways while maintaining its core strengths and foundational elements We are eager to continue this work with all of you Our founders John Howard and Duncan Alling articulated a simple and profound intention to create a school in which students and teachers genuinely collaborate in the learning process Today as young people face the challenges of life in the 21st century that founding concept is alive and well on our campus every day In our classrooms on the stage in the athletic arena and out in the community members of our school family are living proof of the enduring brilliance of this simple foundational idea Today grounded in Quaker values and characterized by outstanding academics a well rounded extracurricular program and perhaps most importantly authentic relationships between teachers and students Tandem Friends School consistently seeks to keep students at the center of the educational endeavor Entering Our Next 50 Years 4

Entering OUR NEXT 50 years TANDEM FRIENDS SCHOOL STRATEGIC PLAN 2019 2024 Moving Forward Together Our vision for the future of Tandem Friends School reflects the rich and thoughtful responses generated from the school community It affirms the mission statement mottoes and values and pedagogical belief statements of the school it celebrates our dynamic educational community and it recognizes Tandem Friends School s intention to be a positive transformative influence on our students the Charlottesville community and the larger world As Quaker educator Parker Palmer observes There is urgent need in this world for styles of education which will raise up peacemakers inventors of new futures and persons confident of their own humanity In a Friends school he explains One s total life must be brought along not only intellect but values beliefs relationships actions aspirations Education makes a claim on our total lives and we must come with that totality recollected and held up to the light 1 These ideas both underscore our unique value within the Charlottesville area educational landscape and underpin our strategic vision While there is no direct religious instruction at Tandem Friends School it is a place of lived values Members of our community come from varied religious traditions or none at all but our collective identity as a Friends school is central to who we are We are engaged in this work in a particular place and time and avail ourselves of the rich natural and human resources of our Central Virginia location as well as 21st century knowledge tools and technology available for teaching learning and community building As we head into our next 50 years we know our students will continue to achieve great things at Tandem Friends and beyond Tandem Friends School prepares our students for a world that needs them We offer an exemplary program for adolescents rich with engaging and challenging academic and co curricular opportunities We nurture in the best tradition of Friends education the minds and hearts of our students 2 Over nearly 50 years Tandem Friends School has grown and matured and areas of clear strength have emerged As we celebrate our milestone 50th anniversary we will work purposefully to capitalize on these areas of strength and continue to develop in areas where there is room for growth as we move forward together 1 Palmer P J Meeting for learning Education in a Quaker context Pendle Hill Bulletin 284 Pendle Hill Wallingford Pennsylvania 1976 pp 6 5 2 In a 1951 lecture at Guilford College Howard Brinton a Quaker theologian credited with systematizing the Quaker social testimonies in his 1943 publication of the Guide to Quaker Practice articulated the ideals of a Quaker education as the development of both mind and heart training in the use of the intellect and practice in the ways of virtue Brantmeier Edward J Jing Lin and John P Miller editors Spirituality Religion and Peace Education Information Age Publishing 2010 p 87 Entering Our Next 50 Years 5

Entering OUR NEXT 50 years TANDEM FRIENDS SCHOOL STRATEGIC PLAN 2019 2024 Strategic Goals Learning Relationships Resources LEARNING What we are striving to build is a school where children truly learn about themselves and the world about the relationships between past present and future Founders John Howard and Duncan Alling from the original prospectus of the Tandem School Amplify the strengths of our educational program implementing emerging best practices in curriculum and pedagogy Educational Program Students as Learners and Students as Whole People development in areas such as health and wellness equitable and inclusive practices and service learning At Tandem Friends we know what students need to learn and thrive We are proud of all that our students achieve and accomplish including what they learn about themselves as they grow Going forward we aim to make our program even stronger to keep the things our community loves best and to support our teachers in pursuing and implementing evolving best practices in curriculum and pedagogy 1 Across the grade levels refine and further develop individualized learning opportunities and capstone projects Agency and purpose are and always have been at the core of a Tandem education Currently at the high school level Tandem Friends has two exemplary capstone opportunities for our students the Sophomore Seminar and the Senior Project The goal of these projects is to pair deep exploration of individual student interest with essential skill development We plan to continue to refine and further develop these opportunities across grade levels We want students to discover and pursue their passions while building essential skills We believe greater intentionality in integrating our program across disciplines and grades will best serve our students More explicitly tying the successes of our approach to the science of adolescent development will provide an essential lens for discernment and help us to better articulate why we do what we do to both current and prospective Tandem community members Whole child is a term used often during earlier years of education when there is focused attention on students social emotional growth and understanding Often that focus drifts away as students progress through the upper grades At Tandem Friends we take great pride in how we continue to cultivate these dimensions of learning as we help prepare our students for life beyond high school We are creating new structures and programming to be sure that we are doing all that we can to support our students 2 Create a more integrated approach to the instruction of the sciences humanities arts health life skills and social justice service learning that allows for in depth advanced study In particular an enhanced version of our core coursework for our 9th and 10th graders will position students for advanced study in 11th and 12th grades Interdisciplinary connections will make our classes even more dynamic and promote deep conceptual understandings without sacrificing our tradition of strong focus on writing research and lab science 3 Enhance and refine our developmentally appropriate health and wellness curriculum grades 5 12 supportive of human integrity and authenticity and our service learning program including links connections to topics in the academic program Entering Our Next 50 Years 6

Entering OUR NEXT 50 years TANDEM FRIENDS SCHOOL STRATEGIC PLAN 2019 2024 Strategic Goals Learning Relationships Resources 4 Enhance curricular and programmatic opportunities in the area of diversity equity and inclusion DEI that allow students to learn about and understand multiple perspectives Provide students with the necessary tools to become empathetic and culturally fluent thinkers collaborators problem solvers and leaders Through direct programming for students and focused professional development for faculty and staff our goal is to support all of our community members in their growth in these areas 5 Develop forward looking documentation for valued skills that we expect students to build during their trajectory through our program grades 5 12 i e critical thinking and writing research and presentation intellectual agility leadership empathy and curiosity creativity health and life skills service learning computer science digital storytelling and media literacy 6 Devote necessary time and resources for focused and ongoing professional development to support our strategic initiatives We seek to support our faculty and staff in pursuing with intention their own professional growth and ensure that as an institution we all continue building skills shared vocabulary and approaches and a school wide culture supportive of our shared goals 7 Create appropriate mechanisms for ongoing feedback reflection and assessment in support of programming that remains responsive to student needs Being a Friends School Quakerism and Spiritual Life In this area our central goal is to help all constituencies of the school prospective students and their parents current students parents faculty staff alums and trustees understand the ways Quaker values and practices enrich the educational experience of Tandem Friends School students At Tandem Friends students are truly seen and honored as individual learners In keeping with a long tradition of Friends education students cultivate traits like critical thinking voice and the capacity to speak truth to power Our students learning acknowledges the importance of solving complex problems in the context of an ethical framework where our values including simplicity peace integrity community equality and stewardship inform our efforts at critical analysis and decision making We work to prepare students to apply their skills knowledge values and gifts to improve the world Quaker practice recognizes the divine spark and unique gifts sometimes articulated as that of God within each person At the heart of our values based community is our collective practice of Meeting for Worship Students and faculty gather together in reflective silence listening attentively for their internal voice and sharing thoughts with the assembled Meeting when moved to speak Learning to listen to one s inner voice as well as to listen openly and attentively to others is at the core of a Friends education Going forward our plans in this area include 1 Continue to develop age appropriate curriculum and programming on Quaker values practice and history including student centered Friends councils providing student leadership mentorship opportunities to engage students in Quaker values and practice and in social justice awareness and experiences 2 Continue to provide learning opportunities for new and long term faculty and staff that deepen their understanding of Quaker values practice and history 3 Create and offer programming for parents guardians to experience Quaker values practice and history so they will understand what their children are learning and experiencing 4 Nurture connections with the Charlottesville Friends Meeting other Friends Schools and the Friends Council on Education 5 Convene a new school Spiritual Life Committee with the intention of deepening the school wide culture that exemplifies Quaker values across the Tandem Friends Community assisting in the Entering Our Next 50 Years 7

Entering OUR NEXT 50 years TANDEM FRIENDS SCHOOL STRATEGIC PLAN 2019 2024 Strategic Goals Learning Relationships Resources implementation of plans and assisting in preparation for the upcoming school Membership Renewal Process with the Friends Council on Education R E L AT I O N S H I P S Look closely at the present you are constructing it should look like the future you are dreaming Alice Walker Create the best possible experience for all members of the present past and future Tandem Friends community Community Supporting Our Internal Constituents As Tandem Friends School already provides many longstanding and beloved community building experiences and traditions our planning in the area of community specifically focused on ensuring that there are structures and programming in place to assess and meet the needs of specific Tandem Friends School constituencies on an ongoing basis 1 Advance the principles of diversity equity and inclusion DEI for all school constituencies We will continue working to ensure that people of all backgrounds and identities are represented and feel fully a part of our school community at every level students families faculty staff trustees We will also provide professional development for faculty and staff to support the teaching and modeling of DEI principles as well as opportunities for students to explore DEI issues e g within the school s academic and advisory curriculum and to put these values and principles into action 2 Empower support and train faculty and staff as they carry out the school s mission We will continue working to ensure that faculty are valued as professionals appropriately trained supported and compensated for their essential role in the life of our School 3 Enhance strategies for connecting and engaging with Tandem Friends parents families We will continue working to meet parent families interests in learning about and participating in the Tandem Friends community helping them to be informed and knowledgeable supporters of their students school experiences and being responsive to questions and or concerns that may arise as their children learn and grow 4 Centralize alumni engagement communications and resources within the School to continue development of a dynamic alumni engagement program We will establish two way communications with alums designed for the audience and driven by their interests and help local alums to connect with the School in meaningful ways Telling Our Story Creating Connections The days of Tandem Friends being the best kept secret in Charlottesville are over We ll be putting a good deal of new energy into telling our story as a part of connecting with families new to our school and or Charlottesville as well as maintaining our existing relationships in the community Entering Our Next 50 Years 8

Entering OUR NEXT 50 years TANDEM FRIENDS SCHOOL STRATEGIC PLAN 2019 2024 Strategic Goals Learning Relationships Resources The magic of Tandem that so many students parents faculty and alums describe is real We know what our magic is and why it works Naming it more confidently and with more precision including pedagogical and research based underpinnings will help us bring more shared intention to our work It will also help us articulate internally and with the broader Charlottesville community what makes the Tandem educational experience so valuable for adolescents 1 Focus our external communications strategy on our strengths and the unique value we offer the Charlottesville area In particular focus external communications on Tandem Friends as it is now and as it aspires to be in the future Design communications for the audience driven by the audience s interests and perspectives Enhance the use of visual images in communications 2 Develop a replicable scalable storytelling model Standardize messaging around Tandem Friends School s mission identity and value proposition Capture specific stories to personalize generalities and create authentic connection in communications highlighting both specific experiences and representative community members 3 Ground our communications in a robust understanding of our context institutional history and the history of our property 4 Enhance communication and understanding about Friends education by using accessible inclusive language to describe our Friends school identity Campus Planning Our Mission in Buildings Grounds When invited to share their perspectives on Tandem s buildings and grounds community members comment on the idyllic environment of the campus and its surroundings the beauty of the Main Building and the athletic fields that bring the public to campus The appeal of the campus to prospective and current community members however is affected by aging facilities with deferred maintenance and by functional but not always aesthetically pleasing renovations to existing structures Some identified issues may be addressed through refurbishment of our existing facilities The longterm delivery of our academic and co curricular programs we nevertheless understand will be constrained in ways that cannot be adequately addressed solely through reallocation of existing space or minor renovation specifically in the areas of meeting and instructional space E very journey honestly undertaken stands a chance of taking us toward the place where our deep gladness meets the world s deep need Quaker educator Parker J Palmer from Let Your Life Speak Listening for the Voice of Vocation In the course of our planning process we consulted outside experts to identify the most cost effective and least disruptive alternatives for addressing these current and anticipated needs We considered campus design topography and the construction and age of existing buildings in developing physical plant priorities Secure long term financial sustainability and vitality including strategic investments to support program and enrollment Our process prioritized recommendations within the context of our commitment to environmental sustainability that RESOURCES Entering Our Next 50 Years 9

Entering OUR NEXT 50 years TANDEM FRIENDS SCHOOL STRATEGIC PLAN 2019 2024 Strategic Goals Learning Relationships Resources Utilize existing space as efficiently as possible Improve the appearance and functionality of existing spaces and enhance the potential for non tuition income Support interaction among students in different grades and divisions Sustain a connection to the outdoors Provide flexible space for instruction and meetings within and across grades and divisions Advance the school s progress toward strategic goals with minimal disruption to campus life 1 With these guiding principles in mind we initially plan to focus on improvements that will provide an immediate positive impact to our buildings and grounds for a moderate level of investment Our specific plans in this area include Build a dining pavilion that can serve as a large group meeting event space Pursue projects that increase the curb appeal of buildings and grounds Investigate options for lowering operating costs and for cooling the gym Fund deferred maintenance 2 We carefully considered recent major capital improvement proposals with fresh input from the current faculty and administration including those involved in recent past planning efforts Based on our analysis and informed by the needs expressed by the community we have identified the following major capital projects as strategic priorities which we will continue to plan for and advance A Core Capital Improvements Meeting and Instructional Space Capital improvements identified as highest priority include new flexible academic and meeting space that will be used by both Middle and Upper School students Specifically we hope to Build a Meeting House that will accommodate all faculty and students at target enrollment and be designed and furnished to accommodate one large or multiple smaller groups Add instructional space to the Math Science building and or to the new Meeting House that will flexibly accommodate single or multiple sections of students for interdisciplinary courses grade level meetings or presentations and provide adequate locker space for all students B Additional Capital Improvement A Second Air Conditioned Gym Expanding indoor athletic facilities has been discussed at Tandem Friends for many years and is among the capital projects included in the broader long term plan for facilities Our first priority however is creating flexible academic and meeting space The gym is an important project that we will pursue if and when funding is available Financial Resources for Sustainability and Success Finance and Fundraising The Board of Trustees in collaboration with the Head of School must ensure the sustainability and vitality of Tandem Friends School by making decisions today that will safeguard the School for our children s children This is our fiduciary charge and as a Friends school we also recognize it as a sacred responsibility We seek to pass the School on to the next generation as a stable and cherished institution in the greater Charlottesville area continuing to attract students and staff as well as philanthropic support from alums families and friends Our overarching goal in the coming years is to enhance the School s physical and financial assets to ensure it continues to be well equipped to fulfill its mission as a vibrant stimulating learning environment for a diverse student population Our high level goals in this area include 1 Build toward optimum enrollment net tuition targets 2 Continue efforts to increase non tuition revenue streams including income from endowment assets 3 Use the 50th anniversary of Tandem Friends as an opportunity to articulate long term institutional priorities as part of creating a culture of philanthropic stewardship Entering Our Next 50 Years 10

TANDEM FRIENDS SCHOOL Entering STRATEGIC PLAN 2019 2024 OUR NEXT 50 years Thank You from the Strategic Planning Steering Committee Enormous and heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated in this process with particular appreciation for generously sharing their time expertise patience humor and vision to WORKING GROUPS Jay Scott Meredith Kalnite FACILITATORS Alex Siragy Jeremy Caplin Michelle Schlesinger Ali Abdel Rahman TFS 16 Jill Lane Moira Kavanagh Drew Smith Friends Council on Education Andriana Hench TFS 06 Jocelyn Camarata Monica Johnson TFS 04 Ann McAndrew Josh Bowers Nancy Hiles Johnson Bernard Whitsett Julia Sapir TFS 93 Patrick Tennant Brett Brunner Kim Dukes Rob Cushing Carolena Saunders Linda Goldstein Dave Saunier Lois Myers Roxanne CarterJohnston Dianne Bearinger Lori Schuyler Dick Minturn Lydia Horan Ellen Hayes Margaret McNett Burruss TFS 83 Gordon Fields Heather Macalister Heidi Passino Jan Dorman Jan Meriwether Jason Farr Sharon Deal Steve Bowers Mark Ratzlaff Susie Bruce Matt Caduff Tina Goode Melissa Warren Todd Love Melissa Winder Tucker Winter Barbara Studholme Ginny Christensen Strategy for Growth LLC Colleen Anderson Geoff Carter Bill Adams Laurel Reiman Henneman Clerk Christine Hirsh Putnam Mary Chinn Dianne Carter Ewing Peter Gaines Doug Horn Vonnie Calland Jack Horn Whitney Thompson Head of School SPECIAL THANKS Seth Pates TFS 06 Susan Beers Anne Deane Jake Minturn TFS 03 Sarah Gaines Mark Goldstein STRATEGIC PLANNING STEERING COMMITTEE Larry Goldstein Mary Lyman Bias TFS 02 Richard Zakin Roger Bryant Susan Weiner Tracy Proctor 2 7 9 TA N D E M L A N E C H A R LOT T E S V I L L E VA 2 2 9 0 2 434 296 1303 W W W T A N D E M F S O R G