Welcome, Dr. Fontaine!
The Independent School of Winchester is delighted to announce that we have hired Dr. Dorothy Fontaine to teach English in ISW’s High School for the 2020-21 school year.
Dorothy has been teaching for over 30 years in a variety of settings—from the independent school world to colleges, from Princeton Review to private tutoring. She taught in the English department at Wakefield School, The Plains, where she was appointed Director of Faculty Development in 2005 and Head of the Middle School for two years beginning in 2006. Dorothy was also named Outstanding Educator at Wakefield School in 2005. She has made numerous presentations at professional conferences and given papers throughout the United States. Dorothy holds a BA in Literature from the University of Houston Clear Lake, an MA and a PhD in English from Rice University, and an MEd in Instruction and Curriculum from George Mason University.
Like many book lovers, Dorothy exudes a natural curiosity about almost everything. She has traveled the world and pursued several careers in addition to education. We are looking forward with tremendous anticipation to welcoming her to ISW as a teacher and a colleague.
Revist ISW's 2020 Virtual Apple Blossom Parade!
Thank you to the ISW Community for your participation and creativity!
Learning in the Time of Adversity: Why Small Schools Matter
At ISW, the love and learning continue! Small independent schools work because we are built on innovation, flexibility, and an extraordinary faculty work ethic. Those qualities are part of our DNA, so it's no surprise that in adversity, ISW continues to offer excellence in academics while maintaining the loving environment for which we are known.
Our building may be closed for the year (which breaks our hearts!), but from day one of the closure, our faculty members have been working closely with families to ensure our students didn't miss a beat. Classes are meeting via Google Meet; videos have been created and shared; teachers are finding excellent resources and crafting innovative new lessons; students are submitting outstanding work. Even in the midst of this unprecedented episode, ISW is dedicated to ensuring that our small classes get the attention they need and deserve.
ISW's main focus is, as always, our students. We are well aware that all young people have significant emotional as well as academic needs in this trying time, and we are finding many ways to reach out to our students. We are here for them and for their families--from texts to phone calls, from virtual field trips to ISW Spirit Days, from movies to silly challenges! Over the coming weeks, we will be sharing pieces of our collective journey into uncharted territory. Stay tuned!
How to Talk to Kids about the Coronavirus
1. Explain things as simply as possible. "For most people, it’s a mild illness but it is pretty easy to catch. There are three things we can do to protect everybody in our community. We can wash our hands frequently. We can make sure that when we need to cough or sneeze we use our elbows. [At ISW, we call this our "cough cave."] And we can stay at home." It helps children (and adults) to know that, as hard as it is to stay at home and not see our friends, we are protecting other people by stopping the spread of germs.
Why Administrators Should Teach
Why Administrators Should Teach
During ISW’s early years, I had the pleasure of teaching elementary history. Then there was a long hiatus from teaching during which growing the school (Buying and renovating our own campus! Getting accredited!) had to take precedence. There simply was not enough time for me to teach, but it pained me to be out of the classroom. I was delighted when I realized that teaching Economics and American Government to our graduating seniors was in the cards this year.
Across the country, most independent school administrators teach. Why? First and foremost, our passion for teaching is what led us to devote a lifetime to education. We do not have to be “required” to teach. We want to be in the classroom.
Moreover, teaching makes us better administrators. Much better administrators. It is easy to allow the steady stream (or, to be perfectly honest, the firehose) of email and the business concerns of the school and the admissions and marketing and fundraising activities, not to mention parents and teacher meetings, to take control of the day. Teaching even a few hours a week brings home the central mission: the education of young people. It gives us a chance to interact with students, to hear their concerns, to learn about their experiences and their needs in a way that is not possible from an office. It also reminds us day in and day out what it is like to teach and brings us closer to our colleagues. We discover little things (that classroom needs a door stop, that clock needs new batteries) and big things (that due date for progress reports is ridiculous) that we would not otherwise know. Our conversations with colleagues are based on lived experience rather than ideals (though ideals are important too!)
While it is not always possible to teach every year, I will always advocate for administrators in the classroom. Everyone wins.
Claire McDonald, PhD
Head of School
That ISW Magic!
We envision:
- A new play ground, open to all K12 students. Elements include a giant pirate ship, an outdoor stage with seating, an in-ground chess board and hopscotch, three house frames, three wooden cars, an A-Frame, and balance equipment. The new playground will feature privacy fencing across the back and far side and picket fencing across the front and road side.
- A new roof on the pavilion with some fun elements under that roof.
- An updated Middle/High School patio, with shaded seating and new play options.
- Fencing for the fields.
- An update to the Baseball Diamond.
- Much-needed weather-proofing for the Garage.
Outdoor Stage $2000Audience Seating for the Stage $1000A-Frame $500Benches $500 (for each bench, 3 available)Cars $500House Fronts $500 (for each house front, 3 available)Balancing Act Play Area $500Giant Chess Set $500
ISW Earns Accreditation!
The Independent School of Winchester is delighted to announce that, as of May 2019, the school has earned full accreditation status through the Virginia Independent Schools Association.
ISW’s accreditation offers our students and families important benefits:
- Families can rest assured that ISW is meeting VISA standards.
- Colleges and universities will recognize that ISW is a VISA school.
- Other Virginia K12 school systems agree to recognize our credits. If a student moves to another part of the state and enrolls in an accredited school, that school must recognize credits on the student’s transcript.
- It opens the door for ISW to apply for grants that require accreditation.
- It offers our school access to many organizations that are open only to accredited schools.
VISA’s accreditation process, which is based on 55 objective standards, requires schools to take stock of their programs over a two-year period. ISW’s Steering Committee included: Dr. Claire McDonald, Head of School, Meghan Whitlock, Dean of the Elementary Program; Rebecca Lloyd, Dean of the Middle and High School; Dr. Christina Romich, Director of Performing Arts; and faculty member Laura Viner. The Steering Committee worked with the faculty and the Board of Directors to produce a Self-Study, which focused heavily on curriculum but also looked at admissions, hiring, professional development, school finances, fundraising efforts, and of course, facilities.
In April of this year, VISA sent a team of professional educators from other independent schools to spend several days on campus. ISW’s team observed classes, and interviewed a number of students, several parents, the entire faculty, the Board of Directors, and our administrative team. They closely examined all aspects of the school and found that the ISW met or exceeded all VISA standards. The Visiting Team recommended that ISW be accredited, and VISA’s member schools unanimously voted in May to admit ISW to their organization.
The Visiting Team commended the school on a number of levels. They spoke glowingly of the many kindnesses they witnessed informally among students at all grade levels as well as the overall positive climate of the school. VISA also noted that ISW’s faculty “is the biggest asset at [the school]…Teachers are very dedicated to their students, to the school, and to providing a nurturing and engaging learning environment. Teachers generously spend time with their students and support their individual needs. There is a strong spirit of camaraderie among the faculty and staff.” The Visiting Team concluded that “[ISW] is commended for maintaining such a strong community through shared vision and goals.”
Many thanks to the parents, teachers, administrators, board members, and students who took part in the accreditation process!
Opening Remarks 2017--Renovate Your Brain!
Welcome to ISW’s 10th year! We opened in 2008 with just 6 students in a tiny barn. Today we have 10 times as many students and counting and two campuses. And very soon, we will be buying our own campus.
As we prepare for this big transition, I have been thinking a lot about renovation. My husband Bob and I have bought and renovated three homes over the course of our 27 years together. We have enjoyed transforming some really ugly houses into houses that delighted the next buyers (not to mention paying off our student loans).
There was the house in Gross Pointe Michigan that featured a Star Trek room, where every surface was covered in grey carpet. The entrance into the dining room was circular with inset lights. We yelled, “Beam me up, Scotty” frequently as we restored that house to its 1940s origins.
More recently, we renovated our current house. The center of the house is a log cabin that was built in the 1790s. That’s the cool part. The uncool part was the shack that was built around it and painted black. When the girls were little, and we would have their friends over for playdates, I could see the eyes get very big when we pulled up to the black, scary house on the side of a mountain. It hasn’t always been easy. This past summer, while painting the upstairs floor, I feel through a vent hole. Well, actually, my leg fell through the living room ceiling while the rest of me remained on the second floor. (For the record, when I encourage kids to try, to fail on occasion, and then to try again, I live what I preach. I finished that floor, and it looks great.) In the end, we managed to transform a very scary shack into a livable home for five—with help from Encore, a wonderful company that just happens to be the contractor for ISW’s new school building.
We have a lot of work ahead of us, but in the end, we will have a beautiful, permanent home for our school community with opportunities to create an expanded STEM program, a thriving Performing Arts program, and MS and HS athletics.
It will be worth it. And the renovation process will also be a wonderful metaphor for one of the great lessons we are teaching ISW students every day. If you aren’t satisfied with your life, you can always renovate it. If there are things you want to be able to do and you can’t yet do them, you can renovate your brain.
If you suddenly decide that you are in love with Spanish as an 8th grader, you can dive into learning the language with gusto—even if you weren’t that interested in previous years.
If you decide (as I did) as a 20 year old who had sworn off math after high school calculus, that you would like to study a subject that requires a lot more math, you can do it. You just have to renovate your brain.
Over the course of their lifetimes, our students will likely change jobs at least 12 to 15 times. They will need skills we adults were not taught in school—flexibility, creativity, real world problem-solving, and maybe most importantly, self-renovation.
Pay attention, students, it’s going to be a year full of important lessons!
And now, Kindergartners, Lowers, Uppers, Middles, and High School Students, thank you for your excitement, your inspiration and your trust. This school is, as always, our gift to one another. Welcome to the new school year.
ISW/Huzzah Earns Marion Park Lewis Grant!
ISW is delighted to announce that Huzzah, our student-led theater production company, has been awarded a grant by the Marion Park Lewis Foundation underwriting the 2017-18 season.
Huzzah’s 2017-18 season begins with James and the Giant Peach, Jr., which will be directed by Andrew Burrill and music directed by Dr. Chris Romich. Auditions are Friday, August 18 from 6 to 8 PM and Saturday, August 19 from 10 AM to Noon at the Youth Development Center. Production dates are November 2, 3, and 4 with shows at 7 PM and a matinee at 1 PM on Saturday, November 4.
According to Ming McDonald, President of Huzzah, “Huzzah is thrilled to have this generous grant from Marion Park Lewis. We serve students from all over the area—all connected by a love of theater. As an art form, theater is alive and well!”
Huzzah, one of the only high school student-led production companies in the country, was founded in the spring of 2016. Members of Huzzah’s Board come from area schools and homeschools throughout the Northern Shenandoah Valley. Huzzah members choose ISW’s shows, sit on the casting board, student direct (with an adult director), student music direct (with an adult music director), run all the technical aspects of the show, and run the house.