Head's Blog

Many of you, like me, spent part of the weekend thinking about our Interactive Lab. I even saw a few staff come back to school to look over the student exhibits, reflect on Dolores Huerta, and do another building walk through. 

In my 20+ years in independent school education, I have been lucky enough to teach, coach and lead in some wonderful communities. Each school was different in design and purpose; a 7-12 boarding school for dyslexic students, an urban IB school, a former 6-12 girls school turned co-ed, and a 150-year-old former military school that is now a co-ed PK-12. These schools all shared common elements: a clear mission, dedicated teachers, outstanding students, and committed families. But when it came to innovation, not all of them were hitting the high note. I have a theory why.

For Synapse, 2017 was a year filled with amazing growth and accomplishment. As a young school, we continue to build, grow and inspire. We opened new buildings, expanded new programs, welcomed new people, celebrated a new change maker and embraced a new theme. Who knew there was so much new!

A few years ago, I read an interview with Pat Bassatt, former president of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) of which Synapse is a proud member. Pat was asked in the article a straightforward question:

Recently, I had the pleasure of attending a lunch in San Francisco to benefit the good work of Challenge Success. For those of you who don't know, Stanford-based Challenge Success partners with schools and families to provide kids with the academic, social, and emotional skills needed to succeed now and in the future.