Building a Brilliant Future
As we enter into the final few days of school, I wanted to say congratulations to everyone for an incredible year and achieving another milestone in our students’ education. I am also inspired at the support the school received all year through parent and community participation in classroom activities, YPA programs, the Spring Gala, Town Halls, and our Annual Fundraising Campaign. Thank you for your time, contributions, and investment.
As a follow-up to the Annual Meeting held earlier this month, I would like to showcase the work completed by the Board and highlight a few key messages as we close out 18-19 academic year and prepare for an exciting new scholastic adventure in the Fall.
Let me begin by providing my appreciation to the Board of Trustees which consists of caring, committed volunteers dedicated to designing and shepherding the long-term vision of the school. We are blessed to have a diverse Board who can bridge our community and provide balanced perspectives and sound governance. The Trustees is comprised of current parents, former parents, faculty and administration from Bay Area schools, and members of both the Rabbinical and general community. Each member brings distinct talents, skills, professions, and life experiences to the Trustee role to enable a range of opinions and ideas helping set an informed course for our school’s direction.
As we reflect on this past year, the Board partnered with the administration, staff, and faculty on several key initiatives:
Accreditation: This year we engaged in an intensive every 7-year accreditation process. Our last check-in with the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) was met with an extremely positive accreditation report – one in which we were asked to be a model for other schools to visit and learn from us. We completed a robust accreditation process this past year with high marks and several meaningful recommendations for us to blend into our practices to make our school and academic experience even stronger.
Building for the Future: This past year was one of record student enrollment. As the school expands further in the future, the Board allocated time to envision and reimagine the physical footprint and ways to accommodate growth. As we have enjoyed the beautiful 4,900 square foot build-out of the Beit Kehillah generously created by the Wolff Family, we will move into the next set of campus renovations and in the coming months will invite families and friends to support Yavneh’s improvements and build-out plans.
Community Outreach: Our school continues to be an anchor and guiding light in our community. The Board has the responsibility to reach out to welcome and strengthen broader relationships across agencies, synagogues, partners, supporters, donors, and community members throughout Silicon Valley and beyond. The Board focused its efforts this past year to bring the community together and generate enthusiasm, expand fundraising, and accelerate financial development for the school.
Looking forward to next year and beyond, the Board will embark on its most robust strategic planning process to date. As an outcome of the accreditation process and a series of Board and community discussions, we have been offered several key recommendations and suggested best practices to consider. The Board and a set of parent volunteers will embark on a planning process that will chart the next five years of growth and establish both midterm and aspirational goals. We will be enlisting parents to volunteer for initiatives and lend their talents and expertise. Please be on the look-out later this summer for more information on our upcoming planning efforts and opportunities to get involved.
The Board of Trustees appreciates our parent and community involvement and commitment to Yavneh Day School and I would like to thank you personally for partnering with us on the education of our children and growing a truly amazing school.
With all of our successes this past year and our new strategic planning process on the horizon, I am excited to see what we can become. We will all work together to build a brilliant future for Yavneh.
Shabbat Shalom,
Arnnon Geshuri
Chair, Board of Trustees
