Susan Schmitt is a career educator and administrator and will be joining The Craig School as Head of School starting July 2023. She comes to us with more than thirty years of experience including teaching at the high school and higher education levels, curriculum development, academic leadership, and expertise in language-based learning differences.
Dear Craig Community,
I am writing to follow-up on my email from Friday January 12. Below are the details about parent meetings with our four finalist candidates. On each date listed below, there will be three parent meetings at the times and locations listed. We will send zoom information as the date gets closer.
Thank you,
Peter Maciejewski
Finalist meeting dates for parents
Meeting details:
Dear Craig Community,
I am very happy to announce that we have four finalists scheduled to visit our campus during the next three weeks. Each finalist will spend two full days
on campus with a robust schedule of meetings. I will distribute each candidate's background information shortly before each visit. Carney Sandoe, our search consultant, will distribute an online survey so that the entire Craig Community can provide feedback.
There will be a separate survey for each candidate. Teacher meetings are scheduled during the school day at times that have the least possible disruption to academic schedules. Parent meetings are scheduled on the 2nd day of each visit. There will be separate
in-person parent meetings for the lower/middle school and high school. In addition, there will be an online parent meeting for those whose schedule does not permit a campus visit.
I strongly encourage everyone to participate in the campus visits and provide feedback through the survey process. Please keep in mind the job description
that Carney Sandoe prepared based on input from the entire community. This document is available on the school website and it was emailed to you last week. We are evaluating candidates in the context of this key document.
Our finalists are accomplished educators who devoted their careers to helping children. It is my sincere hope that the entire Craig Community demonstrates
our school spirit towards the candidates. Let us welcome them to campus and show our Badger spirit! Regardless of the search outcome, these distinguished finalists are working towards the same goals as Craig in the wider community of independent schools serving
students with learning differences.
I will be in-touch with further information next week.
Thank you,
Peter Maciejewski, Chair of the Head of School Search Committee
HEAD OF SCHOOL CANDIDATE - CAMPUS VISITS
Thursday/Friday - January 19/20
Monday/Tuesday - January 23/24
Thursday/Friday - January 26/27
Tuesday/Wednesday- January 31 / February 1
Dear Craig School Community,
Welcome to the search process for our next Head of School. The selection of our next Head of School is one of the more important decisions we will make as a Board of Trustees. I am excited to serve as Chair of the Head of School Search Committee.
We are committed to a thoughtful process, inclusive of the Craig community. With that in mind, we want to share our progress to date. First, we are pleased to introduce the additional members of the Head of School Search Committee:
Dr. Kara Loftin, Head of School, and Janet Cozine, retired Director of the Lower and Middle School, will help the search committee, but they will not be voting members. I am sincerely grateful for their support and counsel. We will greatly benefit from their knowledge and experience.
We are grateful for the willingness of the committee members to engage in this important work and thank them in advance for giving their time and energy to support our school.
The Search Committee is committed to keeping the Craig community informed and engaged throughout the search process while respecting the confidentiality of the candidate recruitment process. We will coordinate input from Craig’s varied constituencies, work with our selected search firm, Carney Sandoe &Associates, and organize and conduct interviews with the semi-finalists and finalists. At the end of the process, the Search Committee will present one broadly supported candidate to be confirmed by the Board of Trustees. Information regarding the process and each communication will be available to you through the School’s newsletter as well as available on the Head of School search page on our website.
Save the Date – November 7th and 8th - Search firm campus visit and online survey
A successful head of school search requires input from the entire community. The search process starts with our external consultant, Skip Kotkins, Carney Sandoe & Associates, preparing a robust summary of the challenges and opportunities facing the Craig School. This important document is shared with prospective candidates. It is very important for everyone to understand the scope of work because it may seem like Skip is gathering data for a process improvement project, but he is really preparing a customized executive job description that will help connect us with the right candidate.
Skip will visit the high school and the lower/middle school on November 7th and 8th. Please save the date on your calendar. We will schedule numerous meetings so that Skip can directly meet with the community and receive your feedback and perspective. We will send further details on the campus visit in the next few days. There will be separate parent meetings for the lower/middle school and high school. We will also have morning and evening parent meetings. Finally, we will have professional staff meetings in the morning and afternoon immediately before and after school.
Skip is also requesting your feedback through an online survey Craig School Survey The survey is independently administered by Carney Sandoe, and your contribution is anonymous. The survey questions are designed by Carney Sandoe and represent their standard questions. I would like to encourage everyone to complete the online survey and participate in the campus meetings next week. The survey is open from now until November 9.
While we embark on this endeavor to find the new head of school, the important work of the Craig School continues each day. On behalf of Frank and the board of trustees, we are sincerely grateful for the teachers, staff and administrators who help our students each day with passion and dedication. You are truly transforming lives and fulfilling the mission of the Craig School to educate students with language-based learning disabilities.
Respectfully,
Peter Maciejewski, Chair of the Head of School Search Committee
This week’s Newsletter will lead us into Thanksgiving Break and cover us for the next two weeks. We guess that means it might make sense to read it twice! Just a gentle reminder that we will be closed on Tuesday, November 23rd which is a change from the original 12PM close. If you haven’t already, please let your transportation company know about the scheduling change or they will be outside your house that morning!
Dr. Cap
Tuesday, November 17th
Afterschool Volleyball Intramural League (3-4:30PM)
Monday, November 23rd
Afterschool Volleyball Intramural League (3-4:30PM)
Tuesday, November 24th
Closed: Thanksgiving Break
*Change to School Calendar. Contact Transportation Companies
Tuesday- Friday, November 25-27
Closed: Thanksgiving Break
Program Spotlight
Student’s Poems Published: Earlier this year, students from Ms. Gallagher's writing classes submitted poetry to a nationwide writing contest. The contest was entitled Through Their Eyes and was offered by Young Writers USA. Their challenge was to create a poem that was written from someone or something else’s point of view. The Craig School-High School is very proud to announce that all of our students' submissions, selected from over 5000 entries, were chosen for publication. Below is a group picture of our published writers and their proud teacher, Mrs. Gallagher.
Left to right: Aidan Marshall (Music), Derek Veal (The Rescue of the Princess), Julianna Christern (JC, Me Described), Nicole Murphy (Halftime)
Common Clubs Fall-Winter 2020: Last Thursday, we held our Fall-Winter Common Club Fair. Our club leaders whose proposals were approved, set up shop in the gym and shared the goals, protocols, and processes of their clubs with prospective club members. We held our first club meetings on Friday and are proud to share our official clubs for the 2020 Fall-Winter Session: ROBOTICS, PHOTOGRAPHY, INTRAMURAL SPORTS, GAMING, CASINO CLUB, and CROCHETING/KNITTING.
Students signing up for their Fall Clubs
HS Events
Craig 8th Grader Shadow Program: As a part of our school tradition,The Craig School 8th graders spent part of a day last week touring and seeing our high school up close and personal. The purpose of our shadow program is to allow our 8th graders to experience a High School setting. For some, it was their first high school visit so what safer and better place to start the high school exploration process than right here at The Craig School- High School. Our guests did a walking tour, had a little Q and A, enjoyed our Student Break Bar, and played a little volleyball with one of our PE Classes!
Some of our 8th Grade guests joining in on a little Volleyball!
December Parent-Teacher Conferences: It is hard to believe that we are bringing up the month of December already! During the second week of December (W-Fr, Dec. 9-11), we will be hosting our Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences. For our new parents, you can choose a one-hour block in either the morning or afternoon and have the opportunity to visit your teen’s classrooms for one-on-one conversations with your teen’s teachers. Days and Hour-Blocks to choose from are:
WEDS, Dec. 9th
7:45AM-8:45AM
1PM-2PM
2PM-3PM
3PM-4PM
THURS, Dec. 10th
7:45AM-8:45AM
1PM-2PM
2PM-3PM
3PM-4PM
FRI, Dec. 11th
7:45AM-8:45AM
To schedule a conference, you can email Mrs. Maas at DMaas@craigschool.org or call (973)334-1234 to set up your hour block window. Also, let Mrs. Maas know if you would like to also touch base with any of our specialists (Mrs. Blount, Mrs. Brown, Mrs. DeSimone-WEDS and FRI only) during your conference block. For those parents whose schedule doesn’t allow you to attend, you also have the option of a phone conference. Let Mrs. Maas know this and provide her with a phone number and time within our conference blocks that teachers can touch base.
DEVELOPMENT
ANNUAL FUND DRIVE
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!
Today, after many months of change in our world, our mission and core values endure, and the need for The Craig School is greater than ever before. This is why we are encouraging our community members to participate in the Annual Fund in a capacity that is meaningful to you. All gifts received go right back into the school we all love by supporting our teachers and specialists, providing cutting edge technology and programs, a safe and secure campus environment, and continuing growth of all of our students.
Click the donate here button below.
COVID-19 & Travel During Breaks
The Craig School is asking families who choose to travel outside of the state during the Thanksgiving and/or Winter break notify the school of such travel. Per New Jersey state guidelines, if one travels to a state listed as restricted for travel due to COVID-19, a self-quarantine of 14-days is advised. More information regarding out-of-state travel for New Jersey residents may be found here: Travel Advisory. Per medical guidance, testing upon arrival back into the state of New Jersey does not replace self-quarantine as one may spread COVID-19 to other people including family, friends, and community for 14-days after exposure to the virus, regardless of the presence or absence of symptoms. The NJ Department of Health provides a rationale for this: Why can't I test out of COVID-19 quarantine?
Nurse
Daily attendance recording is a vital housekeeping task here that keeps us all organized, communicative and running smoothly. It is imperative that the school be informed and updated on each student in our care. To that end, I’d like to remind parents to please let us know at Craig if we are to expect a change in your child’s status: distracting mornings and changes in schedules aside, please remember your child’s welfare matters greatly to us and we need to be informed if they will not be in attendance as expected. Call or e-mail us regarding attendance as follows:
High School Communication-Student Absences and Late Arrivals: If a student is going to be absent or late you can call the school at (973)334-1234 or email our school attendance specific email at HSAttendance@craigschool.org, both of which will go directly to Mrs. Maas. If we don’t hear from you by 9AM, you will hear from us!
The Craig School is proud to introduce our parent Micki Boas, who has a sixth-grader Matias. She has just launched a book on Simon and Schuster called One In Five: How We're Fighting for Our Dyslexic Kids in A System That's Failing Them. She talks about the obstacles that parents face as they look for education equality. She went across the country and spoke with over 200 parents and experts to get to the heart of the issue. She provides advice that "professionals" won't tell you.
Excerpts from the book about The Craig School:
The Craig School came recommended by all of our experts. The toughest part of the search had been finding a school that specialized in educating younger children of Matias’s age. Early intervention through private pay is not a route many parents take. Most kids come into schools like Craig around the fifth grade, when the discrepancy model really kicks in, and their schools can no longer ignore their needs. The Craig School had a proven record with kids in second grade, led by a super-smart lower-school director, so it became the obvious choice. Not to mention the beautiful scenery was a perk; driving up to lake views is not too bad.
On a fine fall day in November, Matias entered the Craig School. He was greeted by a sweet girl named Ev. She was the only other person in second grade, so she was happy to have a friend in tow. She showed him the locker she had personalized for him, introduced him to all her favorite teachers, and taught him the schedule.
He came home glowing on the first day, talking about how great the teachers were and how great of a welcome he had received. This was the first time on this journey that I was able to breathe a sigh of relief. That night, we had a beautiful conversation that lasted for hours. Our family finally began to sleep well.He started the first two hours of each day with a highly skilled Orton-Gillingham teacher, Mrs. Schilling, who is dyslexic herself. She crafted each lesson around his interests, his progress, and his abilities. Then he worked with the language arts teacher, Mrs. Wallace, who headed the department and graduated from the best school in the state for special education. To this day Matias still cries when he sees her, remembering their time together.
Did I mention there was swimming on Fridays, a reward program called badger points, and a fishing club?
Like I said, pure paradise. I wish everyone had the opportunity to experience.
Click this link to purchase this book - http://www.bitly.com/oneinfivebook
Serving roughly 130 students with learning disabilities in grades 2-12 across two campuses in Mountain Lakes and Montville, The Craig School has been a leader in the provision of a strategy-based, comprehensive, challenging and rewarding school experience for 40 years.
Read the article on NJ.com
The Craig School: A beacon of light and learning
“In my mind, Kate is the epitome of what a Craig teacher should be. She is friendly, inclusive, patient and a positive role model to all students. Anything that has been thrown her way over the years she has taken on the challenge with much success. From starting the photography club which quickly became a big hit and favorite amongst students, she has helped get our students out into our community putting together and overseeing various cultural field trips. Our 9th grade parents share how accommodating Kate is with her World History class. She truly accommodates and modifies as you would want and expect any teacher at Craig to do. She’ll go the extra mile meeting kids during support to review with them and will sit and map out a plan if they are overwhelmed. She has a very comforting energy about her helping students feel safe and important. Kate seems to find a way to meet their needs and make a special connection with each of them.”
The Craig School is happy to announce a new Head of School, Dr. Kara A. Loftin.
For the past 22 years, Dr. Loftin has been a leader in the education of students with learning disabilities both in the field as a dyslexia specialist working directly one to one with students as well as the creator and founder of The Learning Center at Wasatch Academy which provided a nationally recognized evidence-based whole child approach to educating students with exceptionalities. She has been featured as the keynote speaker at the Kuwait Association of Learning Disabilities National Conference, conducted a series of week-long workshops at the Kasiga School in Dehradun, India on school behavioral management systems and social-emotional competences and spoken about inclusive practices for students with learning disabilities at many national and international conferences including the Pac Rim International Conference on Diversity and Disability, and the annual conferences for the Council for Exceptional Children, the the Learning Disabilities Association of America, the National Association of Independent Schools, and the Independent Educational Consultant Association. In 2018, her work was recognized at the National Association of Independent Schools as one of the Top 10 Innovative Programs among the 3,000 member schools. Her passion for supporting the individual needs of each student translates into her work as a teacher trainer and thought leader in the field of education for students with exceptionalities. Over the past 22 years, her philosophy that education is not only an equalizer, but a powerful tool to lift up society and break down barriers between individuals with different backgrounds, values, and abilities, has driven her work, guiding her in creating educational experiences that are inclusive, embrace neurodiversity, and a celebration of a student’s competencies and strengths. Speaking of her appointment as the Head of School at The Craig School, Dr. Loftin states, “I am honored and humbled to begin my journey at The Craig School. The sense of care and commitment to building community and bringing forth the best from each student served at The Craig School is most evident.”
Celebrating its 40th year, The Craig School, located in Mountain Lakes and Montville, New Jersey, provides students in grades 2 - 12 with a strategy-based, comprehensive, and challenging school experience that acknowledges their learning disabilities, builds on their aptitudes, and strengthens their self-awareness and self-esteem.
Please Download the Restart and Recovery Plan for Education from the New Jersey Department of Education.
More specific details about our own Craig School plans will be forthcoming.
For more information on ways of giving or to make a donation online you can clicking here.
