 |
|
|
Dear Emery/Weiner Family,
Every organization sustains itself by drawing on its “Core Values.” Whether as a family, a corporation, or a school, the importance of knowing “what we stand for” can hardly be overstated. Here at EWS, three core values consistently guide our daily conduct and beliefs.
The first value is Community. By this, I mean a shared group culture characterized by strong relationships, trust, and reliance on one another. Internally, it means that EWS is moving toward more of a “One School” identity between our Middle and Upper Schools, and that relationships among students, teachers, and parents have never been stronger. It also means that EWS is a strong link in the Greater Houston Community chain that includes schools, synagogues, and community institutions.
The second value is Security. Primary among our Security concerns is the health and safety of our students, and decisions are guided by the notion that our children’s well-being is paramount. Security concerns also inform how we deal with our faculty and staff, whose economic and career security relies on us, and how we attend to the overall financial stability of EWS. Thus, seemingly dry activities like tuition setting, fundraising, and budgeting rise to the level of Security-insuring fiduciary behavior.
The third value is Excellence. While our curriculum and programs for students in grades 6 - 12 is amazingly diverse, the golden thread that runs through them all is a commitment to Excellence. Whether the topic is transition to Middle School or College Guidance, Jewish Ethics or Advanced Physics, our shared institutional values of hard work, discipline, and striving to be our best convey our commitment to Excellence.
This year, our commitment to Community is evident in our care and concern for those EWS family members stricken by injury or illness, by our support for American and Israeli troops, and by our robust Tikkun Olam projects at each grade level and staff-wide. It is also palpable in the many ways we celebrate each others’ simchas (good times), both within EWS and as members of the greater Community, and how strong cross-grade friendships are among our students and growing alumni population.
Security concerns have guided us in a panoply of important decisions, from hiring our first certified athletic trainer, to developing a series of student wellness programs for children and parents under the auspices of The Boniuk Parenting Partnership Program, to regular Kallah and Ma’amad presentations highlighting health/safety issues. This year’s record-breaking JOE Dinner, combined with our Annual Giving campaign, and important campus additions and improvements, strengthened our institutional Security, while our energetic recruitment efforts are dedicated to keeping us fully enrolled and staffed for the 2010-2011 school year.
At the end of the day, it is our pervasive dedication to Excellence that makes Emery/Weiner the kind of place that has made us “the school of choice” for so many wonderful families and their children. Our commitment to retaining and recruiting the very best teachers from across North America stands at the core of “who we are” and “what we stand for.” Curriculum innovation and improvement, coordination among faculty at different grade levels and in different departments, and ongoing professional development ensure the highest quality of education for each of our 475 students. Similar efforts in athletics and the arts – combining subject mastery with inter-personal excellence - round out “The Emery Difference.”
So, thank you all, from students to parents, teachers to office and facilities staff, trustees to grandparents, and to all our EWS friends. We couldn’t do it without you!
Shalom,
Dr. David A. Portnoy
Head of School
Previous Head of School Articles
Winter 2009
Fall 2009
|
|
|
