State of the School 2019

“For MTS graduates to be high school ready as well as life ready, they must develop both academic skills as well as social emotional skills.” This was one of the key messages from Andrew Davis’s recent State of the School address at our first Community Social. For those who were not able to attend, here are a few highlights from the evening.

The MTS Program – all of the experiences we craft for our students – is in great shape:

• ERB test scores have significantly improved over the past three years
• Our graduates are largely getting into their top choice-high schools and report being well prepared for the academic challenges that await
• Parent satisfaction measured by both Net Promoter Score as well as Annual Fund giving are at a high
• The California Association of Independent Schools extended our accreditation for another five years – the maximum allowed

The four offices that support the program saw impressive results:

• Admissions saw a 20% increase in inquiries and applications with our highest kindergarten enrollment in recent years.
• Development raised over $1.1M in Annual Fund giving and auction revenue
• The endowment provided our finances $165,000 of program funding, and we saw a $184,000 cash surplus allowing us to invest in the continued maintenance of our facility
• The facility and campus are in great shape with $400K raised towards our STEM Center project 

We are strategically building on the strength of our program in three ways:

1. Project Based Learning: Andrew shared that project based learning is more than just a poster at the end of a unit. In video clips of class sessions, he demonstrated the way PBL develops “deep content knowledge as well as critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication skills.” 
2. Social Emotional Learning Beyond the Homeroom: With SEL incorporated into homeroom morning meeting and advisory program, we are looking at how we can teach SEL skills throughout the day. Video clips show how SEL is taught both explicitly and implicitly throughout the day. The result are students – 7th grade science students in one clip – who are able to use well developed SEL skills to develop even deeper academic skills and content.
3. Community & Inclusion: The strength of our academic program as well as our sense of community are widely recognized by current parents and alumni. Both groups, however, share a desire for MTS to be more diverse. A newly formed Community Leadership Group will be developing a vision for community and inclusion throughout this year. That vision will then be translated into actionable goals for the next three to five years. With input from all constituents, we are confident that we will take meaningful steps towards being more diverse while remaining an inclusive community.

Finally, Andrew shared a number of ways that our families can continue to support the School:

• Recommend MTS to friends and colleagues: While we see large demand for middle school, we do have the opportunity to grow our enrollment in the elementary grades. We count on current families to spread the word.
• Be an active member of the community: From volunteering for a weekend set build or hot lunch shift to attending the upcoming Auction – the MTS Kentucky Derby – engaging with the school strengthens our sense of community.
• Support as best as you can: We rely on our families to provide needed financial resources to run our program. We encourage you to make MTS one of your top three philanthropic priorities.

The Community Social and State of the School event was a huge success. Thank you to Kristen Bailey, Liz Murray, Emily Lai, and Mimi Van Son for making it happen with a last minute location switch to off campus. We hope to see even more people join next fall.

Watch the full presentation here.