Lettter to the Valley Community

July 10, 2014

Dear Valley School Parents,

Tuesday, July 1 was my first official day as the Head of The Valley School. After three months of anticipation and many hours devoted to my transition, I was relieved and pleased to be sitting at my desk in my new office. Late in the day, I heard a soft humming outside the west-facing window: a hummingbird was hovering over a flower bed. Moments later, I looked out of the south-facing window to see one of our kindergarten boys helping his father feed our chicken, Snow White. This father and son, Snow White, and this hummingbird make up this place called The Valley School – and now I am part of this place too!

I have believed for a long time that children – in fact, people of all ages – need a sense of place. Children need classrooms and playgrounds and neighborhoods where they feel safe – physically, socially, emotionally, and intellectually. With its spaceship, its trees, its wood chips, its sunlit classrooms in former homes, and its three animals, The Valley School provides our children with a joyful place where learning can flourish and relationships can grow.

This place called The Valley School will be changing a bit next summer. For several years, the Board of Trustees and members of the Valley administration and faculty have been considering possible enhancements to our campus. This spring, the Board approved a cohesive campus plan that would include tearing down the house on 31st Avenue East, the current administration offices, and constructing on that site a one-story building with classrooms for the third, fourth, and fifth grades. In addition, the yellow building on 30th Avenue East that currently holds the third grade and library will be remodeled to become the new administration building. In addition, a Library Learning Center, with improved technology and tutoring space, will be developed in the big building, and the entrance on 30th will be enlarged and improved to become the main entrance to the school. This construction will take place entirely during the summer months next year, June through August 2015, with all buildings ready to welcome children back at the start of school in September.

The Valley School’s location in Madison Valley also influences our sense of place, and the strong connection between The Valley School and the neighborhood is one of the defining features of our school – and one of the many reasons I chose to come here. The design and scale of the construction project next summer honor the architectural traditions of our neighborhood. The renovation of the house on 30th will mostly involve interior changes, with exterior improvements on the siding, paint, and windows. The new classroom building will be constructed mostly off-site, thereby reducing the length of the project during the summer months and significantly lowering the impact on traffic in the neighborhood.
The City of Seattle is also sensitive to the impact of construction on neighborhoods and therefore invites comments from residents before ultimately approving projects. On Thursday, July 3, the city posted two yellow signs by the school fences, one on Thomas and one on 31st. These signs, Notice of Proposed Land Use Action, invite commentary during a two-week period ending July 16. On that same day, Kelly Smith and Kathy Park distributed a letter from The Valley School to all of our neighbors who border the school. In that letter, I introduced myself, gave some background about the construction project, and invited them to an information reception late Monday afternoon, July 21st.

As a new Head of School, this construction project represents a wonderful opportunity for me. It gives me even more reason to get to know our neighbors and to engage them in conversations about the school and our shared commitment to our community. I have the opportunity to reassure them that the building and renovation are meant to enhance the quality of education for our young children and not increase the overall enrollment of The Valley School.

Within our own community of Valley families, I will have many occasions to meet with parents and discuss the project and present opportunities for engagement. Many alumni families have already made contributions to this future project. While The Valley School is strong financially, with balanced annual budgets and appropriate reserves, the construction project budget will still depend on some fundraising. A Capital Campaign Committee has already engaged a consultant to help provide support in our fundraising efforts. Each of us in The Valley School community will have an opportunity to invest financially in the coming year to the present and future of our school. This summer, one of my first steps as new Head of School will be to start building the case for why families will want to contribute to improving our facilities and bringing greater cohesiveness to our campus. In the fall, Valley parents will have more opportunities to learn about these exciting plans.

Next summer, this place will be humming – and I hope that hummingbird outside my window will still contribute to the humming! I look forward to working together with you as we help build The Valley School’s future.

Sincerely,

Alan Braun
Head of School
The Valley School

Dear Parents,
As usual at this time of year, we are excited to be establishing our enrollment for the upcoming academic year. Enrollment contracts for your child/children for 2014-2015 will be mailed to your home on Wednesday, February 12th and will be due back in the office no later than Thursday, February 27th.

Published July 18, 2014 Print