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Dear Mountain Song Community School Search Committee,
I am not Waldorf trained yet I am Waldorf experienced.
If you are looking for a school leader who has extensive experience in collaborating
with faculty to implement and sustain a unified and vibrant school community for
students, families, and community members – with a high degree of Waldorf
understanding and empathy – then I am that person.
My Waldorf experiences:
➢ A founding parent of Pleasant Ridge Waldorf School
http://pleasantridgewaldorf.org/​
)​
where our son was 1 of 13 students in a one
room school house. Now PRWS has 150 K-8 students and is a full member of
the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America.
➢ All 5 of our children (son and 4 daughters) attended PRWS and as you know
– many, many parent evenings with handwork, art, and discussions. Hana,
our oldest daughter – who now lives in Durango -- was in the first 8th
graduating class.
➢ I was on the Governance Board in the early years when site and facility
development, hiring of teachers, and growing towards a full K-8 Waldorf
school was emerging.
➢ When I received my Masters Degree in Education and teacher certification at
University of Wisconsin – LaCrosse, two of my colleagues and rural
neighbors -- Bonnie Frey and Michael Wright -- graduated with me at the
same time. I choose to work for 17 years as a public school teacher and they
choose to become trained in Waldorf education as well and take the early
development of PRWS forward. They were the foundational teachers who
carried PRWS from the one-room school days to the fully developed K-8
school.
➢ I taught for 17 years in elementary education and was a Wisconsin Teacher
of the Year finalist and Kohl fellow. The last ten years I have coached over
100 charter schools from pre-planning and visioning to implementation to a
sustainable place of a unified vision and pedagogy.
o I have coached several Montessori schools, and though I am not
Montessori trained, I have provided critical and helpful leadership for
their success. I understand the valuable synergy of lifelong Montessori
trained teachers who come into the public school world; and life long
public school teachers who come into the Montessori world. Each has
complementary value to the vision of the school.
o I provided timely pro bono work for Tomorrow River Community
School ​
http://tomorrowrivercommunityschool.org/​
in its planning phase – the
​
first Public Waldorf School in Wisconsin.
o I have also provided statewide leadership for the emergence of a
group of distinguished and innovative schools in Wisconsin.
Elementary
KM Explore ​
http://www.kmsd.edu/KMExplore.cfm?subpage=1953796
https://www.facebook.com/pages/KM-Explore-Elementary-School/351155144987701?fref=ts
NorthStar Community Charter School ​
http://northstarcommunitycharter.org/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Northstar-Community-Charter-School/548254451924287?fref=ts
Merrimac Community Charter School
https://www.facebook.com/MCCS.2006
Secondary
Wausau Engineering and Global Leadership ​
http://www.wausauegl.org/​
was ranked by
th​
Newsweek as the 34​
top high school in the country
http://www.newsweek.com/high-schools/americas-top-schools-2014
Kettle Moraine School for Arts & Performance was ranked the #1 school in
Southeast Wisconsin ​
http://www.kmperform.com/KMPerform.cfm?subpage=1223647
I share the above because I believe it is an important value that I can contribute to
Mountain Song Community School. I have had significant experiences in supporting
and coaching exemplary schools then sustaining that culture of excellence.
If you believe that I may have the leadership and capacity that you are looking for – I
could be there shortly to meet with the faculty and community to ascertain if my
experience and dedication is a worthwhile fit for both of us. As I mentioned in my
letter of inquiry, I am looking for one school community to dedicate my time and
energies towards – and a thriving Waldorf community would be a great fit.
Again, your innovative and creative work is vital in this era of education. I wish you
the best in selecting the right person to become part of your collaborative mission –
for the artistic approach to education brings alive the art of teaching as it is
dovetailed with the science of teaching – a balance so critical for educators today.
Best,
James Lewicki