1. education
2. school

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August 2, 2012
Dear St. Andrew’s Episcopal School Parents,
Greetings from St. Andrew’s, and welcome back! It gives me great pleasure to welcome all of
you and your children to the 2012-2013 school year at St. Andrew’s. The year promises to be an
exciting and productive one together, as we strive to fulfill the School’s mission of educating
“the mind, body and spirit of children by promoting academic excellence and social
responsibility in a small, nurturing environment that values faith, reason, and diversity.”
I hope that you and your family have enjoyed the summer months in some of the same ways that
I have with my own family—taking time to read, reflect, and rest in ways that are often
challenging to accomplish in the more hectic months of the school year.
I am certain that you, like I, have been moved and disturbed by the tragic events in Colorado last
month. Particularly for the younger members of our community, I encourage you to limit your
child’s exposure to the media coverage of that horrific event. Our role as educators and guardians
during confusing and trying times such as these is to provide comfort and security for our
children, hugging them a bit closer every evening before bed, treasuring the precious time we
have with them as children in our care, and gently and thoughtfully exposing them to the realities
of the world beyond the gates of St. Andrew’s Episcopal School.
I hope it provides some comfort to know that there is no obligation more profound, no
responsibility more sacred, than the duty to care for and protect your children while they are with
us at St. Andrew’s. The emotional and physical well-being of the children in our community is
sacrosanct at St. Andrew’s.
It has been both exciting and productive here at St. Andrew’s since we parted ways for the
summer on June 1. In addition to welcoming several new faculty and staff, further enhancing our
curriculum and program, and preparing for the largest enrollment in St. Andrew’s history, we
have been renovating our campus to make the 2012-2013 school year the most exceptional year
possible.
Specifically, we moved both our Admissions and Development Offices into renovated space on
the second floor of the Chalstrom Parish House, freeing the second floor of Kimball Hall into
renovated space for new Middle School Science and Math Labs. I want to thank the Church
Staff, as well as Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Lisa Witter and Director of
Development Jamie Roy, for their cooperation and patience as we engaged in this major
transition over the summer. You will also notice several other campus upgrades in de la Vega,
Parish Hall, and Rueff Hall; please mark your calendars for August 17 at 7:45 a.m., when we
will conduct a Parent Coffee and Orientation, including a campus tour, for both our new and
veteran parents.
Now on to a few housekeeping items, as well as a list of key upcoming events and new faculty
and staff.
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Health Forms
Students may not enroll on August 15 unless all health forms and applicable immunization
records have been submitted to the School Office. If you have not already submitted your child’s
forms, please do so prior to August 15.
School Supplies and Dress Code
If you have not already, please be sure to review your child’s class-specific Supply List and plan
to have all items in hand by August 15. The Supply Lists may be found on the homepage of our
website, www.standrewsepiscopalschool.org.
The School Dress Code, as well as all other policy-related information for St. Andrew’s, may be
found in the new online 2012-2013 Customary, accessible via the School’s homepage.
As a reminder, for children in Grades 1-8, please have your child arrive to School with his or her
shirt tucked in, so that children may enter the Church appropriately for Morning Exercises. In
addition, every child at St. Andrew’s must come to School wearing socks and athletic shoes
every day, to account for our unique and wonderful tradition of daily outdoor P.E.
Drop-Off and Pick-Up
Drop-off and pick-up for Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten is at the Short Street gate near
Zimpel Street. The car pool line forms along the School side of Short Street. Please do not leave
your vehicle unattended at the carpool line in the morning, at noon, or at the end of the day. We
encourage families to walk their Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten children to the Short Street
gate by parking in the neighborhood and escorting your child to the School gate. As in past
years, we will have a police officer on duty in the afternoons to assist with pick-up.
Drop-off and pick-up for Grades 1 through 8 is on Zimpel Street at the entrance to Parish Hall.
This is also a carpool line, so please do not park along Zimpel Street in the mornings or
afternoons. Please do not drive northbound on Short Street or turn left onto Short Street from
Zimpel Street, as this causes congestion for the PK and K families. Please remember that
Aftercare and Afterschool Programs pick-up is through Parish Hall on Zimpel Street.
The school day begins promptly at 7:45 a.m. with Homeroom/Advisory for Middle School
students (Grades 5-8) and at 8:00 a.m. for students in Grades PK- 4. We begin each day with
Morning Exercises in the Church at 8:00 a.m. for all students and faculty. Parents are encouraged
to attend Morning Exercises as often as possible. All students should be on campus at least a few
minutes prior to the start of their school day. Faculty are present at both the Zimpel Street and
Short Street entrances beginning at 7:30 a.m. each morning.
If your child arrives past 8:00 a.m., please escort him or her directly to the School Office at 1116
Short Street to receive his or her tardy slip.
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Lunch
For the 2012-2013 school year, St. Andrew’s has opted not to contract again with Lakeview Deli
and Catering. We believe that by working with a different catering company, we can offer our
families a reasonably priced and healthy meal option and encourage a higher percentage of our
students to enjoy our meal plan.
I am pleased to announce that St. Andrew’s has formed a partnership with Pepperoni’s Café
(8123 Hampson Street) to provide daily hot and cold meals for students and faculty, including a
daily serving of fresh fruit and vegetables. Pepperoni’s has served as the meal vendor for the St.
Andrew’s Cottage for nearly three years with great success, and we have enjoyed partnering with
Pepperoni’s for pizza lunches at the School over the past two years. The daily cost of a hot/cold
lunch, including fruit, vegetables, and either milk or water, will remain $5. Further details,
including lunch menus and sign-up information, will be e-mailed to parents early next week.
Upcoming Events
Wed.
Aug. 15
Thur.
Aug. 16
Fri.
Aug. 17
Mon.
Tue.
Fri.
Mon.
Wed.
Thur.
Aug. 20
Aug. 21
Aug. 31
Sept. 3
Sept. 12
Sept. 20
Sun.
Oct. 14
Classes 8:00 A.M. – 12:00 Noon. (Noon dismissal for all students;
no lunch or After School Care; All of PK and Group 1 of K class
attends)
Regular School Schedule for Grades 1-8 (After School Care
Begins for Grades 1-8; All of PK and Group 2 of K class attends;
Noon dismissal for PK, with no Extended Day)
Parents’ Coffee 7:45 A.M., Parent Orientation 8:15 A.M.
(Pick up your copy of the DIRECTORY)
After School Care Begins for all grades
Extended Day Begins for PK
Faculty Professional Day (No classes for students)
Labor Day (No classes for students)
7:00 P.M. Newcomers’ Party
Noon Dismissal (No After School Care)
6:15 P.M. Parents’ Night
10:00 A.M. Episcopal School Sunday (Students Must Attend)
Faculty and Staff
In April and in May, I introduced you to several new faculty and staff members who will join us
for the 2012-2013 school year. I want to reiterate how fortunate we are to have such a fine cadre
of educators choose to be part of our community. I am also pleased to note that we received
hundreds of applications for our vacancies at St. Andrew’s, meaning we were in the enviable
position of selecting from among a host of highly qualified candidates. I will begin with
introducing the faculty members who have joined us since my last staffing update in late May.
Then, I will re-introduce the other new or newly-positioned faculty and staff.
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For over a decade, St. Andrew’s has benefitted from a part-time Learning Specialist on a
contract, hourly basis consisting of approximately 10 hours per week. We are grateful for the
many years of contract service from Lela Rowan, who has provided essential support to the
School and many of its students in the form of learning difference diagnosis, facilitation, and
support. In planning for the 2012-2013 school year, examining both the needs of our student
population as well as the extraordinary enrollment growth over the past three years (nearly fifty
additional students since 2009-2010), the School has decided to change the nature of the
Learning Specialist position.
For the coming school year, the Learning Specialist at St. Andrew’s is a part-time faculty
position, devoting approximately twenty hours per week to the School. By making this position a
faculty position as opposed to a contract labor position, the School hopes to further integrate the
Learning Specialist position with the rest of the School community, including students, faculty,
and parents.
I am pleased to introduce Mary Schreiber as the School’s new Learning Specialist. Ms.
Schreiber is a well-known educator in New Orleans, having served as a Learning Specialist and
Educational Diagnostician for over fifteen years in the New Orleans area, including fourteen
years in private practice, working with multiple independent and parochial schools, as well as
several years as an Educational Diagnostician in Jefferson Parish Public Schools. Ms. Schreiber
has also served as Director of Admission at St. Martin’s Episcopal School, and she holds a B.A.
in French from the University of Colorado and an M.A. in Learning Disabilities from the
University of Northern Colorado.
With the additional hours allotted to this position, Ms. Schreiber will be focusing on enhanced
observation, diagnosis, and support for students in our community requiring additional academic
services. She will be providing a letter of introduction to explain her role and services to our
parents later this fall.
In April I announced that Beth Nazar, who ably served as our 7th and 8th Grade Spanish Teacher
during the 2011-2012 school year, had decided to pursue full-time work at Tulane University for
the coming school year. I am now pleased to introduce Erin Tooher, who will serve as our new
7th and 8th Grade Spanish Teacher.
Ms. Tooher is an accomplished Spanish speaker and teacher, having taught at the college, high
school, and middle school levels. Specifically, she has taught Spanish to Grades 7-12 at
Edmeston Central School and Markham Central High School in New York, and she has taught
English at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Ms. Tooher holds a B.A. in Cultural
Anthropology from the State University of New York at Albany, an M.A. in Linguistic
Anthropology from the State University of New York at Albany, and she is currently completing
her dissertation for a PhD in Linguistic Anthropology from the University of New Mexico.
As a means of allowing a single educator to focus on the unique nature of our Pre-Kindergarten
and Kindergarten Music Program, and to allow Music Teacher Svetlana Lonadier to focus on
our Grades 1-8 Music Program, the School has hired Kathleen Westfall to teach Pre-
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Kindergarten and Kindergarten Music for the 2012-2013 school year. Ms. Westfall has extensive
experience teaching music at the early-childhood, elementary, and adult levels. For six years she
has served as a Music Together Teacher, leading family music classes for young children and
adults in New Orleans, New Jersey, and New York.
Ms. Westfall, who holds a B.A. in Music, Magna Cum Laude, from the University of New
Orleans, an M.M in Vocal Performance from Stony Brook University, and a D.M.A. in Vocal
Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Southern Mississippi, is presently an Adjunct
Professor of Voice at the University of New Orleans and has served as a Studio Voice Faculty
Member of the Louisiana Academy of Performing Arts.
Finally, I am pleased to announce the creation of a new part-time administrative position for the
School, a sign of the growth and establishment of our now-five-year-old Middle School
Program. Beginning this school year, Allan Woodard, who has served the School with
distinction in several capacities since 2007, most recently as the Dean of Student Life, History
Department Chair, and 8th Grade Advisor, will now serve as the School’s first Middle School
Coordinator. In this new position for St. Andrew’s, Mr. Woodard will work with me and with
Director of Studies and Technology Lynda Callaway to continue to improve our Middle School
Program, including scheduling, programming, and curricular enhancements.
Mr. Woodard will assume an evolving leadership role for our Middle School Program, ensuring
its continued growth and vitality in the years ahead. Mr. Woodard will continue with his prior
responsibilities to the School, with one exception. During the course of the 2012-2013 school
year, and fully effective in January 2013, he will transition out of his role as Dean of Student
Life. I am pleased to announce that beginning this school year and fully effective in January
2013, our Math Department Chair and 7th Grade Advisor Steven Breen will assume the role of
Dean of Student Life, working with students, faculty, and parents to ensure that the School’s
student behavior climate is as positive and healthy as possible. Please join me in congratulating
both Mr. Woodard and Mr. Breen on these exciting two new posts for the School.
What follows is a re-print of previously announced staffing changes for the coming school year.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Daphne Childress, who has served St. Andrew's since 2003, will once again lead our PreKindergarten Program. Ms. Childress began her teaching career at St. Andrew's nine years ago as
the Lead Pre-Kindergarten Teacher, and while she has served the School and our children
remarkably over the past four years as our Lead 1st Grade Teacher, her heart is in de la Vega and
with our youngest students.
Ms. Childress’ colleague in 1st Grade, Barbara Weiser, who has served St. Andrew's admirably
for thirty years, will join Ms. Childress in Pre-Kindergarten as the Associate Teacher. We are
grateful to Mrs. Weiser for her heartfelt and enthusiastic service to the School, and we look
forward to having her transcendent abilities serve our children and families in Pre-Kindergarten.
Meg Blevins, who served as the Pre-Kindergarten Associate Teacher in 2011-2012 and who
came to St. Andrew's with many years of teaching experience at the Elementary, Middle, and
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High School levels at both public and private schools, will serve as our 1st Grade Lead Teacher
for 2012-2013. We have all witnessed and benefited from Mrs. Blevins' enthusiasm,
professionalism, and dedication to our school, as both a teacher and as a parent, and we are
excited to support her in this next chapter of her professional career at St. Andrew's.
Joining Mrs. Blevins in 1st Grade, as the new Associate Teacher, is Tommy Haney. As our
Kindergarten parents know first-hand, Mr. Haney quickly established himself as a true asset to
the St. Andrew's community, contributing pedagogical expertise in the classroom, a deep
affection for our youngest students, and poise and excellence as a youth soccer coach. I am
delighted that Mr. Haney will have a second year to work with our Class of 2020, and I know
that his intimate knowledge of that class will ease his and their transition into 1st Grade.
With Mr. Haney's move into 1st Grade, Lori Lumpkin, our 2011-2012 5th Grade Assistant
Teacher, will serve as the Kindergarten Associate Teacher for 2012-2013. Mrs. Lumpkin has
served St. Andrew's with enthusiasm and excellence this school year, not only as a 5th Grade
Teacher but also as a valuable substitute teacher in various grade levels. Mrs. Lumpkin came to
St. Andrew's after several years as a Lead Kindergarten Teacher at St. George's Academy in
Laguna Hills, CA, and after four years as that program's Director. We are confident that Mrs.
Lumpkin and Lead Kindergarten Teacher Leslee Reed will continue and enhance our wonderful
Kindergarten Program in de la Vega for 2012-2013 and beyond.
Moving to 3rd Grade, please join me in welcoming (back) and congratulating Jamie DeFraites,
who will serve as our 3rd Grade Lead Teacher for 2012-2013. Mrs. DeFraites, who taught
Kindergarten at St. Andrew's with distinction from 2002 to 2007, will teach alongside 3rd Grade
Associate Teacher Blair Lanier, who has taught 3rd Grade at St. Andrew's since 2009. In
addition to her five years of teaching experience at St. Andrew's, Mrs. DeFraites has experience
teaching 1st Grade, 2nd Grade and, for the past two years, 4th Grade. Mrs. DeFraites holds her
undergraduate degree in General Studies from LSU and her M.S. in Elementary Education from
the University of Miami.
In 4th Grade, we are fortunate to have two outstanding new educators join St. Andrew’s. Tarika
Powell, who has several years of homeroom teaching experience at the 4th Grade level in Ohio,
will serve as our 4th Grade Lead Teacher. Ms. Powell holds a B.A. in English and AfricanAmerican Studies and an M.Ed. in Middle Childhood from Oberlin College, as well as a J.D.
from Vanderbilt University. Ms. Powell was enrolled as a graduate student at Tulane University
for a brief period just before Hurricane Katrina in 2005, so her return to New Orleans is fitting
for both her and for St. Andrew’s.
Joining Ms. Powell in 4th Grade, as the 4th Grade Associate Teacher, is Susan Brooks. Mrs.
Brooks has been teaching at the First Baptist School of Charleston, South Carolina, as a 1st and
4th Grade Teacher, for five years and has been coaching girls volleyball at First Baptist for the
past nine years. Mrs. Brooks holds a B.A. in history from the College of Charleston and will
receive her M.A.T in social studies from the Citadel Graduate College later this year. Mrs.
Brooks will assume leadership of our volleyball program, working with current parent and
volleyball coach Jennifer Turner.
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With former 5th Grade Homeroom Teacher Chris Sedgwick now serving as the School’s Science
Department Chair and 5th-8th Grade Science Teacher, we are fortunate to welcome Matthew
Ellefson as the School’s new Lead 5th Grade Teacher.
Mr. Ellefson comes to St. Andrew’s with an impressive range of Middle School teaching
experience, including six years at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School of Ridgeland, MS, where Mr.
Ellefson taught 6th Grade History, served as the Middle School Dean of Students and as the
Middle School Advisory Coordinator. Prior to his service at St. Andrew’s-Ridgeland, Mr.
Ellefson taught 6th,7th, and 8th Grade History at St. Paul’s Episcopal School and Fifth Grade
History and 6th Grade Literature at St. Dominic School, both here in New Orleans.
Before formally beginning his career as an educator, Mr. Ellefson served as a Research Assistant
at the Eisenhower Center for American Studies, working with such notable historians as Douglas
Brinkley and Stephen Ambrose. Mr. Ellefson is a native New Orleanian, having graduated from
Metairie Park Country Day School and the University of New Orleans, earning a B.A. in History
and an M.Ed. in Educational Administration at the latter. In addition to his core responsibilities
as the 5th Grade Homeroom instructor, teaching all language arts, social studies, and mathematics
instruction, Mr. Ellefson will co-lead the Middle School Student Council, along with English
Department Chair and 6th-8th Grade English Teacher Nancy Jaynes.
Joining Mr. Ellefson in the 5th Grade, as a part-time 5th Grade Assistant Teacher, is Scott
Chesher. Mr. Chesher, father of Kaleb ’19 and Ethan ’22, has over ten years of experience
teaching at the 5th and 6th Grade levels, having taught math, science, and social studies in his
native Oklahoma. Mr. Chesher served as the 5th Grade Department Head of the Central
Elementary (Tahlequah, OK) Math, Science, and Social Studies Departments, and he holds a
B.S. in Elementary Education, Cum Laude, and an M.Ed. in School Administration, Summa Cum
Laude, from Northeastern State University.
Patty Strikmiller, who has contributed to our community and our Physical Education program
in numerous ways during the 2011-2012 school year as our Associate PE Teacher, will assume
full-time capacity this school year as our PE and Health Teacher. Working alongside our Athletic
Director and PE Teacher Aaron Burns, Mrs. Strikmiller's full-time work means that the School
can now boast two full-time PE teachers on our campus at all times, allowing the School to
maintain our favorable student-to-teacher ratios inside the classroom and on the playing fields. It
also means that we can benefit from Mrs. Strikmiller's Health Education expertise—she was
named the Louisiana Health Educator of the Year for 2011—inside the classroom for students in
Grades 6, 7, and 8.
Moving to the School’s Aftercare Program, Malise Madura joins St. Andrew’s for the 20122013 school year as our Aftercare Teacher. Ms. Madura, who has served St. Andrew’s well as a
substitute teacher this past school year, holds a B.S. in Economics from Tulane University and is
studying for her Master’s of Economics and Public Policy from Tulane. Ms. Madura is the
daughter of St. Andrew’s Art Program Director and Communications Coordinator Rebecca
Madura and is the older sister of Kate ’14 and Ella ’17. Ms. Madura will work with Director of
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After School Programs Venessa Jones to lead our variety of After School Programming.
On the administrative side of School operations, I am pleased to again welcome Tim Waterfield
as our Director of Finance and Operations. Mr. Waterfield, who began his service to St.
Andrew’s in May, recently retired as a Navy Commander with experience as an Executive
Officer (Second-in-Command) and Associate Professor of Naval Science at Tulane University
and as CEO (Commanding Officer) of the USS Patriot, home-ported in Japan.
In addition to his Naval experience, Mr. Waterfield has served as a Board member and Finance
Committee member of the Waldorf School of New Orleans and has served as the Business
Manager of Musikgarten New Orleans, LLC. He holds a BA in Social Science/Soviet Studies
from the University of California, Berkeley; an MA in International Relations from Boston
University; an MA in National Security Studies from the U.S. Naval War College; and an MBA
from Tulane’s Executive MBA Program. Many of you already know Mr. Waterfield as the father
of Sterling ’16 and Devon ’21.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------As evidenced by the length of this back-to-school letter (!), it is obvious that continued change is
upon us at St. Andrew’s. While it is important to acknowledge that change can be both unsettling
and challenging, it is also invigorating and healthy, preventing the atrophy of even-great
institutions such as St. Andrew’s. Indeed, for a school to embrace the introduction of a new
Middle School and the addition of nearly fifty students in just three years, change is simply part
of the growth process.
The 2012-2013 school year will mark the largest enrollment in St. Andrew’s history, by a
significant margin. With 190 students enrolled at present, we have exceeded the previous
enrollment peak of the School, 178 students during the 1995-1996 school year. As you know, the
School is committed to breaking ground on a new classroom building as soon as practical in
order to accommodate our recent and projected enrollment growth. With your support, we can
reach our $1.5 million fundraising goal and provide our children with new facilities to fully
prepare them for the challenges of high school, college, and life beyond.
Let us begin this wonderful work we are called to do.
Yours,
Mason Lecky
Head of School