Head of School's Message: October 24
With an understanding that ‘nothing wilts faster than laurels rested upon,’ the 2023-2024 admissions season is underway at Chandler.
Two weeks ago, on an overcast Saturday morning interrupted by scattered showers, Chandler’s Admissions Open House attracted a record number of visitors. Director of Enrollment Management Gretchen Lurie has been following up with many of them. The stars of the event were the Chandler students and alumni who volunteered to take visitors around the campus and talk about their Chandler experiences. We are grateful to everyone who volunteered.
The question of ‘Why K-8?’ comes up from time to time from prospective applicants. If asked, each member of our community needs an elevator pitch.
Here are ten points to underscore the strengths of a K-8 program. They may come in handy if you’re asked about Chandler in the checkout line at Ralphs:
- Students enrolling in kindergarten can experience a continuous commitment for 9 years. Graduates are equipped with a strong academic foundation for high school, and they develop lifelong bonds with each other and with Chandler.
- Chandler faculty are experts at meeting the needs of students in K-8. Almost half of Chandler’s faculty hold advanced degrees, and the average tenure of a Chandler faculty member is eight years.
- The gym, theater, art rooms and libraries are not shared with high school students. These spaces are designed, stocked and staffed with the K-8 student in mind.
- Chandler provides age-appropriate boundaries for the K-8th learner. Middle School does not imitate high school but prepares for high school. There are no high school students present, no student drivers and no public displays of affection.
- Students fulfill their academic potential in a challenging, focused, 9, 3, or 2-year high school preparation program. Students in middle school cannot coast into a Chandler High School because we do not have one and never will! They have to work hard in middle school to prepare to go to another school.
- Chandler allows time for students to discover themselves before they make informed decisions about high school. The school that suits students at age 5 or 10 may not be the school that suits them at age 14.
- Chandler’s secondary school counseling process ensures that students are admitted into high schools that best fit them.
- Leadership skills are developed at every grade level through participation in group activities, athletics, the arts, student government and public speaking.
- Families enroll siblings ensuring a continuity of community from K-8.
- Consistent reinforcement of the Chandler Code and the Six Pillars of Character creates an atmosphere of mutual respect, fair play and self-discipline. Graduates emerge from Chandler better able to make choices that determine the course of their lives in high school and beyond.
"Word-of-mouth marketing" is the best way to promote Chandler in a competitive environment. Parents who are looking for a school for the next school year are smart and discerning just like you. Mission, purpose, culture, program and people vary from school to school. We are grateful that you have chosen to send your child to Chandler. With your help during this admissions season, we will recruit more families like yours who believe that Chandler’s K-8 figuration is right for their children.
Most sincerely,
John Finch, Head of School
