Previewing Enrollment for 2023 - 2024
Dear Trinity Families,
Tonight, as we prepare our Re-enrollment Agreements, which you will receive on Thursday, I’d like to express how deeply appreciative I am to be on this journey with you as we work together to provide benefits that will last a lifetime for our students.
Academic excellence is a crucial identifier in our Mission Statement. At Trinity, we reach academic excellence in a significant sequence: First, we hire the best teachers; we differentiate our program for every child because of the talents and skills of our teachers; and we do this in a purposefully small environment that specializes in Early Childhood through Grade 5. Resulting of the hard work of our faculty and staff, I’m proud to share some of the program enhancements we have incorporated over the past year:
Program Enhancements
- Implementation of the Learning Support Program. Supported by hiring our Learning Support Coordinator, Jill Smithey, this program assists teachers in implementing effective research-based strategies, deepening classroom observations, and furthering our approach to differentiating our curriculum for students.
- Curriculum Development in the Early Childhood Program. With the expansion of the preschool program to include a Two’s program, we have hired a Curriculum Coordinator, Rhonda Gamblin, who brings a wealth of expertise to curriculum development.
- Expansion of the Outdoor Education Program. Students as scientists performing research and fieldwork in specific place-based education are now offered to Grades 3-5. In February, our Grade 5 students will travel to Teton Science School to study the greater Yellowstone Biome. We’ve also added a trip for Grade 3 students to the Redwood Glen Camp in the Santa Cruz Mountains to do fieldwork in geology, Redwood ecology, and Native American studies. Grade 4 students will continue their fieldwork at Pinnacles National Park, a region resulting from volcanic activity related to the San Andreas Rift Zone, in May.
- Adoption of an updated Mathematics Program. The school is evolving its Mathematics Program for the 2023 - 2024 school year. The new program will incorporate purposeful teaching of critical thinking skills and mathematical investigations into the already strong focus on teaching foundational skills.
Faculty Compensation
- With the goal always focused on attracting and retaining the best teachers for our students, a raise commensurate with inflation is our approach in 2023 - 2024. It is essential to our teachers practically, given the cost of living in Silicon Valley. It is also a vote of confidence from our community, which will motivate teachers.
- With the rollout of our Trinity 2026 Strategic Plan this year, each day, we work to deliver on this plan focused on three key areas: People, Program, and Permanence.
People
We say it practically every day: At Trinity School, we strive to reach the genius in every child. Our intentionally small school is the optimal environment for child-centered, differentiated, tailored learning for each student. We know that all our students have different strengths and areas for development, and we also know that they will enter a future world where each of their strengths will be needed.
Program
Sue Krishna, Director of the Early Childhood Campus, and Colette McWilliams, Director of the Elementary Campus, along with the faculty, are making tremendous progress in enhancing our student-focused programs, some of which are listed above. Trinity is also renewing our accreditation with the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), an essential validation of Trinity’s academic excellence. We are well-positioned for this accreditation, especially following our successful accreditation from the National Association of Education of Young Children (NAEYC) we secured last year.
Permanence
Trinity has a long tradition of financial health, which allows us to offer competitive financial aid (benefitting more than 15% of our student population), expand our programs for all students, and compensate our teachers competitively.
Thus, we thank you for your intentional choice to invest in your child’s education, and we take that investment very seriously and with care. The investment in your child’s education is arguably the most important investment you will make, and we are excited to continue this journey with you next year.
With gratitude,
Matt Allio
Head of School
