I feel a deep sense of gratitude for the faculty and staff who engage our kids in this amazing educational experience that fosters a love of learning, challenges the intellect and where kids can be themselves.
Reflecting on the past year, I am grateful for the incredible strength, resilience and compassion of our community as well as the collective engagement and passion that is regularly exhibited. I look forward to more of the same in 2023-24.
A big focus of the Board the past two years has been the Strategic Plan and we are incredibly grateful for all of the community members who have provided input along the way. At a high level, I’m excited that our Strategic Plan commitments reinforce the MCDS experience that drew our family to MCDS in the first place ten years ago - the joyful and intentional learning, where kids grow in confidence and kindness and build academic skills and mastery on our beautiful campus.
I also love how MCDS is always evolving and that faculty and staff promote and embrace a growth mindset. One great example of this is the in-depth math review the faculty and staff completed this past year. Katherine recently announced the changes to the math program that are taking place in the 2023-24 academic year and they are exciting! With a new curriculum being reviewed each year (science is next), the already robust and challenging MCDS academic experience will only continue improving!
One of the most heartening aspects of MCDS is how the community steps up whenever there’s a need. An excellent example of this was the collective effort by the Building and Grounds Committee, Admin team members and parents and guardians who attended and advocated on behalf of MCDS at the Corte Madera Town Council meeting, which culminated in a mutually beneficial outcome for the bike path plans on Paradise Drive. The level of community engagement and collaboration was inspiring and we are using momentum from this effort to build an even stronger relationship with the town and our neighbors.
MCDS is at its best when the community is engaged and we are feeling connected to one another. I was reminded of this after the Board visited Upper and Lower School classrooms last February as part of our annual Trustee Visiting Day. We had the benefit of seeing the arc of the MCDS experience: from the playfulness of the County Fair in Kindergarten to the building blocks in 1st grade math; from the Gold Rush journals in 4th grade to discussing the Age of Imperialism in 5th grade; from 7th graders modeling a virus cell to Shakespeare in 8th grade! Trustees left feeling energized and reminded why we love MCDS so much!
I feel a deep sense of gratitude for the faculty and staff who engage our kids in this amazing educational experience that fosters a love of learning, challenges the intellect and where kids can be themselves. All of this creates an environment where curiosity, empathy and action are on full display.
I encourage parents and guardians to take advantage of opportunities to be on campus in the ways that work for you. It deepens our connections to this special place, strengthens the community, and leads to lifelong friendships.
With appreciation and gratitude,
Jeff Spaulding
Chair, Board of Trustees, 2022-23
Head of School Letter Photo 2023
Head of School Letter Pull Quote 2022-23
Philanthropy enables MCDS to support everything that makes us who we are: the teachers, our academic programs, our diverse community, and our learning environment.
Every day at MCDS, I’m reminded of how incredibly lucky we are to have a community that believes in and lives our school’s mission of being an inclusive community of learning that inspires curiosity, empathy, and action.
Since our founding in 1956, MCDS has relied on philanthropy to deliver an exceptional experience, where our children thrive, gain a strong sense of self, and develop a lifelong love of learning in a diverse and inclusive environment. Almost 70 years later, we continue to build upon our school’s culture of giving, to benefit all programs and community members, and especially our students.
In 2022-23, we continued our “100% in 100 Days” campaign: an ambitious goal to reach 100% participation in the Annual Fund in the first 100 days of school. We reached 100% participation from faculty, staff, and trustees, and 98% participation from our families, an inspiring milestone!
Philanthropy enables MCDS to support everything that makes us who we are: the teachers, our academic programs, our diverse community, and our learning environment. Last year MCDS friends and families cumulatively increased their support to our major fundraising initiatives from the previous year. The Annual Fund raised $2.3 million to support all the school’s programs and people, while the Make IT Happen events (e.g., Community Dinner Dance, Online Auction and Walkathon) raised $156,174, specifically for indexed tuition (IT). The spring paddle raise to add a sound system for our Step Up area funded an additional $98,000. We are also extremely grateful to our alumni and alumni parents who made gifts towards the School’s endowment, which supports the long term health of MCDS.
Your generosity enhanced all of our programs and made us a more vibrant and diverse community! On behalf of the entire faculty, staff, and administration, I extend our deepest gratitude for your generous contributions through donations and volunteerism. With your support, we can envision a future where young people work together creatively to build an inclusive and more sustainable world.
