Board of Trustees 2011-2012
The Rev. Reggie Payne-Wiens, Chair, ex oficio
St. James’ Episcopal Church
Kent Burress, President
St. James’ Episcopal Church
Judith Rhedin, Vice President
St. James’ Episcopal Church
Jane Pfeiffer Michael, Secretary
St. Michael’s Episcopal Church
Jack Nokes, Treasurer
St. James’ Episcopal Church
Sharon Barnett
Marc Bove
St. David’s Episcopal Church
Jim Crosby
St. James’ Episcopal Church
Nell Dale
St. Michael’s Episcopal Church
Simone Talma Flowers
St. James’ Episcopal Church
Cyrus Helm
First United Methodist Church (Houston)
Jane Ferguson Hill
St. James’ Episcopal Church
Kelvin King
Kimberly Mitchell, Parent Representative
Liz Fleming Powell
St. James’ Episcopal Church
Nicolas Shumway
Christ Church Cathedral (Houston)
Kimberly Wilson Vincent
St. James’ Episcopal Church
Ellen Jockusch, ex oficio
St. David’s Episcopal Church
Administration
Ellen Jockusch, Head of School
Tanya Baston, Director of School Programs and Operations
Sarah Kapostasy, Enrollment and Communications Coordinator
Teaching Staff
Kathie Clark, Assistant Teacher
Juliet Coppinger, Assistant Teacher
Jessica Dorsey, Assistant Teacher
Ashley Fay, Lead Teacher
Anna Kago, Master Teacher
Claire Meade, Lead Teacher
Anita Miranda, Montessori Assistant
Lara Morgan, Lead Teacher
Dianna Morris, Assistant Teacher
Veronica Rodriguez, Montessori Guide (Lead)
Asiya Shereen, Assistant Teacher
LaToyia Sterns, Assistant Teacher
Cook and Kitchen Manager
Angela Morris
The year of 2011 has been one of extraordinary change and growth for St. James’ Episcopal School. After trying for years without success to meet our enrollment goals offering an exclusively Montessori-based program for children ages 3 to 6, we decided to listen closely to what prospective parents were requesting and to review closely a needs-assessment that was completed in 2009. Consequently, in April 2011 the Board unanimously approved a proposal to expand our program to accommodate children as young as 18 months and to offer a developmental preschool curriculum with planned learning centers in addition to our Montessori-based curriculum. In addition, we added two- and three-day options for the new programs (an option which met the needs of parents who either did not need or could not afford a five-day program). The expansion involved a re-allocation of space to create the three new programs / age groups: Active Learning (18 to 24 months); Discovery-A (24 to 36 months); and Discovery-B (36 to 48 months); and Discovery-C (4 to 6 years). Our wonderful Montessori program moved to a new home in the Orange Building.
As a result of this program expansion and the efforts of our Enrollment Coordinator to develop an effective recruiting and retention strategy (very long on being welcoming, following through, and flexible!), our enrollment has increased in the last year beyond our wildest hopes: in January of 2011, we had 70 children enrolled. By December 2011, we had 105. At the time of writing this report, we have three openings in Discovery for 4-6 year olds; all the other programs are full to capacity! I spoke with Rick Kellogg, the treasurer of our accrediting institution, the Southwestern Association of Episcopal Schools not long ago. He was pleasantly astonished at our unprecedented enrollment growth, and said that such dramatic growth is rare in the world of Episcopal schools.
We continue to attract a school community that is ethnically, economically, and culturally diverse and to provide scholarship support and / or tuition discounts to approximately 50 percent of our families. One encouraging trend in the last year is that we are enrolling a higher percentage of Latino/a students. In January 2011, just over 9 percent of our children were Latino/a; today that figure is 14.4 percent.
SJES forged several significant community partnerships in 2011. In particular, our Discovery Program was selected for a Texas School Ready grant, a kindergarten readiness initiative developed at the Children’s Learning Institute at UT Health Science Center in Houston for which AISD is the lead local partner. By virtue of being selected for this program, we received a $2500 kindergarten-readiness curriculum, an online assessment program that allows parents to see how their children are progressing, and ongoing training for Anna Kago, the Master Teacher for Discovery. We were also invited to be a partner of ACE (A Community for Education), a program at the prestigious Charles A. Dana Center at UT, through which we have two UT student volunteers who assist in our programs a total of 30 hours every week. The early childhood experts at ACE also furnished us a supplemental curriculum with materials, as well as providing training and supervision of the interns. Having this program at SJES has greatly enriched the children’s learning and overall experience. In addition, through the ACE program, three of our teachers are receiving ongoing professional development at UT, as well as the opportunity to receive a $2700 stipend to continue their education once they complete the professional development.
In the year 2011 we also strengthened our enrichment program. Through a grant from the Arts and Fitness Program for Young Children (AFPYC), a non-profit that funds enrichment programs in underserved preschools and early childhood centers, on a weekly basis we are able to offer our children music, creative drama, fitness, and art. These classes are taught by professionals, such as teachers from Gym Magic and Abrakadoodle, who specialize in arts and fitness for young children. In addition, we offer age-appropriate Spanish instruction twice weekly to our children age three and above. All of these enrichment activities are included in the cost of child’s tuition (i.e., they are not an additional expense to parents).
In August 2011, in response to parent requests, we launched a USDA Food Program which enables us to provide a nutritionally balanced breakfast, lunch, and snack every day to every child, at no additional cost to their parents. This is a great service to our parents. The USDA reimburses SJES for grocery expenses. Children and staff eat family-style at tables in the Purple Building, and parents have an open invitation to join them. In addition to providing nutritious meals, the Food Program promotes parents’ awareness of healthy eating and encourages conversation and interaction among children and staff.
As most of you know, in order to provide tuition assistance through our scholarship program and to fund operating expenses that are not covered by tuition revenue, we must raise funds yearly in our Annual Giving Campaign. Our overall fundraising goal for fiscal year 2010-2011 (August 1-July 31) was $300,000; we raised $356,000, substantially exceeding the $300K goal. In addition to numerous generous individual supporters, we received grants from the Burdine Johnson Foundation, Catto Charitable Foundation, Dodge Jones Foundation, Helm Foundation, Houstoun Foundation, and Lowe Foundation.
Last but definitely not least, I am very heartened by the positive interactions and sense of community among our parents and between school staff and parents. Parents actively volunteer at the school, and an average of 16 parents—from all walks of life—regularly attend our Parent Advisory Council (aka PTA) meetings. Their experience at St. James’ is a training ground for parents to practice and learn how to be constructively involved in their child’s education and schooling—a practice that will benefit their child in elementary school and beyond. Whether their child attends SJES with a subsidy from Salvation Army or WorkForce, or whether they are able to pay full tuition, parents feel welcomed and valued at St. James’ Episcopal School as people beloved of God, just as their children are. We hear this in different ways, again and again. from parents.
In closing, I want to express my gratitude for the many ways the parish supports the school—referrals (of prospective families), allowing us to use the sanctuary and Founders Hall, the helpfulness of your parish administrators, and the great service rendered to the school by parishioners who serve on our Board of Trustees and ad hoc committees. I’m also very grateful to the generous and faithful financial support we receive from individual parishioners. Your school—St. James’ Episcopal School—is having a significant positive impact on the lives of children and families in East Austin, and I ask for your continued prayers and support.
Ellen Jockusch
Head of School
January 10, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 03:33PM 
