Representing Island School - Part 2

4/19/2024

Aloha Island School ‘Ohana,

I’m writing you from the first real days of sunshine in Sacramento, California in quite some time - so folks here tell me. Why take a trip east? To make a stop in California to participate in the 30-year anniversary of Breakthrough Sacramento and then on to Georgia for the honor of joining the faculty planning session for the 2024 National Association of Indepedent Schools (NAIS) Diversity Leadership Institute (DLI) that I will take part in leading come June.

For the NAIS DLI program, we are all gathering from across the country to participate in this in-person intensive faculty planning session so that we can be prepared to lead the week-long institute this summer. I am grateful to have the opportunity to represent Island School with this distinctive group of leaders on a topic about which I care deeply.

For Breakthrough, the event was last night (Thurs), and they pulled together 5 of the 6 directors that served across the program’s 30-year history, an audience full of alumni and supporters, as well as new friends to honor the Founders and celebrate this dynamic program. Sitting in the audience and reflecting on the work with this program that began when I was 19 years old as a college student in San Francisco (and then became a program director in New York right out of college), I came to realize the gravity of how this program shaped me. The fundamentals of who I am as an educator are values that I brought with me, and because I saw these values reflected in the community here, I knew I could embrace the opportunity to join you at Island School.

Through Breakthrough I learned the following values that have permeated what I bring and seek out in any school to which I belong:

partnering with families through valuing the expertise they have about their child allows for students to thrive in school
making learning fun with students allows us to have a good time while we work hard
when students feel seen and valued for who they are, they will work hard to reach their goals
teaching as a craft gets better with experienced colleagues observing our work
collaborative partnerships with colleagues help us each stretch our own skills
having people read and edit our writing only makes it better, don’t be afraid of tough editors
creativity while performing on stage or in the visual arts feeds who we are
healthy competition makes us stronger
teaching and learning is HARD work, and we can support each other through what’s hard

As we move towards the close of my first year at Island School, I want to thank this community for allowing me to bring my full self to the work we do together - everything from my flaws to my strengths…all of it. I am here because I believe in the values above, and I know Island School values them too. We have continued work to do together, and I am so grateful for this community that wants to continue to grow together.

As always, please know how much appreciation I have for your belief in Island School and entrusting us with these important years of your child’s education.

Together,

Nancy Nagramada

Head of School

P.S. Thank you for sharing the Career Opportunities at Island School for next fall - especially the Chief Financial Officer and High School Division Director.

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