Update as of August 10

GGA SY 2023 Focuses

1. Katharine Drexel
   1. Founded 60 schools with founding partners of women
   2. Why?  
      1. "It is joy that invites us to open schools for children."
      2. "Press forward and fear nothing"
   3. Joy = addressing "urgent matters"
2. Board = oversight
   1. Joy comes from exercising this oversight
   2. Joy is shaped now to get Tier 1 status
   3. Joy is sense of urgency
      1. education crisis
      2. critical in light of bad conditions that joy among some students will expand to study body
3. Urgency
   1. Role of Organizational Urgency - John P. Kotter
      1. Reactive Urgency - Frenetic activity: meeting-meeting, writing-writing, going-going, projects-projects 
      2. Fueled by: recent problems with short-term results or long, incremental decline
      3. People think: "things are a mess"
   2. Generative Urgency
      1. Action that is ...alert, fast-moving, focused externally on the important issues; relentlessly, and continuously purging non-essential activities to provide time for the important and to prevent burnout
      2. Fueled by: leadership up and down the hierarchy
   3. Theory of Action -> Focus
      1. Movement toward excellence
      2. Streamlining collaboration
      3. Monitor
         1.  via Dashboard
         2.  Action other areas
      4. 4 Focuses
         1. Clarify the vision for GGA
         2. Operationalize a sisterhood culture, which all adults and students share and act  upon GGA beliefs about thriving together
         3. Normalize routines of instruction
         4. Ensure actionable info is comprehensive, timely, and shared
      5. GGA Board interest to focus on 2 GGA mission
         1. Lever: sisterhood culture
            1. review meaning behind levers
            2. Risk Audit Committee 
               1. provides feedback to Karen/team on levers
               2. provides KPIs
               3. Board KPIs feedback on whether GGA sisterhood's KPIs are improving 
                  1. Laura - nice to have good data collection against goal achievement
                  2. Maureen - events/activity tracking staff's efforts on engagement
                  3. Shalini - Engagement activities - possible way to track students that staff are worried about 
            3. Karen/team exercise lever-implementation
            4. sense of transparency 
         2. Lever: Successful execution to normalize strong routines of effective instruction
            1. 2 KPI lever-review
               1. % of students failing two or more classes - internal KPI
               2. MAP/ (NWEA) - internal/external KPI
                  1. completing MAP
               3. teachers will be aligned on instruction affecting student passing, mastery, Math targets
                  1. 2nd trimester can provide enough data to assess alignment
               4. Mary - Academic Committee still will track other KPIs yet not quantitatively
   4. Data Point transparency
      1. GGA Executive Director will send updated dashboard on 2nd Tues/mo
      2. By 3rd Tues/mo - Committee Chairs send Board Chair a key findings slide and indicate if Board Mtg agenda item were necessary
      3. By 3rd Friday/mo - Key finding summary sent with meeting agenda and discussion items
      4. meeting forecast (slide)
         1. No Board meetings = Sep, Dec, April
         2. Board meetings = focus topics = final enrollment data, academic, sisterhood, finance
         3. Slide will be shared by Beth to Board 
4. Retention - Jason
   1. Last year, poor school environment was catalyst for enrollment dropping
      1. over the last 2 years, less freshmen choose to enroll for sophomore year
         1. Maureen said that this is normal for a new school
      2. Higher number of 10th graders return as 11th graders
      3. Campaign until Oct 5th to welcome students back who choose to leave GGA
   2. This year's 2 focuses aim to improve student environment

Enrollment 2022-20023 - Jason 

1. As of May 2022 - on target 
2. As of Aug 2022 - not on target
   1. 9th grade matches/enrolled is lower than past year
   2. 10th grade retention is lower than last year
   3. District trends lower overall 
3. Action steps to manage with a lower number of students
   1. Reducing projections to 200 students
      1. Maureen's asks about confidence to get 200 students
      2. Karen's response = Applications in progress are used for reference in this assessment
   2. Recruit through Oct 5th
   3. Planning to adjust budget and staffing to match October student enrollment
4. October board meeting = lessons learned on enrollment

1. Budget adjustments - Laura
   1. Staffing
   2. Revise budget for Board review
2. Finance Committee
   1. End of SY 2021-2022 ended better than projected
   2. Increased revenue in some places
   3. Expenses reduced in some places
   4. Uptick of cash to cover Facilities Project
   5. Finance and Facility Committee are exerting effort to change Q4 2022 or 2023 rent payments due to COVID's impact on enrollment

3. Facilities Update

1. August 2022 - construction and furniture delivery to finish in time for Staff PD, Block Party and First Day of School
2. MCN Contract on Track for Board Approved $1.7M Contract with PM to ensure that there is a detailed reconciliation for FFC review to report to GGA Board
3. Reminder on $2M loan
4. Potential 2023 Projections 

Executive Director - Report Areas (3)

Enrollment

Staffing

Leadership

1. Enrollment - Path Forward
   1. Creating an expanded and upgraded facility
   2. Engagement, experiences and normalization of a GGA culture of sisterhood at an all girls' high schools
   3. It takes a community, which is growing due to Board's joy, growing Parent Group, and student body as influencers (a.k.a. Ambassadors) to spread work about GGA culture
2. Staffing
   1. Although there is a teaching shortage, efforts to staff 5 vacant positions with qualified teachers continue via websites
   2. 3 offers have been made as of today
   3. Contingency plan is developed in the event vacant positions remain
   4. IB or Pathways will be taught at GGA
3. Leadership
   1. Karen - "When you know better, you build better."
   2. Expectations to staff are clear against RACI chart
   3. Culture of accountability will be nurtured between school staff and families 
   4. Students are at the forefront of decision making
4. Highlights
   1. IB Application accepted, which was a 5-yr journey
      1. game changing for students to thrive
      2. Ensure that GGA has visual arts course, secured examination location, and website promotes that GGA as an IB school
   2. Block party
      1. Students, families, Neighbors, Board members are welcome
      2. Tour of school
   3. Partnerships - Restorative DC and Universities
   4. We Make a Difference video via voices of Parents, Students, and Staff 
   5. Summer school story in July = Camille / Math teacher - Community of Belonging
      1. Camille - what GGA means to her
      2. Without this school, I'd be really shy and scared.
      3. I learned how to love myself
      4. Camille asked Karen, "Do you remember that I didn't need any friends?  You didn't let me go.  I know for sure that people at this school care about me.
      5. Community Circle - Camille couldn't stand up at the time by herself but did so when all stood up with her 

1. Board on Track
   1. BoardEffect update
   2. Quest continues with possible Board input
2. Ad Hoc Student Life
   1. Risk Audit Committee will address these efforts
3. Calvina
   1. committee assignment is pending
4. Aug 26 Block Party
5. Sep 28 - Pin Ceremony _ Board invited
6. Sept 26 - Social that will foster sisterhood between Board and GGA students
7. Sisterhood Summit