Head of School
Start Date: July 1, 2025
Coed, Preschool, Elementary and Middle School
Grades PS – 8
Independent Day School, 400 students
10404 34th Avenue SW, Seattle, WA
Educators Collaborative is pleased to assist Westside School in its search for its next Head of School to begin July 1, 2025. This is a fantastic opportunity for a leader who finds purpose in Preschool-8th grade education at a well established school in a vibrant urban community.
The School
Since 1981, Westside School’s teachers and staff have worked collaboratively to inspire creativity, innovation, and to deepen the school’s sense of community. The school has a strong emphasis on student-centered, inquiry-based learning in a joyous, creative setting. Westside is located in the Arbor Heights neighborhood of West Seattle. The school owns its main building. Both the school’s buildings are described as beautiful, mission-appropriate, student-friendly facilities impeccably maintained by the facilities team. Of the ~400 enrolled students, 90% live within a five mile radius of the school, adding to the strong sense of belonging prevalent at Westside School.
Westside’s greatest differentiator is its strong community. In February 2024, the school’s Board of Trustees approved the school’s new mission statement, which reads:
Westside students learn to think critically and act with compassion in a joyful, supportive community.
The faculty of 38 classroom and specialty teachers is supported by 15 instructional assistants and 25 staff members. In preschool through fourth grade, each class is staffed with a teacher and an instructional assistant. Preschool and pre-kindergarten class sizes range from 14-17 students; K-8th grade classes range from 17-21 students. The overall student to teacher ratio is approximately 8:1. The school welcomes students into the pre-school at age three and overall 36.4% identify as students of color and/or from a diverse family background.
The school has enjoyed tremendous growth over the past three years, with a 30% increase in enrollment and investment in many new positions including: a Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, an Early Learning Division Head, a Director of Counseling and SEL, a Director of Teaching and Learning, and numerous faculty posts in counseling, learning support, early learning (PS & PK), and more.
The school has a deep commitment to DEIB and social justice. The school promotes inclusiveness, diversity, and cultural competence in its education, employment practices, school community, and governance. It views inclusiveness as a fundamental value, diversity as a key element, and cultural competence as a vital skill necessary to prepare students to participate in and contribute to a global society. The school uses social justice standards in its curriculum and strives to help all students, families, and staff feel a sense of belonging and to ensure that children see themselves in its curriculum and materials.
Westside’s teachers and staff are committed to promoting and celebrating the school’s values of joyful learning, high academic standards, growing confident learners, and creating a caring community.
Westside offers a robust program with multiple specialty classes, including world languages (Mandarin & Spanish for every student in preschool and up, with a single language choice in 6th grade), physical education, visual and theater arts, music, library, and middle school electives. The school has developed a specialist middle school class, Ethics and Equity, which focuses on a range of topics on identity, society, equity, sex education, global citizenship, and more. At Westside, every class participates in field trips and the school has a robust outdoor education program to enhance the learning experience, with overnight experiences beginning in third grade. There is a vibrant after-school athletics program which sees hundreds of students participating in five sports seasons a year, with weekend games against other schools.
Creativity is an intrinsic part of learning at Westside. As students progress through the school, curriculum is increasingly embedded in inquiry-based projects and assignments that allow teachers to align the level of depth and challenge for each student. Projects further allow students to practice analytical skills, while developing a wide variety of solutions or responses.
Teachers at Westside School seek to create experiential opportunities that anchor learning through doing, and deepen purpose by connecting work with meaningful context or service. That’s why Westside students spend time in the wilderness, in the city and in the local neighborhoods. The school is deeply invested in building purposeful global citizenship, so students graduate not only with a strong core of academics but also with ten years of World Language study alongside a deep dive into the arts and natural world.
Westside has a strong, active and supportive Board of Trustees which, in partnership with the current Head, has successfully guided the school to unprecedented success and enrollment.
The school is approved by the Washington State Board of Education, and is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools, the Washington Federation of Independent Schools, and a member of Puget Sound Independent Schools. It is a fully accredited member of and an active participant in the Northwest Association of Independent Schools.
Westside’s Mission Statement (adopted by the Westside Board of Trustees, February 2024):
Westside students learn to think critically and act with compassion in a joyful, supportive community.
Westside’s Vision Statement (adopted by the Westside Board of Trustees, February 2024):
Westside is committed to being a collaborative, inclusive school where learners discover their unique strengths, embrace challenges, and develop a passion for learning, in order to contribute positively to their world.
Values
Joyful Learning
We believe children experience the excitement of learning through academic achievement, creative expression, and cooperation with others.
High Academic Standards
We believe the cultivation of problem-solving, innovative analytical thinking, and complex communication skills provides a strong foundation for lifelong success.
Confident Learners
We believe children gain confidence through positive support and clear behavioral guidelines within a safe learning environment.
Caring Community
We believe students become caring members of a global community by treating each other honestly, with respect and generosity of spirit.
Diversity Statement
Westside School is committed to promoting inclusiveness, diversity, and cultural competence in its education, employment practices, school community, and governance. It views inclusiveness as a fundamental value, diversity as a key element, and cultural competence as a vital skill necessary to prepare students to participate in and contribute to a global society. Westside uses the term diversity broadly to encompass differences in the attributes of individuals, families, and communities.
A comprehensive Opportunity and Position Statement will be available in late May/early June.
Applications are due by July 15, 2024.
Application Materials Requested
We encourage a preliminary conversation with Joan Beauregard and/or Eric Temple (see below) to learn more about this exceptional opportunity. Those interested are asked to submit these materials, in the order listed, in a Single Merged Document:
- EC Candidate Summary Sheet (contact consultants below for this document)
- Letter of Interest addressed to the Search Committee
- Current résumé
- Statement of Educational Leadership
- A list of five or more references with contact information (including phone numbers and email addresses)
- EC Disclosure Form (contact consultants below for this document)
If interested, please contact:
Joan Beauregard, Educators Collaborative
jbeau@comcast.net or jbeauregard@educatorscollaborative.com
(206) 851-6616
Eric Temple, Educators Collaborative
etemple@educatorscollaborative.com or temp62@mac.com
415-279-1837
Anti-discrimination statement
Westside School does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, creed, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, or disability.
Listing Date: March 18, 2024
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