A Welcome Letter From Our Interim Head of School
I am honored to be joining The Berkeley School as Interim Head of School.
What stood out to me throughout my conversations with the Board and the members of the professional community I was fortunate to meet was the deep affection people have for this school and the seriousness with which TBS approaches the education of its students. I heard about a community where children are truly known, where curiosity is encouraged, where teachers care deeply about their craft, and where relationships matter. Those qualities drew me to TBS.
I am also joining the community with great respect for the school’s history and for the people who have shaped it. Seventeen years of leadership is an extraordinary legacy, and I am grateful to Mitch Bostian for his years of care and commitment to TBS. Stepping into a community during a transition comes with a particular responsibility: to listen, to learn, and to understand.
That is how I plan to begin.
During my first weeks at TBS, I will spend much of my time with students, faculty and staff, and families. I want to hear what you treasure about the school, what is working well, your challenges, and what you believe our students need from us now.
You will see me around campus, and I hope you will introduce yourself when you do. We will also create more structured opportunities to connect and talk. I look forward to getting to know you.
Most of all, I am looking forward to the first day of school. Leadership transitions understandably receive a great deal of attention, but the real work of a school happens every day in classrooms, on playgrounds, around lunch tables, and in the relationships between students and their teachers. That is the work I am most eager to join.
Thank you for welcoming me to The Berkeley School. I look forward to seeing you on campus.
Warmly,
Rachel E. Skiffer
Interim Head of School
The Berkeley School
