River Oaks Baptist Board of Trustees Meeting

Friday, April 26, 2019, 12:00 pm

Board Room

River Oaks Baptist School Mission Statement

River Oaks Baptist School prepares its students to meet life’s challenges and lead tomorrow’s world through a superior educational
program undergirded by faith in Jesus Christ and Christian principles.

We believe that strong foundations are built upon:

• Balanced growth of the interdependent aspects of human nature - Intellectual, Physical, Spiritual, Moral, and Social;
• Principles of responsibility, diligence, and cooperation, as well as respect for diversity and the dignity of the individual; and
• Skills in critical thinking, creative problem solving, and effective communication.

We believe that our students will reach their fullest growth in a school environment which:
• Encourages students, faculty, and staff to see themselves as uniquely created by God with special qualities and gifts for
development;
• Balances high expectations with developmentally appropriate nurturing; and
• Works cooperatively with parents in concert with the school’s mission for the benefit of the student.

Lunch will be provided

Agenda Items for April 26, 2019 Board Meeting
Items from the Chair
A. Approve Minutes from February 2, 2019 Board Retreat – Page 2

Educational Topic – Strategic Plan Update

Committee Reports & Action Items
A. Finance (Report to follow on Tuesday)
• Approve funding for Field Lighting project
• Approve Retirement Plan Responsibilities resolution
B. Audit – Page 4
• Approve Blazek & Vetterling audit engagement for 2018-19
C. Risk Management – Page 9
D. Building Committee (Report to follow on Tuesday)
E. Advancement – Page 11
F. Governance/Trusteeship – Page 14
G. Head’s Report – Page 16

Next Board Meeting: Friday, May 17, 2019, 12:00 pm in the Board Room

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 River Oaks Baptist Board of Trustees Retreat
Saturday, February 2, 2019
8:30 am
Commons Dining Room

The Board Members present are indicated as follows:

Name Present Not Present

Jaime Casas X
Nellie Connally X
Susan Cox X
Josh Davis X
Tim Day X
Jim Donnell X
Angie Gildea X
Molly Glotfelty X
Scott Hill X
Jacques Hodges X
Mark Jones X
Brandt Leibe X
Butch Mach X
Nkem Omebere-Iyari X
Joe Poff X
Leanne Reynolds X
Dax Sanders X
Katie Stanton X
Gail Stewart X
Randy Wright X

Emeritus
Terry Huffington
Lois Wright - Present

Others in attendance: Deborah Harper, Todd Herauf, and Paul Mayhew

Leanne led the Board in an opening prayer

I. Items from the Chair:

A. Chair’s Welcome

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II. Action Items:
A. Approve Minutes from November 30, 2018, Board Meeting. Motion to approve by Gail
Stewart, 2nd by Josh Davis. Minutes approved.

III. Finance Committee Report – Paul Mayhew

A. Three Year Projection Review – refer to packet
i. 4.75% tuition increase is now 5% increase due to multiple unknowns: enrollment of
20 additional students, annual giving, endowment return, and financial aid.
ii. Focus of projection includes personnel, new building operating expenses, and
maintaining appropriate reserves for debt service coverage (1.2x required).
Projections show $542,000 cushion above the required coverage for 2019-20.
iii. Paul Mayhew met with PA Steering Committee. Explained how we set tuition,
salaries, etc.
iv. Tuition increase is not out of line with peers.
v. Discussion of enrolling 20 additional students. Administration feels early
indications are good. We have the numbers, but if they do not qualify we have
additional applicants at non-entry points that can be plugged in.
B. Motion:
i. Motion to approve 3-year Projection and Tuition and Salary Increase for 2019-20.
Motion to approve by Joe Poff, 2nd by Butch Mach. Motion passed.
C. Locker room renovation discussion – refer to packet
i. Estimate of $134,000 includes adding lockers, reconfiguring space, adding team
space, and lighting and flooring. All made with safety and sight lines in mind.
ii. Renovations made this summer by Bellows, not to exceed $150,000.
D. Motion:
i. Motion to approve Locker Room Renovation Funding. Motion to approve by Joe
Poff, 2nd by Angie Gildea.
E. Field Lighting project details will be discussed at a later date.

IV. Head’s Report – Leanne Reynolds

A. ROBS is a Blue Ribbon School finalist with the US Department of Education
B. ROBS is a finalist for 6 CASE awards in District 4 (5 state region). Winners will be
announced February 25th. Finalist submissions include Kids.Love.Learning. Campaign
materials, Spring Vine & Branch magazine and Melanie Hightower’s article on Nancy
Hightower. Three of our finalist entries are in the Platinum level and will go on to the
National Competition.
C. Finalized the design for Ron Dickey court.

V. Strategic Planning Retreat

A. Meeting adjourned and Trustees joined a larger group for ROBS’ Strategic Planning Retreat.
Louma Ghandour, retreat facilitator, shared results from the fall strategic listening groups.
Retreat attendees were divided into four groups: Differentiation, Diversity, Wellness, and
Schedule. The Administrative Team will take all the ideas generated at the retreat and
create an Implementation Plan, which will be shared with the Board in August.

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 RIVER OAKS BAPTIST SCHOOL
AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT
Date: April 16, 2019

Members present: Tim Day - Chair, Scott Hill, Nkem Omeberi-Iyari, Scott Sanders, David
Underwood.

Others present: Anne Good, Paige Martin, Paul Mayhew and Leanne Reynolds. Also present
from Blazek & Vetterling – Laurie Gutierrez and Donna Lynch.
Type of report:
X Update
X Recommendation for Board action
Recommendation for a policy change

Audit Report
o Laurie Gutierrez is the current Engagement Partner. Mimi Holt will continue to be
concurring Partner and Donna Lynch Senior Manager on the audit. Barbara Murphy has
been named Tax Partner and can address any tax issues as they arise.
o Laurie Gutierrez reviewed the Engagement Letter and Objectives.
o Planning will take place with management 2 days in August and 2 weeks of field work is
scheduled for September. A final report to the Audit Committee and School Board will
take place in October.
o Gutierrez discussed planned tests of controls based on preliminary risk assessment of less
than high in the areas of cash, investments and investment return, pledges receivable and
contributions, non-payroll cash disbursements and payroll disbursements.
o Gutierrez discussed recent FASB accounting changes and regulations that all non-profits
must adopt. As a result of the adoption, the financial statements will include a statement
of functional expense, liquidity disclosure, changes in the presentation of net assets with
and without donor restrictions, as well as additional disclosures. Blazek & Vetterling will
assist school staff in developing these presentation changes.
o Gutierrez asked if there were any know legal matters that may impact the financial
statements. There were none.
o Changes in accounting standards that will need to be considered for future years include
clarifying contributions received and made, revenue from contracts with customers, and
changes in operating leases.
o An engagement letter was presented for the 2018-19 audit. The fee is $25,700 which is a
3.2% increase over the prior year. David Underwood moved to recommend the approval
of engaging Blazek & Vetterling to the School Board for the 2018-19 audit. Scott Hill
seconded. Motion passed.
o The Committee reviewed the Audit Committee Charter with changes from the
Governance Committee. Scott Sanders had a minor grammatical edit. David Underwood
moved to accept the Charter with the edit noted. Scott Hill seconded. Motion passed.
o The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 23, 2018.

Recommendation
The Audit Committee recommends to the School Board that Blazek and Vetterling be
engaged to perform the School’s 2018-19 audit per the attached engagement letter for a fee
of $25,700.

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 B lazek & Vetterling
CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS

April 8, 2019

Mr. Paul Mayhew

River Oaks Baptist School
2300 Willowick
Houston, TX 77027

Dear Mr. Mayhew:

This letter sets forth our understanding of the terms and objectives of our engagement by River
Oaks Baptist School (the School), the nature and scope of the services we will provide, and the
estimated fee arrangements.

Objectives of the Audit – We will audit the combined financial statements of the School and
River Oaks Baptist School Endowment Fund, Inc. and related limited liability corporations, which
comprise the combined statement of financial position as of June 30, 2019 and the related
combined statements of activities, of functional expenses, and of cash flows for the year then ended,
and the related notes to the financial statements.

The supplementary information accompanying the financial statements in the combining statement
of financial position, will be subjected to the auditing procedures applied in our audit of the
financial statements and certain additional procedures. Such additional procedures will include
comparing and reconciling the supplementary information directly to the underlying accounting
and other records used to prepare the financial statements or to the financial statements themselves.
Our audit will be conducted in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United
States of America with the objective of our expressing an opinion on the financial statements and
on the supplementary information in relation to the financial statements as a whole.

Reports issued in connection with this engagement will be addressed to the governing body of the
organization. We cannot provide assurance that an unmodified opinion will be expressed.
Circumstances may arise in which it is necessary for us to modify our opinion, add an emphasis-
of-matter or other-matter paragraph, or withdraw from the engagement. If our opinion is other
than unmodified or if we are unable to complete the audit or are unable to form or have not formed
an opinion, we will discuss the reasons with management as soon as practical.

Auditors’ Responsibilities – Auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of

America require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether
the financial statements are free from material misstatement. An audit involves performing
procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements.

2900 Weslayan, Suite 200 Houston, Texas 77027-5132 (713) 439-5757 Fax (713) 439-5758

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River Oaks Baptist School, April 8, 2019 Page 2

The procedures selected depend on the auditor's judgment, including the assessment of the risks
of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error. An audit also
includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of
significant accounting estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall
presentation of the financial statements.

In making our risk assessments, we consider internal control relevant to the organization’s
preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in order to design audit procedures
that are appropriate in the circumstances but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the
effectiveness of the organization’s internal control. However, we will communicate to
management and those charged with governance, in writing, concerning any significant
deficiencies or material weaknesses in internal control relevant to the audit of the financial
statements that we identify during the audit.

Inherent Limitations of an Audit – Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, together with
the inherent limitations of internal control, an unavoidable risk that some material misstatements
may not be detected exists, even though the audit is properly planned and performed in accordance
with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America. In addition, an audit
is not designed to detect immaterial misstatements or violations of laws or regulations that do not
have a direct and material effect on the financial statements.

Management’s Responsibilities – Management is responsible for the fair presentation of the

financial statements and all accompanying information as well as all representations contained
therein in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of
America, including the selection and application of accounting principles.

Management is responsible for preparation of the supplementary information in accordance with

accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Management agrees to
include our report on supplementary information in any document that contains the supplementary
information and indicates that we have reported on such information. Management further agrees
to include the audited financial statements with any presentation of supplementary information
that includes our report thereon.

Management is responsible for providing us with access to all information of which management
is aware that is relevant to the preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements,
additional information that we may request for the purpose of the audit, and unrestricted access to
persons within the organization from whom we determine it necessary to obtain audit evidence.
Management also is responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the information provided to
us.

Management is responsible for the design, implementation, and maintenance of internal controls
relevant to the preparation and fair presentation of financial statements that are free from material
misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

Management is responsible for the design and implementation of programs and controls to prevent
and detect fraud, and for informing us about all known or suspected fraud or illegal acts affecting
the organization involving management, employees who have significant roles in internal control,

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River Oaks Baptist School, April 8, 2019 Page 3

and others where the fraud or illegal acts could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Management responsibilities include informing us of any allegation of fraud or suspected fraud
affecting the organization received in communications from employees, former employees,
grantors, regulators, or others.

As part of our engagement, we will assist with preparation of the financial statements,
supplementary information, and related notes. Management agrees to assume all management
responsibilities relating to the financial statements, supplementary information, and related notes
and any nonattest services we may provide. Further, management is responsible for designating
an individual, with suitable skill, knowledge, and experience to oversee any nonattest services we
provide; and for evaluating the adequacy and results of those services and accepting responsibility
for them.

In the event that the audited financial statements and our report thereon are included in a document
containing other information, professional standards require that we read the other information of
which we are aware to determine whether there are material inconsistencies with the audited
financial statements. Management should provide us with such information prior to the report
release date if possible or as soon as practicable thereafter.

At the conclusion of the audit, we will request written representation from management concerning
their responsibilities and representations made to us in connection with our audit.

Peer Review – Our firm undergoes an external system quality review every three years. Firms
can receive a rating of pass, pass with deficiencies, or fail. Blazek & Vetterling has received a
rating of pass in each peer review since the firm’s inception.

Audit Administration – We understand that your employees will provide us with all of the
information detailed in the audit preparation list that we have developed in connection with this
audit. Further, you will make available to us appropriate space to conduct the portion of the audit
that is required to be performed at your offices. To promote efficiency, a significant part of our
audit will be conducted using electronic media. As such, the space provided will include the
necessary electrical outlets, a telephone, and network connections.

We will retain our working papers for at least five years after the date of our report.
Representatives of our firm’s independent quality review team will have access to the working
papers upon request. Any other access to our working papers will be discussed with you.

Laurie Gutierrez is the engagement partner and is responsible for supervising the engagement and
authorizing issuance of reports.

Fees for Our Services – We estimate that our fee for the 2019 audit will be $25,700. We also
will bill you for travel and other out of pocket expenses, if any, at our actual cost.

This fee estimate is based upon our estimate of the hours required to complete the work if all client
preparations are completed accurately and timely. Circumstances may arise that expand the scope
of the audit resulting in additional time and fees such as:

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River Oaks Baptist School, April 8, 2019 Page 4

 Significant changes in the scope of the organization’s programs such as additional

locations, acquisition of other operating entities, or initiation of a capital campaign
 Deterioration in the quality or condition of the accounting records
 Changes in the design or deterioration in the operation of internal controls
 Identification of deficiencies in internal control
 Client preparations not completed at the time fieldwork commences
 Numerous client proposed adjustments after fieldwork commences
 Client prepared audit schedules or account reconciliations require revision during the audit
 Adjustments to the financial statements as a result of audit procedures
 Audit exceptions

Other significant changes in your organization, as well as changes in accounting or auditing rules
and regulations, also could affect the estimated fee. If you anticipate particular changes, we would
be pleased to discuss their expected impact on the audit fee.

There will be no additional charges for consultation throughout the year that is directly related to
our audit services. We expect to stay in contact during the year and believe that it facilitates our
work at year end when we are aware of your current activities and when you have considered the
accounting implications of transactions as they occur. We look forward to hearing from you
frequently.

If this letter correctly expresses your understanding, please sign the enclosed copy where indicated
and return it to us. We appreciate the opportunity to serve you.

Yours very truly,

Blazek & Vetterling

Laurie Hill Gutierrez, Engagement Partner

Approved for River Oaks Baptist School:

By: __________________________________________ Date: ________________

Title: ________________________________________

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 RIVER OAKS BAPTIST SCHOOL
RISK MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE REPORT

Date: April 9, 2019

Members present: Randy Wright (Chair), Devinder Bhatia, Mignon Gill, Vanessa Gilmore, Chris
Godinich, Danny Klaes, Nkem Omebere-Iyari, and Katie Stanton.

Others present: Chris Baltazar, Michelle Bunch, Todd Herauf, Paul Mayhew, Leanne Reynolds, and Greg
Stahl.

Type of report:

X Update
 Recommendation for Board action
 Recommendation for a policy change

Student Accident Report

• Typical playground and athletics accidents.
• One incident where 911 was called by School Nurse for student having breathing problems.
Parent ended up taking student to family physician. Student is fine.

Campus Security Update

Chris Baltazar, Director of Security, gave the following updates to campus security:
• Purchased 2 devices that allow campus security personnel to monitor local law enforcement
radio traffic.
• ROBS has been included in the notification of Suspicious Activity Reporting (threats in this region)
from the Houston area Fusion Center.
• Location Flag – Campus Security will be contacted by HPD Dispatch regarding all calls for service
related to the School’s address (911, Medical, Fire, etc…)
• Relationship building – Chris has developed relationships with Precinct 1 Constables office the
Office of Emergency Management, HFD, River Oaks PD, HISD
• Coordinated training for Security & HPD
• HPD Officers – Interior building foot patrol
• HPD evening shift added 4pm-8pm M-F
• Door Signage (Name Tag/ID requirement)
• Regroup Mass Notification System – We will be moving to the Regroup platform for emergency
communications.

Immunizations
Based on several conversations and inquiries immunizations, a presentation was given to the
committee regarding the School’s current policies and protocol for immunizations.
• The current handbook immunizations policy states: The school nurse is required to maintain
current proof of state-required immunizations for every student. If a current immunization
record is not on file with the school nurse, the School may not allow the student to attend
school. Students may be exempted from state immunization requirements for medical or other 9
 reasons if proper documentation is provided to the School. If an outbreak of contagious disease
occurs, the School may require students who are not fully immunized to stay home from school
for an extended period of time.
• Currently, 15 students (11 families) in grades Discovery to 4th grade have exemptions on file. Only
1 of the 15 students has received no immunizations. The other 14 students either have some but
not all immunizations or have delayed timing of the immunizations.
• As an independent school, we have the ability to accept or not accept exemptions.
• If a change were made in which we did not accept any exemptions, the School would need to let
parents know during the admissions process (in advance of October Open Houses). In addition,
the School would need to consider that there are some “long time” current families, including
staff that have supported the school that could be impacted.

Praesidium Re-Accreditation
• Mayhew informed the committee that Praesidium has re-accredited the School for the period
March 2019 – March 2022.

International Travel
• As part of the strategic plan, it was recommended to determine whether or not the School
should offer international travel for students in 8th grade as part of the curriculum. Previously,
ROBS offered trips to Costa Rica that were tied to the Spanish Curriculum.
• Questions from the committee:
o How do you determine whether a destination country is safe or not?
o Each foreign country has different immunization requirements. Can we force those
requirements on our students/teachers?
o What are the visa requirements for the different foreign countries and how would these
be aligned with the program?

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 River Oaks Baptist School
Advancement Report
April 26, 2019

Office of Admission
• One of the goals for the Admission Office was to enroll more Middle School students and
we successfully enrolled ten (10) more students in 5th and 6th grade.
• New parents were welcomed in two separate events:
o Monday, April 15, parents of accepted student in Preschool and Lower School
were welcomed at the Head of School’s residence.
o Wednesday, April 17, parents of accepted Middle School students were welcomed
at the Head of School’s residence.
• We have hired a new Admission Associate, Nicole Hadnott, to replace Judy McCloud
who is retiring this year.
• The Board will receive a detailed Admission Report at the May 17, 2019 meeting.

Marketing & Communications

• Publications
o Campaign Impact Report
 Complete and currently at the printer – ETA May 1
o Vine & Branch
 In design phase - ETA: early June
• Admission
o Video sent to all accepted applicants during the decision period
 “What I Love Most about ROBS”
 Produced by the ROBS Journalism class
o Email from Leanne forwarded to all accepted applicants, “Recent News Stories”
• 2019 Strategic Plan
o Beginning to outline strategic plan based on all comprehensive data from focus
groups, surveys, board retreat, and admin team work
o Draft of full report for board review: due September 2019
• Transitioning to new emergency communication system (Regroup)
o ROBS Communications and Security teams currently in onboarding process
o More capabilities than current system
o We will be completely transitioned by summer time, so we can start 2019-20
school year with the Regroup system
• ROBS Community Announcements
o Leanne email to all-school “Recent News Stories” on college admission scandal
o Campus activities kept inside due to air quality from chemical fire
o Annual giving communications
 Weekly updates in InTouch highlighting special programs with link to
give
 Occasional all-school reminders
 Facebook and Instagram posts highlighting events/ activities with a link to
give
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 • Media
o 8th grader Samantha Fowler featured in the Buzz magazine; subject: Quiz Bowl
• Digital Media Plan
o Evaluating all internal/external digital media communications to determine
opportunities with regard to student recruitment and retention
o Marketing & Communications Office will be enhancing digital media efforts over
next 18-24 months (ex: blog, social media, driving admission inquiry through
strategically targeted content marketing online)

Office of Development
• We will host the parents of the Class of 2019 at a reception at Leanne’s home on May 15,
2019.
• We have begun taking donors to the construction site to see the progress.
o Annual Giving
 100% Board participation
 100% Faculty and Staff participation
 83% Advancement Committee participation
 47% Parent participation
 $874,523 in cash and pledges received as of 4/15/19 (financial goal= $1,100,000)
 24 Cornerstone and 145 Leadership gifts received
 Leadership Donor Party for donors of $2,500+ took place at the Head of
School’s residence on Tuesday, April 9, 2019
 A communication plan for each Friday’s InTouch message to all current
parents was created and will last through the last week of school. Each
week’s message will include the updated total raised (or the amount left to
raise) as well as the current parent participation. In addition, each
message will highlight different areas of the school to appeal to a diverse
audience- academics, athletics, performance, etc.
o Alumni Relations
 Alumni Chapel featuring high school seniors from the Class of 2015 was
held on Wednesday, March 6, 2019. Approximately 30 seniors from
various schools around Houston attended chapel and spoke to the 8th
graders in their homebases afterwards.
 The Class of 2015 Reception for graduating seniors and their parents will
be held on Monday, May 6, 2019 at 5:00 p.m.
 The Almost Alumni Lunch (for current 8th graders) will take place on
Monday, April 29, 2019 in the Commons Dining Room.
o Sporting Clays
 We have 142 people signed up to participate in the shoot on Monday, May
13.
 We have raised $101, 040 to date.
o Volunteer Relations
 Upcoming PA Events
• Bo Neuhaus Field Day – May 3; Chairs – Natalie Synnott, Co-
Chair – Winnie Riser
• New Family Event (grades 1-8) – May 14; Chair – Chrissy Lewis,
Co-Chair – Lauren Burke
 Class of 2019 Activities
• Class Party – May 22 at Speedy’s; Chair – Leslie Ashley

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 • Graduation Party – May 22 at The Briar Club; Chairs-Gina
Angulo, Kristi Kincannon, Andrea Soper, Winnie Riser, Chrissy
Lewis, Elizabeth Russell, Allison Jordan
 Class of 2020 MS Supply and P.E. Uniform Sale
• May 6 – 24, Chairs – Mary Livingston, Ashley Klaasmeyer and
Kristen Katz
 Parent Association Leadership
• The PA Executive Committee 2019-20 slate was approved at the
PA General Meeting on March 22.
President – Jennifer Roberts
Vice President (President Elect) – Chelsea Pacey
Secretary – Rebecca Brandt
Treasurer – Mary Rebecca Dick
Volunteer Coordinator – Staci Donovan
PA Representatives to the Board of Trustees – Angie Gildea,
Past President – Carrie Field
• PA Leadership Meeting for 2019-20 – April 26
• PA Steering Committee Transition Meeting - April 25
• Transition meetings for each PA committee will take place in April
and May.

Diversity & Community

• Data-gathering has begun in preparation for fleshing out Diversity during the
Administrative Team’s Strategic Planning retreat this summer. Input is being sought from
faculty and staff who have attended the NAIS People of Color Conference, the Diversity
& Community Committee Parent Leaders group, and students in grades 4 - 8.
• This year’s all-school summer book read will be Waking Up White, by Debby Irving.
This book is widely recommended by diversity practitioners and at diversity seminars as
a starting point for independent school leaders and teachers. Copies have been purchased
for all trustees, administrators, faculty, staff, and Parent Association leaders.
• Teachers in Discovery through fourth grade have selected books with characters of
diverse backgrounds to add to their classroom libraries. These books are marked as
“Windows and Mirrors Essential Books.”
• The last community-building event of the year is a food truck tailgate and Rice baseball
game on Saturday, April 27 beginning at 1:00 p.m. Raider Chorus and Singers will
perform the national anthem shortly before the first pitch at 2:00.

Submitted by Deborah Harper

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 RIVER OAKS BAPTIST SCHOOL
GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE MEETING
Monday, April 3, 2019
On Monday, April 3, 2019 the River Oaks Baptist (“School”) Governance Committee (“Committee”) met at
12:00 p.m. in the Head’s Conference Room. Those in attendance were as follows:
Committee Members Present:
Molly Glotfelty – Chair, Gail Stewart, Mark Jones, Joe Poff

Others in Attendance:
Paige Martin, Suzanne Buchanan, Deborah Harper

Molly Glotfelty opened the meeting with a prayer

Review of ROBS By-laws (second review)

A second review of the By-laws was done. Since ROBS does not currently have a Pastor, the following
changes were suggested:
Addendum: In the event of no permanent pastor, the following By-laws will refer to:
• 3.3 Chair of the Diaconate or her/his delegate
• 4.14 Chair of the Diaconate or her/his delegate
• 4.2 Chair of the Diaconate or her/his delegate
• 5.1 Board Chair is authorized to appoint
• 8 Chair of the Diaconate or her/his delegate
Joe Poff will make these revisions.

Review of Risk Management Charter

The Risk Management Charter was reviewed. Initial edits will address:

• Student Safety – Health issues: measles, unvaccinated children

• Cyber risk
• Placement of church members to ROBS Buildings and Grounds

Review of Audit Chair

The Audit Committee Charter was reviewed. Initial edits will address:
• Section 2: Add “committee members or advisors”. Third party can be selected.

Review Advancement Charter

The Advancement Committee Charter was reviewed. Initial edits will address:
• Clarify where feedback is shared1.c.iii. Instead of “ROBS”, use Administration,
including office of Enrollment Management
• Add: “ad hoc sub committees including, but not limited to: Events, Strategic,
Volunteer Relations…” (insert this in section 2, first paragraph) sub list with
a,b,c,…Each member will be assigned to one of these committees
• Section 2, last paragraph: “Chair, in consultation with Associate Head of School for
Advancement, can appoint….”

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Determine Plan for Board Approval of all Charters
Joe Poff will made edits to all Charters and send to Governance to review. Charters will then go back to
committees for review and more substantive input if necessary.

Review Nominating Committee Packet

There was a unanimous approval from the Board and the Church for the Trustee Nominating Committee. The
members include, Nell Frances Connally, Brandt Leibe, Katie Stanton, Josh Davis, Angie Gildea, and Randy
Wright. Molly will ask Governance Committee member, Nell Frances Connally to chair the committee.
Deborah Harper will meet will Nell Frances to discuss the Nominating Committee packet, and the Governance
Committee suggested Trustee Nominees. These suggestions will be given to the Nominating Committee.

Submitted by: Molly Glotfelty

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Head of School Report
April 2019
BE THE EXAMPLE

Texas Library Association Conference 2019

Brian Mahabee, Senior Tech Director, and Dr. Todd Herauf, Associate Head of School of Academics,
attended the Texas Library Association Conference in Austin for their School Administrator’s
Conference. Dr. Herauf and Mr. Mahabee attended a session by Dr. Mike Daria (@mikedaria), a
Superintendent from Tuscaloosa, Alabama with a focus on supporting our libraries and bringing
librarians into leadership roles in the school community. Following a panel discussion on library issues
and areas of focus, Brian and Todd worked with Shelia Potter, ROBS Librarian, on visioning for our
library. If you are on Twitter, search #tla2019 to find out more about the conference!

Inservice with John Barone

John Barone, Learning Resource Director at Strake Jesuit, came to work with the faculty and staff at
our March 18 Inservice. His engaging three-hour interactive session, titled From Judgment to Curiosity:
Transforming How You View and Work with Struggling Students, encompassed the following:

“Students who have a difficult time staying organized, being on time, completing assignments, etc.,
are often viewed as irresponsible, lazy, and just not trying hard enough. In this fun, humorous and
interactive workshop, we'll focus on how to shift our view and methodology to a more developmental
approach, recognizing that these deficits are not a function of will, and exploring coaching
techniques to help students improve in their executive functioning skills.”

We were engaged, energized, and looking forward to finishing up 2018-19, and starting 2019-20 with
additional “tools in our toolkit”!

Academics
Preschool:
Spotlight on Purposeful Play in Preschool - If “play is the highest form of research,” according to Albert
Einstein, then our Preschoolers are engaged in the highest form of research every day. Purposeful play
fosters creativity, exploration, and meaning-making by our children. It supports language
development and social-emotional growth. It helps children develop their literacy, math, science and
engineering skills. Through play, our children learn empathy, role-playing and problem-solving.
Teachers are intentional in creating play experiences for our students that build their knowledge and
skills, and in scaffolding play to take children to the next level of their abilities. “Play is the work of
childhood,” said Fred Rogers, and our Preschool students work hard every day.

Professional Development:

 Dawn Hanson Ph.D., Dana Thomas-Fisher

o Pre-K Institute, Columbia Teachers College
 Connie Eslinger, Ph.D., Dana Thomas Fisher, Susan McDaniel, Eleanor Zook, Holly Herauf
o Can Reading Science Improve Literacy Outcomes? – Lennox Reed Seminar – Neuhaus
Center
 Marie Michel, Melissa Chavez
o Circle Training – Region 4
 Sarah Graham, Dawn Hanson, Ph.D.
o Leading Change – Certificate in School Management and Leadership, Harvard
Business School

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  Holly Herauf, Dana Olive, Michelle Ritter
o Reading Readiness Training – Neuhaus Center

Lower & Middle School:

This year our Kindergartners have explored narrative writing as they learned to tell true stories about
their lives. They have also explored persuasive writing as they learned to use their written word to solve
problems in the world. Now Lower School’s youngest authors are learning how to write in a new genre-
procedural text. An important goal of this unit is to reinforce a sense of audience and purpose.
Children are learning to write so that readers can read the text and follow the directions. This type of
writing gives an authentic reason to revise and edit. We’re teaching our readers all kinds of things,
including how to tie shoes, make beds, ride bikes, bake cupcakes and hit a baseball. Children are
working with partners to dramatize their procedures and including additional instructions to clarify their
meaning. They’re learning to create and label detailed diagrams to add more information for their
readers. We’re also practicing handwriting, punctuation, and spacing in a very authentic way.

On the heels of their first research study on the Solar System, first graders enthusiastically jumped into
their second research project, a study of wild animals. While the initial study invited students to work in
pairs to create a page for a class book, the second study encouraged them to work alone to create
their own book on an animal of their choosing. The students researched using class books, library
books, Epic! (an app organized by collections of books on various topics, including animals), and
PebbleGo (read-along texts, including a database on animals). Using these resources, students found
information on their animal’s description, habitat, food, life cycle, and predators. Students used color-
coded pages to write brief notes on the information they found, using care not to copy directly from
their resources. The final step involved creating their own books by organizing their notes into an
informational text, complete with a table of contents, illustrations on each page, and a special page
to describe fun facts they found. To say that the students were proud of their work would be an
understatement—they were thrilled!

In fourth grade, students performed the musical Lion King Kids. The process students share in bringing a
show to the stage is truly where the learning takes place. It is the ‘show within the show.’ Certainly, the
final product is a key component of our learning outcome, but the development of self-confidence,
critical thinking, and problem-solving skills in the moment are equally important. We watched students
take creative risks, and grow with each rehearsal. They use their imagination to take their character
from the page to the stage, and while we celebrate the product, we are more proud of the process.

Spanish 1A has read their first short novel entirely in the target language. Students highlighted and
defined unknown words, read aloud in class, answered comprehension questions in Spanish, shared
their opinion about the protagonist, and then defended their opinion with textual examples. Spanish
students are now creating escape rooms centered around the plot, grammar, and vocabulary of the

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novel. Students enjoy creating the riddle for the escape room. Once completed, students will have a
choice in their second novel and will be in a small “book club” based on their selection. Below are a
few pictures of the students discussing and creating clues for their escape room.

This year the Middle School ELA teachers have made a concerted effort to relate our curricula to what
is being taught in the history classes. This spring, instead of a core novel unit, we decided to shake
things up in the eighth grade ELA class by introducing a choice book unit that explores the themes of
American Social Justice or American Identity (or both). With the help of Christa Pryor in the library,
students chose books related to these themes. They wrote four reading response letters to Ms.
Womack as they read their books providing them with an authentic audience. For their summative
assessment, they could choose one of the following projects to create: a music video, a yearbook
entry, a party, a high school application, or a book cover. Each of these products also includes a
written component. The students enjoyed this assignment, and teachers enjoyed the process of
watching them think deeply about the themes of their books and how they could apply their
knowledge and understanding in creative and relevant ways.

Professional Development:

 Joyce Toombs and Kate Jeter participated in a webinar titled Strategies to Improve
Adolescent Reading Proficiency: How to Identify and Address Why students Struggle
 Middle School ELA teachers participated in a three-part webinar series titled Conferring with
Readers and Writers
 Adonica Aston and Christa Pryor attended the Association of Independent School Librarians
Conference
 Shelia Potter attended the Texas Library Association Annual Conference
 Ashley Plunkett and Alex Eddington attended the National SHAPE Conference
 Middle School Science teachers and Lila Mazzone attended the National Science Teacher
Association Conference

Service Learning
As the spring All-School Service Learning project, Lower and Middle School buddies will be decorating
and assembling 2,650 non-perishable lunches for Kids’ Meals.

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Teachers and students have continued implementing grade-level projects, including the following:
 First graders are writing “welcome to first grade” letters to kindergarten students graduating
from Small Steps.
 Second graders completed 50 no-sew blankets for CCSC.
 Third graders recycled crayons for The Crayon Initiative.
 Fifth graders collected books for the VA Hospital.

An article about ROBS’ revamped Service Learning program will appear in the spring issue of the Vine
& Branch magazine.

For families interested in continuing hands-on service over the summer, we have identified and
communicated local and global service opportunities including Meals on Wheels, aniMeals, Urban
Harvest, CCSC, Undies for Everyone, Houston Food Bank, Books Between Kids, Kids’ Meals, The Beacon,
Living Water International, Hope International, and Family Legacy Camp Life.

Innovation
Innovation at ROBS has seen steady growth and a ballooning interest. The Innovation Team has been
working around the clock to assist teachers accordingly and help them be initiators of innovation in
their classrooms. We have seen teachers boldly take on projects they were apprehensive about
initially. This boldness sees teachers that once needed the Innovation Team to come into their
classrooms now fulfill that role on their own. Talk about growth! Regular updates about classroom
innovations have sparked interest campus-wide. Emails highlighting teachers who are going above
and beyond, challenging students to present materials differently, creating authentic assessments and
delivering content in ways that teachers didn’t think that they could have brought inspiration to
veteran and new teachers alike. The innovation team has touched every single grade level; whether it
be upgrading iPads in Kindergarten to ensure students have access to new and diverse content, to
co-teaching an 8th grade honors math class about catapults and data collection. We are beyond
pleased with the outcomes thus far, and boldly look forward to supporting teachers and their ideas in
the future.

Fine Arts
Theater: The 7th-grade production of “Kids in America” is this week. What started as an article from me
regarding the use of cell phones in schools became a three-week workshop intensive on what it
means to be a 7th grader in 2019. As adults, we have a ‘before and after’ perspective regarding
technology, but to our children the after is all they have ever known. Eighth-grade students are
putting the finishing touches on their Lion King, Jr. production, with shows for Lower School, Middle
School, and the public the week of May 6.

Music: Middle School students performed brilliantly for the spring concert, with morning and evening
performances featuring Raider Chorus, Singers, and handbell ensembles. Videos from the concert are
online, and once again, many students chose to accept the challenge to sing a solo as part of the
show.

Lion King Kids in 4th grade was a huge success, coming as a direct result of the change in curriculum
regarding performances. Not only did students use the same set, props, lights, and costumes as the
8th-grade students will use, but they performed as individual classes. This change allowed more
students to have the chance to shine. Students even came to before-school rehearsals and to
rehearsals on their days off. Watching their excitement at bringing the show to life was contagious,
and we saw huge growth in each student as they dove into their parts. Stated in one student’s
reflection piece after the show:

“…Mufasa is so brave and strong, and that is the person I want to be when I grow up. I felt proud after
the show.”

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I love this quote because it is reflective of why we do what we do in the arts. This particular student
struggles in school academically and wasn’t sure he could pull off his part in the beginning. To see him
deliver his lines and take pride in them was a highlight of the show for us.

Visual Arts: Lower School students in 2nd grade also have focused on the process rather than the
product with their Paper Mache birds. The project has been down-sized to a developmentally
appropriate level, and while the final product has changed, the learning has grown! Students
develop artistic techniques in sculpture which they will continue to build on as they grow through the
Lower School curriculum. Eighth grade students are working toward their art show the week of May 6
featuring self-portraits in a posterized style.
With a brand-new project on 2-point perspective, 7th
grade students have graced our halls with blue tape
murals. There are 4 locations around the school to see
these fascinating pieces. Students collaborated in
groups, working and mapping out their projects first
before taping the walls. The final results have been fun
and engaging for the entire school.

Student Support

The Counselors attended the Learning & The Brain Conference (Educating with Empathy: Cultivating
Kindness, Compassion, Cooperation, and Good Behavior) in February. On April 26th, the counselors are
attending the Houston Psychological Association Ethics & Diversity Symposium. The Middle School
Counselor will be attending The Institute for Social Emotional Learning in June. This will be incorporated
into the Middle School Advisory Program for the 2019-20 school year.
Learning Specialists

In March, Mary Stewart and Tarsy attended the Neuhaus seminar in addition to attending the annual
luncheon. The seminar featured Dr. Mark Seidenberg who asked the question, “Can reading science
improve literacy outcomes?” Seidenberg is a psychology professor at The University of Wisconsin and
brought home the message that science-based reading instruction is essential to the success of
struggling readers. In April, third graders with accommodations were provided with extra time (50%) on
the ERB test for the first time. Testing went smoothly, and the students took advantage of this necessary
accommodation. Later in April, the Lower School and Middle School learning specialists will attend a
learning specialist meeting at Emory Weiner. In this gathering, learning specialists from high schools
that ROBS students feed into will discuss current issues in the field of student support. Also, in April, Mary
Stewart will attend an open house at The Monarch School to learn more about their facilities and
program.
Capstone Scholar

We are coming to the end of the year, and we are excited and encouraged by our first year of
Capstone Scholar under this current format! A select group of Capstone Scholars will present their
projects in the Board Room at 2:45 pm on Tuesday, May 14th. The 8th-grade class will be in attendance
as well as various faculty. The Board is invited to attend.

Respectfully submitted: Leanne Reynolds, Head of School

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