The CSW Resilience Fund

Resilience
re·sil·ience
/rəˈzilyəns/
 
noun
As we face these unprecedented circumstances, it is difficult to know exactly what lies ahead and predict for what purpose CSW will need the most financial support. What is certain is that we will need philanthropic support to help us address continued financial pressures and emerging needs for the 2020-2021 school year. 
 
Fundraising efforts support the priorities of the school that tuition and endowment draw alone do not cover — including financial aid, professional development for teachers, maintenance and improvement to our 65-acre campus, updates to our technology infrastructure and so much more that makes the CSW we know and love so special.
 
Traditionally, gifts to the Annual Fund (Partners in Progress) can only be used in the fiscal year they are received, therefore limiting their reach and ability to help us respond to the scope of this moment in time. On April 29, 2020, CSW launched The Resilience Fund to help meet the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic with flexibility and strength, addressing the immediate and future needs of CSW students, families, and faculty. The Resilience Fund remains an option for those who wish to provide unrestricted support towards expenses related to the COVID-19 crisis 
 
We hope you'll join the parents, alumni/ae, faculty, staff, and friends who have already made a gift in support of CSW's future. These last months have shown us, in so many different ways, that we are in this together. We are inspired by your trust and support of CSW!

Make a Gift Today!

Gifts designated to this fund will provide financial resources for Head of School Lise Charlier to react and adjust to the short-term and long-term needs of CSW faculty, students, families, and our program as they arise this fiscal year and moving into next fiscal year. Money from the fund can help by:

  • Keeping our community whole by meeting the increased need for financial aid both for current and incoming families;
  • Providing faculty with professional development critical to continuing with innovative and meaningful distance and classroom learning; and
  • Helping CSW with the considerable costs of addressing the many public health-related adjustments we’ll need to make to our campus before re-opening. 

Questions? Please contact Chief Development Officer Andrea Finnerty at afinnerty@csw.org or 781-642-8611.

Planning for the Future


A Joint Statement from Board Chair Ann Gorson and Head of School Lise Charlier

On September 29, CSW was proud to reopen campus to all students and teachers for in-person learning for the first time since March. While the year has only just begun, we are pleased with the way we have been able to build a vision and put that vision into action, through teamwork, focus, patience, and perseverance.

We are very proud of the progress that has been made in achieving our goals, but would be remiss if we did not also recognize the incredible amount of work, preparation, and financial investment that has gone into making these aspirations a reality. The following letter outlines some of the additional expenses CSW has incurred as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which total over $600,000 to date.

Read the Financial Update from Ann and Lise

Gifts to the Resilience Fund Support...

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HEALTH & SAFETY ENHANCEMENTS
  • PPE (masks, gloves, etc.) for all students, faculty, staff, and dorm parents
  • Plexiglass barriers and partitions
  • Portable desks and furnishings
  • Eight portable handwashing stations throughout campus
  • Hand sanitizer in all classrooms and offices
  • Amplified cleaning practices 
  • Tents and chairs for outdoor classrooms
  • Audits of campus air ventilation systems, with investments made in areas with the greatest benefit to teaching and learning
  • Air quality audits of four dormitories and three residential life buildings to ensure the safety of our boarding community
  • Wireless tap stations throughout campus to facilitate contact tracing
  • Investment in daily health check software 
  • Campus signage for traffic flow patterns and distancing reminders
  • Improved kitchens in the dorms
TEACHING, LEARNING & CLASSROOMS
  • Professional development for “Agile Teaching,” with sessions on the cognitive theory of multimedia learning, designing for engagement and inquiry in the remote environment, and the re-imagination of curriculum dependent on physical space and materials. 
  • Classroom setups with specialized technology, including Owl cameras, Huddly cameras, Yeti mics, and additional mics and cameras.
  • Additional online teaching software tools (Miro, Nearpod, Padlet, etc), licensing, and training.
  • Supplementary WiFi access points to accommodate increased outdoor learning
  • Physical modifications to classrooms and/or spaces to create/convert additional learning spaces.
FINANCIAL AID
  • To support families who are adversely affected by COVID-19, CSW has expanded its financial aid by 11% ($362,000), allocating a total of $3.5 Million for the 2020-21 school year. 

Every Gift of Every Size Will Make a Difference

45 Georgian Road | Weston, MA 02493 | 781-642-8600

CSW—a gender-inclusive day and boarding school for grades 9-12—is a national leader in progressive education. We live out our values of inquiry-based learning, student agency, and embracing diverse perspectives in every aspect of our student experience. Young people come to CSW to learn how to learn and then put what they learn into action—essential skills they carry into their futures as doers, makers, innovators, leaders, and exceptional humans who do meaningful work in the world.