Belonging & Connection

List of 4 items.

• Our Work: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Plan

  GOAL 1: DIVERSE COMMUNITY
  Foster a fully diverse and inclusive community.
  
  GOAL 2: EDUCATION
  Create immediate and longer-term School-wide initiatives regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion at Shipley. Prepare students to be leaders in a global society. Commit to sustaining a vibrant, inclusive, and caring multicultural community.
  
  GOAL 3: EQUITABLE EXPERIENCES
  Ensure an equitable experience for all members of the community.
  
  GOAL 4: ENGAGEMENT
  Involve all community voices from students, colleagues, families, and alumni. Ensure that cultural awareness and understanding are reflected in many areas of school life.
  
  GOAL 5: ACCOUNTABILITY
  Regularly review Plan strategies and tactics to ensure the effectiveness of these initiatives in both the near- and long-term.
  
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• Our Work: Building Cultural Awareness & Empathy

  Students and colleagues participate in school-wide Belonging & Connection programming aimed at building cultural awareness and celebration in our community throughout the year, including: 

  • Black History Month
  • Hispanic Heritage Month
  • Lunar New Year
  • National Day of Silence
  • Pride Week

• Our Work: Professional Development

  Conferences
  Shipley colleagues receive generous support from the School in their quest to learn more about the complex issues of multiculturalism and social justice. Shipley colleagues regularly attend and present at local and national conferences supporting efforts in Belonging & Connection.
  
  

  Regular Professional Development Sessions

  Shipley teachers engage in weekly professional development sessions to encourage growth and learning around academic achievement, individual well-being, and collective well-being. During the 2022-2023 school year, teachers will have six sessions devoted to DEI topics.
  
  Teaching Resource Center
  The Shipley Teaching Resource Center is a place for teachers to pursue professional growth opportunities, working one-on-one or in collaborative settings to learn from each other and share areas of expertise. In particular, colleagues attend and present regular sessions on diversity, equity, and inclusion.  

   

• Our Work: Affinity Groups & Heritage Clubs

  Leadership/Governance

  Board of Trustees Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee

  The Board of Trustees Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee serves as the primary provider of forward-looking DEI policy and strategy, and mechanisms for administrative accountability. 

   

  Affinity Spaces & Heritage Clubs

  Affinity Spaces are created by colleagues and students at Shipley to allow connection through shared identities. These spaces allow for individuals to feel safe and sometimes heal with each other. Heritage Clubs explore one's identity through cultural interconnectedness to allow for the advancement and advocacy for one's heritage. Heritage clubs celebrate diversity through events.
  
  

  Lower School Affinity Groups and Heritage Clubs

  Overview: Affinity groups in the Lower School serve to create a sense of belonging and affirm students' identities through gatherings and cultural celebrations.

  
  Black Heritage Association (BHA)
  Focuses on building cultural identity and celebrations of blackness. 

  
  Middle Eastern North African (MENA)
  Focuses on developing a positive racial identity and a community of shared understanding among students with MENA identities. 

  
  Asian Student Alliance
  Seeks to create an inclusive school environment by strengthening our impact on the greater student body through advocacy and awareness of the AAPI experience and by sponsoring a variety of activities that showcase unique and diverse cultures.
  
  

  Students of Jewish Heritage (SOJH) (All grades)
  Focuses on celebrating and supporting Jewish students. Through social gatherings, celebrations of holidays, and culture sharing, students connect and celebrate their shared Jewish identities.

  
  

  Middle School Affinity Groups and Heritage Clubs

  Overview: In the Middle School, we create safe cultural, racial, and heritage identity with gatherings, conversations, and celebrations. The Middle School supports programming with the Upper School. 
  
  Asian Student Alliance
  Seeks to create an inclusive school environment by strengthening our impact on the greater student body through advocacy and awareness of the AAPI experience and by sponsoring a variety of activities that showcase Asia’s unique and diverse cultures.
  
  Black Heritage Association (BHA)
  Focused on building cultural identity and celebrations of blackness. BHA supports and uplifts Black Student Union programs. 
  
  Jewish Heritage Association 
  A heritage association that focuses on cultural understanding and celebrates Jewish identity and history.
  
  Middle Eastern North African (MENA) 
  Focus on developing a positive racial identity and a community of shared understanding among students with MENA identities. Supports the Upper School MENA with programming. 
  
  Spectrum
  A space to gather and celebrate LGBTQ+ identities. The group supports programming with Upper School Spectrum.
  
  

  Upper School Affinity Groups and Heritage Clubs

  Overview: Affinity groups and heritage clubs in the Upper School are responsible for youth-led programming and celebrations focused on identity,advocacy, and advancement. Their goal is to promote interconnectedness and understanding amongst the students.  

  
  African American Male Association
  A well-rounded outlook on what it means to be an African American Male at Shipley. Focused on supporting one another in cultural, social, and educational development.
  
  Asian Student Alliance 
  A pan-Asian affinity space that serves as a space for advocacy, promoting cultural understanding, and celebrations.
  
  Black Student Union
  Focused on promoting the well-being and cultural interests of Black students as well as educating and advocating around systemic issues in society.
  
  Belonging & Connection Student Association
  Creating spaces for the Shipley community to advance identities through cultural interconnectedness. Promoting cultural understanding and advancements through actionable goals. 
  
  Jewish Heritage Association
  A heritage association that focuses on cultural understanding, celebration, and advocacy of Jewish identity and history.
  
  Middle Eastern North African (MENA)
  Developing healthy cultural and racial identities. Celebrating and promoting positive understandings of culture, history, and advancement among MENA students.
  
  Spectrum
  A space for LGBTQ+ students and allies to gather to celebrate their identities, discuss current events, and plan campus programming.

  
  

  Colleague Affinity Groups and Heritage Clubs

  Overview: Spaces created for colleagues with shared identities to come together to celebrate and build community with each other. This creates affirming and positive environments at Shipley. 

  
  LGBTQ+ Colleagues
  The LGBTQ+ Colleague Affinity Group provides a space for colleagues to gather in community and discuss LGBTQ+ events and news. 
  
  Jewish Heritage
  The Jewish Colleague Affinity Group provides a space for colleagues to share company, celebration, and support (and snacks) while navigating being Jewish in the Shipley community and beyond.
  
  Colleagues of Color
  Composed of BIPOC teaching faculty and operational colleagues. Focused on monthly meetings to create community as well as to connect, support, and network within the school.