Caedmon’s Commitment to Community, Equity, and Belonging ensures that Caedmon families feel a sense of belonging; we value the precious identities among us.
Caedmon’s Commitment to Community, Equity, and Belonging states that:
The Caedmon School is dedicated to creating and maintaining a community where we embrace and explore differences and commonalities, and the challenges they may present.
We are committed to ensuring that Caedmon families feel a sense of belonging, because we value the different and precious identities among us.
We cultivate a caring, respectful, and safe environment, in which bonds are forged across potential barriers of human difference, advancing compassionate, responsible, courageous citizens.
As such, we are devoted to providing our students, our families, and our staff with the sense that they are known, valued, and needed in our community. We seek to provide plentiful opportunities to explore and educate our community on these values which we hold so dear.
A Task Force, including faculty, staff, and administrators, is created each year and meets to further the DEIB initiatives at Caedmon.
Ongoing Learning Opportunities for Caedmon Students Include:
Early Childhood (Young Beginners through Kindergarten):
- Diversity/Belonging Bookbags - Books covering various DEIB topics are sent home with each child on a rotation basis
- DEIB books in classroom libraries available for independent reading, as well as teacher read alouds
- Montessori Peace Curriculum
- Learning about and embracing traditions and celebrations (part of the Montessori Cultural Art Curriculum)
- “Family Structure” unit in Young Beginners and Beginners
- “All About Me” unit in Early Program
- Star of the Week and “Who am I” unit in Kindergarten
- Gender neutral dolls in all Early Childhood and Kindergarten classrooms
Elementary (First through Fifth Grade):
- Topics of DEIB are woven into the curriculum and are reflected in each classroom library
- The value of Empathy is heightened and encouraged
- Establishing classroom/community norms, with DEIB values in mind
- Age-appropriate lessons covering a great number of topics including, “What I love about myself” (writing unit), “Teaching Tolerance” lessons, Identity and Culture (I am from), food people eat (climate, culture and access), immigration, gender identity, race and ethnicity, gender roles in ancient civilizations, units on peacemakers, family make-up, and learning about traditions and celebrations of cultures
- Identity development in collaboration with the school psychologist
- Celebration and exploration of cultural diversity, guided with analytical discussions both in homerooms and specialists classes
Ongoing Opportunities for Caedmon Families to Learn and Connect Include:
- Families of Children of Color Brunches and Events
- Diversity/Belonging Bookbags - DEIB backpacks are sent home on a rotating cycle with each child, and discussion questions and a journal are provided to increase conversation and dialogue about DEIB
Ongoing Professional Development for Caedmon Faculty and Staff Include:
- Attendance at the National Association of Independent Schools’ People of Color Conference
- Attendance at monthly White Anti-Racist Educators (W.A.R.E) meetings
- Attendance at the National Anti-Racism Teach-In, sponsored by Jack Hill
- In-house DEIB professional development work has included:
- Martha Haakmat’s DEI training workshop
- DEIB book club style faculty meetings
- Derrek Gay’s DEI training workshop
- Gender and Inclusivity training by the Ackerman Institute
- Summer book reading on DEIB topics for faculty and staff
- Other all-faculty/staff professional development has included:
- NYSAIS Special workshop/webinar - How to be an Anti-racist School with Ibram X. Kendi
- NYSAIS webinar - Caste: The Origins of our Discontents. Reflections from the author, Isabel Wilkerson.
