Letters from the Head

June 26, 2008

Dear Oakcrest Parents,

It is hard to believe that the 2007-2008 academic year has come to a close. This year has brought many changes to Oakcrest School, each of which has strengthened the delivery of our mission. The crowning achievement, as always, comes from our graduating seniors. We were honored to welcome Imaculee Ilibagiza, author of Left to Tell, Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust, as our graduation speaker. Members of the Class of 2008 distinguished themselves throughout their senior year as leaders through change, exhibiting the qualities of excellence and character that we have worked together to cultivate. It is with pride that we graduate this class to continue their studies across the country and the world.

Oakcrest School has grown this past year with the reorganization that has brought Upper School Division Director, Christie Principe, and Middle School Division Director, Rosanne McDonough, who have each significantly shaped their respective programs. Perhaps the best testimony to their mutual success is the seamlessness of their transition with students, while faculty and administration alike found effective communication and consistency facilitating efforts in the classroom. Holly Salls, Director of Student Life, led our Student Council to a new level of contribution to the school community. Character Workshops gave students opportunities to grapple with important issues together, learning from one another as each grew in her understanding of herself. Kate Hadley guided our team of Advisors, who in concert with parents work to provide each student with a one-on-one relationship at school that offers her the opportunity to know who she is becoming.

I expect that you, like I, have come to identify with our new branding, print materials, and website. The print materials won a CASE III Award for Excellence presented at the National CASE Conference in Atlanta in February. Our new website was launched in the fall, and Christine White, Communication Manager, has guided its implementation. Congratulations to our Marketing Committee on this award-winning effort. All of these materials have served our Admission Office well. I am pleased to report that families continue to be attracted to the Oakcrest mission; and when they come to visit us, they are very likely to apply and, if admitted, to enroll. Thanks to the excellent work of the Admission team of Holly Hartge, Director of Admission, and Susan O’Connor, Director of Enrollment Management, we are on target with admission and very much looking forward to welcoming the Class of 2015 in September. We are also excited to be welcoming our first Veritas Award winners in the Class of 2012.

This year we welcomed Joe Graif as our CFO, and I trust by now that you have all had a chance to meet him, even if only through our revised re-enrollment process. Ensuring the fiscal soundness of our institution is critical to our students today and to our future. With sincere appreciation for the diligent efforts of the Business Office in concert with our Board Finance Committee, I report that Oakcrest School is well positioned financially to continue to support the operations of the school. The tuition assistance program is healthy at Oakcrest, with a generous increase from our Board this year.

As you well know, Oakcrest depends not only upon tuition revenue to meet the costs of offering an Oakcrest education to every student, but also on the Annual Fund. Under the stewardship of Beth Ann Newton, Director of Development, the Annual Fund and related events this year have raised over $600,000, and parent participation in the Annual Fund has increased 8% to a record level of over 68%. Thank you to everyone for your substantive and essential commitment to Oakcrest School through your gifts to the Annual Fund, Gala and Auction, and Patron of the Arts events. Maricel Heeter, Director of Special Events, is the leader behind the scenes at these events, and the myriad special events and programs that we host throughout the year.

Thanks to a wonderful volunteer team led by Jan Clark (Nikki ’10), the Oakcrest Parent Association brought a great deal to the life of the school. Starting with our September Family Mass and Brunch, this organization made a difference in many seen and unseen ways. On behalf of all of the faculty and staff, I thank OPA for its generous support. Of note is their generous funding of our field trip program, which resulted in our students having opportunities beyond the classroom across the grades.

Oakcrest School’s future has been secured in an exciting and very tangible way this year through the purchase of twenty-three acres of land in Vienna, Virginia, as a proposed site for a new school campus. The decision to seek new property came after a careful analysis of our options at the close of the 2006-2007 school year. In November 2007, this ideal property was purchased with donated funds. Situated just seven miles from our current location, with easy access to the Dulles Toll Road, we know that we are extremely fortunate to have this wonderful property where Oakcrest can grow to fully deliver the mission of the school. Under the guidance of the Board of Trustees and the Board of Directors, the New Campus Committee (NCC), led by Brendy Esmond (Maggie ’10, Mary, ’13, Andy ’14), has begun the process of developing plans for the site and building for our new campus. Input from students, faculty and staff, and parents, has been collected in order to create this plan. Oakcrest has engaged Bouma Construction for the purpose of designing and ultimately building our new facilities.

The first step in the process facing us is that we must apply for and receive a Special Exception and proper permitting from Fairfax County. This permit is required to allow a school to be built in an otherwise residential neighborhood. A school is considered a

foreseen use for the property, yet we must work with the appropriate individuals to gain the necessary permission. We faced a similar challenge when we moved to our Balls Hill Road property and this process involves working with county staff and our new neighbors to design a mutually acceptable site.

In addition to planning for the physical site, we have begun planning for the Campus Campaign that will accompany the process. To that end, we welcomed Betty Childers, Director of Campus Campaign, this year. A feasibility study is being completed now which will inform our process. Our team of Board members and staff has been working with a consultant from Marts & Lundy in order to assure a comprehensive and effective process each step of the way. At present we expect the new campus to require approximately $30 million. We expect to raise the necessary funds through the sale of our Balls Hill facility and the philanthropy of our parents, alumnae and friends. Although this is a lofty goal, we have faith that we can and will meet and exceed all expectations.

Assuming that the two above-mentioned goals are achieved, we imagine a new campus that will be everything required to fully deliver the Oakcrest mission. Ultimately, we intend to build a campus of approximately 155,000 square feet with appropriate academic space as well as athletic facilities, fields and a fine arts building. The exact look, feel and specifics of the space will take shape over the next few months as we go through the Special Exception process and work with all user constituents of the new campus – including faculty, staff, parents and students. Our goal is that the new Oakcrest campus will be the home that your daughter, our current and future students, and Oakcrest alumnae should have.

The year was one of change and growth at Oakcrest – most importantly in our students. Each student is closer to the woman she will become, and our graduates are securely on their way. As an institution, we are navigating the peaks and valleys of significant growth, which requires commitment, fortitude, and vision. I am delighted to be able to report to you that the people are in place to help make this great vision come true for Oakcrest. The confidence that your commitment to the school brings, by placing your daughter here, makes a difference in all we do.

Have a wonderful summer!

Sincerely,

Ellen M. Cavanagh

Head of School

P.S: Please mark your calendar for upcoming dates: Fall Sports begin August 19, 2008; New Parent Orientation, August 26, 2008; Preview Day for New Students, September 2, 2008; First Day of School, September 3, 2008. Full details can be found at www.oakcrest.org. Please note that beginning of school grade-level events (e.g., sixth grade class bonding event) will be held during the school year, which is a change from previous years.