Dear NP community,
After a great deal of consideration, this winter I informed the Board of Trustees of my desire to transition out of the role of Head of School at the end of the year. While my decision will require the hiring of a new Head of School, my desire is to remain at Nativity Prep next year in a different capacity that will enable me to be more present and directly involved with students and teachers on a daily basis and relinquish many of the responsibilities and outside commitments demanded of the Head of School.
Further, my decision has been motivated by the good news that my family and I are expecting our third child this summer! This is something we are very excited about, and which will require more of my time and presence.
After five years as Head and with Nativity’s 25th anniversary on the horizon, it is a great time for new
leadership to take the school forward, launching a new strategic plan and fundraising initiative. It has been an honor to serve as Nativity’s sixth Head of School. I was first appointed to the role in 2019 following the sad and untimely death of John Martin. By March of that school year, the pandemic was upon us. Despite how tumultuous several of those years felt, Nativity could always count on the dedication of a lot of excellent people, from teachers to trustees, to put the kids in a position to be successful and enjoy school. Those people, combined with caring and supportive families like you and a great group of kids each year, are what make Nativity Prep the great place that it is.
I will continue to fulfill the role of Head of School through June 30, 2024, doing my best with the normal functions including admissions, hiring, and organizational management. The Board hopes to announce the new Head in the coming months as they conduct and conclude their hiring process. In the meantime, if you have any questions regarding this announcement or the process to find the next Head of School, you are welcome to reach out to me or the Board Chair, Rich Roller, at richarderoller@gmail.com.
Regards,
Jay Goldrick
Dear Nativity Community,
After five years of excellent service – including masterfully leading the school during the Covid crisis – Nativity Head of School, Jay Goldrick, has expressed his desire to redefine his position to allow him to focus his efforts more closely on students, families and faculty on a daily basis and relinquish the outside commitments demanded of a Head. The Board is prepared to support Jay in his request. This decision, however, necessitates that we embark on a search for a new Head of School.
As of February 1st Nativity is launching a national search for its new Head of School. With Nativity’s 25th anniversary just a year and a half away and a new Strategic Plan being unveiled this year, it is an exciting moment in the school’s history for new leadership to come on board. Nativity represents an opportunity for a new Head to build on and sustain the school’s many traditional strengths while also being creative and forward looking implementing the new initiatives offered by the Strategic Plan. In short, it is a wonderful leadership opportunity.
A Search Committee* has been formed and will be operating under the leadership of Trustee Tom Beaton. The goal is to have our search completed sometime this spring and a new Head in place July 1st. Until then, Jay will continue in his current role. Should you have thoughts about our search or a name you would like us to consider, please be in touch with Tom or me. You may reach Tom at tbeaton@nativitynb.org and/or me at richarderoller@gmail.com. I want to thank all reading this who have supported Nativity in the past, and invite your continued support as we embark on an exciting new phase of our school’s evolution. Again, please let Tom or me know if you have thoughts you would like to share, and I look forward to introducing our next Head of School to you soon.
For the Nativity New Bedford Community, I am
Sincerely Yours,
Richard Roller
Chair, Board of Trustees
Nativity Preparatory School New Bedford
*Search Committee members: Tom Beaton, Helen Burke Montague, Rick DaSilva, Maddie Inlow, Fred Mock, Ed Ottensmeyer, Richard Roller, Terry Schaefer-Severance, Geoff Worrell