Dear Red Oaks Community,

It is with fond, best wishes for her next chapter and complete confidence in the future of The Red Oaks School that I share that after nearly 25 years as our Head of School, Marilyn Stewart will retire at the end of the 2023-2024 academic year.

Marilyn’s career at The Red Oaks School is marked by transformative leadership, energized by her unwavering commitment to the core of our mission: the holistic development of each child’s gifts. Marilyn has embraced making Red Oaks a place “where minds expand and spirits soar,” and understands how to make it happen: believe in and trust children; recruit and support top faculty and administrators; draw on current research to review and revise curricula; prepare the learning environment; promote community involvement; partner with parents; partner with the Board of Trustees;  emphasize collaboration; foster a growth mindset; ADD the secret sauce of joy and passion.

Marilyn’s heart is with The Red Oaks School; her vision and leadership have positioned us for continued  success. While Marilyn’s accomplishments are truly too numerous to catalog, it is especially noteworthy that under her leadership, the original “Montessori Children’s House” was envisioned as The Red Oaks School which, in turn, grew to include a Middle School distinguished by its International Baccalaureate program.  As of September 2022, The Red Oaks Middle School has a permanent facility, meticulously designed to  promote community, and engaged learning. Our school enjoys a fine reputation, and our graduates are  regularly admitted to selective secondary schools in the immediate area and beyond.

Marilyn’s stature as a progressive educator within the larger educational community is considerable. She is a past President of the American Montessori Society, has served on the Board of the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools (NJAIS) for 16 years, has co-chaired the NJAIS accreditation committee for over a decade, and is a respected member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). Her contributions to the  educational community and the high regard in which she is held have certainly raised our profile and standing among independent schools.

In anticipation of her retirement, Marilyn has worked with the Board of Trustees to ensure a smooth leadership transition. The Board formed a Search Committee to focus on the transition and has selected Dr. Mary  Seppala, a senior consultant, with Educators Collaborative to guide us as we recruit and hire a new Head  of School. Mary is a seasoned professional who shares our commitment to transparency and community input in the search process.

In the next few days, you will receive a communication from Mary with a link to a survey. Your participation as a member of the Red Oaks community is extremely important. We want to ensure the voices of our  community are heard when creating the top priorities in a successor for Head of School. Please complete the survey in a timely fashion. Mary will be on-campus on February 8 to meet with a broad range of constituents. Your survey responses, together with the community input gathered during her visit, will allow Mary to  develop a Leadership Profile to guide her recruitment of candidates who are prepared to continue Marilyn’s legacy of extraordinary leadership.

Rest assured that over the next 18 months there will be many opportunities to celebrate Marilyn and to give her our thanks and best wishes!

Sincerely yours,

Anthony Galdi
President, Board of Trustees