Onboarding Information for New Faculty & Staff
Welcome to Grace Church School!
We are thrilled to have you as part of our community. There is a lot to take in within the next few weeks, and we’re here to support you. Please see below for some information to help you get started. We’ve also included a short welcome from Head of School Robbie Pennoyer.
Important Dates
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Before Monday, August 21
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HR Onboarding Due
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You should have received information about onboarding procedures. If you didn't, please contact Sherri Hospedales, Human Resources Director.
We encourage you to complete onboarding as soon as possible so that we can provide timely access to technology and school systems. |
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Upon completion of HR onboarding
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Log into your email and enable 2-Step Verification.
Review Tech Pickup Information.
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Monday, August 21
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First Day of New Faculty & Staff Orientation Week
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Teaching faculty are required to attend; staff should consult their supervisors about which portions of the orientation to attend.
Look out for an email in the coming weeks with the official schedule.
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Monday, August 28
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First Day of All Faculty & Staff Opening Meetings
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Grace Culture and Life
Grace is a school of big ideas. Our structured curriculum promotes academic excellence through a pedagogy of joy: an approach that reflects our belief that stress isn’t the fuel of academic achievement but that joy is, and that students learn best when motivated by delight, wonder, curiosity, and purpose. We work hard to nurture a culture of dignity and belonging, believing that the strength and diversity of the school enhances every aspect of our program, and we seek to foster in each student an active ethical consciousness. Grounded in tradition, the school remains ever open to innovation, looking to the best research on the science of learning and the craft of teaching to advance the timeless values and aspirations of our mission.
To learn more about these ideas--and about the school community, culture, and program that they inspire--here are a few resources from our website:
Summer Reading
Each summer, faculty (and any interested staff) read a book. one we hope will spark interesting conversations about the school’s approach to teaching and learning. This year, we are reading
Outsmart Your Brain: Why Learning is Hard and How You Can Make It Easy
Dr. Daniel T. Willingham
Say the Right Thing
Kenji Yoshino
Copies of the books will be sent to you in the mail.
Questions? Contact us here:
JK-8 Campus
86 Fourth Avenue
212.475.5609
9-12 Campus
46 Cooper Square
212.475.5610
Sarah Adler, Head of Early Childhood
Jean-Robert Andre, Dean of Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
Kim Chaloner, Dean of Faculty
Randall Flinn, Head of Lower School
Elsa Hepner, Head of Middle School
Akbar Ali Herndon, Chief Technology Officer
Sherri Hospedales, Human Resources Director
Saara Mahjouri, Assistant Head of School
Eric Massa, Assistant to the Head of School
Ravendra Persaud, Director of Academic Systems
Robbie Pennoyer, Head of School
Lorry Perry, Head of High School
© 2025 Grace Church School
Grace Church School is a co-educational independent school in downtown Manhattan, New York City providing instruction for over 800 students in junior kindergarten through twelfth grade.
