letter

Dear Community Members,

Thank you to all members of the CWS community for making the school the cornerstone of Waldorf education in Chicago. In the 2023 to 2024 fiscal year, the CWS community worked together to enhance our beautiful school. In a year of self reflection, the Board, administration, faculty and families launched initiatives spanning from assessments of enrollment, to reviewing the FIT model, to evaluating equity and inclusion health, to upgrading our marketing strategy. We gained new data and perspectives about some important components of our school by using consultants, surveys, and task forces.

Partly as a result of this multi-faceted assessment, the school is using newfound information to grow in exciting ways. In Chicago’s competitive independent school market, the combined efforts of everyone in our community have helped us to increase enrollment, support equity and inclusion efforts, and reach unprecedented fundraising goals, all while offering a deep education that uniquely meets the needs of modern students.

We continue to close our deficit and the upcoming year indicates a healthy outlook. We are on track to eliminate our deficit and to add to our reserves in fiscal year 2025 to 2026. We are in the midst of developing a strategic plan that will elevate our efforts and unite us in doing what we do best—working together for the hundreds of children who benefit from the unique treasure of a Waldorf education.

As Board chair, it has been an honor to work with so many supportive and enthusiastic people from all corners of our community. I am grateful to our donors who boost our strength with their vital generosity, our talented trustees and committee members who discuss, analyze, and make decisions about our financial direction, our families who make the school so vibrant and welcoming, the administrative team who keep us organized and supported, and our excellent faculty members who bring our mission to life each day in support of the students.

Sincerely,