assessment. This year’s focus is instruction, the most powerful lever for student learning. To support this work, we launched the Year of Instruction, a K–8 initiative aimed at aligning on key instructional habits so that students experience consistency from classroom to classroom and grade to grade. We began the year with professional development led by the Teach Like a Champion team, who worked with faculty on academic systems and routines that maximize learning time and create clarity for students. This work builds on the excellent teaching already happening at Cathedral while helping establish consistent practices across a student’s academic journey. We’ve also expanded our instructional coaching team and are currently articulating our CSB instructional coaching model. With two coaches now supporting faculty, we are building a culture of reflection, collaboration, and continual growth. The impact is clear: students gain directly from their teachers’ ongoing development. A WHOLE-SCHOOL COMMITMENT TO READING AND BEYOND Our academic vision is also clear in our approach to literacy. Last spring, we launched a Reading Task Force to explore research- based strategies and identify opportunities to strengthen instruction. Already, key initiatives are underway. Upper School and Grade 4 faculty are piloting Reading Reconsidered units, designed with the science of reading in mind, while students in Grades 5–8 benefit from an added reading block for guided independent reading. In the Lower School, we have expanded our Geodes reader collections and added new decodable books to our classroom libraries, giving students opportunities to strengthen phonics skills while also building vocabulary, knowledge, and comprehension. Beyond the classroom, expanded library programming, self-selected reading time, and
new media literacy opportunities are further shaping a strong reading culture. Thanks to last year’s Fund-a-Need campaign, the renovated library now provides even more space for meaningful learning. ELEVATING PUBLIC SPEAKING Public speaking has long been central to Cathedral’s culture and one of the most visible ways our students share their learning. From the Grade 3–8 Field Foundation Competition to Grade 4 and Grade 8 Chapel Talks, students steadily develop their ability to communicate with clarity and conviction. This year, we are elevating that work by being more intentional about the smaller steps that prepare students for those milestones. Even in Kindergarten, students begin practicing how to share their ideas, listen attentively, and respond with respect. As they move through the grades, daily opportunities to explain thinking, present work, and offer feedback to peers are guided by an emphasis on confidence, listening, and dialogue. Built year by year, these habits help students grow as communicators in every setting. LOOKING AHEAD This work is energizing, and it continues to evolve with our goals. We’re aligning how we use time, how we support faculty, and how we approach instruction — always with student learning at the center. We are raising the bar in boys’ education, and we believe that bar begins with thoughtful curriculum design, excellent instruction, and the time and space for students and faculty to succeed.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jenny Cals is the director of curriculum and instruction at Cathedral School for Boys. A 20-year educator and former school leader in Barcelona, she holds degrees from UCLA and Middlebury College. Jenny is fluent in English, Spanish, and Catalan and is a member of the 2024–2025 NAIS Aspiring Heads cohort.
2025–2026 RED&GOLD
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