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Shining Together: How JTD Is Rising into a New School Year

By Rose Helm
On the first Tuesday of the school year, the entire School community gathered in John Dye Hall, to welcome our new students, faculty, and staff, and to unveil the theme for the 2025-26 school year. Having seen some clues on the bulletin boards in their classrooms—images of sunrises, coffee cups, alarm clocks—they had a pretty good idea of what our theme for this year might be. Cheers abounded when I finally unveiled our theme for the school year: “Rise & Shine!”
As I shared with the students, “Rise & Shine” encourages us to think about how we show up each day: how we give our best, face challenges, let our true selves shine, lift others up, and show gratitude. This year’s theme not only offers students inspiration for how they can approach each day with a positive attitude and a growth mindset, but also reflects our faculty’s commitment to professional growth. This year, we are implementing a professional learning plan tailored to faculty interests and school priorities, giving educators voice and choice in their own professional learning pathways, while creating leadership opportunities for faculty with expertise in key areas of curriculum and instruction. As part of a multi-year initiative, we will also continue to align curricular programs, instructional practices, and assessment methods to enhance student learning across K-6. In January, we will also launch our new faculty growth and evaluation model, which provides more substantive opportunities for educators to be seen and supported in their professional journeys and rewarded for their contributions in and beyond the classroom.

In addition to the exceptional work our students and educators do during the school day, John Thomas Dye is also seeking to build systems and infrastructure that will position JTD to rise and shine as we approach our centennial and look to the future. This year, we will continue to pursue our goal of updating our campus to provide spaces for learning and play that meet the needs of students and educators. We are in the process of seeking city approval for our campus master plan. We have also launched the leadership phase of a capital campaign to support this important investment in JTD’s future and legacy. The campaign is called “Elevate JTD,” intended to evoke the idea that we will “build” on our strong foundation of academic excellence delivered by our incredible faculty. “Elevate” also indicates that we will be accomplishing our classroom expansion goals by adding a second story to the buildings.

As I shared with the students on the first day of school, rising and shining is about more than doing our personal best. When we support and celebrate each other, our community is able to achieve so much more than we could ever hope to do alone. This year, we invite students, families, employees, alumni, and friends of the School not only to make each day count, but also to celebrate each other’s contributions and successes. Together, we can rise to the challenges ahead of us and shine this year and for years to come!

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The John Thomas Dye School


11414 Chalon Road
Los Angeles, CA 90049
Phone: (310) 476-2811
The John Thomas Dye School admits students of any race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic or other school-administered programs.

Located In Los Angeles, CA, John Thomas Dye is an independent school for grades K-6. Students benefit from a challenging academic program, fine arts, competitive athletics, and a wide selection of extracurricular activities.