Holy Nativity Episcopal School ...
Cove School and Holy Nativity Episcopal School ...
Nearly everyone has more than one love in their life, and anyone who knows me knows that my loves are Linda and my children and grandchildren.The other love of my life is Cove School and Holy Nativity Episcopal School. This comes as a surprise to nobody, because I’ve been involved with the beloved school since -- well, September 1941 actually! I started 1st grade at Cove School the Tuesday after Labor Day 1941, three months before Pearl Harbor and gradated 8th grade there in May 1949. For the past dozen years or so I have served variously, on the School Board and its Executive Committee, as Chaplain, as Religion & Ethics teacher, permanently as a board member of the Holy Nativity School Foundation that owns the Cove School campus; and since 2003 as school Financial Aid Administrator.
Our school has a very good program of need-based tuition financial aid for children who otherwise would not be able to attend the school. Since about 2003 we have been using the nationally recognized School and Student Services financial aid program of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).
The financial aid application, evaluation and award process happens once a year and is currently underway for School Year 2011-2012. A family needing financial assistance goes to the HNES Business Office and picks up the financial aid application form (which requires a complete report of the family financial situation including data from the current federal income tax return and a full report of assets and liabilities, income and expenses, cars and boats, home equity, medical costs, etc.), completes the form and submits it either by mail or online to the SSS office in Randolph, Massachusetts along with a minimal processing fee. SSS processes the application using standard evaluation formulae for every application nationwide, then sends the family and the school their report. The report to the school includes a detailed computation and recommendation of how much the family can afford to pay for the cost of private education.
When the report arrives at the school Business Office it is turned over to me as the Financial Aid Administrator. Using the SSS report and policy of the HNES School Board, I calculate the financial need, recommend the financial aid award for each individual child, and prepare a report with recommendations for the Financial Aid Committee. Besides myself the committee includes the Head of School and an absolute minimum of staff members with need-to-know. The committee considers the applications and reaches its conclusions based on financial need, NAIS and school board policy. The process is held in close confidentiality.
NAIS policy, to which HNES conforms, is that the primary responsibility for the cost of a child’s education rests with the parents and family. Only after parental and family responsibility is met will financial aid be considered. All financial aid is need-based, all financial aid is partial, and all financial aid is for tuition assistance only. Financial assistance is not awarded for expenses such as BASE, registration fees, or Long Term Improvement Fee. Under no circumstances may financial need be a factor in the admissions process, which is completely separate. HNES financial aid is a program of the highest integrity that complies fully with national standards of the National Association of Independent Schools. I thoroughly enjoy being the Administrator as part of my ongoing participation in the life and love of our wonderful school.
Fr. Tom+