Dear Khalsa Community,
As we approach the end of the 2022-23 school year, I want to express my appreciation to all of you for your support over these past few years. As many of you know, I have been involved with Khalsa for over 40 years and as the school year ends I am excited to share some important news. Rasha Alebrahim, will be joining our school community for the start of the 2023-2024 school year as Associate Director. Rasha will be working closely with me for several years. I will host a Town Hall Zoom Meeting, Wednesday, May 24 at 6pm to introduce her to you.
Khalsa’s leadership has always invested in careful planning. I have reorganized administrative roles creating new structures for the school such as campus specific site coordinators. This new role is designed to allow time for a future head of school to be trained and mentored by the current Director. The intention of this organizational design is to assure the success of the new Director.
Rasha has been a dedicated Montessori educator since 2009 when she completed her training at the Montessori Centre International in London, UK and subsequently piloted the first Montessori Center aimed at serving students with learning differences.
Rasha moved with her family to Phoenix in 2011. She taught at Villa Montessori for four years. She then became a teaching Head of School at St. Peter’s Montessori School, where, for three years, she mentored teachers, grew enrollment and opened toddler and infant programs.
She earned her BS and MA in Psychology from the University of Damascus, Syria. She lives in Phoenix with her husband and two children and they are looking forward to joining the Khalsa community this fall.
I feel extremely grateful to have the opportunity to work with Rasha. I am looking ahead to my eventual retirement, and I have been concerned at the national shortage of great leaders. Schools all over the world have been struggling to find dedicated teachers and administrators and I, personally, have been waiting to find the right person who I feel can carry on in the spirit and vision that has served Khalsa for these many years.
All organizations need to change occasionally, especially when one generation is retiring, and a younger generation is assuming the mantle of leadership. I created a new position, Associate Director, to build a bridge between now and where we are going in the future.
Please join me in welcoming her at our Town Hall Zoom Meeting, Wednesday, May 24 at 6pm.
Karen R Paxton
Karen R. Paxton | Khalsa Montessori | Director
2536 North 3rd Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004 | phone (602) 252-3759 fax (602) 252-5224