2024-2025 School Year

Important Announcement for the 2024-25 School Year

Mustard Seed School Plans to Merge with The Hudson School to Create the Only Pre-K through Grade 12 Independent School in Hudson County

Letter from the President of Mustard Seed School’s Board of Trustees from the 2022-23 Annual Report

Dear Mustard Seed Families and Friends,

Since its founding in 1979, the Mustard Seed School’s teachers, administration, and Trustees have committed to inspiring minds, cultivating hearts, and removing barriers for our students. The best manner to honor that commitment has been the driving force in the Board’s difficult deliberations on the sustainability of our school over the past few years. For me personally, the importance of that stewardship has weighed heavily.

This issue of the Annual Report shares an insider’s view of our Honoring Ceremony from the perspective of the students, the teachers, and the parents. Our longtime and beloved tradition of celebrating our students with the gift of a special word at the end of the year entails a perhaps surprising amount of time and thought on the part of our teachers. The word represents a distillation of the complexities of the whole child and the teachers’ love and aspirations for that child. For their part, students recognize the word as the precious gift from their teachers that it is, and cherish it. This practice is just one illustration of the child-centered intention, devotion, and invention that constitutes what is so special about our school. 

Having served on the MSS Board since 2010 and being the proud parent of two MSS graduates, I see our merger with Hudson as our best avenue in preserving and advancing the essence of Mustard Seed. Please know that this decision was made after extensive study of all available options and a consideration of both the broad view and the individual students. Although Mustard Seed School will not retain its name under the integration plan, we believe The Hudson School shares many of the same values and goals for the development of the whole child. I, along with the Board and school administration, feel confident that our students will continue to grow into compassionate, responsible changemakers who are socially conscious and committed to lifelong learning and service with this merger.

I want to thank our donors, volunteers and supporters in the Mustard Seed community, and especially our teachers and current parents, for their initiative, understanding, and confidence. I join you in mourning the passing of Mustard Seed as a stand-alone school, but look forward to our future and our children's future with hope.

Warm regards,

Scott Rostan
President, Board of Trustees

Letter from Mustard Seed School’s Head of School from the 2022-23 Annual Report

Dear Mustard Seed Families and Friends, 

For the first time in many years, preschool teacher Kristen Jordan attended the Baccalaureate Dinner, listening with interest (and some tears) to the Class of 2023’s poised speeches to and about each other. "I taught Polly, Owen, Oliver, Ronan, Kalina, Matilda, and Baxter every day when they were preschool students. It was so lovely and moving to hear who they had become!" Stories like these fill me with a pride that is bittersweet. I am proud of the positive impact of our school on so many children’s lives, and like Ms. Jordan, find those Baccalaureate talks especially compelling. We are privileged to witness the power of a Mustard Seed education directly through the words of our students and families when they graduate. 

Our feature article on Honorings, a long-standing tradition at Mustard Seed, is representative of the theme and purpose of the 2022-23 Annual Report. At the end of the school year, each student is gifted with a character trait, like brave or light-hearted or welcoming, and an assembly of stories shared by their teachers around that quality. For preschool students, this ceremony is held during morning worship surrounded by family and classmates. Morning worship is the place where preschool students hear Bible stories about God’s love and how others deal successfully as people of character with God’s help when faced with life’s challenges. It's the place where they are celebrated for their birthday and may try precursors to more formal public speaking training for the first time. It’s the place where they learn songs that enhance the music in their lives. Morning worship is the place where we intentionally tend to the heart of every student at Mustard Seed. The Honorings ceremony is just one component of that effort. 

I would like to honor you, our donors and volunteers, supporters and sponsors, for all of the ways you give to Mustard Seed! Please enjoy this tribute to you and the work we have accomplished together. 

With gratitude, 

Abby Hall Choi 
Head of School 

FAQS

  • Once completed, the merger of The Mustard Seed School and The Hudson School will create the only Pre-K to Grade 12 Independent School in Hudson County. Mustard Seed School students will have an opportunity to continue their education at a school with a similar academic philosophy. The combined school will have a strengthened presence in the community and more space to bring stronger programming and physical resources to the classroom.

  • In September 2024 the newly merged school will begin. Mustard Seed School will continue full operations for the 2023-2024 school year.

  • Announcing at the beginning of the admissions season allows families the most amount of time to evaluate the many new opportunities the expanded Hudson School will offer. The fall is when families decide on where to send their children for Lower, Middle, and High School.

  • The school will be known as The Hudson School.

  • The Hudson School is the larger of the two schools (twice as large) and draws Middle and High School students from across northern New Jersey and New York City. In addition, The Hudson School is well known to the college admission offices of some top schools in the nation.

  • Since its founding in 1978, The Hudson School has been secular and will remain so. Its motto has always been Courage, Compassion, and Commitment. We believe there is a significant overlap between the core tenets of religious morality, such as forgiveness, empathy, and love for one’s neighbor, and THS’ focus on the values of Courage, Compassion, and Commitment. The Hudson School will continue to teach strong ethical character development at every level of the school and throughout the curricula. From traditions to artwork to scholarships, work is being done to ensure vital aspects of the Mustard Seed School are incorporated into the new Hudson School.

  • Our vision is that The Hudson School’s Lower School will look similar to the current Reggio-inspired, project-based programming that is currently offered at Mustard Seed School.

  • As per present policy at Mustard Seed School and The Hudson School, students currently enrolled at either school must continue to maintain good academic and social standing. This policy will continue. In addition, there will be a simplified process to confirm a Mustard Seed family’s interest in continued enrollment at the new Hudson School.

  • The Hudson School will continue to utilize Hoboken as its campus, with most Upper School classes remaining at the 601 Park Avenue location and most Middle and Lower School classes taking place at 422 Willow Avenue. Church Square Park will remain a vital part of our overall campus experience as well.

  • From school year to school year, all schools experience staff turnover. The Head of School optimizes for resources, structure, and efficiency to build the best team and student experience possible. We expect this to continue to be the case between this academic year and next.

  • Academically, the new Middle School will use the current Hudson School Middle School curriculum. In addition, we will be working to bring best practices and traditions established at Mustard Seed to enhance the Hudson Middle School experience.

  • Historically both schools have worked to ensure that financial hardship is never a barrier in a student’s enrollment. The Hudson School has always provided need-blind admissions and intends to continue this practice at all levels.