STRATEGIC PLAN
Message from Leadership...............................................................................3 Mission and Values...........................................................................................4 Goal 1: Strengthen Our Community........................................................5 Goal 2: Support Our Faculty and Staff.....................................................5 Goal 3: Enhance Our Program....................................................................6 Goal 4: Reimagine Our Learning Environment.......................................7 Goal 5: Steward Our Future.......................................................................7 Strategic Plan Committee..............................................................................8
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W
e look ahead with tremendous pride as we envision the future for Beth Tfiloh appreciating what we have accomplished and excited for what lies yet to come. Our future rests on our commitment to our timeless mission framed by our Strategic Plan – a road map that will guide Beth Tfiloh into the future. Beth Tifloh’s strategic planning process began in July 2022 expertly guided by Mission and Data, a consulting firm focused on mission-driven, data-informed organizational planning. The Strategic Plan was developed in conjunction with input from our community having collected extensive data from parents, alumni, faculty, staff, and donors using surveys, retreats, focus groups, interviews, trend assessments and accreditation reports. The input of the BT community was pivotal to forming the goals set forth in the Strategic Plan. Using the data gathered and after rigorous deliberation and feedback, the Board formally approved the Strategic Plan in May 2023. The Strategic Plan was unprecedented with the collaboration between the Board of Trustees, Strategic Planning Task Force, and school faculty and staff. Our Strategic Plan sets a foundation for our next decade at Beth Tfiloh by focusing on five goals: 1. Strengthening Our Community 2. Supporting Our Faculty and Staff 3. Enhancing Our Program 4. Reimagining Our Learning Environment 5. Stewarding Our Future As we move ahead, the administration continues to collaborate closely with Mission and Data to implement the various goals outlined in the Strategic Plan with substantive measurable short and long-term outcomes. The Strategic Plan demonstrates our continued commitment to providing a thought-provoking academic experience rooted in Jewish values while instilling a strong Jewish identity infused with pride and joy in a warm and supportive environment. Beth Tifloh’ Strategic Plan outlines how we will use the strong foundation the school has established and take BT from strength to strength for generations to come. Sincerely,
Dr. Zipora Schorr Director of Education
Dodi Samuel ’98 Chair, Strategic Planning Committee Chair, Board of Trustees
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Our Mission Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School is a warm, supportive, and diverse community rooted in Torah values and Jewish traditions. Our school provides an education marked by academic excellence, joy of learning, respect, and attention to the individual. Our faculty fosters life-long learning and celebrates and supports students in reaching their goals as individuals and as members of the community. We prepare students to become compassionate leaders with integrity and character, who are proud, knowledgeable Jews, with a deep connection to Israel, its land and people.
Our Values
• דרך ארץDERECH ERETZ Joy • • שמחהSIMCHA Respect and dignity for the diversity of each individual • • בצלם אלקיםB’TZELEM ELOKIM Torah and Jewish values • • אהבת תורהAHAVAT TORAH Community • • קהילהKEHILLAH Commitment to Israel • • אהבת ארץ ישראלAHAVAT ERETZ YISRAEL Jewish pride and identity • • אני יהודיANI YEHUDI Respect and kindness to others •
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Goal 1:
Strengthen Our Community Goal Statement: Sustain and strengthen a cohesive, accepting school community that reflects our mission and core values by embracing and celebrating a broad spectrum of Jews; by cultivating empathetic changemakers; and by nurturing lifelong connections among students, parents, alumni, and faculty through authentic Jewish experiences and values. n
Create engagement opportunities that cultivate school ambassadorship, and pride, and amplifies the school’s mission by all stakeholders.
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Create an environment that welcomes Jewish students and extended families from a broad spectrum of observance levels who respect and celebrate both their similarities and differences.
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Inspire students to become changemakers through meaningful hands-on community service-learning experiences that impact lives in Baltimore and around the world.
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Create an environment where all students, parents, alumni and staff feel welcome, heard, and respected by the school and each other, and remain connected to their BT community throughout their lives.
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Ensure that the Judaics curriculum reflects the school’s mission to be a community rooted in Torah values and Jewish traditions with a strong connection to Israel while remaining open and welcoming to students and families from all levels of observance.
Goal 2:
Support Our Faculty and Staff Goal Statement: Cultivate a collaborative working environment where faculty and staff feel prepared, supported and empowered to deliver an exceptional program aligned to our school’s mission and values that meets the academic and social/emotional needs of each child, promotes life-long learning and enhances a strong Jewish identity. n
Attract, support, and retain high-caliber faculty and staff who reflect and align with Beth Tfiloh’s mission and values and are committed to celebrating and supporting students in reaching their goals as individuals and as members of the BT community.
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Invest time and resources in robust relevant professional development and leadership opportunities for our faculty and staff to support innovative programming and teaching.
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Ensure collaboration and alignment among faculty across divisions to support innovative and collaborative teaching and learning, clear and consistent goals.
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Regularly reassess faculty and staff compensation and benefits to ensure we remain competitive and can recruit mission-aligned talent.
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Demonstrate our respect for the wellbeing and dignity of all faculty and staff by supporting work-life balance and wellness for them.
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Goal 3:
Enhance our Program Goal Statement: Enhance our general and Judaic studies programs to emphasize academic excellence, innovative pedagogy, student-centered learning and student experience.
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Strengthen our academic program to challenge, enrich and support the individual learning needs of each student to provide challenging and rigorous instruction at all levels.
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Strengthen and enrich our athletic, arts, and cocurricular programs to elevate the dynamic student experience.
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Strengthen and enrich the college guidance experience to prepare and assist students for life beyond Beth Tfiloh.
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Enhance our Judaic studies program to support our students in the development of their Jewish pride and identity and deep connection to Israel.
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Strengthen modern Hebrew fluency of students.
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Ensure curricular and programmatic alignment and partnership between divisions.
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Prioritize the social and emotional wellness of all students through resources and programming that reinforce and embody our values of respect and kindness (derech eretz), joy (simcha), and attention to each individual’s needs.
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Continue to review and update the network infrastructure and technological tools to support our programming and to ensure students develop the skills they will need for future success.
Goal 4:
Reimagine Our Learning Environment Goal Statement: Plan, create and maintain physical spaces (facilities), both indoor and outdoor, that optimize student development and learning aligned with the mission of Beth Tfiloh. n
Engage in master planning to prioritize facility needs and uses.
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Invest in modernizing and updating the physical spaces of Beth Tfiloh including: indoor, outdoor, athletic, play and learning spaces to maximize the student experience and reflect the quality of the school’s program.
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Goal 5:
Steward Our Future Goal Statement: Ensure short and long-term financial health of the school through financial planning, robust financial resource development, strategic tuition setting, and careful analysis of key cost centers. n
Regularly analyze tuition and fee increases to keep pace with budget pressures while maintaining an awareness of our position amongst our competitors and a sensitivity towards affordability.
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Develop a major gifts culture to support annual and long-term needs of the school.
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Articulate and create student recruitment strategies to emphasize the strength and value of a Beth Tfiloh education to attract new students and families who may choose other schools.
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Continue to build an endowment to provide for financial assistance, programmatic enhancements, and to provide a safety net for unanticipated operational deficits.
Create learning and gathering spaces for students and faculty that foster a sense of community and unity.
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STRATEGIC PLANNING TASK FORCE Administrators Dr. Schorr, Director of Education Mandi Miller, Director of Institutional Advancement Allison Magat, Chief Administrative Officer Joan Feldman, Director of Strategic Initiatives 2022-23 Board Leadership Becky Brenner, President Dodi Samuel, Vice-President Aaron Levinoff, Treasurer Vered Taylor, At-Large Officer Faculty Representatives Helaine Steinberg, Director of College Guidance Rivka Bresler, 4th Grade Teacher
3300 Old Court Road | Baltimore, MD 21208 | bethtfiloh.com | 410.486.1900