BUILDING on Excellence
THE STRATEGIC PL AN FOR NOTRE DAME HIGH SCHOOL 2022-25
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otre Dame is very proud to share with you our new strategic plan entitled Building on Excellence. Whether you are an alumni, a parent, a student or friend of Notre Dame, our hope is that you will recognize the transformative power of this document to provide a roadmap for the future at 601 Lawrence Road. The new strategic plan has the support and approval of the Notre Dame Board of Governors and the tremendous dedication of our Strategic Planning Committee. We were able to have the input of over three hundred stakeholders who agreed to Zoom interviews. We collected their recommendations for growth and development and incorporated their ideas into the architecture of the new plan. Notre Dame’s Strategic Planning Committee selected Catholic School Management and their consultant, Mrs. Maria Ribera, to help us construct the plan which utilized the National Catholic Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Schools. Mrs. Ribera challenged everyone on the committee to dig deeper, support our findings by data and truly listen to the voice of our key stakeholders. As a result, we affirmed that Notre Dame has been built on a strong foundation of excellence which this plan will enhance and grow as part of our legacy for the future.
Where there are Catholic values, there is compassion and kindness. I see that everyday in the hallways of Notre Dame.” FACULTY MEMBER
Special thanks to the Notre Dame faculty and staff who deserve so much praise for their dedication to the mission of ND. Thank you to all of our parents who support their children and provide them with a first-class Catholic education. Thank you to our students who motivate us by their idealism and youthful energy. Finally, thank you to the Most Reverend David M. O’Connell, CM, Bishop of the Diocese of Trenton, and our Superintendent in the Department of Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Trenton, Dr. Vincent de Paul Schmidt, for their constant support of Notre Dame.
Ken Jennings President
Brian Duff Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee
GOAL
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GOAL
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OUR MISSION AND MERCY CORE VALUES
GOVERNANCE AND LEADERSHIP
Notre Dame will champion the enduring rewards of a distinctively Catholic education and honor the Mercy Core Values that inspire our dynamic community of young men and women to learn, live and lead with faith.
Notre Dame will implement a comprehensive communications plan that encourages connection, engagement and collaboration as we work together to achieve our strategic vision.
WE WILL WE WILL Elevate our Mercy Core Values throughout all facets of teaching and learning at Notre Dame—emphasizing faculty and staff formation, which will enable them to guide each student’s holistic growth.
A Catholic High School’s mission has two criteria: Have the students realize their maximum potential in all areas and prepare the students to gain entry to Heaven. I am very proud of the work Notre Dame is doing for the sake of our young adults.” DR. VINCENT DE PAUL SCHMIDT, SUPERINTENDENT FOR CATHOLIC SCHOOLS, DIOCESE OF TRENTON
Cultivate the diversity of our Catholic community and foster each student’s sense of belonging with a commitment to review our institution through a lens of equity, inclusion and justice. Connect belief and action with enhanced Christian service programs for students and the community’s ICAN service opportunities to answer our inherent calling to serve those in need.
Engage our community as stakeholders of this plan by sharing annual progress and regular updates and promoting milestones of our strategic objectives with appropriate external audiences. Evaluate and respond to feedback about the Notre Dame experience using annual satisfaction surveys for parents and students, with a keen eye on our first-year families, to increase retention and understand opportunities to strengthen support.
GOAL
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ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AND INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT Notre Dame will imbue transformative interdisciplinary experiences for intellectual growth to prepare students for success in higher education and the 21st-century workplace.
GOAL
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OPERATIONAL VITALITY: FINANCE AND FACILITIES Notre Dame will advance financial stability and support adept and responsible reaction to potential shifts in enrollment, economic conditions and the competitive marketplace.
WE WILL WE WILL Expand our robust academic program to include more options that enrich meaningful academic challenge for all learners, including the refinement of Academic Concentrations, and the Experior, AP Capstone, Dual-Credit and McAuley Programs.
We are committed to a Catholic education because it provides a moral foundation and value set you can lean on in life. That’s what we want for our kids.” PARENT
Pilot innovative learning opportunities within co-curricular, extracurricular and athletic programs to provide real-world experiences leading to students’ mastery of skills, including time management, collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving. Optimize our college counseling program to deliver an exceptional personal experience for students and families as they pursue their collegiate goals.
FINANCE Prepare for all contingencies with a long-range financial plan that guarantees long-term sustainability under best, likely and worst-case scenarios.
FACILITIES Create a comprehensive Campus Master Plan and Facilities Management Plan that prepares for the effects of enrollment growth and the expansion of programs on our campus’s buildings and grounds and future maintenance needs. Prioritize refurbishments to the educational environment—classrooms, library and other learning spaces—to enhance traditional and emergent teaching and learning methodologies.
TECHNOLOGY Optimize and advance the use of technology for instruction and organizational infrastructure with an extensive plan created and managed by a technology task force composed of the Technology Committee of the Board of Governors and Technology and Academic program leadership.
GOAL
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OPERATIONAL VITALITY: STRATEGIC ADVANCEMENT Notre Dame will develop data-informed annual and long-range plans for marketing, enrollment management and advancement that also allow us to remain nimble and responsive to changing markets, consumer behavior and marketing opportunities.
WE WILL MARKETING
ALUMNI RELATIONS
Launch a comprehensive marketing plan that promotes the school’s unique differentiators to build strong brand awareness across traditional and emerging communications channels that target ideal, right-fit families.
Establish a formal Alumni Association to manage a multi-strategy plan designed to serve alumni needs and open channels facilitating ongoing, two-way communication.
ENROLLMENT Build existing scholarship and tuition assistance programs to recognize the importance of the school’s connection with its alumni families.
When I first visited Notre Dame I found an open and engaging environment, and the teachers and students were friendly. ND offers good honors courses and a wide variety of athletics. I also liked how ND keeps Catholicism alive in the school, especially with the monthly masses.” STUDENT
Recruit Parent and Student Ambassadors with connections to non-Catholic partner schools and public schools as sources for potential enrollment growth. Partner with students and young alumni who reflect the portrait of a Notre Dame graduate to create a library of testimonials and inspirational stories about experiences, outcomes and accomplishments.
Seize opportunities to gather actionable feedback from young alumni through listening tours, surveys or individual outreach.
FUTURE FUNDING Populate the team of staff and volunteers responsible for cultivating Major Gifts and campaigns, including the Fund for Notre Dame, with an increased number of individuals with broad reach. Build the Cornerstone Society by leveraging the Board of Governors’ influence to grow membership and cultivate community partners and strategic partnerships.
FORWARD in Faith
As a college preparatory high school Notre Dame High School walks forward with faith in Jesus Christ and the intercession of our Blessed Mother, Mary, the patroness of our high school. Rooted in our Catholic Identity and our Mercy Core Values, Notre Dame looks forward in faith to a very strong future.
Current and New Facilities Initiatives at 601 Lawrence Road: • • • • • •
Replacement of the turf and track on Monsignor Nolan Field Construction of the new Soccer and Lacrosse Field Renovation of the Women’s and Men’s Locker Rooms In the future: New State of the Art Learning Commons In the future: Modernized Classrooms In the future: a new Athletic Center
Building our Endowment will enable us to do the following: • Award tuition assistance to further meet family needs • Provide merit scholarships to attract mission-driven students • Increase the professional development and learning experiences for our faculty and staff • Support Athletics, the Performing Arts and extracurricular programs • Deliver Mission and Ministry programs supporting our Kairos Retreats and Service Learning that deepens our Catholic Identity
STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE MEMBERS Brian Duff ’89, Committee Chair
Brian Malloy ’92, Director of Facilities
Ken Jennings, ND President
Pam Ponticiello P’19’21
Joanna Barlow, ND Principal
Joe Pratico ’06
Dr. Brian Bridgewater, Faculty Member
Rosa Rosado ’83, P’21
George Foley P’23
Denise Santoro P’21’25
Dr. Ellieen Ingbritsen, Faculty Member
Laura Sarubbi P’20’20’20, Director of Enrollment Management
Maggie Kelly, SVP, Director of Institutional Advancement Rebecca Bartuska ’02 Magro, Director of College and School Counseling
John Tattory ’83, P’12’14’18
Notre Dame is forever grateful to Mother McAuley and the Sisters of Mercy for their selfless dedication to education and caring for those in need. We are proud to continue the legacy of their Charism and Mercy Core Values of Respect, Integrity, Justice, Compassion and Service.
601 Lawrence Road Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
www.ndnj.org