3 minute read
Our School Advisory Board
Making Plans for the Future of St. Dominic School
As parents, parishioners, and community professionals, School Advisory Board members are able to bring a unique perspective to the table when it comes to school leadership.
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“It’s hugely valuable in guiding our next steps for improvement and helping us celebrate the schools’ current strengths,” St. Dominic School principal Carol Frericks says. “When people are beginning on a school board, you want them to help in evaluating where we are now, so that from their perspective, we can really take stock of our strengths and make plans for our next steps. They have experiences as parents and community members and bring a rich perspective to the table.”
As a relatively new principal, Mrs. Frericks says the School Board’s guidance and perspective has been invaluable in shaping her understanding of and overall plans for the future of St. Dominic School. It’s enabled her to gain a far deeper appreciation for the many good things being accomplished by our school while also providing her with needed insight on how to continue moving forward with both vision and purpose. continued on page 5
“Through their help and guidance, we were able to take a quick assessment of our school right at the beginning of the year,” Mrs. Frericks says. “To look at where we are now, look at the previous long-range plan that was in place, and then get ready to start an entirely new strategic plan. Our goal was to develop a comprehensive vision of what our school would look like five years from now.”
One of the many graces that has come from this experience is to see how closely aligned the Board and teaching staff truly are; to know that everyone is on the same page in terms of our school’s strengths, such as its rich curriculum, strong Catholic identity, and substantial technological offerings. From there, Mrs. Frericks says the focus naturally shifts to how we can make those strengths even stronger while also growing in new areas.
“We have a lot of great technology, but this year we discussed the need to continue both monitoring and improving in that area,” Mrs. Frericks says. “How is it impacting the students and their overall engagement? How is it impacting the parents’ perspective of the school? Another area that both the teachers and School Board members felt needed some improvement is the actual use of the assessments that we do for the diocese. We take the assessments and are aware of the results, but how can we use them to create more meaningful instruction?”
By giving of their time and talents in this way, School Board members gain a far deeper understanding of the school and its operations than they might previously have had. They are also able to make plans for the school, which will have a lasting impact not only on their own children but on many generations to come.
“They have a much deeper understanding of what goes on in running the school than perhaps they were even aware of previously,” Mrs. Frericks says. “They also really enjoy making plans for the things that need to happen during a school year. When you contribute to what happens here at St. Dominic School, you know that it is making the difference in the life of a child. It is making a difference in the school culture and the support system that we provide for families. Your time and talent to enrich the Catholic education opportunity for our parish.”
