A Community of Innovation
Strategic Plan 2017
The Bright Future of our School Dear Sea Crest School Community: Our mission grounds us in what we most value about a Sea Crest education. Comprised of four major sections: Cultivate Community, Program Innovation, Strengthen the Institution and Infrastructure Development, our Strategic Plan is our guide for the next five years and helps us to focus on how to best fulfill this mission. Designed as a visionary document, our Strategic Plan was formulated during our 20th anniversary year, with input from our constituents – pupils, faculty, staff, administration, trustees, parents and alumni/ae, as part of our re-accreditation process. This truly collaborative document was finalized by our Strategic Planning Committee, comprising faculty, staff, administrators and trustees, and ratified by the Board. Sea Crest has seen significant growth, especially in our Middle School. From our humble beginnings of 24 pupils, we now stand at almost 300, the highest enrollment in our history. This is in large part due to the high caliber of our faculty and staff, deeply committed trustee volunteers, supportive parents, combined with a vigorous curriculum and engaged pupils. It is indeed an exhilarating time to be part of the Sea Crest community! Developing authentic relationships is important to us. As we reach towards the goals of our Strategic Plan, we recognize that we can accomplish them only if we continue to work together, never becoming complacent or resting on our laurels and always keeping our sights on achieving greatness in all that we undertake. Celebrating the present and looking forward to the future,
Dr. Tekakwitha M. Pernambuco-Wise Head of School
Amy Ramsey Chair of Board
Purpose & Outcome Statements Mission Sea Crest School is dedicated to providing the best in innovative education to inspire and empower our learners to engage curiosity, express creativity, act with compassion and lead with courage.
Portrait of a Graduate A Sea Crest graduate is: • An innovative problem-solver who is not afraid to take risks. • An ethical leader with the courage to do what is right. • A critical thinker who is prepared to meet intellectual challenges. • A thoughtful collaborator who strives to improve the community.
Characteristics of Professional Excellence A Sea Crest teacher is: • An innovative educator with a strong command of subject matter. • A lifelong learner who pursues and inspires growth. • A compassionate professional with an understanding of child development. • An authentic leader who demonstrates personal accountability and moral courage.
Strategic Goals Cultivate Community
Goal 1: Cultural competency & Inclusivity
Program Innovation Goal 2: Assessments Goal 3: Technology
Strengthen the Institution Goal 4: Branding Goal 5: Long-term Relationships Goal 6: Philanthropy
Infrastructure Development Goal 7: Strategic Financial Plan Goal 8: Master Facilities Plan Goal 9: Vision & Resources Goal 10: Leadership
Goal 1
Increase
cultural competency and inclusivity in the school community
Why this is important Students learn best when they share a sense of belonging and are valued for who they are in the community. Cultural competency helps community members develop an awareness of self and others and cultivate compassion, empathy, curiosity and courage.
cultivate community
How we will achieve it • Defining the mission and vision of cultural competency and inclusion work. • Developing a cultural competency and inclusion plan, with a timeline, resources and assessments.
Goal 2
Develop a well articulated, school-wide assessment plan
to support student development
Why this is important A comprehensive assessment plan addresses the development of the whole child; integrating academic, co-curricular and social-emotional learning. Systematic data collection and analysis will help ensure program efficacy, identify areas of programmatic opportunities and improve the learning experience for students.
How we will achieve it • Mapping measurable end of school year learning outcomes and implement assessment program in all subject areas. • Developing program performance evaluation tools for each assessment area: academic, character/social-emotional learning, service learning and environmental stewardship. • Developing and implementing professional development to support assessment program.
program innovation
Goal 3
Integrate
digital literacy and technology into the curriculum
Why this is important Students who are digitally literate and highly skilled at using technology are well-prepared for the rapidly changing environment that meets them as they progress through the educational system and into the workforce.
program innovation
How we will achieve it • Defining what digital literary means to Sea Crest School. • Developing curricular practices, assessments, resources and professional development for the technology integration, innovation lab and digital literacy programs. • Designing an on-going plan for review to stay abreast of technological advances.
Goal 4
Define
sea crest school’s branding in the community
Why this is important A clear brand indicates to the internal and external communities the value of a Sea Crest education, enabling the matriculation of mission-appropriate students and their families. It also helps the school to attain its goal of full enrollment.
strengthen the institution
How we will achieve it • Assessing all communications and marketing materials to ensure a consistent visual look and message. • Developing assessments to measure and communicate progress toward “Portrait of a Graduate” deliverables. • Conducting demographic study to determine true market opportunity on the coast-side and San Francisco Bay peninsula communities. • Developing and implementing a data-driven Enrollment Management and Financial Aid Plan.
Goal 5
Cultivate long-term
relationships with families
Why this is important Sea Crest prides itself on having a strong community. It is imperative to develop and maintain deep connections with families in all aspects of the school (including volunteering, marketing and development) to enhance their experience and ensure retention.
strengthen the institution
How we will achieve it • Developing and implementing a Parent Retention and Education Plan (PREP). • Designing assessment tools to measure effectiveness for increasing retention from Lower to Middle School. • Developing and implementing an Alumni Outreach Program.
Goal 6
Enhance the culture of
philanthropy to support budgetary needs
Why this is important Like most independent schools, Sea Crest’s tuition revenue does not cover operating costs and depends on fundraising to balance the budget. In order to continue providing the best in innovative education, Sea Crest must increase the culture of philanthropy amongst its constituents.
strengthen the institution
How we will achieve it • Conducting a feasibility study to determine philanthropic capacity of constituents. • Formulating and implementing a Development Plan with on-going assessment.
Goal 7
Develop and implement
a strategic financial plan to support the strategic plan
Why this is important A Strategic Financial Plan will set the framework and guide Sea Crest’s mission-driven and student-centered Strategic Plan.
How we will achieve it • Formulating, implementing and monitoring the Strategic Financial Plan.
infrastructure development
Goal 8
Develop and maintain
a master facilities plan
Why this is important A comprehensive Master Facilities Plan will ensure that the school is purposefully, methodically and systematically planning for maintenance needs while anticipating future expansions based on programmatic priorities.
How we will achieve it • Implementing the Master Facilities Plan, to include facilities and security audits. • Conducting a Capital Campaign for Outdoor Learning Spaces. • Planning and constructing Outdoor Learning Spaces.
Goal 9
Define
the vision and resources necessary to ensure financial sustainability and talent retention
Why this is important In order for the school to achieve long-term sustainability, it is critical to define a clear vision and develop a solid financial plan to continue providing the best in innovative education and achieve the high reaching goals that we are setting forth in this Strategic Plan. Paramount to this is attracting and retaining a superior caliber of faculty/staff.
How we will achieve it • Conducting research and exploring topics for the vision of the school. • Institutionalizing and maintaining funding for the Professional Growth and Renewal (PGR) program. • Researching school-wide staffing needs to ascertain appropriate quality and level of staffing, including advancement office, the technology department and the administration team. • Conducting research and implementing the best strategies to attract and retain high quality faculty/staff. • Further developing the Health and Wellness program for administration, faculty and staff.
infrastructure development
infrastructure development
Goal 10
Develop
a leadership plan to ensure smooth operations and a strong board of trustees
Why this is important As the school has grown and matured, the Board has evolved from operational to strategic functions resulting in a need for administrators to undertake roles previously filled by trustee volunteers. A leadership plan is necessary to lessen operational gaps and ensure the administrative and leadership teams effectively fulfill their duties. As the Board focuses on the long-term vision for the school, it is important to continue recruiting strong candidates and educating its Trustees so they can make informed decisions about the school’s future.
How we will achieve it • Delineating the roles of the Board (strategic) and Administration (operations). • Focusing on appropriate Trustee candidate cultivation and assessment, managed by the Committee on Trustees (COT). • Developing comprehensive cross-training and succession plans for the school’s administrative leadership.
Strategic Planning Committee CHAIR Lynn Marrs, Chair
MEMBERS Janicee Forchini Michelle Giacotto Stephanie Hanepen Jessica Patti Tekakwitha M. Pernambuco-Wise Anastasia Pickens Michael Thompson Sheila Woods
Board of Trustees 2016-2017
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Amy Ramsey, Chair Jim Bartel, Vice Chair Jacquie Cuvelier, CFO Tanya Gulesserian, Secretary Barry Franklin, At Large Dr. Tekakwitha M. Pernambuco-Wise, Head of School/Ex-Officio MEMBERS Sarah Griego Guz Rick Kowalczyk Laura Leber Kammeyer John Loeser Lynn Marrs John Meyer Paul Nagengast Ryan Popple Sue Reyneri Julie Walters TRUSTEE EMERITA Pam Izzo
901 Arnold Way Half Moon Bay, CA
seacrestschool.org 650.712.9892