STRATEGIC PL AN
STRATEGIC PL AN
Gathering input from the faculty and staff
In total, we gathered over 800 pieces of data to form our plan
THE PROCESS At St. Mark’s Episcopal School, we believe in empowering our students with the tools they will need to learn about themselves and the world they live in. In our Portrait of a Graduate, we state that we hope our graduates will take initiative for their own learning, developing autonomy and resourcefulness. Simply put, we are working every single school day to grow a sense of agency in children. Over the past few years, we have sought to create an intentionally collaborative system of adults who are also developing their own sense of agency. As educators, we understand that modeling the characteristics we hope our students will have helps us to create a school culture that inspires innovation, enthusiasm, and engagement. This strategic plan was developed with thoughtful consideration of this collaborative mindset. After identifying EcoEthos as our partner and guide for the work, we began by building two teams to help lead us. The Steering Committee was formed primarily of staff in leadership roles and one representative from the Board of Trustees. Its purpose was to shepherd the process and ensure the board was informed and aligned with the progress, and, ultimately, the outcome. The Process Team was formed primarily of faculty and staff who were trained to lead the community input sessions. These sessions, held in the fall, allowed us to gather hundreds of pieces of information from every constituent group in our school. Special thanks goes to both of these teams, as they were called for heavy lifting that spanned the entire duration of this work. St. Mark’s, as its mission, celebrates the uniqueness of each child and serves as stewards of their intellectual curiosity, faith, and passion for discovery. Our work is more than building knowledge; it is building people who are ready for the world ahead of them. We know there are many ways that St. Mark’s is already doing this well, and, we are called to evolve in ways that ensure we continue to lead with
our strengths and build upon them. We are continuously informed by research that helps us better understand how the brain works, how children learn, and how to routinely improve upon the design of our learning environment to serve each learner in it. We are, at our core, child centered and learner centered. This Strategic Plan is a great source of pride to our school. Every member of our faculty and staff and trustees contributed their voice to it, and every parent in this community, high school aged alumni, and 8th grade student was invited to participate as well. The plan itself is made up of four goals, and each goal has objectives. Our goals are inspirational and will be considered accomplished when we successfully achieve each objective. You may notice that the Strategic Plan does not give us step-by-step tasks to accomplish. Rather, we feel that it is crucial that the tactical process is identified thoughtfully by the people responsible for its execution. This ensures a level of ownership and agency over the work as it is being completed. As such, we will begin each of the next three to five years by targeting which goals to pursue first, identifying stakeholders within the organization to work collaboratively toward achieving them, researching how to best accomplish each objective, and sharing consistent communication to all in our community. I am incredibly proud of this community and offer thanks to countless voices that lended their perspective to this work. At the end of this report, you will find the list of the members of our Steering Committee and Process Team, without whom this exercise would not have been possible. Thank for you loving St. Mark’s and giving so much of yourself to planning for our future.
Garhett Wagers Headmaster
Students, parents, faculty and staff, and trustees were invited to place a dot on the timeline, representing when they joined the St. Mark’s community; Students from the class of 2023 pose in front of the timeline; Mrs. Duncan poses with students from the class of 2023 in front of the timeline
T H E C O M M U N I T Y O F S T. M A R K ’ S E P I S C O P A L S C H O O L CELEBRATES THE UNIQUENESS OF EACH CHILD. WE ARE STEWARDS OF OUR STUDENT S’ INTELLECTUAL C U R I O S I T Y, F A I T H , A N D P A S S I O N F O R D I S C O V E R Y. W E C U L T I V A T E J O Y, P L AY F U L N E S S , A N D G R O W T H I N A C H I L D - C E N T E R E D E N V I R O N M E N T.
MISSION
PORTRAIT OF A S T. M A R K ’ S GRADUATE
A St. Mark’s graduate is a mindful, active learner who embraces the challenges of a robust educational experience and is ethically and spiritually motivated to make a positive contribution to the community and the world. This is demonstrated through his or her relationship to learning, self, and others.
REL ATIONSHIP TO LEARNING
REL ATIONSHIP TO SELF
REL ATIONSHIP TO OTHERS
A St. Mark’s graduate…
A St. Mark’s graduate demonstrates…
A St. Mark’s graduate practices…
demonstrates intellectual curiosity and a fearless pursuit of knowledge takes initiative for and ownership of his or her learning thinks creatively and seeks opportunities to innovate displays flexibility in thought and action seeks challenges and embraces exploration collaborates and shares in the spirit of learning
empathy resilience self-awareness resourcefulness empowerment kindness integrity moral courage compassion mindfulness autonomy gratitude
respect for all people and cultures open-mindedness inclusiveness global awareness cultural sensitivity responsible citizenship service to others
As educators at St. Mark’s, we celebrate the uniqueness of each child. We are stewards of our students’ learning, modeling intellectual curiosity and a passion for discovery. We cultivate joy, playfulness, and growth in a child-centered environment. Our actions as teachers, individuals, and community leaders uphold this ideal.
REL ATIONSHIP TO TEACHING AND MENTORING An educator at St. Mark’s… engages children and inspires learning balances the art and science of teaching embraces each child as a member of our community and works to meet his or her needs creates a positive, playful environment for learning possesses content knowledge and experience commensurate with job responsibilities prepares and delivers lessons in support of varied learning styles explores and utilizes emerging tools and techniques to meet the needs of 21st century learners communicates information about student learning and behavior in an authentic and tactful manner actively reflects on his or her practice and seeks to improvecollaborates and shares in the spirit of learning
CHARACTERISTICS OF PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE
REL ATIONSHIP TO SELF
REL ATIONSHIP TO COMMUNIT Y
An educator at St. Mark’s…
An educator at St. Mark’s practices…
flexibility passion commitment selflessness self-discipline enthusiasm grace dignity accessibility and approachability moral courage ownership of personal learning needs initiative creativity and curiosity an innovative spirit
Respect for the inherent dignity of students open, respectful interactions with parents, colleagues, students a commitment to the school through active participation, engagement in positive conversation, and support of colleagues an understanding of and appreciation for the Episcopal school tradition service to others global awareness and cultural sensitivity communication that builds relationships of growth and trust collegiality and sharing of resources and ideas service to others
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
GOAL ONE
GOAL T WO
We are committed to continually exploring and implementing teaching resources and strategies that support the development of the whole child through their years at St. Mark’s.
St. Mark’s will empower our students’ development toward becoming independent, selfaware graduates who thrive in a globally and digitally interconnected world.
OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVES
Clearly identify mission-fit students during the admission process, while evaluating learning needs to ensure we can serve each child we enroll.
Strengthen school-parent partnerships to support our students’ growing independence in the areas of social-emotional growth, cognition, and agency.
Hire and train faculty to serve the range of learning styles and challenges of our students.
Expand student opportunities to develop cross-cultural competencies and self-awareness in a global community.
Implement curriculum resources and teaching strategies that promote the development of competencies needed to succeed in a rapidly changing world.
Reinforce the partnership we share with parents in supporting how our students balance the role of technology in all aspects of their lives.
Cultivate a culture of collaboration among faculty that best supports the needs of our students.
Further advance our methods for supporting the integration of students’ cognitive and socialemotional development.
Implement an approach to student and faculty evaluation that better measures what we value in teaching and learning.
Better define accountability and responsibility regarding student conduct to guide our efforts in supporting every students’ growth.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
GOAL THREE
GOAL FOUR
We will embrace and celebrate our identity as an Episcopal school as we nurture the spiritual foundation of every student.
We are committed to maintaining a sound financial position to provide St. Mark’s with the flexibility to act upon opportunities that optimize student learning and experiences.
OBJECTIVES Develop a clear understanding among our faculty, parents, and students of the principles that form our identity as an Episcopal school, practiced through school worship, community life, religious formation and study, and social justice. Practice and model a culture of civil conversation around diversity and inclusion. Review, clarify, and align the St. Mark’s approach to religious education. Establish a program of authentic, age-appropriate service learning for all students.
OBJECTIVES Bolster our ability to pursue opportunities that will positively impact our infrastructure, programming, and staffing. Create a comprehensive campus master plan in partnership with St. Mark’s Episcopal Church that supports our vision for programming and enrollment. Explore alternative sources of revenue beyond tuition that allow us to better serve our community.
STRATEGIC PL AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This Strategic Plan would not have been possible without the help of the following groups of individuals. Thank you for lending your voice, your wisdom, and your time to help us shape the future of St. Mark’s.
STEERING COMMITTEE Matt Burgy Amanda Duplantis Carrie Gillette Eve Grubb Bobbye Hicks Jean Marie Howard Cortney Richa-Hebert Allie Sarahan Lou Ellen Stansell Garhett Wagers
PROCESS TEAM Gauri Arora Sarah Beckmann Caity Dillon Amanda McGee Brandon Scott Kristin Sullivan Kristin Uptmor Shanna van der Schans Garhett Wagers Barbara Williams
S T. M A R K ’ S C O M M U N I T Y M E M B E R S The St. Mark’s Board of Trustees St. Mark’s Faculty and Staff St. Mark’s Parents The St. Mark’s Class of 2019 Friends of St. Mark’s
THE ECOETHOS TEAM Joanne Chu Shelley Paul Reid Mizell