The Meadowbrook School Strategic Plan
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Learning Teaching Community
Dear Friends, Meadowbrook is at a critical and exciting point in its history. All around us, changes are taking place in the educational landscape – changes that reflect our increasingly global society, new developments in pedagogy, and the advent of innovative, sophisticated technologies. With this in mind, we must ask ourselves: What must we do at Meadowbrook to fulfill our mission, sustain our standards of excellence, and remain relevant – all while preserving the best of our rich history and embracing the promise of the future? In response, I am pleased to present Meadowbrook’s 2015 Strategic Plan. This document will serve as an institutional roadmap for Meadowbrook during the next five to ten years, providing guidance for our entire community as we address the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. In the spirit of Meadowbrook, the creation of the Plan has been an thoroughly inclusive process; over the course of many months – and many meetings – we have solicited and integrated insightful opinions and feedback from board members, key volunteers, faculty, staff, alumni, and parents. The Plan centers on a commitment to foster excellence across three key areas: learning, teaching, and community – all of which are hallmarks of a Meadowbrook education. The specific – and attainable – goals we have identified across these three areas fill me with hope for the future of our school. I wish to thank our Strategic Planning Committee, led by Jenny Seeman and David Cappillo, for their exemplary work in shaping the plan. I would also like to thank our trustees J.P. Fine and Bill Cronin, who have consulted closely with the Strategic Planning Committee in the preparation of Meadowbrook’s Master Plan. Above all, I want to thank the entire Meadowbrook community for your continued support, enthusiasm, and passion for our school. Together, we will continue to strive – and achieve – excellence in all we do. Sincerely, Stephen T. Hinds Headmaster
Mission We know, love, and challenge every child.
Vision The Meadowbrook School is committed to providing an exemplary, inspirational K-8 educational experience.
Together, as a diverse community with high academic, ethical and social standards, we nurture character, promote confidence, inspire creativity and foster critical thinking skills as we guide each child’s journey in the pursuit of excellence.
To keep Meadowbrook on an upward trajectory and to sustain our position as a leader in K-8 education, we aim to foster excellence in three areas:
• Learning • Teaching • Community Excellence, in this context, is defined as having a high quality and caliber, having distinction and merit, and striving for mastery. While we know that
Goals
Meadowbrook is not without its limitations, we have chosen to highlight the idea of excellence in order to articulate our desire for constant improvement and growth.
We aim to keep our children happy and engaged, and hold them accountable to high expectations while fostering a love of learning and preparing them for life beyond Meadowbrook.
Excellence in Learning
Learning
Advance the best curriculum and teaching methodologies, continuing our precedent of high academic standards. Utilize the best of Meadowbrook’s proven traditions while keeping an eye to the future. • Refine forward thinking curriculum and use collaborative classroom practices. • Integrate design thinking mindset in all areas of the school. • Deepen the school’s commitment to service learning and public purpose. • Explore best practices in online learning and consider the extent that Meadowbrook should utilize it.
Develop our facilities to better accommodate the curriculum and allow for richer learning opportunities. • Establish a new Academic Center that serves as a hub for students, teachers, and parents, and provides space for new curricular methods. • Rebuild Lower School classrooms. • Reconfigure the library to meet 21st-century standards. • Build a series of flexible, collaborative spaces for interdisciplinary activities throughout the school.
The expertise, passion, energy, and dedication of our teachers are at the heart of our children’s Meadowbrook experience. Parents place tremendous value on the student-teacher relationship. Ensuring that our teachers are engaged, happy, and supported is critical to the success of our school.
Excellence in Teaching
• Remain in the top three among area schools in salaries and competitive benefits. • Support teachers’ professional growth to enrich students’ academic experience. • Establish partnerships with other schools and universities to discover and promote best practices. • Support faculty participation at local and national conferences. • Develop a system for substitute teaching that maintains Meadowbrook’s standards. • Promote work/life balance and faculty wellness.
Broaden the scope of the Meadowbrook Leadership Institute (MLI). • Consider a sabbatical program to provide research and development opportunities for teachers. • Establish Meadowbrook as a national example for educators to learn about areas such as multicultural education, collaborative learning, technology, and other curricular initiatives.
Teaching
Teaching
Recruit and retain great teachers.
Develop our facilities to accommodate collaboration among faculty and staff. • Create space for collaboration and communication among faculty and administrators. • Optimize departmental integration by reorganizing physical office spaces of faculty and administrators.
Implement an appropriate organizational structure to sustain Meadowbrook for the future. • Develop a new organizational chart and update the administrative succession plan. • Monitor our administrative structure based on recent and future changes ensuring that there is adequate oversight for our children and our teachers.
We are a family of parents, educators, and students firmly grounded in our mission; we share common values around the importance of deep learning, high expectations, and respect for one another. For Meadowbrook to continue to flourish, we must be proactive in addressing the needs of our community.
Excellence in Community
• Create an endowment to support financial assistance and increase socioeconomic diversity. • Develop a strategy to recruit families from diverse neighborhoods in the Boston metropolitan area. • Expand bus transportation beyond current routes.
Provide opportunities for parents and others to engage with the Meadowbrook experience. • Ensure that all programs are “high touch” and provide a personal experience for every family by offering multiple ways to engage and participate. • Provide opportunities for regular feedback. • Examine the daily school schedule and after-school program to consider both family needs and healthy child development. • Improve and update the school’s website on a regular basis to ensure efficient and effective communications.
Community
Community
Improve the accessibility and affordability of a Meadowbrook education for families with a wide range of backgrounds.
Develop our facilities to better accommodate our community and work environment. • Develop an inviting and welcoming admissions space. • Create space for parents to come together and conduct committee work, promoting a community-wide exchange of ideas.
Strategic Planning Committee Jenny Seeman, Co-chair and Trustee
Kate Ellis, Trustee
David Cappillo, Co-chair and Trustee
Lisa Lebovitz, Trustee
Tom Grape, Board President
Sandy Smith, 4th Grade Teacher
Chris Austen, Trustee
Brendan Largay, Middle School Head
Kevin Callaghan, Trustee
Steve Hinds, Headmaster
Bill Cronin, Trustee
10 Farm Road Weston, Massachusetts 02493-2479 www.meadowbrook-ma.org
“In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.” – from the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy