Journey with Us
Trinity School Strategic Plan 2016–2019
OUR MISSION Trinity School gives each child a voice. We guide children to self-discovery. We celebrate the child’s growth in critical thinking, character development, and social responsibility. Trinity School encourages preschool to Grade 5 children from all backgrounds to love learning. We foster rigorous academics grounded in child-centered content and innovative practices. Trinity upholds the values and traditions of the Episcopal Church and honors the role of the family in educating children. The legacy of a Trinity education is a curious mind and a discerning heart.
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January 2016 Dear Friends of Trinity School, Journey with Us is Trinity School’s Strategic Plan for the next three years. We are thrilled to share it with you. Take a closer look to see how we build on Trinity’s promise—a strong foundation and safe learning for your children. Take a look to see our plans to innovate and deepen children’s learning and relationships. Journey with Us outlines five goals. • Community and Culture • Teaching + Learning • Admissions Pipeline and Enrollment • Middle School Transition • Building and Capital Campaign Building on Trinity School’s 2009 Strategic Plan, Journey with Us began with last year’s accreditation process. It incorporates that good thinking and those recommendations. It includes many hours of listening, reflecting, and discussing with teachers, parents, trustees, visiting professionals, administration, and church leaders. We thank these many contributors. Journey with us as Trinity School moves from planning to implementing. Look through these pages to learn the vision this Plan holds for each Trinity child. Join us in realizing these goals. Sincerely,
Mary Menacho Head of School
Eric Hass Chair, Board of Trustees 3
OUR VISION Leveraging our history of Episcopal inclusivity and academic preparedness, this strategic plan envisions innovations that will empower young change-makers to be confident, compassionate, and inquisitive people—those you would want to spend time with, those who might even heal the world.
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OUR 2016–2019 GOALS Community and Culture Strengthen and sustain a culture of learning, diversity, and compassion.
Teaching + Learning Confirm Trinity as a leader in attracting and retaining professionals committed to personalized and innovative student learning that builds on the school’s foundational traditions to achieve each child’s best outcomes.
Admission Pipeline and Enrollment Increase enrollment to capacity with a waiting list for early grades.
Middle School Transition Place each child in a middle school where he/she will thrive, utilizing a process that thoughtfully supports and informs families along the way.
Building and Capital Campaign Provide spaces that delight children, parents, and teachers and become part of the reason why parents want to send their children to Trinity and why teachers want to work here.
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COMMUNITY AND CULTURE GOAL Strengthen and sustain a culture of learning, diversity, and compassion. STRATEGY Engage, mobilize, and proactively educate students, personnel, parents, alumni, and the church communities in school activities that model the values we want students to embrace and act upon.
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INITIATIVES • Link school and family values by expanding diversity, service learning, and classroom projects, to more regularly include family participation and alumni. • Build and maintain alumni connection to Trinity School to recognize alumni accomplishments and to celebrate the people the School has formed. • Regularly communicate the respective roles and responsibilities of the School’s constituencies: Board of Trustees, TPA, personnel, students, alumni, and churches. 7
TEACHING + LEARNING GOAL Confirm Trinity as a leader in attracting and retaining professionals committed to personalized and innovative student learning that builds on the School’s foundational traditions to achieve each child’s best outcomes. STRATEGY Support teachers to extend and showcase innovative practices in their classrooms while meeting and exceeding the School’s academic standards. 8
INITIATIVES • Research “best in class” schools that leverage innovative practices while also demonstrating students’ academic standards mastery. • Highlight student work at a community level to demonstrate the quality and variety of student thinking and production. • Adopt an assessment tool that aligns to the School’s academic standards and supports student outcomes for project-based learning. • Provide formal training for faculty on design thinking, project-based learning, and other relevant classroom applications. • Analyze to better understand factors influencing faculty decisions in order to retain the very best mission-match teachers.
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ADMISSION PIPELINE AND ENROLLMENT GOAL Increase enrollment to capacity with a waiting list for early grades. STRATEGY Make Trinity more visible and attractive to prospective parents, both in and outside of faith communities, while reassuring current parents of Trinity’s value to their child’s academic and personal growth.
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INITIATIVES • Develop a compelling multi-media communication and marketing strategy to incorporate the power of student, teacher, parent, and alumni voices, uplifting Trinity’s unique blend of academic excellence and compassionate community • to diverse communities. • to emphasize Episcopal values of inquiry and inclusion. • Increase enrollment and retention by ensuring that admission and advancement offices are staffed for long term success and are sufficiently funded to create compelling material resources and to fully engage the commitment and enthusiasm of current and past parents, current students, and alumni.
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MIDDLE SCHOOL TRANSITION GOAL Place each child in a middle school where he/she will thrive, utilizing a process that thoughtfully supports and informs families along the way. STRATEGY Develop, test, and expand programs to reduce apprehension and increase education regarding the application process. INITIATIVES • Recommend a placement counselor to work with families for middle school planning. • Develop a young alumni (and parents) feedback tool to help acquaint parents with the strengths and unique attributes of each middle school.
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BUILDING AND CAPITAL CAMPAIGN GOAL Provide spaces that delight children, parents, and teachers and that inform why parents send their children to Trinity and why teachers want to work here. STRATEGY Plan, fund, and build for the renovation of the classroom building on the St. Bede’s campus. 14
INITIATIVES • Work with St. Bede’s Church to develop designs that meet church and School needs. • Assess Trinity community’s capacity to support a major capital campaign. • Envision and analyze space desires for current and future programs. • Explore financing options, including raising capital and financing. • Assuming adequate financial capacity, develop, and implement a capital campaign, including all constituencies past and present.
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“The legacy of a Trinity education is a curious mind and a discerning heart.” Strategic Planning Committee: Michelle Swenson, Chair Eric Hass, Board Chair Bess Kennedy, Trustee Carmen O’Shea, Parent Jeanne Cooper, Trustee Mary Menacho, Head of School Crystal Land, Consultant, Leadership + Design Board of Trustees: Eric Hass, Chair Paul Collins, Vice Chair Gillian Growdon, Secretary Immanuel Thangaraj, Treasurer Jeanne Cooper Dee Dee Dickey Rev. Matthew Dutton-Gillett Rev. Gia Hayes-Martin Ruth Housenbold Raj Jain Ward Johnson Bess Kennedy Ann Latta Mark McKee Jean Mou John Occhipinti Michelle Swenson
2650 Sand Hill Road Menlo Park, CA 94025 650.854.0288 www.trinity-mp.org Many thanks for the photos captured by parents and personnel.