STRATEGIC
DIRECTIONS Archbishop's Pastoral Letter on Education Superintendent's Message STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS IN FOUR CORE VALUE AREAS CATHOLIC IDENTITY WE BELIEVE… We believe that the Catholic identity of our schools is richly expressed through the living example and actions of the members of the school community. Prayer, the sacramental life of the community, the celebration of our Catholic traditions, and the symbols of our faith are central to the mission of Catholic school education. The integration of moral teachings throughout the Catholic school curriculum and the commitment to living those teachings through social action are fundamental. Our schools are staffed by faculty members who give witness to their faith and call their students to do the same. In this tradition, Catholic schools embody the teachings of Jesus Christ and the mission of the Church. Our schools are open to people of all faiths, cultures and socioeconomic levels. The schools strive to form a bond with the parishes and communities that they serve. WE COMMIT… We commit to celebrating our Catholic identity in the Archdiocesan marketing campaign by emphasizing the faith formation of students from early childhood through secondary education. We commit to developing educational and formational programs that address the need for priests, deacons, consecrated religious and laity to support and be present within our elementary and secondary schools. We commit to recruiting quality teachers and administrators who embrace Catholic identity and to providing them with ongoing adult faith formation. We commit to encouraging each school to discover and celebrate the individual charism of the consecrated religious, priests, deacons and lay communities that founded the school and to fostering a continuation of their presence and principles in the future. WE WILL… We will ensure that the school’s mission statement embraces its Catholic identity, including Christian humanism, Christian relationships and global solidarity, as well as the unique charism of the institution. We will partner with the Office of Catholic Schools to nurture the journey of faith with educational and formational programs that extend over the continuum of early childhood through secondary education. We will develop outreach efforts to promote the benefits of Catholic school education for a more diverse audience, including people of other faiths, cultures and socioeconomic status. We will actively integrate the school community, including parents, into the ongoing life of the parish(es). We will display key symbols of the Catholic faith within our school
and, when possible, hire qualified personnel who are ordained in the
Roman Catholic Church or are members of consecrated religious communities. QUALITY CATHOLIC EDUCATION WE BELIEVE… We believe that the unique value of a Catholic education stems from a program of studies integrating Catholic faith formation with a curriculum that prepares students for academic excellence and challenges them to reach their full potential. Highly qualified, dedicated faculty partner with parents, the primary educators of their children, to effectively model “faith in action” and encourage students to celebrate their unique gifts and to live their faith. Students are nurtured in a safe and disciplined environment that is conducive to learning and are encouraged to witness to their faith in the broader community through a commitment to social action. Catholic schools teach students of all faiths, cultures and socioeconomic levels to be lifelong learners and responsible citizens of their local communities and a global society. WE COMMIT… We commit to recruiting and retaining high quality, committed teachers, administrators and staff in our Catholic schools. We commit to providing schools with the tools necessary to secure available local, state, federal and private funding and to advocating for additional state and federal resources for our schools. We commit to raising the bar for academic excellence by developing a standards-based curriculum for schools that clearly defines performance outcomes. We commit to exploring the possibility of programs for special needs and gifted students. We commit to working with the schools to provide additional professional development opportunities for teachers, administrators and staff in order to leverage best practices for 21st-century learning. We commit to fostering partnerships among schools – early childhood
through Catholic higher education – to promote an effective collaboration
among all levels of Catholic education. ACCESSIBILITY WE BELIEVE… We believe that a quality Catholic school education must be accessible
to all students. The lack of financial resources for tuition and other
costs, and transportation limitations, should not be obstacles for families
who seek a Catholic school education for their children. We believe each
Catholic school provides a safe environment that welcomes and celebrates
diversity, embracing ethnic, cultural, religious and economic differences,
and in the process, produces the future leaders of our Church and community.
Catholic schools must continue to welcome all those who seek the opportunities
that we offer. We must explore new school models and new funding sources
to enhance accessibility, for the economically disadvantaged as well as
the disabled; and must advocate to acquire greater local, state and federal
resources in order to strengthen the viability of our schools. We commit to expanding initiatives to market our schools to culturally diverse communities, particularly in urban areas. We commit to providing the resources for our schools to cultivate a spirit of cooperation, to explore alternative school models and governance structures, and to implement more effective financial management processes. We commit to providing teachers and administrators with continuing professional development to help them understand and effectively work with a culturally diverse population. We commit to seeking additional sources of funding that will provide increased tuition assistance, encouraging student recruitment and retention. We commit to working with the Connecticut Federation of Catholic School Parents to advocate at the state and local levels for equitable and just resources for Catholic schools. We commit to working with and engaging our priests in promoting our Catholic schools in order to strengthen the faith formation of our children, thus providing moral and ethical future leaders for the Church and the world.
We will cultivate a welcoming environment for current and prospective families as well as the broader community. We will partner with the Office of Catholic Schools and the community to ensure that effective advancement efforts are made at the local level to create mission-driven methods of fund-raising. We will seek collaboration of thought and sharing of resources among our Catholic schools. We will seek increased visibility and support in area parishes without schools so that our schools are more accessible to all those seeking a Catholic school education. We will pursue grants and corporate support in the local community for our schools. We will establish committee-driven school boards whose membership is drawn from a multitude of constituencies (i.e., priests, religious, parents, grandparents, alumni, parishioners, friends and business leaders).
WE BELIEVE… We believe that advancement activities are critical to the ongoing success
of our Catholic schools and must be supported by the entire Catholic community,
including parishes with and without schools. Enhanced marketing efforts,
both Archdiocesan and local, strengthen this support while providing schools
with greater visibility to achieve full enrollment. A network of advancement
information, resources and best practices, shared across the Archdiocese,
further enhances all Catholic schools, individually and collectively. Planning
for the long-term vitality and viability of Catholic schools is the most
significant challenge facing administrators and school boards. For this
reason, we believe the priests, school leaders, board members and all who
actively support Catholic schools have a great opportunity to be collaborative
agents for change in advancing the mission of Catholic schools. The Office of Catholic Schools commits to the following initiatives: We commit to creating and executing an Archdiocesan marketing plan that promotes Catholic schools and provides them with greater visibility to support their recruitment efforts. We commit to providing schools with the tools necessary to plan and conduct their own successful marketing and advancement programs. We commit to establishing a network of online advancement and marketing resources to be utilized by schools to strengthen their programs and sustain their financial stability. We commit to promoting collaborative purchasing among our schools. We commit to providing even more comprehensive support and instructions
to local school boards so that they are better prepared to take a leadership
role in planning, advancement and marketing, as well as facilities and
financial management and to become agents of change for our schools. WE WILL… We will create, execute and maintain a multiyear strategic plan for our school that is reviewed and updated annually. We will implement an aggressive advancement program for our school that utilizes best practice processes for marketing and development. We will collaborate with other schools and with the Office of Catholic Schools on how best to obtain the necessary funding to meet the strategic needs of our school. We will enhance our school’s presence in the broader community via newsletters, local media, parish bulletins, an effective Web site, community service and involvement in the life of the parish(es). We will partner with the Office of Catholic Schools to encourage our school board to take a leadership role in planning, advancement and marketing, as well as financial and facilities management to ensure a healthy and safe learning environment for our students. We will empower every person in our school community to embrace the role
of ambassador, utilizing positive word of mouth as a powerful advancement
tool. |