COMMITTED TO EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE IN A CHRISTIAN ENVIRONMENT
STRATEGIC PLAN 2021
Dear Ascension Family,
This Strategic Plan is the result of a thorough process that involved parents, students, faculty, Board members, and administration. Each participated in some way as we planned, conducted, and reviewed surveys, exchanged and discussed ideas, and worked to develop the document you now hold in your hands. Originally slated to be completed in the spring of 2020 , the timeline of this plan was yet another casualty of the Covid pandemic. After more than a year of work, we are now pleased to share it with our community.
I am grateful for those that invested hours in meetings, conversations, revisions, and, ultimately, the production of this Strategic Plan. I wish to personally thank Shannon
Lynd, Ascension parent and former Board member, for her efforts in spearheading the committee to produce this document. Special thanks also go to all the committee members who represented parents, faculty, staff, Board members, and administration.
This Strategic Plan sets the agenda for the next five years from 2021 – 2026 as we make decisions that will impact current and future Ascension students, families, faculty and staff. Rather than a specific to-do list, the plan is best thought of as a road map for our school as we journey through our next five years. It is designed to be specific enough to provide the Board and administration defined goals while also being broad enough to account for the changing needs and landscape of an independent school.
The Strategic Plan is segmented into eight different sections, with a stated goal and associated initiatives for each area. The eight sections are: Identity & Mission, Balanced Excellence, Parent Communication & Participation, Tuition & Finances, Academics,
Safety & Security, Student Life & Social/Emotional Wellness, and Faculty & Staff. Obviously, in some of these areas we are farther along than in others, but there is work to be done in each area regardless of where we currently stand. Ascension, much like our students, will never be a finished product. We will always seek ways to improve and create a better school for our students, faculty, and families.
While this plan provides a guide as we seek to constantly evolve and grow to meet the everchanging needs and demands of what it means to be a college preparatory school, the Board and administration remain committed to working with our faculty to provide educational excellence in a Christian environment. This central tenet permeates all we do as we continue this pursuit.
I hope you will enjoy reading the plan and will contact me or members of the Board with your comments.
Jeff Plunk Head of School
GOAL IDENTITY & MISSION
INTEGRATE THE MISSION INTO ALL ASPECTS OF OUR CULTURE TO SHAPE OUR LEARNING COMMUNITY.
RATIONALE
Ascension must ensure the Mission is at the forefront of all that we do, is used as a measurement criterion for making decisions, and aligns us all as a community.
INITIATIVES
1. Define “Educational Excellence” and “Christian Environment”
2. Continuously educate stakeholders on what our Mission means
a) Establish an internal and external campaign that reflects the understanding of our Mission
b) Include the mission statement training in all orientation and on-boarding materials
3. Evaluate existing programs and activities to understand how they are fulfilling our Mission
4. Continue to promote our core values as expressed in the school prayer
GOAL BALANCED EXCELLENCE
TO PROMOTE AND SUPPORT OPPORTUNITIES
FOR ALL STUDENTS TO DEVELOP AND SUCCEED IN A BALANCE OF ACADEMICS, ATHLETICS, FINE ARTS, AND WORSHIP.
RATIONALE
A balance of academics, arts, athletics, and worship is essential to Ascension’s goal of educating the whole child—mind, body, heart, and soul.
INITIATIVES
1. Clearly define “Balanced Excellence”
2. Instill the Mission and commitment to Balanced Excellence for all school leaders - including faculty, staff, students, off-campus coaches, substitutes, visiting or temporary staff, and parents
a) Educate leaders
b) Hold leaders accountable
3. Strengthen, improve, make worship more relatable for upper school students
4. Continue to communicate the benefits of Balanced Excellence to all stakeholders
GOAL PARENT COMMUNICATION & PARTICIPATION
CONTINUE TO OFFER AND COMMUNICATE EXTRAORDINARY OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARENTS TO IMPACT OUR LEARNING COMMUNITY.
RATIONALE
Parents are important stakeholders and have a significant impact on the success of our school.
INITIATIVES
1. Continue to offer a variety of opportunities for parents to be involved and feel included in the school
2. Continue to improve communication with parents
GOAL TUITION & FINANCIAL PLAN
TO CONTINUALLY IMPROVE ASCENSION EPISCOPAL SCHOOL’S FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE
RATIONALE
The achievement of educational excellence requires fiscally sound and responsible management of the school’s resources.
INITIATIVES
1. Evaluate tuition annually to ensure financial sustainability
2. Evaluate and prioritize facility and campus needs annually
3. Educate stakeholders on school financial needs and benefits of fees
4. Evaluate the potential for an endowment
5. Simplify tuition, registration, and technology fee payments
6. Seek to add additional sources of income
7. Ensure the financial sustainability plan is updated annually and adequately addresses unforeseen disasters and emergencies
THE VALUE TO THE STUDENTS AND PARENTS EXCEEDS THE FINANCIAL COSTS.
GOALACADEMICS
RATIONALE
Educational excellence requires academic success.
INITIATIVES
1. Create a PK3 to 12th grade curriculum map that reflects vertical and horizontal alignment of college preparatory curriculum across divisions and subject areas
2. Foster a school culture that values a love of reading
3. Cultivate critical and creative thinking
4. Strengthen college counseling programs
a) Evaluate current college counseling program
b) Identify expectations and needs for college counseling
5. Develop guidelines and procedures for academic counseling and course placement
6. Implement a study skills program that spans grades and campuses
7. Hire an All-School Academic Dean
8. Provide differentiated instruction at all levels
9. Create expectations for meaningful homework
10. Initiate a tracking system for graduates into and through their first year of college or university
STRENGTHEN ACADEMIC RIGOR THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL TO ALLOW ALL STUDENTS TO ACHIEVE THEIR FULL POTENTIAL.
GOAL SAFETY & SECURITY
CONTINUE TO IMPLEMENT POLICIES, PROCEDURES, AND SYSTEMS
TO PROVIDE A SAFE
ENVIRONMENT.
RATIONALE
Students, faculty, and staff need to feel secure in order to learn, play, and grow.
INITIATIVES
1. Create a Board committee to work with administration to monitor security issues
a) Conduct an annual campus security review
b) Conduct an annual cyber security review
2. Create a security master plan with guidelines and best practices
a) Document policies and procedures for each campus
b) Provide training for students, faculty, staff, parents, and volunteers
3. Ensure security is a priority in the budget
4. Educate stakeholders to encourage a culture of safety
a) Email parent community about drills
b) Enforce a “no strangers allowed without a pass” culture on our campuses
GOAL STUDENT LIFE & SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL WELLNESS
RATIONALE
Ascension’s Mission of educational excellence in a Christian environment can be fully met only when the basic Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) needs of our students are addressed, to ensure they feel safe and connected.
INITIATIVES
1. Clearly define and develop a SEL curriculum for all grades
2. Develop a carefully-designed, goal-oriented, student advisory program
3. Hire a licensed, professional counselor for each of our campuses
4. Encourage and support SEL professional development for counselors and faculty
5. Implement a program to educate parents about social-emotional wellness
INCREASE THE SUPPORT FOR THE SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS.
GOAL FACULTY & STAFF
PRIORITIZE HIRING AND RETENTION OF HIGHLY QUALIFIED, EXPERIENCED FACULTY WHO ARE DEDICATED TO THE SCHOOL’S MISSION.
RATIONALE
Educational excellence requires excellence in teaching.
INITIATIVES
1. Promote a culture of high academic standards
2. Develop guidelines and standards for hiring and retention of faculty
3. Continue to utilize a formal evaluation program for all faculty and staff
4. Implement mandatory professional development for all faculty and staff
5. Ensure professional development remains a priority for all faculty and staff
6. Ensure that professional development is part of the faculty and staff formal evaluation
Dear Ascension Family,
The Board of Trustees at Ascension Episcopal School is proud to roll out the Strategic Plan 2021 – 2026 to guide Ascension Episcopal School’s near future. This Strategic Plan was formed by the collaboration of members of our stakeholder groups including parents, staff, the Head of School, Vestry, and Board members. These volunteers reviewed the previous Strategic Plan, summarized parent survey results, and utilized the school’s Mission and purpose to set the framework for Ascension Episcopal School’s future. The Strategic Plan is a living document that will be reviewed annually by the Board of Trustees and the Head of School in order to set annual goals for the next six years.
This strategic planning parent survey was completed in December 2019 and the strategic planning
process began in January 2020 and was adopted by the Board of Trustees in January 2021 . This process was led by an Ad-Hoc Subcommittee of the Board with past board member Shannon Lynd acting as Chair of this AdHoc Committee. I would like to personally commend Shannon Lynd for her excellent leadership of this Ad-Hoc committee along with all stakeholder members who dedicated countless hours to create this document. I’d also like to thank the Head of School, Jeff Plunk, and all current members of the Board of Trustees for their dedication in refining this strategic plan recognizing God’s intervening hands.
The future of Ascension Episcopal School is bright and has incredible momentum heading into 2021 ! God has blessed Ascension with a beautiful student body, supportive parents and parent organizations, and unparalleled leadership which strives for continuous improvement in all facets of the school. I feel blessed to be a part of this Ascension community and can’t wait to see what the future holds!
ASCENSION EPISCOPAL SCHOOL’S STRATEGIC PLAN SETS THE DIRECTION FOR ASCENSION’S GROWTH.
God
Bless, Craig Campbell Chair, Board of Trustees
The plan is organized into eight focus areas and is intended to provide guidelines and put in place initiatives that will contribute to moving our Mission forward. The Board of Trustees is responsible for the overall Strategic Plan and works in tandem with the Head of School to achieve the defined initiatives per focus area. Each initiative includes a responsible person / entity for implementation; however, it is important to note Head of School is charged with the understanding that the initiative would be delegated according to the school’s organizational chart. The Strategic Plan is to be reviewed annually and used as a part of creating annual goals for the Board and Head of School.
Strategic Planning Participants
STRATEGIC PLANNING SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIR
Shannon Lynd 2020 - 2021 BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Stacie Belle
Aubrey Braithwaite
Suzy Lynch-Cummings
David Edmond
Quay McKnight
Michael Peebles
Lee Womack
Ross Woodring
Anne Patin, Vestry
Laurie Godshall, Secretary
Brent Abshire, Treasurer
Mary Courville, Vice-Chair
Craig Campbell, Chairman
Jeff Plunk, Head of School
Joseph Daly, Rector
Jeanette Parker, Trustee Emeritus
PARENTS, FACULTY, STAFF
Angelle Adams
Colleen Barczyk
Kim Bishop
Melissa Boudreaux
Julie Bourque
Adrian Boyle
Tricia Campbell
Josh Carlson
Brenda Curtis
Chris Dardar
Rachel Delcambre
Stephanie Fournet
Michelle Franques
Katherine Freeman
Peggy Giglio
Bryan Groves
Justin Hernandez
Suzy Lynch
Melinda Mangham
Amy Marter
Joshua McClymont
Katherine McCormick
Angela Mills
Eric Mouton
Marika Mury
Kristen Peebles
Lea Ann Remondet
Amy Rizzuto
Andrew Shenkan
Steven Sorrell
Trisha West
