Beauvoir’s Strategic Vision and Plan
A BEAUTIFUL VIEW TO 2020
INTRODUCING THE UPDATED BEAUVOIR LOGO Beauvoir’s original logo was designed in the early 1950’s by the School’s first art teacher Miriam Glass. Throughout the years, the Beauvoir children have been at the center, sheltered by the tree and enjoying the beauty of the flower. The logo was updated in 1994 by Beauvoir parent and designer Mary E. Challinor. In 2016, the Beauvoir children remain at the center of our mission, facing each other and fully engaged in the joy of discovery and learning that continues at Beauvoir today.
DEAR BEAUVOIR COMMUNITY, I am pleased to share with you A Beautiful View to 2020, our strategic plan designed to lead us through the next four years. Our strategic planning team’s goal was to craft a plan that would establish Beauvoir as a national leader in early childhood education and better prepare our graduates for lifelong success. Beauvoir is in its ninth decade serving young children and will remain young at heart, diverse and joyful. Our school is committed to its mission to “build an enduring foundation for a lifelong spirit of inquiry and joy in learning.” We align our practices, decisions and investments with our goal to be a child-centered, safe and deeply engaging learning community. This plan is the culmination of extensive conversations and sharing of ideas amongst our community members. Parents, past parents, faculty, staff, board members, alumni, grandparents and leaders of the Cathedral Close community came together to create a framework that will guide Beauvoir in the years to come. I extend grateful thanks to each and every individual for your time, thought and collaboration. Sincerely,
GOVERNING BOARD 2014-2015 2015-2016
The Rt. Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde Bishop of Washington Amy P. Vorenberg Head of School Andrew C. Florance (Board Chair, 2014-2015) Martha R. Webb (Board Chair, 2015-2017) Cedric L. Bobo Cathy M. Brentzel Megan B. Chounoune Sarah S. Clapp ‘83 Gina D. Coburn William T. Darman ‘85 Elizabeth S. Dougherty Colin Dowling Charis M. Drant Gregory Ingram Jerry L. Johnson Martin L. Johnson, II William Kappaz Rev. Stuart A. Kenworthy Enu A. Mainigi Catherine J. Martin Stephen E. McGregor Natalia Luis Monteiro James M. New Kathleen Peters Michael Rankin Rhonda S. Schmidtlein Ashley L. Shaw ‘78 Tamika Smith-Jackson Sylvia D. White Colleen Williams STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE CO-CHAIRS
Martha R. Webb Governing Board Chair
Charis M. Drant Martin L. Johnson, II James M. New Marianne Steiner Advisor
“As we look to the year 2020 and build our collective understanding of work and opportunities before us, this plan will serve as a touchstone to guide our progress.� Amy P. Vorenberg, Head of School
DEAR BEAUVOIR COMMUNITY, I am honored to lead the Beauvoir community as we embark on our next phase of evolution, guided by A Beautiful View to 2020. The plan is the work of our entire community, which helped develop an understanding of what we value most at Beauvoir. We remain deeply committed to young children and the beautiful pursuits of their education. For more than 80 years, Beauvoir’s place as a leader in early childhood education has been steadfast. We are committed to our Core Values, holding childhood, creativity, curiosity, courage and collaboration at the center of our work. We have outlined bold goals for improvement that are dedicated to our children, educators, community and institution. Beauvoir 2020 builds on the strengths of all that came before us at Beauvoir. Past leaders, faculty, administrators, parents, alumni and students have worked to set a strong course for Beauvoir. Today, the Beauvoir Governing Board has taken the responsibility to shepherd our resources and to elevate the School to new heights. Faculty and staff are eager to continue to refine and improve curriculum, delivering the most engaging program for young learners. We look to build on our strengths and honor our meaningful and important history, while remaining committed to best practices, innovation and excellence in teaching. As we look ahead to the year 2020 and build our collective understanding of work and opportunities before us, this plan will serve as a touchstone to guide our progress. Exciting and fabulous days are ahead for all who care deeply about early childhood education and Beauvoir, the National Cathedral Elementary School. With gratitude,
Amy P. Vorenberg Head of School
VISION We hold a “beautiful view” of childhood. We embrace learning as a lifelong endeavor and are committed to building a community where every child grows, explores, questions, creates and achieves—individually and together. We align our practices, decisions and investments with our goal to be a child-centered, safe and deeply engaging learning community.
MISSION At Beauvoir, the National Cathedral Elementary School, we provide an extraordinary early childhood education in a diverse community that values every individual. Beauvoir’s program encourages creative, courageous learners and builds an enduring foundation for a lifelong spirit of inquiry and joy in learning.
CORE VALUES As an Episcopal School, we welcome students and families of all faiths and backgrounds and celebrate our individual stories and collective experiences. As citizens of the world, we dedicate ourselves to serving others and strive to contribute to the greater good. Our community learns and embraces our Life Rules: kindness, respect, responsibility and honesty, which our Core Values complement and support.
WE VALUE: n Childhood: We value a “beautiful view� of childhood and its extraordinary capacity for wonder, learning and discovery. We inspire a sense of possibility in every interaction and experience at Beauvoir. n Collaboration: We value working together as an authentic and inclusive community to imagine, to create and to solve problems, and to support each other in all that we do. n Creativity: We value creativity in learning, action and problem solving and empower our community of faculty, staff, parents and students to explore, develop and celebrate creative abilities. n Curiosity: We value curiosity as an essential component of inspired learning. We model and encourage curiosity for our community. n Courage: We value the courageous spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, challenge and confusion. We empower learners to engage in the world with brave resilience.
BEAUVOIR 2020:
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
OUR FIRST PRIORITY:
TO SUPPORT OUR CHILDREN We commit to the intentional education of young children, targeting outcomes for each Beauvoir student through a developmentally appropriate program that encourages ambitious and inspired learning. n Strategic Goal #1: Support and foster academic success for every student with a keen understanding of early childhood development. n Strategic Goal #2: Foster physical, social, spiritual and emotional health as an essential foundation for scholarly excellence and character development. n Strategic Goal #3: Reimagine learning spaces for optimal student experiences.
“This plan inspires me as a Beauvoir teacher because it is bold and child-centered. The Core Values include language that I can use with my students, and I am eager to empower them as creative and courageous learners.� Megan B. Chounoune, Third Grade teacher and faculty representative on the Governing Board
OUR SECOND PRIORITY:
TO SUPPORT OUR EDUCATORS We demonstrate leadership in early childhood education through excellence in teaching, research-based pedagogy and sharing of best practices. n Strategic Goal #1: Refine strategy for the recruitment, orientation, development and evaluation of talent in alignment with the Beauvoir learning experience and our Core Values. n Strategic Goal #2: Invest in a cohesive, innovative and researchbased approach to professional development in alignment with Beauvoir’s educational philosophy.
“Beauvoir’s Core Values are strong and consistent. We built a strategic plan around a community of learners, students, teachers and parents, and we aspire to achieve the absolute highest outcomes possible in early childhood education. Beauvoir 2020 will become our future reality when energized by strong leadership like Amy Vorenberg’s, whose own vision, talents and values resonate with those of Beauvoir and the Cathedral Close as a whole.” Andrew C. Florance, former Governing Board chair and parent of Christopher ‘14 and Matthew ‘15
OUR THIRD PRIORITY:
TO SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY As an authentic community, we are committed to a shared vision and purpose and we work together openly, honestly and creatively. We commit ourselves to service and learning with others, in partnership with our families and the Close community. n Strategic Goal #1: Engage in courageous conversations to foster growth, understanding and respect in our community. n Strategic Goal #2: Articulate with clarity and conviction how our spiritual identity is a vibrant and essential part of Beauvoir. n Strategic Goal #3: Strengthen communications across the School to ensure thoughtful, timely and accurate transmission of information. n Strategic Goal #4: Innovate and expand our approaches to family education, alumni engagement and communication with the Beauvoir community.
OUR FINAL PRIORITY:
TO SUPPORT OUR INSTITUTION We strengthen our capacity as a mission-driven institution through innovative approaches to resource development and financial, environmental and programmatic sustainability. n Strategic Goal #1: As stewards of the School’s resources, actively manage and enhance the financial strength of Beauvoir, respecting its relationship to the larger Close community. n Strategic Goal #2: Assess size of school and establish clear parameters for the optimal student body. n Strategic Goal #3: Strengthen leadership practices and foster collaborative models to ensure success. n Strategic Goal #4: Align master planning with goals for learning, sustainability, stewardship and connections across the Close.
“The experience of our children was of paramount importance in creating this plan—every decision, new program, curricular change and facility improvement that comes out of Beauvoir 2020 will enable us to provide an extraordinary early childhood education for Beauvoir students in years to come.” Charis M. Drant, co-chair of the Governing Board’s Strategic Planning Committee and parent of Rowan ’15, Tanner ’18 and Liv ’20
“Beauvoir 2020 is the work of our entire community, which helped develop an understanding of what we value most at Beauvoir. We remain deeply committed to young children and the beautiful pursuits of their education.� Amy P. Vorenberg, Head of School
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