Eastside Catholic School Strategic Plan 2017 2023

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STRATEGIC PLAN Eastside Catholic School

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The Beginning

In 1974,

a group of parents had a dream of preparing their children for a faith-based life built on a strong foundation of academic excellence, community relationships and servant leadership. It took several years of hard work selecting a site, establishing funding, recruiting a principal, faculty and students and calling in every favor they could. In 1980, after personally guaranteeing the first lease and against great odds, these visionaries founded Eastside Catholic School. With 255 students, it was the school they had envisioned—one founded on the principles of love and compassion for all students, including those with diverse learning needs and from all religious and economic backgrounds—a school that would engender the time-honored values of the Catholic tradition.

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Our Mission Eastside Catholic School is a Catholic faith-based educational community where students learn to integrate their thinking and believing in ways that encourage intellectual excellence, nurture relationships and inspire a life of leadership and service to others.

Our Touchstones Academic Excellence, Relationships, Servant Leadership

Our Vision Eastside Catholic School will be the college preparatory school of choice for all families seeking a faith-based, challenging learning community. We seek to serve all students who desire a school that educates the whole student, through the integration of Catholic values and instruction, leading academic programs and comprehensive athletic and arts programs. Our educational environment, based on relationships, will appeal to all faiths and backgrounds. Through this diversity we draw our strength.

From the beginning, the goals for Eastside Catholic School were clear:

weave Catholic faith into all aspects of the school as a driving force that would warmly welcome people of all faiths, ethnicities and socio-economic levels.

help students reach their academic potential—not just the best and brightest, but beloved family members whose struggles for even basic academic achievement could inspire the community to live out its faith and values.

invite a broad group of stakeholders to support a new vision of education, one which relied on a clarity of purpose to define a new vision of Catholic education.

create an attractive and functional campus that would stand as one of the finest facilities in the region.

expand the school to include grades 6-8 middle school that would comprehensively prepare young men and women for the academic, social and spiritual journey of an Eastside Catholic High School education.

While progress has been made, this dream has yet to be fully achieved. And so, in the fall of 2015, the Eastside Catholic School Board of Trustees directed school leadership to facilitate a community-wide process and formulate a strategic plan that would guide the school over the next five years.

The Strategic Planning Steering Committee of 15 stakeholders, which included alumni, current and former parents, administrators, teachers and community members, joined together to guide the process on behalf of the Board and the school. A detailed and intensive process began to unfold comprised of a thorough SWOT analysis, (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats), a stakeholder survey and stakeholder meetings which included the entire school community. Community feedback

resulted in the creation of five Topic Teams to drill down into the strategic areas of focus for the plan. These areas included Catholic Mission and Spiritual Life; Education Program; Extra-Curricular and School Life; Facilities and Finance; and Marketing, Admissions and Advancement.

The Topic Teams proposed potential strategic goals to the Steering Committee to create a draft plan. The plan was presented to the Board of Trustees and approved on April 27, 2017. In the end, more than 500 individuals gave their personal time and input to establish the vision for achieving our compelling mission over the next five years. We invite you to continue this exciting journey with us as we launch the next era of Eastside Catholic School.

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S t r at e g i c G o a l s a n d S u p p o r t i n g E l e m e n t s

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2017-2023

We will weave Catholic faith and values into all aspects of school life.

Filter every decision involving all aspects of school life through the Catholic mission embedded in Eastside Catholic’s Mission Statement and Touchstones.

S E V E N

Provide ongoing formation to assist the school community to embrace Catholic culture, principles and tradition while imparting these values to our students.

Welcome and affirm the presence of non-Catholic students and faculty who promote a spiritual life and respect the Catholic character of Eastside Catholic.

Initiate programs through the Campus Ministry Department aimed at promoting a better understanding of Catholic practices, teachings and traditions with an emphasis on including all our families.

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Goa O F

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Shaped by Catholic values, through meaningful and measurable school governance, admissions outreach, curriculum, extra-curricular and employment programs, we will develop and retain a diverse and inclusive community.

S E V E N

Eastside Catholic will initiate a diversity feedback process that includes students, faculty, and families to identify measurable and meaningful ways to become a more welcoming and inclusive community and increase the accessibility of our school to achieve a diverse school population.

We will enhance our admission programs with the goal of improving the opportunity for increased socio-economic and ethnic diversity among the Eastside Catholic community.

We will invest in professional development for the administration, faculty and staff to enhance cultural inclusion and hiring practices with the goal of increasing diversity and inclusion through employment.

We will incorporate Catholic Social Teachings and curricular opportunities for our students and community to broaden our understanding of the culture, history and contributions of diverse groups, so that we become a better informed and welcoming community and to ensure diverse students feel a deep belonging to the Eastside Catholic community.

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We will develop and maximize each student’s academic potential to advance his or her post-high school and college or university opportunities

S E V E N

Through continued professional development, we expect and support excellence in teaching in both liberal arts and STEM programs.

Pilot innovative academic programs that will lead to distinctive and individual programming that maximizes student engagement and achievement.

Encourage the development of real world skills through curricular content and opportunities to apply academic skills outside of the classroom with community partnerships.

Clearly articulate, support and strengthen our commitment to a challenging college preparatory curriculum, while we continue to serve students with a spectrum of intellectual abilities.

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S E V E N

We will foster the development of the whole student through a combination of our unique grade six-12 academic, athletic and arts programs of excellence and opportunities for servant leadership.

Across academic departments, develop core skills of collaboration, problem solving, critical thinking, written and oral communication as well as effective interaction among different individuals and groups.

Develop a cohesive six-12 service learning program with an emphasis on serving our community through a commitment to peace and justice and servant leadership.

Support and encourage total school engagement while promoting a healthy school/life balance.

Offer developmentally appropriate extracurricular activities with the expectation that 100 percent of our students will be encouraged to be multidimensional by participating in a variety of sports, performing arts and clubs.

Striving to be an employer of choice, we will recruit and retain faculty and administrators who engage with students in a variety of roles such as mentors, coaches, campus ministers and activity sponsors.

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S E V E N

We will enhance our current facilities while planning and executing the vision for an expanded Eastside Catholic campus, including modern, flexible learning spaces and support for the arts.

Complete the formulation of the Campus Master Plan to enhance various instructional needs, visual/performing arts, athletic training and auxiliary services.

Finalize the Business Plan that articulates the goals and timeline for the fulfillment of the Master Plan and the financial strategy to reach them.

Upgrade existing facilities to maximize their long-term educational effectiveness and operating efficiency.

Design and complete construction of the new facilities required to complete the campus and adequately support the needs and programs of a growing, multi-talented student body.

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S E V E N

We will develop a comprehensive, sustainable and significantly increased advancement program with the long-term goal of cultivating a robust culture of philanthropy.

Initiate a Capital Campaign to complete the facilities called for in the Campus Master Plan.

Fully implement major donor identification and stewardship practices, as well as significantly enhanced endowment programs and planned giving solicitation.

Create a comprehensive, vibrant alumni association to promote increased and meaningful engagement through the expansion of targeted alumni efforts.

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S E V E N

We will develop and communicate an Eastside Catholic brand identity and value proposition that is differentiated to attract students and families who are deeply committed to the vision of Eastside Catholic.

Develop a comprehensive value proposition map with a focus on ensuring core family and student choice factors that position Eastside Catholic as competitively differentiated.

Develop an enduring brand identity and communication plan, which includes how we articulate the unique Eastside Catholic spirit and experience to our current and future community.

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S t r at e g i c P l a n S t e e r i n g C o m m i t t e e Cole Brodman John T. Kennedy Barbara Baer Anita Florence Fr. William Heric Lee Keller Dr. Justyna King Tom Kittridge John Luger Jr. Eric Medeiros Dr. Michael Quinn Christopher Sharp Michael Shigley Rich Shively Jack Peterson

Trustee, Steering Committee Chair President Alumni Parent Middle School Faculty Member & Alumni Parent Chaplain Parent High School Principal High School Faculty Member & Alumni Parent Parent & Alumnus Parent & Alumni Parent Trustee Middle School Principal Alumni Parent Parish Administrator, Mary, Queen of Peace Parish Consultant, Managing for Mission

EASTSIDE CATHOLIC 1