Middle School Strategic Plan 21-26

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

MIDDLE SCHOOL STRATEGIC PLAN COMMITTEE James Hickey, Ph.D., Head of School Michael McLaughlin, Head of Middle School, Chair ACADEMICS SUBCOMMITTEE Michelle Connor, P’25, Dean of Academics, Chair Chris Capone ‘88, P’28, Science Faculty Nick Quinn, World Language Faculty: Latin STUDENT LIFE SUBCOMMITTEE Jessica Lenci, Middle School Counselor, Chair Leeann Blais, English Faculty Jon Whalen, Humanities Faculty PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SUBCOMMITTEE Kristen Donnelly, History Faculty, Chair Brad Harkins, Academic Technology Integration Specialist ENROLLMENT & MARKETING SUBCOMMITTEE Jonathan Pollard ‘97, Assistant Head of School for Enrollment & Athletics, Co-Chair Tyler Fleming, P’28, Director of Communications, Co-Chair Jaycob Morales, Coordinator of Community Engagement & Inclusion Meghan Chapman, Math Faculty

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Study Overview

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Purpose & Desired Outcomes

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Process

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Profile of the AP Graduate

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Profile of the AP MS Learner

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A Journey of Growth

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Framework of the Plan

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Strategic Goals & Action Items

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Next Steps

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MIDDLE SCHOOL STRATEGIC PLAN STUDY OVERVIEW Austin Preparatory School embarked upon writing a Middle School specific Strategic Plan during the 2020-2021 academic year. The overarching goal of this process was to continue to transform the Middle School by strengthening every dimension of the Middle School Journey. The framework of the process was constructed to ensure that Austin Prep purposefully addressed priorities in the following identified areas: • A vigorous academic experience centered on scholarship and character • and a student life experience that builds confidence and community • Developing critical thinking, study and research skills to be lifelong learners, which better prepares students to adapt to a changing future • Attract and retain expert teaching teams with expertise to support the pre and early adolescent learner • Faculty professional development that promotes a comprehensive approach to teaching the whole child • Marketing and communication activities that define the uniqueness of the Middle School Journey • Enrollment management strategies that identify mission-aligned students and families and who become Austin Prep lifers Ultimately, all efforts are designed to find the heart of a student – to see the uniqueness in each and encourage the development of their intrinsic qualities.

RESEARCH & METHODOLOGY Internal Sources

External Sources

❊ Strategic Plan Reference Guide authored by the Head of Middle School. The Guide included thought-provoking questions and aligned the Plan’s framework with Austin Prep’s Mission and concurrent strategic initiatives such as the 2018 Upper School Strategic Plan, the 2018 Middle School Strategic Plan Progress Report, and the 2019 School-Wide Strategic Plan.

❊ Middle School faculty teams used an evaluation instrument to engage in dialogue with other schools about the unique opportunities and programs that are hallmarks of their approach to Middle School education.

❊ Student Survey information conducted over the past four years was used to generate actionable recommendations on student engagement with the academic program and co-curricular offerings

❊ Site visits included: • Malvern Preparatory School in New Jersey • The Nativity School of Worcester in Massachusetts • Saint Patrick Catholic High School in Mississippi

❊ The committee members also reviewed important resources to support best practices in strategic ❊ Surveys and focus groups of students and faculty planning and Middle School education: members ensured that the planning process was • How Boards Can Rethink Strategic Planning, inclusive and participatory Stay Agile (NAIS) • The Strategic Process, 10 Steps for Planning ❊ Faculty-led committees guided the Middle School Your Independent School’s Future Strategic Plan, each charged with a different section (Lawrence Sykoff/NAIS) of the research, reflection, and design • Principles of Good Practice - Middle School Educators (NAIS) • This We Believe (AMLE) 4

PURPOSE OF THE STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS Purpose ❊

Review the current state of the Middle School program

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Formulate a framework for informed conversations that initiated intentional planning around the developmental needs and associated opportunities for young learners

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Through the lens of mission, define the distinctive characteristics of Middle School learners and the Middle School program

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Conduct research to identify trends and developmental best practices

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Assess the best practices for educational excellence that align with Austin Prep’s philosophical tenets of veritas, unitas, and caritas

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Develop actionable items that infuse the Middle School Journey with experiences and practices that will amplify value and provide greater meaning to this important period of adolescent development

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Outline a scheme to actualize the goals of the Middle School Strategic Plan in a systematic, sustainable manner

Desired Outcomes The Middle School Strategic Plan will introduce new goals and objectives to yield: ❊ An intentional alignment of the Profile of the Austin Prep Middle School Learner with the Profile of the Austin Prep Graduate ❊

A vigorous, distinctive academic experience through robust curricular innovation

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A more dynamic Student Life experience that empowers students as they navigate the growth and transitions characteristic of this period of young adulthood

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Pathways and resources to support excellence in instruction and mentoring at the Middle School level

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Mechanisms to cultivate students and educators committed to contributing to the mission of the Austin Prep Middle School

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Strategies to support and celebrate the individual Austin Journey of each student

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PROCESS The strategic planning process engaged the Middle School faculty in innovative thinking and encouraged the design of programs aligned with Austin Prep’s Mission and best instructional practices. Faculty had the opportunity to collaborate with educators across disciplines and in other school settings in evaluating programming and the most successful instructional formats.

Austin Prep faculty and staff were invited to serve as members of the Strategic Plan Committee in the fall semester and provided time to reflect on the Strategic Plan Reference Guide, affording ample time to become familiar with strategic planning literature.

The Committee met in January to formally launch the Strategic Plan and later participated in a half-day retreat. The Committee was divided into four subcommittees: the Academic Experience, Student Life, Professional Development, and Marketing & Enrollment.

Throughout the spring, subcommittees examined historic data from the Middle Grades Survey of Student Engagement, surveyed faculty, interviewed faculty of other Catholic Middle Schools, and conducted focus groups with students. A mid-April meeting was held to calibrate the work of each subcommittee.

In May, subcommittees presented their goals and action items to the full committee for feedback before the final draft of the Strategic Plan was presented to the school leadership and Board of Trustees to be reviewed and adopted.

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PROFILE OF THE GRADUATE

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PROFILE OF THE GRADUATE The Austin Prep graduate is prepared to enter the next phase of education with the values of veritas, unitas, and caritas. The Austin Prep graduate is a lifelong learner who enters life as a passionate global citizen, a curious collaborative scholar, and a compassionate servant.

They enter the world with lessons and guidance from faculty, staff, and administrators and with abundant potential to make a significant difference. They bring forward from their Austin Journey the School’s central Mission: Inspire hearts to unite, minds to inquire, and hands to serve.

UNITAS (PASSIONATE GLOBAL CITIZEN) APPRECIATION DIVERSITY

Accepts different points of view, cultures, and backgrounds Commits to valuing all community members and school endeavors

VERITAS (CURIOUS COLLABORATIVE SCHOLAR) SCHOLARSHIP PERSPECTIVE

Engages in responsible academic inquiry for lifelong learning Pursues purpose and balance in the framework of religious traditions, historical antecedents, and the globalization of modern society

CARITAS (COMPASSIONATE EMPATHIC SERVANT) RESPECT LEADERSHIP

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Understands the value of diverse ideologies and beliefs Provides meaning and direction to others with a value-based response

PROFILE OF THE AUSTIN PREP MIDDLE SCHOOL LEARNER

Saint Augustine wrote “If you aspire to great things, begin with the little ones.” At Austin Prep, Middle School students learn and practice the healthy habits of the heart and mind that orient them to live the Mission and values of Austin Prep School.

UNITAS ❊

Listen to understand others’ perspectives and life experiences

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Collaborate with others to accomplish goals and build consensus

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Exercise the ability to make sound decisions in placing community before self

VERITAS ❊

Recognize the value of study skills and asking for assistance

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Develop resilience through appropriately challenging tasks

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Apply the principles of learning to real-world situations

CARITAS ❊

Embrace a humble heart that values the importance of listening as others share their backgrounds, experiences, identities, cultures, and worldviews

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Honor and respect diversity and social justice through supporting the common good and Catholic social teaching

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Seek responsibility and independence through finding meaningful ways to make a difference in the lives of others

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MIDDLE SCHOOL STRATEGIC PLAN A JOURNEY OF GROWTH Austin Prep is a community of ambitious dreamers rooted in an educational mission that extends 1600 years.

Austin Prep’s commitment to the Augustinian heritage is exemplified in the Mission “to inspire hearts to unite, minds to inquire, and hands to serve.” The Middle School Strategic Plan was designed to provide students with the opportunity to discern, empowering them to become the best versions of the school’s Mission and themselves.

What will it take for Austin Prep to remain at the vanguard of creating an exceptional Middle School experience?

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Mission-centered approach to learning, leading, and teaching

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Shared vision about how to inspire and engage Middle School students

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Innovative, hands-on curriculum that combines tradition with modernization

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Holistic approach that inspires students’ interests beyond their classes

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Faculty committed to developing students’ scholarship and character

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Distinctive space, programs, and identity tailored to the needs of young adolescents

Modernization is at the core of our complex and everchanging world. More than ever, the rapidly changing nature of the times in which we live eagerly awaits the leadership of those who are good decision-makers, critical thinkers, creative, value-driven, and energized to innovate. Educational programming and curriculum can help students make sense of this new world and use analysis and research to frame questions and pose solutions to the most pressing priorities of our times.

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Central to the Middle School faculty’s strategic leadership objectives is the perennial review of programs, practices, and progress. A recalibrating mindset affords institutions the ability to be responsive and deliberate, yet flexible, in planning for and adapting to the evolving landscape of education. Using the prism of its Mission, Austin Prep’s institutional assessment considered: ❊

The role of technology and digital literacy in the academic and social development of young learners

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Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice programs rooted in the rich heritage of the social teaching of the Roman Catholic faith that are inextricably intertwined into the course of study

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Emerging opportunities to innovate in academics, the fine and performing arts, extra-curricular programs, and athletics in a manner aligned with best practices and the unique developmental needs of early adolescents

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Qualities of excellent teaching and educational leadership

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The value of the unwritten, hidden curriculum to inspire character, integrity, perseverance, leadership and conviction

The Middle School years are a period of transition and growth. It is during these formative years that students develop academically, physically, socially, spiritually, athletically, and artistically.

The Austin Prep Journey is one marked by a commitment to the formation of the whole child.

The exercise of knowledge and skills occurs within a comprehensive experience that inspires an awareness of self, an actualization of potential, and a readiness to be an agent of change.

Inspired by a commitment to students, Austin Prep created an actionable, detailed framework of goals and objectives to create a pathway for a distinctively Augustinian Middle School Journey.

FRAMEWORK OF THE PLAN

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A VIGOROUS ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE With their inquisitive nature, fierce sense of justice, and desire to act, Middle School students are on a quest to learn about the world around them and ultimately shape that world. Middle School is an exciting time when students discover their talents and interests. Middle School students seek to access and amplify their own voice while similarly demonstrating a capacity to appreciate the perspectives of others. In the Middle School, students use the array of facts available to them through modern technology to learn how to analyze and synthesize information with the ability to follow, critique, and mount sustained arguments.

Academic programs must foster thinking skills that are necessary for 21st Century success like critical thought, collaboration, and digital literacy. The student’s journey is guided by a foundation of academic integrity and a desire for engagement in learning that prepares them for high school and the world beyond. Students yearn to understand the reasoning behind what they are learning and how it applies to “the real world.”

Exercising choice in scholastic offerings promotes student ownership, contributing to an environment in which students learn how to make important decisions and emerge with confidence and optimism about the value of educational rigor. Young learners’ investment in their curricular choices invites them to adopt a spirit of inquiry that motivates them to take risks, pursue passions, and explore their potential.

Through this highly personalized curriculum, augmented by the mission-driven culture and climate of their classrooms, Middle School students are enlightened by the interconnectedness of scholarship, spirituality, and character – internalizing these as inseparable attributes of who they are.

It is critical to look for added value and explore opportunities to make learning relevant, experiential, and immersive. Austin Prep must continue to strive for creative, student-centered, mission-aligned programming; rather than maintaining the status quo, faculty must embrace the philosophy that good schools may remain comfortable, but great schools innovate.

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ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE: GOALS AT A GLANCE GOAL 1.1

Implement project-based, experiential learning and multifaceted Capstone Projects across the curriculum that will invigorate the intellectual life of campus.

GOAL 1.2

Develop an interdisciplinary approach that integrates academic rigor with social and emotional learning skills that help students navigate successfully through these years of transition and maturation.

GOAL 1.3

Innovate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) curricular opportunities to ensure that students are excited and prepared to engage with a complex and ever-changing world.

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STUDENT LIFE: Distinctive & Community-focused The Middle School years are a significant time marked by growth and an increasing awareness of self and others. This is a time where students develop and strengthen academic skills as well as social and emotional skills.

Personal relationships with both peers and adults often shape this period in adolescence; therefore, the friendships and connections students make in Middle School can have a significant and lasting impact on their futures.

Identity development is also a hallmark of early adolescence, as students learn to recognize their likes and dislikes, passions and preferences, and strengths and areas for growth.

Student Life plays a critical role in the Austin Prep Middle School Journey. Student Life consists of the enveloping experience that occurs beyond the instructional classroom. Co-curricular offerings, Athletics, Arts, Advisory, and Service are just a few examples of what comprise the Student Life experience. These activities and programs are part of the “unwritten curriculum” that shapes the Middle School experience.

Student Life enriches learning, builds relationships, reveals passions and talents, and strengthens social and emotional connections. A strong Student Life program inspires students to take developmentally appropriate risks in trying new things, creates opportunities for friendships to form and deepen, and contributes to an overall feeling of connectedness to the Austin Prep school community.

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STUDENT LIFE: GOALS AT A GLANCE GOAL 2.1

Create a culture of connectedness through Advisory Programming.

GOAL 2.2

Capitalize on the value of traditions and experiences as milestones of the Middle School Journey.

GOAL 2.3

Build each student’s capacity to engage with technology in a healthy, responsible, safe, and respectful manner.

GOAL 2.4

Integrate into the Middle School schedule opportunities for students to engage with their peers through Student Life activities, physical education programs, and team sports.

GOAL 2.5

Cultivate students’ capacity for empathy and harness their desire and potential to be agents of altruism through a Middle School ServiceLearning Program.

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Specialists & Expertise at the Middle School Level In exceptional independent schools, ongoing training, learning, and reflection are critical practices among faculty and administrators. When educators adopt and model a growth mindset about their craft, they similarly inspire a love of learning in their students.

The professional life of educators requires collaboration, cooperation, and continuous training. For teachers and administrators to innovate in their classrooms and engage students, a planned program of professional development activities must be pursued on an annual basis.

Austin Prep educators look to become forward-thinking leaders in their field: being visionaries and skilled practitioners in not only their academic discipline but more so in the holistic development of the students. In short, this is what families seek and have come to expect from the Austin Prep experience. At the core of an exceptional educational program are dedicated, talented teachers, coaches, and advisors.

Austin Prep educators will become proactive and fully committed to their professional training. With administrative support, Austin Prep will cultivate, support, and nurture the finest educators who will serve as role models for excellence: capable, competent, and compelled to carry out the Augustinian Mission of Austin Prep.

Pursuing excellence is an intentional decision. By investing in excellence at all levels, the Middle School Strategic Plan will catapult every aspect of the program from good to great to exceptional.

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: GOALS AT A GLANCE GOAL 3.1

Personalize the professional journey of Austin Prep Middle School faculty members.

GOAL 3.2

Foster a culture of collaboration that promotes the exchange of ideas, efforts to innovate, and opportunities to reflect.

GOAL 3.3

Highlight and formally recognize the contributions of faculty members who inspire teaching excellence.

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MARKETING & ENROLLMENT: In recent years, the Austin Prep Middle School has distinguished itself by experiencing an upward trend in enrollment and lower levels of attrition. Stable enrollment growth is a direct result of more personal outreach, proactive planning, partnerships with parents, high-impact teaching, and a variety of marketing strategies.

Central to continued growth in these areas is the embodiment of the Austin Prep Mission. Each Middle School student has a story to tell about their growth. From the voices of middle schoolers, prospective students receive personal, first-hand accounts about tempo and tone in the Middle School. The Middle School is a culture of high expectations infused with support, kindness, and adult guidance.

Concurrently, bolstered enrollment contributes to the richness and number of academic and cocurricular programs offered in the Middle School. As the Middle School community continues to grow, it remains committed to supporting and celebrating the individual Austin Journey of each student. The best learning environments are those where each and every student is known, valued, and reassured. By creating opportunity for ongoing small successes, students build inner confidence, which stands as the greatest motivator to do more and be more.

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MARKETING & ENROLLMENT: GOALS AT A GLANCE GOAL 4.1

Contribute to a clear definition of the Middle School identity through dedicated physical spaces.

GOAL 4.2

Advance the work of the Office of Admissions and Office of Communications through the development of age-appropriate marketing materials and social media presence.

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MIDDLE SCHOOL STRATEGIC GOALS & ACTION ITEMS GOAL 1.1

Implement project-based, experiential learning and multifaceted Capstone Projects across the curriculum that will invigorate the intellectual life of campus.

Capstone projects punctuate the academic year with celebrations of student mastery and achievement. The satisfaction of bringing an original idea from the process of brainstorming to the completion and publication of polished work challenges students to draw on a body of knowledge and skills, while furthering their ability to share their work with an authentic audience.

Opportunities for students to exceed the boundaries of campus in a safe, structured learning experience instills a mindset that the whole world is a classroom with lessons to impart.

Project and research-based learning in the Middle School prepares students for more in-depth independent study in the Upper School. Classes that implement these projects stimulate curiosity, encourage innovation, and sustain a passion for discovery through experiential learning.

AC TION ITEMS

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Evaluate current capstone projects and end-of-course Arts productions

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Create interdisciplinary, culminating experiences in grades six through eight

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Research and institute hands-on, experiential learning modules with relevant, realworld applications for each course in the Middle School

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Use a varied and multi-dimensional assessment system to observe the unique learning style of each student.

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Promote kinesthetic learning by developing and including a physical component into lessons across the curriculum

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Plan, pilot, and implement an Austin Adventures program, affirming the value of student experiences beyond the classroom

MIDDLE SCHOOL STRATEGIC GOALS & ACTION ITEMS GOAL 1.2

Develop an interdisciplinary approach that integrates academic rigor with social and emotional learning skills that help students navigate successfully through these years of transition and maturation.

Study Skills are often innate, yet students don’t realize they are learning these skills. Concerted effort needs to be placed on teaching students how to be active and effective learners as well as contributing members of the community. As Middle School students mature, it is important to focus on the whole student with attention to developing self-worth through belonging, respect, and a sense of accomplishment and encouraging a sense of purpose through leadership, responsibility, and the confidence to act.

ACTION ITEMS

GOAL 1.3

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Evaluate the clarity, utility, and success of the current executive functioning, study skills, and social-emotional learning curricula in the Middle School

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Train faculty and implement study skills systems used across all disciplines and all levels of Middle School to build students’ skills through consistent application

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Engage students in the art of conversation and the skill of asking thought-provoking questions to further their understanding

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Educate students on finding a balance of knowing when to push themselves and when to seek assistance

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Scaffold and structure programs at the eighth-grade level to provide students with more autonomy in decision-making, which will help them manage more demanding expectations and greater freedom in the Upper School

Innovate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) curricular opportunities to ensure that students are excited and prepared to engage with a complex and ever-changing world.

STEM Education provides critical thinking skills, and offers students exposure to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematical literacy; this exposure fosters the next generation of inventors and innovators.

ACTION ITEMS

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Design and implement a skills-based sixth grade science course

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Build the capacity for eighth grade students to conduct a science fair

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Incorporate new Technology offerings in the Department of Art and Design

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Investigate methods to incorporate technology and engineering in the Middle School curriculum through project-based learning

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Promote support services and enrichment programs in mathematics for all students

MIDDLE SCHOOL STRATEGIC GOALS & ACTION ITEMS

Create a culture of connectedness through Advisory Programming.

GOAL 2.1

Middle School students explore the fundamental questions of “Who am I?” and “How do I fit in?” The Middle School Advisory program is integral and indispensable to each student’s holistic development in pursuing the answers to these questions, thinking about who students want to become as well as what students what to be.

Students develop and mature at different paces and in different ways. This reality requires that students have many and varied platforms to showcase their developing mastery and to experience success with their peers.

The Advisory Program is structured to meet the unique opportunities and needs of early adolescence by providing a space where students have a meaningful mentor in a trusted adult and are connected to a community of peers. In this environment, students explore such practices as goal setting, self-advocacy, respectful dialogue, and study strategies.

These practices help students reflect on their own personal and educational goals.

AC TION ITEMS

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Create an Advisory Team to plan activities, themes, and oversee an Advisory Dashboard

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Institute monthly grade-level faculty team meetings to share information about supporting students in their academic and social growth

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Expand professional development offerings for faculty to strengthen their role as a mentor and advisor for students

MIDDLE SCHOOL STRATEGIC GOALS & ACTION ITEMS GOAL 2.2

ACTION ITEMS

GOAL 2.3

ACTION ITEMS

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Capitalize on the value of traditions and experiences as milestones of the Middle School Journey.

Shared experiences cement students’ bonds with each other. Cherished traditions such as capstone events and experiences allow students to anticipate, contribute their own spin, and feel connected to something bigger than themselves. With Unitas as a pillar of the Middle School experience, the memories formed during these years hold enduring value. ❊

Compile a list of past events and engage students in conversation

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Develop dynamic, student-focused, co-curricular programming to promote relationships across the Middle School and within each class

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Institute a Cubby Cup tradition that builds community by promoting students’ pursuit of the full spectrum of the Austin Prep Middle School experience

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Create a production sheet for each Middle School event to provide continuity and refine programming from one year to the next

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Expand summer programming for incoming students to support students and families in beginning their Austin Journey

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Strengthen the ties between the Middle and Upper School to create a seamless transition as students matriculate from one division to the next

Build each student’s capacity to engage with technology in a healthy, responsible, safe, and respectful manner.

Technology in and of itself is a powerful tool that students must be prepared to navigate as 21st Century learners. As with all types of development, learning balance helps students in maturing into a healthy relationship with technology. By providing students with behavioral guardrails and modern curricula, they develop an appropriate understanding of the value of technology. Teachers will continuously provide students with the tools they need to be productive and safe in a modern, high-tech society that is constantly evolving. ❊

Examine and communicate expectations about the use of technology in the classroom and other areas of campus life

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Provide training and resources to incorporate evolving technology in a balanced and age-appropriate manner

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Enhance the digital citizenship curriculum to provide students with the capacity to utilize technology in a healthy and responsible way

MIDDLE SCHOOL STRATEGIC GOALS & ACTION ITEMS GOAL 2.4

ACTION ITEMS

GOAL 2.5

ACTION ITEMS

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Integrate into the Middle School schedule opportunities for students to engage with their peers through Student Life activities, physical education programs, and team sports.

Dedicated time to play, socialize, and connect with others fosters healthy relationships and allows Middle School students to grow socially and emotionally. These types of opportunities are vital to the development of the young adult as they provide students room to negotiate relationships on their own while creating a safe space in which to flourish. ❊

Assess the offerings of student clubs and activities to provide programming that promotes student engagement, risk-taking, and choice and that creates a space for students to engage with peers and faculty mentors in a meaningful way

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Leverage the distinct physical space of the Middle School program and the athletic facilities of campus to provide opportunities for students to regularly engage in recreational physical activities

Cultivate students’ capacity for empathy and harness their desire and potential to be agents of altruism through a Middle School Service-Learning Program.

Experiences in serving others create opportunities for students to discover and develop their gifts while encountering new perspectives. By being intentional about their service work and being given a space to process their impact and insight, students appreciate the difference that they have made – and can make - in the world. A mission-centered curriculum with appropriate requirements and structured opportunities will support students in achieving this objective. ❊

Fully embrace the Austin Prep Mission Statement’s charge to be “hands to serve”

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Emphasize the connections between students’ service work, Catholic social teaching, and Scripture

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Provide structured opportunities for students to engage in service and to reflect on their impact and insights

MIDDLE SCHOOL STRATEGIC GOALS & ACTION ITEMS Personalize the professional journeys of Austin Prep Middle School faculty members.

GOAL 3.1 ACTION ITEMS

GOAL 3.2

ACTION ITEMS

GOAL 3.3

ACTION ITEMS

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Drawing from the choice and voice students are afforded in their curriculum, faculty will create and pursue a tailored annual plan of professional growth. ❊

Cultivate opportunities for faculty to improve instructional practices on a systematic basis with in-service opportunities and off-campus experiences

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Develop an instrument for faculty to utilize in setting professional goals and creating action plans to realize those goals as they design their own path to a higher level of instructional effectiveness

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Incentivize professional development with appropriate recognition

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Provide a system of dynamic communication for faculty to self-monitor and share their professional development experiences

Foster a culture of collaboration that promotes the exchange of ideas, efforts to innovate, and opportunities to reflect.

Professional development is a catalyst for improved student outcomes. A professional development program that offers many and varied opportunities for teachers to learn from each other models a commitment to lifelong learning and promotes opportunities for all teachers along the continuum from apprentice teacher to luminary. ❊

Support an atmosphere of discussion and dialogue through supporting systems for Austin Prep faculty to provide frequent in-service training to colleagues on instructional strategies, content pedagogy, advisory, student development, and more

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Strengthen a culture of high-impact teaching and learning through an Austin Prep Conference

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Implement a Parents as Partners Program to exchange information with families about adolescent development and the unique path of their individual child

Highlight and formally recognize the contributions of faculty members who inspire teaching excellence.

Austin Prep faculty are leaders in the field of education. Faculty share their expertise beyond the campus community through presenting at conferences, facilitating workshops, and exploring Middle School themes in their professional writing. ❊

Collaborate with the Office of Communications to highlight the exceptional work of faculty in improving their own craft and in making their own contributions to the field of Middle School education

MIDDLE SCHOOL STRATEGIC GOALS & ACTION ITEMS GOAL 4.1

ACTION ITEMS

GOAL 4.2

Contribute to a clear definition of the Middle School identity through dedicated physical spaces.

Providing Middle School students with a distinctive physical space on campus creates the room for students to explore in a developmentally appropriate manner. Just as the Austin Prep Advisory Program acts as a family unit within the larger community, so too do dedicated learning spaces provide students with a sense of ownership, belonging, and identity. ❊

Renovate the western wing of McLaughlin Hall to be a space that reflects the unique ways in which Middle School students learn and connect with one another

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Identify and designate spaces on campus for Middle School students to recreate

Advance the work of the Office of Admissions and Office of Communications through the development of age-appropriate marketing materials and social media presence.

Prospective students and their families must be able to envision their child at Austin Prep. In that regard, Middle School faces and voices must be exclusively represented in all photos and videos. Admissions materials should be reflective of Middle School students and be presented in age-appropriate solicitations and acceptances. Most importantly, these materials must communicate what sets the Austin Prep Middle School experience apart as Austin Prep identifies and attracts mission-aligned families to join this special school community.

Similarly, current Middle School students must feel that their own experiences and contributions to campus life are recognized and appropriately celebrated. Middle School events and milestones must be captured, archived, and promoted to contribute to students’ sense of belonging.

ACTION ITEMS

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Produce Middle School specific marketing materials for prospective families including a Middle School viewbook and brochures on academic and co-curricular programs which articulate the developmental and transitional benefits of Austin Prep’s intentional approach to educating Middle School learners

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Evaluate and evolve the presence of the Austin Prep Middle School on social media to effectively market to prospective families while also celebrating the achievements and experiences of current students

MIDDLE SCHOOL STRATEGIC PLAN NEXT STEPS As the Austin Prep Middle School embarks on its next chapter, guided by work set forth in the Middle School Strategic Plan and inspired by Austin Prep’s Augustinian charisms, Austin Prep is tasked with continual reflection on the Middle School Journey as the school community implements the framework outlined herein to enhance the experience of the next generation of Austin Prep Middle School students.

Recent Notable Achievements ❊

Middle School student athletes were contributing members of the State Championship Teams in Softball, Girls Ice Hockey, and Girls Indoor Track and Field

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Middle School student athletes broke and hold school records in events in swimming and track.

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The Middle School is a member of the Independent Schools Cultural Alliance in the United Kingdom, offering students an opportunity to interact, learn, and travel with peers from across the globe.

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Middle School students sang for and met His Holiness Pope Francis during a Christmas and New Years’ Pilgrimage to the Vatican

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Faculty have led and facilitated workshops for the Alliance for Catholic Education, Association for Middle Level Education, the New England League of Middle Schools, and the Salem State Collaborative

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Faculty have written and published articles and book reviews on topics in educating Middle School students

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Head of Middle School was named the Administrator of the Year by the New England League of Middle Schools

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Select students annually earn perfect scores on the National Myth Exam and National Latin Exam

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Seventh grade writers have written over 1.7 million words over the past 3 years through their participation in National Novel Writing Month

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Middle School Math students excelled in the American Mathematics Competition

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Responding to the call to serve in the midst of a global pandemic, Middle School students volunteered over 650 hours of service as they embraced Austin Prep’s Mission Statement’s charge to be “hands to serve.”

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Austin Preparatory School 101 Willow Street Reading, Massachusetts 01867 www.austinprep.org