Year One Recap Pursing Excellence Five-Year Strategic Plan

Pursuing Excellence

STRATEGIC PLAN FIVE-YEAR ::

YEAR ONE RECAP and a look ahead...

We believe in the strength, intellect, vitality, spirit, friendship, and faith of women.

We transform the world, one girl at a time.

Dear Sacred Heart Greenwich Community,

As we come to the close of this momentous 175th anniversary year, I am filled with immense gratitude and pride for all that we have accomplished together. This milestone has allowed us to reflect on our rich history, celebrate our present achievements, and look forward to a bright future guided by our strategic plan, Pursuing Excellence.

Our journey this year has been marked by significant progress in advancing our mission.

We have launched and made strides in our five-year strategic plan, which focuses on three key pillars: Advance, Engage, and Invest.

These pillars guide us as we strive to create an environment where our students can thrive academically, socially, and spiritually.

Our community’s dedication and support have been integral to our success this year. Your insights and contributions as valued members of Sacred Heart Greenwich have played a vital role in implementing our strategic plan. Your participation in committees and working groups helped identify key initiatives and investments. Comprised of Sacred Heart Greenwich educators, parents, alumnae, and board members, these groups have formulated strategic recommendations in nine areas: Academics; Arts; Athletics; Educator Recruitment, Retention, Professional Development, and Evaluation; Women of Spirituality & Service; Student Leadership; Student Experience; Student Support; and Building and Grounds, Capital Improvements, and Investment.

As we look ahead, we remain committed to our mission of educating and empowering young women to lead lives of purpose and integrity. Together, we will continue to build on the legacy of Sacred Heart Greenwich, ensuring that our students are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and values they need to make a positive impact on the world.

Thank you for your unwavering support and dedication. Let us celebrate our past, embrace our present, and look forward to a future filled with promise and possibility.

Cor Unum,

Michael F. Baber PRESIDENT SACRED HEART GREENWICH

YEAR ONE RECAP and a look

Pursuing Excellence Strategic Planning Remains Committed to

Our:

Mission

Sacred Heart Greenwich, an all-girls, independent, Catholic school, educates and empowers students to pursue excellence, build courage and confidence, and lead lives of purpose and integrity.

Vision

Sacred Heart Greenwich envisions a world where all girls and women are able to shape the future through learning and service, defined by our Goals and Criteria.

WE TRANSFORM THE WORLD, ONE GIRL AT A TIME.

Values

At Sacred Heart Greenwich we live our values daily with:

FAITH: We believe faith informs and guides our decisions and actions in the pursuit of truth and knowledge.

INTELLECT: We believe we have an obligation to develop our intellectual talents and skills as reflective, lifelong learners who create a positive impact in the world.

JUSTICE: We believe we have a responsibility to confront injustice, seek equality, practice compassion, and respect the dignity of each and every person.

COMMUNITY: We believe our Sacred Heart community fosters an inclusive environment in which all are welcomed, embraced, and challenged to contribute to the good of the whole.

WISDOM: We believe we are called to grow in wisdom and lead discerning lives characterized by self-knowledge and the understanding of how our choices impact ourselves and others.

Strategic Direction Elevated by the Goals and Criteria

Timeline Planning Year

So we must remember that it is better to begin a great work than to finish a small one... Our education is not meant to turn the children out small and finished... they must leave us with some self-knowledge, some energy, some purpose.

”

:: JANET ERSKINE STUART, RSCJ

Year One Years 2-5

2023-2024 2024-2028

{ }

LAUNCH PURSUING

EXCELLENCE STRATEGIC PLAN

{ } IMPLEMENT DISTRIBUTIVE LEADERSHIP MODEL

{ } ACTIVATE STRATEGIC WORKING GROUPS

{ }

DEVELOP ACTION PRIORITIES & CAMPUS MASTER PLAN { } IMPLEMENT & INVEST

{ }

IDENTIFY & DESIGN INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS

{ } DEVELOP & RECRUIT ADDITIONAL TALENTED EDUCATORS

{ } CREATE VERSATILE CAMPUS SPACES

YEAR ONE RECAP and a look

Strategic Working Groups

COMPOSED OF SACRED HEART EDUCATORS, PARENTS, AND ALUMNAE EVALUATED WAYS TO ACTUALIZE THE GOALS OF PURSUING EXCELLENCE WITHIN THE NINE SUBJECT GROUPS.

In the spirit of collaboration and inclusivity, the Pursuing Excellence Strategic Planning Committee formed nine working groups that focused on different components of the three foundational pillars of our plan, Advance, Engage, and Invest.

The collaboration among the Board of Trustees, Sacred Heart Greenwich educators, parents, and alumnae provided a thoughtful exploration to identify opportunities, address challenges, drive innovation to determine campus space requirements (or enhancements), and propose strategies to achieve our goals.

YEAR ONE RECAP and a look ahead...

Advance

our vision for educational excellence and commitment to leadership formation as defined and measured by the Goals and Criteria.

In Year One:

ADVANCED EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE AND LEADERSHIP

Initiated a departmental review process to ensure all educators are using best practices in science-based pedagogical techniques of differential instruction within each classroom.

SUPPORTED FACULTY DEVELOPMENT

Provided training in Universal Design for Learning and Orton-Gillingham Science of Reading Instruction to support student success.

IMPLEMENTED CURRICULUM ENHANCEMENTS

Expanded Upper School electives, particularly in STEM fields, to include on-campus study of advanced courses like AP Environmental Science, Economics, and post-AP studies in Linear Algebra.

EXPANDED ARTS CURRICULUM

Launched a Club Dance program that will be offered as a class for the 2024–2025 academic year.

Year Two Looking Ahead:

HEART OF A GRADUATE

Communicate our vision of a successful Sacred Heart Greenwich graduate grounded in the Goals and Criteria, imparting the skills, attitudes, and attributes they will need to lead lives of purpose.

ARTICULATE OUR EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY

Share Sophie’s Gift, a comprehensive guide created by the Society of the Sacred Heart that encapsulates the core principles of the Sacred Heart philosophy. It serves as a foundational document for Sacred Heart educators, outlining shared values, beliefs, and goals, as well as aspirations and attitudes, that guide their daily practices and interactions within the Sacred Heart community.

DEFINE EDUCATOR CORE COMPETENCIES AND ASSESS CORE LEARNING OUTCOMES

Align each department’s curriculum and pedagogy across the early childhood to 12th grade learning arc to ensure students have the skills they need to grow into transformational leaders, and educators are equipped with innovative teaching techniques.

Engage

with community members and the wider world to cultivate meaningful relationships and powerful contexts for learning, service, and leadership.

In Year One:

GREW COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Cultivated meaningful relationships within our community and the wider world. Our partnerships with alumnae, families, and external organizations, such as The Wild Mustang Conservation, IBM Watson Research Center, and the Regeneron DNA Learning Center, provided our students with valuable learning, service, and leadership opportunities.

EXPANDED EXTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Strengthened partnerships with alumnae, families, and friends to create a robust learning ecosystem, providing invaluable opportunities for real-world experience and networking. More than 70 students received training in the application process, résumé writing, and etiquette, and were matched with externship hosts in fields such as communications, law, medicine, finance, engineering, interior design, media, and education.

PROMOTED SOCIAL MEDIA EMPOWERMENT

Implemented the Social Institute program as part of the comprehensive 7th to 12th grade Advisory, to empower students in navigating social media, resulting in increased resilience and a stronger school culture.

Year Two Looking Ahead

DESIGN GLOBAL EXPERIENCES

Offer immersive, service-based student-focused trips, starting as early as Middle School, to destinations such as Iceland, the Dominican Republic, and Lourdes, France.

ENHANCE COMMUNICATIONS

Implement and evaluate strategies to enhance communication, ensuring successful engagement with students, parents, and the wider community.

Invest

in talent and programmatic and physical assets to ensure strong alignment of resources to our vision and mission for students.

In Year One:

STRATEGIC RESOURCE ALLOCATION

Allocated resources effectively to support our mission. This included developing campus facilities, adding new student programming to meet the demand for athletic participation, and creating additional educator positions to support student life and student success.

DISTRIBUTIVE LEADERSHIP MODEL

Built collaborative and cohesive administrative and strategic teams to drive priority work and excellence in the student experience. In the new model, Michael F. Baber serves as President and partners with Jenn Bensen as Associate Head of School for Student Life and Kevin Bailey as Associate Head of School for Teaching and Learning. These efforts are enhanced by the redefined, cross-divisional roles of our department chairs and instructional leaders.

CAMPUS ENHANCEMENTS THROUGH PHILANTHROPIC COMMUNITY SUPPORT

Enhanced the educational and athletic experiences of all students through:

• Completed the Newman Family Green that provides student-athletes opportunities to improve their golf putting and short-game strategies

• Construction of nine new tennis courts (Fall of 2024)

• Construction of a new Lower Campus outdoor classroom, adjacent to Copper’s Pond, to allow students to engage in an immersive learning experience to enliven our all-school biology and ecology curricula (Spring of 2025)

Year Two Looking Ahead

ENHANCE EDUCATIONAL AND CAMPUS RESOURCES

Explore the educational advantages of relocating programs like the arts, media studies, and robotics to enhance collaboration and create synergies both within and between departments.

INVESTING IN EDUCATOR EXCELLENCE

Continue efforts to recruit, develop, and retain talented educators. Additionally, focus on providing financial aid and other resources to increase access for both students and educators, thereby strengthening our dynamic learning community.