St. Mary's Strategic Plan 2022-2025

ST.MARY’S

2022 Strategic -2025 Plan

Dear St. Mary’s Community Since the successful completion of our previous Strategic Plan, the entire landscape of education has completely changed. Our world was struck with a pandemic that forced our schools to close, and we had to learn how to deliver meaningful engagement through devices, screens and masks. For better or worse, our approach forward is altered by these experiences. And it’s likely we will encounter more adversity in the years to come. It is our goal to learn and grow from this time in history and focus on how to best deliver a St. Mary’s education in the 21st century.

Every day, we live out Father Sillers’ dream for St. Mary’s. The impermeable foundation we have built from our previous Strategic Plan will propel St. Mary’s into the future for many years to come. St. Mary’s is in a tremendous place. Our community is supportive and engaged. Our IB program is flourishing.

We are fiscally sound. Enrollment is strong, and our students, faculty and staff are happy and healthy.

St. Mary’s has a unique position within Orange County as an IB School and a place where all are welcome, valued and respected. Our Christian values are solid, and our mission and vision are clear.

The future is filled with possibilities, and this new Strategic Plan will guide us. This plan identifies a clear three year path that will propel us to new heights of excellence and share what it means to be a Falcon and a St. Mary’s graduate.

We are proud to present the 2022-2025 St. Mary’s Strategic Plan. This document is a culmination of nearly two years of work, including countless hours of evaluation, committee collaboration and thoughtful planning. This plan will ensure our priorities, energy and resources are consistently focused on improving and enhancing the St. Mary’s experience. We will measure goals and assess outcomes against the priorities and steps outlined in our plan. The following plan aligns with our mission, vision and values and is framed around our Pillars of Excellence.

The challenges and opportunities that face 21st century education are significant and real. In partnership with our Board of Trustees, we are confident we will successfully navigate St. Mary’s into the future with grace, gratitude and generosity, while preserving and protecting the legacy of our founder, Father Sillers.

We have high expectations and goals set forth in this plan. With your partnership and unwavering support, we will achieve these objectives.

Thank you,

Sharon Taylor Serena Benson Doug Patterson Head of School Chair, Board of Trustees Assistant Head of School for Educational Innovation

Board Of Trustees

Board of Trustees from left to right: Front Row: Francisco Morales, Kelly Zeigler, Kevin DeAllen, Serena Benson, Chair, Sharon Taylor, Rayna Herman, Michael Lawhead and Chris Marsh.

Back Row: Michael Kite, Keith Buckley, Chantal Manseau-Guerdat, Dennis Boyer, Jennifer Farr, Gordon McNeill, Jeff Minhas, Shawn Baldwin, Catherine Anderson and JJ Abraham.

Not Pictured: Kwansun Ahn, Tommy Beadel, Jeff Van Hoosear and Nicolaas Vlok.

The Board of Trustees is the governing body of St. Mary’s School. Individual members serve as lead advocates of St. Mary’s mission and guardians of its well-being. The Board’s main purposes are to ensure the financial security of the institution, protect St. Mary’s legacy and mission, support the strategic vision and policy positions, and hire and support the Head of School. Board composition reflects the strategic expertise, resources and perspectives — past, present, future — needed to achieve the mission and strategic objectives of the school. As such, the trustees are composed of volunteers from diverse backgrounds within and outside the St. Mary’s parent community. St. Mary’s leadership partnered closely with the Board of Trustees to develop the 2022-2025 Strategic Plan.

Our Faith St. Mary’s was established by Father Ernest D. Sillers as a diverse community for people of all faiths and backgrounds. We invite all who attend and work at St. Mary’s, to seek clarity about their own beliefs and religions and to honor those traditions more fully and faithfully in their own lives. We also strive to respect, understand and celebrate the traditions and beliefs within our community. Our goal is to nurture the spiritual development of our community, allowing for a varied and inclusive population. By developing spiritually, we gain compassion, a sense of meaning in life and inspiration to serve those in need.

St. Mary’s History Father Ernest D. Sillers founded St. Mary’s School in 1994 in Aliso Viejo, Calif. St. Mary’s was founded with a dedication to developing our students’ world-sized hearts and world-class minds into lifelong learners and leaders with strong values.

Father Sillers considered St. Mary’s to be the Jewel in the Crown of all the schools he founded. As his only non-church affiliated school, St. Mary’s strives to be, in Sillers’ words, “most in line with the world.” Father Sillers believed the best way to prepare youth for the inevitability of a more globally connected world is to immerse students into an environment that is intellectually diverse, interconnected by technology and perennially in flux. To further this belief, in 2002 St. Mary’s adopted the International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme. The IB Programme profoundly transformed our school and strengthened our commitment to inquiry-based teaching and learning and intercultural understanding and respect.

In 2007, St. Mary’s became a fully accredited International Baccalaureate World School Organization, and to this day, is the only independent school in Orange County to incorporate the IB curriculum throughout all grade levels. In 2022, St. Mary’s continues to be a leader in our greater community and throughout the independent school world. In addition to our IB status, we are fully accredited with the following organizations:

• California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS)

• National Association for the Education of the Young Child (NAEYC)

World-Sized Hearts & World-Class Minds.

OUR VISION Preparing and inspiring children of today to become courageous, caring, global citizens and enlightened leaders of tomorrow.

OUR VALUES • • • • •

wonder, inquiry and discovery diverse ways of thinking & understanding compassionate actions responsibility for one’s self and others sharing our gifts with the world

Our Mission Our mission at St. Mary’s is simple: “World-Sized Hearts and World-Class Minds.” By equally engaging the heart and the mind, we inspire and empower our students to change the world with purpose and understanding. Our students are inquirers. By asking “what” and “why,” they begin to understand their role in the “how.”

Our world-class faculty and staff are dedicated to their students and our mission. They create an engaging, meaningful learning environment daily. St. Mary’s parents are supportive and believe in our purpose. They wholeheartedly engage with our school community and partner with us throughout their child’s journey at St. Mary’s.

ST. MARY’S

STRATEGIC

PILLARS PILLAR THREE PILLAR ONE

A Transformative Learning Experience For Our Students.

PILLAR TWO

An Innovative 21st Century Campus That Is Flexible And Environmentally Responsible.

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A Broad Educational Program That Develops The Whole Child.

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The Strategic Plan

PILLAR FOUR

A Premier International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme.

This plan will serve as a roadmap toward success ensuring St. Mary’s focuses its priorities, energy and resources towards these pillars and priorities.

PILLAR SIX PILLAR FIVE

Exceptional Professional Development For Our Faculty And Staff.

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A Continued Sense Of Community Among Students, Families, Faculty, Staff & Beyond.

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STRATEGIC PILLAR

A Transformative Learning Experience For Our Students.

Strategic Priorities • Create cross-curricular learning experiences and foster Design Thinking as a through line in EEP-Grade 8.

• Create opportunities for students and teachers to cultivate their passions outside of the curriculum.

• Ensure our school experience incorporates technology and innovation to prepare students for the 21st century workforce.

• Expand educational partnerships with the outside community to take learning beyond the campus, allowing for real world application.

Implementation Steps • Incorporate a Design Thinking, cross-curricular project in every grade level.

• Plan and implement an all-school Design Thinking event where Design Thinking based projects are showcased to our community.

• Develop and publish an all-school Scope and Sequence around Design Thinking.

• Provide ongoing Professional Development opportunities for faculty specific to Design Thinking.

• Evaluate and assess all current educational partnerships.

• Within Middle and Lower School, every grade level will identify one Unit of Inquiry that will include a partnership with an outside organization.

• Early Education Program will identify and establish a partnership with an outside organization.

• Continue to research and implement best practices in educational technology.

• Launch an all school Intersession Program.

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STRATEGIC PILLAR

An Innovative 21st Century Campus That Is Flexible And Environmentally Responsible.

Strategic Priorities • Successfully complete a comprehensive three-year campaign that will enable the development of St. Mary’s physical spaces.

• Complete the campus spaces Master Plan.

• Ensure all new physical spaces adhere to environmentally responsible guidelines.

• Enhance and develop outdoor learning spaces and curriculum.

Implementation Steps • Deploy an outdoor curriculum to support meaningful learning within the outdoor spaces.

• Utilize campus landscape as a natural security barrier.

• Install landscape lighting throughout our campus.

• Install no climb fencing along the back of the campus.

• Bolster communication efforts with our community to effectively share St. Mary’s key safety practices.

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STRATEGIC PILLAR

A Broad Educational Program That Develops The Whole Child.

Strategic Priorities • Ensure St Mary’s provides a comprehensive social-emotional learning curriculum for all students.

• Expand service-learning opportunities with 100% of students participating in meaningful service projects by 2024.

Implementation Steps • Enhance St. Mary’s character enrichment curriculum across all divisions.

• All divisions to audit their current curriculum and programme of inquiry for evidence of service learning.

• With audit findings, develop and implement an all-school service learning plan.

• Grow and ensure the MYP Community Project is meaningful and represents student learning/action.

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STRATEGIC PILLAR

A Premier International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme.

Strategic Priorities • Foster a deeper understanding within the school community of International Baccalaureate pedagogy and philosophy.

• Ensure all aspects of the school experience are inspiring students to embody the St. Mary’s Portrait of a Graduate.

• Ensure an inclusive school experience for our English language learners and their families.

Implementation Steps • Formalize and launch an engaging community-based IB Education programme.

• Conduct school-wide audit of current programme of inquiry and unit planners for evidence of incorporation of the IB Learner Profile.

• Grow and promote the Global Conversations program.

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STRATEGIC PILLAR

Exceptional Professional Development For Our Faculty And Staff.

Strategic Priorities • Invest in the recruitment, retention and development of outstanding educators, both faculty and staff, who embrace St. Mary’s Mission, Vision and Values.

• As the workplace evolves, support faculty’s well-being, professional development and collaboration.

Implementation Steps • Create and fund a system and structure that allows for and encourages faculty and staff to pursue unique learning opportunities that develop their individual passions.

• Continue to monitor, evaluate and strengthen compensation and benefits for faculty and staff.

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STRATEGIC PILLAR

A Continued Sense Of Community Among Students, Families, Faculty, Staff & Beyond.

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Strategic Priorities • Develop a plan and vision, anchored in belonging and inclusivity, to foster a culture where all students feel fully seen, heard and celebrated.

• Develop a Community Relations Program that:

• Increases student engagement and involvement through real-world application

• Increases visibility of St. Mary’s within the community

• Enhances the student experience through a deeper connection to his/her community.

Implementation Steps • Partner with a consulting firm to conduct an equity audit to understand school climate. Audit will consist of:

• A review of existing school documents and programs

• Formation of a focus group and individual interviews with key stakeholders

• An all school survey to collect broader information

• Findings shared with the community • Introduce belonging and inclusivity plan and vision to the community.

• Part of the plan will include structure and development for specific committees to support strategies and vision.

• Provide ongoing professional development to support the plan’s objectives.

• Continue to build the alumni program with increased events and cultivation of parents of alumni and alumni.

• Engage with local clubs through visits, enrichment offerings, academic support and connections with club leaders.

• Continue to support and grow the St. Mary’s Scholar Program.

• Identify connections within the local business community and our parent population that will support student learning, interest and real-world application.

We hope you too are inspired by this plan and will join us on our journey to successfully realize the completion of these goals, strategies and implementation steps.

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