shs vision 2025

Vision 2025

“Be humble, be simple, bring joy to others.”

St. Madeleine Sophie Barat Founder, Society of the Sacred Heart

Vision 2025 for

Sacred Heart Schools, atherton

IntellectualFormation

CharacterFormation

Community Stewardship

In our multicultural world, the school prepares and inspires students to be active, informed, and responsible citizens,

locally, nationally, and globally.

(Goal III, Criterion 4)

“What is the good of teaching various subjects, of wasting time in learning them, if at the same time we

cannot teach children the words of life and touch their hearts and their consciences?”

St. Madeleine Sophie Barat

Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton: Vision 2025 Page 1

Founded in 1898, Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton (SHS) is a Catholic, independent, co-educational institution, preschool through 12th grade, which provides students with

an exceptional and unique education. Our innovative curricula, programs and activities are specifically designed to develop the whole child - heart, mind, and body - and to provide students with the skills necessary for lives of purpose, meaning, and success, no matter their chosen path. As a result, Sacred Heart graduates are dedicated life-long learners. They are caring, thoughtful, inspired, resilient and ready to take advantage of opportunities they may encounter as well as meet inherent challenges found in today’s fast-paced, global landscape.

To achieve our fundamental mission to educate children to become “leaders who love God and serve others,” the academic curriculum and community values are guided and shaped by three critical elements: the Goals and Criteria of a Sacred Heart education; the heritage, traditions and charism of the Religious of the Sacred Heart (RSCJ); and the beliefs, spiritual teachings, and evolving tradition of the Catholic Church. Combined, these elements both ground our priorities and guide our decisions. As a school of the greater Sacred Heart network, we are committed to delivering an education that fosters and practices: (I) a personal and active faith in God; (II) a deep respect for intellectual values; (III) a social awareness that impels to action; (IV) the building of community as a Christian value; (V) and personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom. Further, as an institution and as a community, we are resolved to ensure that the SHS educational experience is accessible to a diverse and inclusive population.

Within our Sacred Heart community, our history, legacy and clear philosophical direction enriches us with a strong sense of identity. Without any doubt, we know who we are and what we stand for. This conviction is a tremendous resource when determining institutional priorities and setting operational goals. At the same time, we recognize we must continue to anticipate future demands on our graduates and grow our academic curriculum so that it remains relevant, dynamic, and flexible.

Change is the inevitable constant. Mindful of that axiom, we aspire to educate, challenge, and prepare our students to thrive as adults, to achieve personally and professionally. The academic experience we deliver must meet the highest standards, but also be adaptable—open to new curricular ideas, evolving instructional models, and emerging technologies. Indeed, as this institution’s current stewards, our responsibility is to ensure that the needs of future generations of students are met as well, or better than, those of past generations.

Introduction

Today, Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton is thriving in every dimension. Nevertheless, there are always opportunities for even further excellence. Accordingly, and as part of our commitment

to continual development and strategic assessment, we have identified four main priorities aligned with our guiding principles that will fulfill our mission, achieve our vision, and focus on our future: Intellectual Formation, Character Formation, Community, and Stewardship.

The Four Priorities

The school provides a rigorous education that incorporates all forms of critical thinking

and inspires a life-long love of learning. (Goal II, Criterion 2)


Intellectual Formation

The paramount objective of a Sacred Heart education is to provide students with a strong foundational knowledge, a life-long passion for learning, and an overall transformative

educational experience. Our students will graduate with skills to be analytic and compassionate problem-solvers, flexible thinkers, intellectually adroit, and well prepared for success today, as well as into the future. We intend that this comprehensive approach will impel students to become active, responsible, and motivated global citizens.

To achieve this objective, our focus will remain on hiring and retaining a diverse and inclusive faculty and staff, who are talented, creative, experienced, outcome-focused, and committed to our educational philosophy and community values.

We commit to:

• Providing an innovative, rigorous, and interdisciplinary curriculum within the tenets of a Sacred Heart education that is aligned from preschool through high school and utilizes a range of instructional methodologies and tools to deliver it.

• Hiring and retaining faculty, staff, and coaches who maintain a high standard of professional excellence, are diverse and inclusive, and are inspirational and effective role models of our Sacred Heart Goals and Criteria.

• Developing a wide variety of professional growth opportunities for faculty, staff, and coaches that incorporate best practices, support the application of current technology to enhance and supplement their pedagogy, and foster the development of leadership and top-quality skills in their respective fields.

• Ensuring students become literate and ethical digital citizens through access to the most current tools and techniques while conscientiously fostering responsible use of them as they learn how to apply technology to solve real-world problems.

• Teaching students to become excellent communicators and problem-solvers who are able to think critically and creatively, work collaboratively, and be productive contributors in a global society.

• Offering diverse learning and experiential programs that recognize and celebrate individual differences, help students respectively achieve their full potential, and enable them to learn from one another.


Character Formation

Throughout every student’s career at Sacred Heart, our applied philosophy is the development of the whole child: intellectually, spiritually, morally, emotionally, socially, artistically, and

physically. We are committed to providing a supportive learning environment in which students can grow in self-awareness, envision their potential, share their talents and interests to serve others, and contribute in a meaningful way. As members of this community, all adults are expected to be role models for the Goals and Criteria of a Sacred Heart education and support the school’s mission in the formation of the whole child.

To achieve this objective, we will continue to cultivate within our community the habits of heart and mind which encompass respect, tolerance, and concern for others. Our primary focus will always remain on the formation of our students throughout their entire Sacred Heart experience.

We commit to:

• Requiring all faculty, staff and coaches to take personal responsibility for modeling the Goals and Criteria and expecting them to faithfully exercise: moral thinking in decision-making, self-awareness, humility, empathy, compassion, and other qualities consistent with our Sacred Heart values.

• Awakening and deepening in students a personal relationship with a loving God, while cultivating our Catholic identity and educating students to an understanding of, and respect for, the beliefs and faith traditions of others.

• Guiding students towards a deep multicultural and environmental awareness that inspires a genuine passion for social justice, impels to action, and instills a life-long commitment to service.

• Providing a life-skills curriculum and social/emotional programs that foster character development and prepare students for both personal and professional fulfillment.

• Broadening student leadership opportunities to ensure graduates become responsible citizens locally, nationally, and globally, and develop the skills necessary to bring about positive changes in the world.

• Offering a wide range of options and alternatives for outstanding co-curricular and extra-curricular activities which contribute to the development of the whole child, encompassing programs such as: the visual and performing arts, athletics, service learning, student government, media, robotics, the farm program, sustainability and environmental awareness, and many others.

The school seeks to form its students in the attitudes of the heart of Jesus, expressed in respect, compassion, forgiveness, and generosity.

(Goal I, Criterion 2)

The school promotes a safe and welcoming environment, in which each person is valued, cared for, and respected.

(Goal IV, Criterion 2)


Community

The strength of our Sacred Heart community is among our most vital qualities, and accordingly should be constantly cultivated in order to grow and thrive. Just as our educators and

administrators team with parents to build and refine in our students those character traits that reflect and reinforce our sense of mission, collectively we must always ensure these same traits are continually modeled by our entire Sacred Heart community. In doing so, students, faculty, and staff will be encouraged to find balance in their lives and take responsibility for their own health and well-being.

To achieve this objective, we will uphold a values-centered, inclusive, and diverse community, characterized by open communication, acceptance, and collaboration among all its members.

We commit to:

• Fostering a deep understanding and faithfulness to the Goals and Criteria of a Sacred Heart education by informing all community members about the Sacred Heart mission, heritage, traditions, and charism of the RSCJ.

• Ensuring a diverse and inclusive student community through admission policies and procedures, and financial aid programs that will provide greater access to a Sacred Heart education.

• Encouraging all members of our community to achieve individual life-work balance that promotes good health and well-being.

• Expanding parent support via school programs, workshops, and forums in order to assist families coping with challenging societal, learning, or other issues that may affect or impede student performance.

• Identifying and implementing a variety of activities and programs designed to recapture, engage, and grow a broader alumni network.

• Strengthening Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton’s ties to the national and international Network of Sacred Heart Schools by seeking opportunities for communication, exchange programs, and engagement among students, faculty, and staff at multiple member institutions.


Stewardship

For more than a century, Sacred Heart has served the local community by providing an unmatched educational experience. Today, our school is stronger than ever—an extraordinary

accomplishment and the direct result of the hard work, generosity, and sacrifice of generations of devoted RSCJ, committed educators, and dedicated families. As current beneficiaries of this notable legacy, our obligation is to ensure this institution continues to thrive well into the next century as a model of educational, communal, and fiscal excellence.

To achieve this objective, we must unequivocally preserve and promote our Sacred Heart heritage and values, be good stewards of both our physical setting and our community of people, continue to grow our financial assets and resources, and further build and enhance our institutional reputation.

We commit to:

• Upholding the Goals and Criteria of a Sacred Heart education for future generations through the support and guidance of the RSCJ Provincial and her team, the Sacred Heart Commission on Goals (SHCOG), the Board of Trustees, and the Director of Schools.

• Maintaining fiscal sustainability through wise management of the operating budget, careful review and consideration of tuition and revenue policies, strategic investment to increase existing assets, and appropriate and feasible goal-setting for all fundraising programs.

• Growing the endowment to ensure adequate resources for financial aid, competitive compensation and benefits, on-going professional development, and any unanticipated future institutional needs.

• Managing the risks inherent in running the school by taking active steps necessary to safeguard our students, community members, campus environment, financial assets, physical resources, and institutional reputation.

• Encouraging responsible use and care of the physical setting and plant through support of current maintenance and sustainability programs while ensuring new capital projects comply with or improve upon current campus standards.

• Balancing preservation of the spirit of our Sacred Heart community with the need for legal and regulatory compliance policies and practices.

School policies and practices promote self-discipline, responsible decision-making,

and accountability. (Goal V, Criterion 2)

Summary

Through Vision 2025, Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton has launched a new, dynamic process for annual strategic planning, referred to as the “Living Agenda.” Designed to be more recurrent and less episodic,

the Living Agenda enables ongoing critical evaluation of programmatic and operational institutional needs. Importantly, it provides a flexible pathway to identify, develop, and address emerging long- and short-term initiatives which will achieve the priorities set forth in Vision 2025.

In practice, the Living Agenda is intended to be highly adaptable and highly participatory. Under the direction and support of a Living Agenda Steering Committee—comprising the Director of Schools, administrators, trustees, faculty, and staff—a series of task forces will be formed to undertake select institutional challenges. Their objective will be to work toward resolution, determining if further study is required and/or recommending appropriate and necessary action.

By anticipating and being adroitly responsive to school needs through this Living Agenda, Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton can—and will—realize the aspirations and goals so powerfully articulated in Vision 2025.

Moving Forward: the Living Agenda

Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton has never been stronger. We have an extraordinary physical campus, a talented faculty and staff, a generous and supportive group of parents and alumni, an outstanding

student body, a strong reputation, a record number of applicants at all levels, an endowment that is larger than it has ever been, and the serendipity of being located in the heart of Silicon Valley. We are truly blessed, and our future is unquestionably bright. We have had great success accomplishing the priorities identified in our last Strategic Plan. The success of these efforts demonstrates the importance of steadfastly striving for improvement—for we recognize we can always do better. By refusing to be complacent and remaining vigilant in self-evaluation, Sacred Heart will continue to provide an unmatched educational experience, combining best-in-class academics, a wide array of extra-curricular activities and opportunities, and a community and curricula rooted in spirituality, values, and compassionate service that characterizes the Sacred Heart tradition.

We are now introducing Vision 2025, our view for the future of Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton. It requires a partnership of enormous effort, commitment, and leadership from our Director of Schools, trustees, administrators, faculty and staff, as well as engagement and support from parents, alumni, and friends. We look forward to working with you as we fulfill this vision.

“Our students must leave us with some self-knowledge, some energy, some purpose...

If they leave without these three things, they drift with the stream of life...”

“...As regards to the end we have in view, we must distinguish between

instruction and education. Instruction aims at one or two things.

Education aims at all, and prepares for all.”

Janet Erskine Stuart, RSCJ

150 Valparaiso Avenue ● Atherton, California 94027Phone 650.322.1928 ● Fax 650.322.7151 ● www.shschools.org

shs vision 2025

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