St. Gerard School

                                                Strategic Plan 2009 – 2012

                                                           March 2009

This plan is the product of nearly a year of study, data collection and input opportunities with parents, faculty, and parishioners. Based upon the information gathered, goals, objectives, and strategies were developed to help insure the success of St. Gerard School for generations to come. We are all committed to the mission and vision of our Catholic School. We can achieve our goals with your help, cooperation, and input.

Philosophy

While reflecting Gospel teachings, St Gerard School offers an education committed to excellence. As an extension of our Parish  our School represents:

  Belief in Catholic morality, doctrine and values: the enhancement of self esteem and respect for others.

  Belief in Catholic Education which focuses on the spiritual, intellectual, and physical growth and development of the whole person.

  Belief in Catholic Faith, which is, fostered through prayer, liturgy, and service.

  Belief in Stewardship reflected in commitment, responsibility, and accountability in support of the Catholic educational mission.

Core Values

  We welcome, recognize and affirm each person as a member of God’s family.

  We know Jesus, embrace Scripture, celebrate the Eucharist and understand that God is always present.

  We facilitate dynamic learning environments where individuals are challenged to reach their potential.

  We gratefully share God’s gifts for the good of all.

  We express our faith by living what we believe.

Vision

We will be faithful to:

      The Gospel Virtues

      To our Catholic values

      To our traditions

We will grow in:

      Faith through prayer and religious instruction

      Worship through Mass and special liturgies

      Charity through service in the Name of Jesus

      Knowledge through dedication to academic excellence

Promote

GOAL

To elevate the awareness of SGS to the parish and community

Objective:

1. Aggressively Promote SGS achievements and activities within the parish and community.

Strategies

1. Establish a Public Relations position or sub- committee of the SAC to publicize school achievements and activities to the Parish and community.

   - The Parent /Teacher Group will begin this effort in February 2009

   - The School Advisory Council will absorb this responsibility in April 2009

2. School Leadership will make presentations to all the parish organizations

    connecting with each one a minimum of one time annually.

    -School Administration     September 2009

3. Promote on a monthly basis to all Parish Organizations

    - Parent /Teacher Group will begin in March 2009

    - The School Advisory Council  April 2009

4. The Administration will facilitate a monthly spotlight for employee, volunteers, and school families to be published to the parish and community.

    -Administration    September 2009

5. Offer an annual “Bring a friend to school Day”

    Administration      May 2009

Marketing

GOAL

Establish the identity of SGS in the minds of the people in the parish and community.

OBJECTIVES

1. Attract new students of all grade levels to SGS

2. Establish connection with toddler thru pre-school age children and their

    parents

Strategies

1. Establish a Marketing sub-committee of the School Advisory Council

    -SAC   April 2009

2. Be visible in local Christian Churches which do not have a school

    affiliation.

    -Administration    June 2009

3. Share Testimonials from SGS Catholic and non – Catholic families with

    the Parish and community.

     -SAC    June 2009

4. Hold a formal training in-service for the Marketing subcommittee of the

    School Advisory Council

    -School Advisory Council    October 2009

5. Develop a formal SGS Marketing Plan by Jan 2010

     -SAC    January  2010

6. Improve the SGS website, keep it current, and encourage full utilization of

    the website by the faculty

    SAC Marketing sub-committee    Administration    Oct 2009

School Management

GOAL

Establish a structured Leadership design to enhance the efficiency of School Management

OBJECTIVES

1. Promote positive morale by establishing positions of institutional leadership with performance expectations.

2. Reduce Administration workload to manageable levels by involving more people in positions of leadership and authority.

Strategies

1. Develop an organizational chart. The chart should include titled positions,  the responsibilities of each position, lines of authority and communications protocol.

    -Fr. Jim and Mary Camp with input from a Core Faculty Group and the SAC  May 15, 2009

2. Invite qualified persons to fill these positions, train, clarify expectations, and maintain support of each position.

    -Mary Camp      June 1^st 2009

3. Implement a performance based evaluation process for the administration .    - Fr. Jim      August 2009

School Operations

GOAL

Make St. Gerard’s School the most attractive Catholic Educational opportunity

OBJECTIVE

1. Establish a mindset of continuous improvement.

Strategies

1. Identify 4 key immediate action steps to improve St. Gerard School

    -Parent / Teacher Group, Core Faculty Group, Mary Camp   April 2009

2. Write a plan to achieve these key actions steps which includes an

     incremental  timeline for accomplishment not to extend beyond

     October 2009.

    - Parent / Teacher Group, Mary Camp  May 2009

3. Establish a Volunteer Coordinator 

    School Advisory Committee  June 2009

4. Survey each school family and each parish family with school age

    children not attending SGS to seek guidance in making SGS  an attractive

    educational opportunity.

     -School Advisory Committee  September 2009

Curriculum Enhancements

Goal

1. Broaden educational opportunities beyond the standard textbook

Objectives

1. Enrich the students education by connecting the classroom experience

    with the real world.

Strategies

1. Develop community partnerships with the Arts Council, SESA, Ohio

    State Extension Office, Scouts, St. Rita’s and other appropriate

    organizations.

    -School Administration       September 2009

2.  Interact with area Catholic Schools to improve opportunities for City

     wide curriculum enhancements. ie: Mapping Curriculum

     -Administration     June 2009

Recruitment and Retention

Goal

Increase student enrollment at St. Gerard School

Objective

1. Increase enrollment by 3% over the next 2 years.

2. Identify and understand reasons for retention losses

3. Develop a plan to reduce losses

Strategies

1. Establish retention as an important measure of the School Principal’s

    performance.

    - Fr. Jim       March 2009

2. Establish Retention Subcommittee of the School Advisory Council,  

    partnered with the Core Faculty Group, accountable to Fr. Jim, that would   

    assist the Principal in retention activities.

    - Fr. Jim     March 2009

3. Develop pro-active policies and approaches to student retention.

    Establish a discipline process that fairly addresses behavior that is not

    acceptable within St. Gerard School. Recognize that loss of students who

    rejects the School culture assists retention.

    - Administration and SAC  June 2009

4. Establish a Recruitment subcommittee of the School Advisory Council

    - Fr. Jim      March, 2009

5. Develop a formal Recruitment Plan

    SAC   October 2009

6. Conduct in-service for faculty and administration to train for retention

    activities in an effort to make it part of the school culture.

     SAC Retention Sub- committee accountable to Fr. Jim    Nov 2009

Facilities

Goal

Present the physical environment of St. Gerard School in the most inviting way.

Objective

1. Effectively manage the maintenance and janitorial resources of St. Gerard School

Strategies

1. Develop a clear, written plan outlining the expectation of staff and

    contract companies responsible for maintenance and janitorial services.

    Identify consequences for failure to perform.

    - Parish Business Manager    April 15, 2009

2. Communicate expectations and timelines to school administration, faculty

    and staff.

     - Parish Business Manager / Mary Camp   May 1^st, 2009

3. Establish quarterly performance review dates. Get input from

    administration, faculty and staff to assist in measuring performance

    against the standards set in the plan.

    - Parish Business Manager  May 15, 2009

4. Prepare a  plan to address physical appearances of all facilities.

    Core Faculty group / Parent –Teacher Group    Oct 2009

Financial/Affordability

GOAL

Ensure the accessibility and affordability of Catholic education for all students.

OBJECTIVES

1. Actively pursue available revenue opportunities as a means of

    subsidizing current funding sources to keep tuition affordable.

     2. Develop a focused financial plan while maintaining transparency to

         the members of the parish.

Strategies

1. By January 2009, the Strategic Planning Committee will formalize

    existing alumni committee and extend outreach to Lima Catholic

    Community.  Oversight responsibility will be transferred to the School

    Advisory Council when established.

2. By April 2009, the Strategic Planning Committee will brainstorm to

    find alternatives to keep the school affordable.

3. By April 2009, the Administration and Business Manager will create a

    list of sweat equity opportunities for school families.

4. By May 2009, the Administration and Business Manager will develop

    an appropriate means of administering a sweat equity program.

5. By June 2009, Fr. Jim and the School Advisory Council will establish

    a committee to manage the application process and distribution of

    parish financial aid and tuition reductions. 

6. By September 2009 Fr. Jim will establish that tuition will be set each

    year by the School Advisory Council as encouraged by current

    Diocesan Guidelines.

7. By February 2010, the Administration and the Finance Council will

    develop a focused financial plan with sensitivities to complement

    school improvement strategies.

Financial/Affordability

      8.  By July 2009, Fr. Jim will establish a Fall Festival committee charged   

           with conducting a festival in 2009 to benefit St. Gerard School.

      9.   By April 2009 the parent / teacher group will produce an outline of

            operations for Scrip as a new fundraiser expected to favorably impact

            the budget beginning the second half 2009.

10.  By February 2010, the School Advisory Council will evaluate

       recently identified fundraisers, including the Fall Festival and Scrip,

       to determine the level of success and forecast an amount for the 2011

       budget.

Parental/Family Involvement

GOAL:

1)  Increase parent/family involvement in school

2) Utilize parental/parishioner talents for enrichment opportunities for students (and projects where costs can be reduced)

STRATEGIES:

1. Establish a list of supportive/involvement opportunities for school

    families (May 2009) (Stewardship)

2. Establish a formal process to involve every family in a support role.

   (Stewardship/volunteer coordinator (May 2009)

3. Create volunteer coordinators, one representative from the parish (stewardship) and one parent representative from the school.  (June 2009)

4. Create a comprehensive list of parishioners/parents’ occupations, hobbies,

    talents, and interests to be compiled and formatted on an electronic shared

   file for school and parish use.  (August 2009)   (Stewardship Committee)

5) Use PSR coordinator to help bridge gap between PSR families and school

   families; establish parent match ups (vs. committee) to insure effective

   communication and coordination.  (Sept 2009)

6) Establish an “Adopt a New School/Parish Family”  --Parish/school

    welcoming committee  (Sept 2009)

7) School volunteer coordinator to monitor and follow up to the

    commitments parents make. (January 2010)

8) Recognize individuals/families with exceptional numbers of hours served

   (I.e. different service levels).  (May 2010)