St andrews strategic plan

210 S. Indian River Drive | Fort Pierce, FL 34950

PHILOSOPHY

St. Andrew's Episcopal Academy is dedicated to the philosophy of academic

excellence and disciplined order in a Christian environment for children in PreK-2

through 12th grade. In addition to emphasizing basic skills, faculty and staff

employ a variety of teaching methods to foster a lifelong love of learning. The

faculty and staff of St. Andrew's dedicate themselves to meeting the intellectual,

spiritual, moral, social, emotional and physical needs of each child in partnership

with Academy families.

MISSION

St. Andrew’s Episcopal Academy is committed to achieving the highest standards

in education. Living the Episcopal School tradition, we emphasize a rigorous cur-

riculum and develop students with a passion for lifelong learning and intellectual

curiosity. Our students are immersed in an atmosphere of ethical behavior, social

conscience, caring and integrity. We challenge the whole

student – emotionally, intellectually, spiritually, socially

and physically. Our graduates are prepared to lead lives

that make a positive difference in their community and

the world at large.

ABOUT THIS STRATEGIC PLAN

St. Andrew’s Episcopal Academy is in the midst of an

exciting new era of school expansion, both in enrollment

and the physical campus. With the addition of an Upper

School beginning in the 2014-15 school year, the imple-

mentation of online and blended learning options to

enhance the academic offerings for students along with

ambitious plans to expand the physical campus, St. Andrew's Episcopal Academy

is positioning itself to be a leader in independent education and a strong civic part-

ner for the greater Ft. Piece community.

As St. Andrew's Episcopal Academy continues to strive for excellence, the Board

of Trustees School Administration, and Staff have worked together to prioritize

goals and identify specific courses of action for the school over the next few

years. This revised Strategic Plan builds on the strategic planning begun in 2013.

To maintain our tradition of excellence, St. Andrew's Episcopal Academy must

continue looking forward, inward, and outward to enhance and develop programs

that best prepare our students for college and career success.

St. Andrew's Episcopal Academy's educational program will continue its commitment to aca-

demic excellence and rigor and will prepare students for a lifetime of learning, leadership and

engagement.

We take seriously our commitment to educate the whole child. At the heart

of this commitment is the development of a child’s faith in God. In an in-

creasingly secular world, St. Andrew’s stands apart. While other public and

private schools can offer a good education, St. Andrew’s is different because

we are unashamedly and robustly a Christian school within the Episcopal

Church, with important spiritual ties to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. St.

Andrew's Episcopal Academy's must continue to offer a rigorous educational

program that prepares students for academic success and prepares them to

be contributing citizens of our democracy. The school must continuously up-

date and improve its academic program to assure its relevance in a rapidly

changing, increasingly interconnected and competitive world.

1. Conduct a yearly review of the educational programs of each school division, beginning

in the 2014-15 school year. The results should be used to identify best practices and op-

portunities for improvement in key curricular and other programmatic areas. In addition to

content review, identify key educational skills (ex: critical thinking, math, research and

writing) that students may need to improve upon and provide appropriate support to en-

sure that students are competent in these areas.

2. Develop a strategy for balancing and implementing traditional learning and research with

digital learning (blended and online learning opportunities).

3. Review opportunities for experiential learning, such as independent study projects/

learning experiences, senior projects, learning in other cultures, teamwork/collaborative

learning experiences and leveraging relationships in the broader Ft. Pierce community.

Review current academic offerings, school calendar, and schedules in the effort to pro-

vide students with more personalized learning opportunities through the of blended learn-

ing and flexible scheduling.

St. Andrew's Episcopal Academy will recruit, develop and support an exceptional faculty.

St. Andrew's Episcopal Academy's philosophy statement identi-

fies that the primary purpose of the school is to promote the in-

tellectual, spiritual, moral, social, and emotional growth of every

student. To accomplish this, St. Andrew's Episcopal Academy

must employ and nurture a dynamic and highly-qualified faculty

that reflects and promotes the goals of its mission.

1. Recruit and employ a diverse, energetic, and engaging faculty who:

a) demonstrate expert knowledge in their subject matter & pedagogy;

b) inspire students to learn by nurturing each student’s skills & interests;

c) serve as ambassadors for the school to the general community.

2. Provide on-going professional development opportunities - particularly in

the use of technology and blended learning and assessment, along with

mentoring and leadership opportunities for staff.

3. Provide an attractive workplace, competitive benefits, access to technol-

ogy and appropriate professional development opportunities to attract and

retain faculty and staff.

4. Continue to assess compensation and consider innovative structures to

provide attractive alternative compensation packages.

5. Build faculty community within divisions and across curricular.

St. Andrew's Episcopal Academy will build and sustain a social and academically excellent

community in which everyone is included and valued.

A welcoming, diverse and interconnected com-

munity is essential to the success of the mission

of St. Andrew's Episcopal Academy. The school

must provide the educational experiences and

learning environment necessary to prepare stu-

dents for service, leadership and success in our

local community and the global society.

1. Lead peer schools by recruiting, retaining and supporting students who provide diversity

in the school.

2. Encourage student, faculty, staff and alumni participation in local and national diversity-

related programs.

3. Monitor progress of programmatic initiatives supporting positive school culture, including

bullying prevention and the importance of digital citizenship.

4. Continue to develop and support educational partnerships with local universities, non-

profit organizations and civic groups.

5. Educate the school and local community about school successes on diversity issues

through the school website and other school communications.

St. Andrew's Episcopal Academy will provide an exceptional learning environment for the entire school

community, with attention to program needs, safety, aesthetics, accessibility, sustainability and environ-

mental impact.

St. Andrew's Episcopal Academy's

facilities must support the school’s

mission and values. in an increasingly

competitive environment, our facilities

must be upgraded, and expanded, in

order to attract and retain top faculty

and students; support academic,

athletic and extracurricular programs;

and to provide an environment sup-

portive of forward-looking models of

teaching and learning.

1. Implement the school's facilities expansion plan. This plan will include additional facilities for

community gathering space, the upper school, and the athletic programs.

2. Design and maintain facilities consistent with the school’s core values, which include increasing

community space and protecting the natural environment.

3. Develop and maintain a robust technology infrastructure to support and advance technology-

related initiatives such as the school's blend learning programs.

St. Andrew's Episcopal Academy will create a school-wide technology plan to ensure that students

and faculty are have access to the necessary hardware, software, and network that support the

school's academic goals.

Education should prepare students for the

future, and the fast-moving and constantly

evolving technology now impacts all aspects

of learning and life. School leadership must

identify and develop best practices to incor-

porate the use of technology where it en-

hances traditional learning and pedagogy.

1. Support faculty in incorporating appropriate technol-

ogy into teaching and curriculum, in part by strength-

ening faculty technology training and resources and

develop technology proficiency and utilization expec-

tations.

2. Educate students, faculty, staff and parents to under-

stand the safe and responsible use of technology in

learning.

The Board of Trustees of St. Andrew's Episcopal Academy will be diverse in experience, rep-

resentative of the school community, well-informed and engaged fully in establishing policy for

the school. The Board of Trustees will hire and support a highly effective Head of School who

is committed to the mission of the school and its development.

The board of trustees governs the

school by establishing policy, pro-

viding fundraising leadership and

evaluating the Head of School. The

Head of School and the administra-

tive team implement policy and

lead the school.

Ensure a Board of Trustees which is diverse in skills, expertise and background.

Direct the Head of School to continual review the administrative and instructional structure,

function and effectiveness of all divisions, with particular attention to strategies that will promote

growth in student enrollment, parent satisfaction, and expansion of the physical campus over

the next five years.

Develop a strategy to increase alumni involvement in the school.

Review progress on the Strategic Plan on an annual basis.

St. Andrew's Episcopal Academy will develop a financial plan to sustain educational excel-

lence, meet the school’s facilities needs, and identify and meet student enrollment targets.

St. Andrew's Episcopal Academy must carefully manage its financial and human resources to

ensure the financial stability of the school and the continued excellence of its programs, fac-

ulty and facilities.

1. Develop a five-year enrollment plan that identifies enrollment targets each year, by grade

level.

2. Develop and execute fundraising campaign to support upper school projects and campus

expansion.

3. Develop and refine a multi-year plan focused on financial stability for the school. The plan

should provide resources to support the strategic goals and operational needs of the

school, while recognizing that affordability is a key challenge for long-term stability.

4. Develop a comprehensive plan to increase the dollars raised from alumni as a critical con-

stituency to enhance the financial sustainability of St. Andrew's Episcopal Academy.