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Two weeks ago, I noted that in support of our Mission we take the time to craft a strategic plan which then becomes our guide and measure for all that we do at the school. The focus of our plan is the growth of our people, program and place all in service to our students. I would like to share a little more about that with you but first, and related, a quick reminder of the brief survey we sent out last Friday.
We would like to create broader opportunities for togetherness that are fun and that you would like to attend in support of Matthews Hall.
Please take a moment to click on the link provided in the email and share your thoughts. I understand that the link may not have been functioning well for everyone so we will be extending your opportunity to participate until Monday, October 27. Having a better understanding of the community’s interests will help guide our planning.
Our strategic plan was built on input from many in the community and with the guidance of outside expertise in the area strategic planning for independent schools. We are now in the third year of that plan and there is both work to be done and work well done. In this blog, I will bring you up to date on feedback from CAIS related to the work we have done to date that link to elements of our plan. Next week, I will focus on the work to be done.
Last spring, a team from the Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS) visited with us as part of the ongoing accreditation process. In preparation for the visit, the faculty and staff of Matthews Hall did a great deal of work completing a self study related to the CAIS accreditation standards. In short, the self study examines all aspects of school strategy, education program and school operations against the National Standards, seeking to discover strengths, areas for growth, future strategy, and examining how well its program fulfils its mission.
Across several standards our strengths were noted by CAIS with commendations including our deep supportive relationships between students and faculty, the many co-curricular opportunities, our approach to digital literacy, our reporting and communication practises, and our commitment to fostering engagement, personal growth and student leadership, to name a few.
We value the ongoing work being done in these areas and now turn our attention to elevating additional areas of our school in support of strategic priorities. I look forward to sharing our future focus areas with you in next week’s blog.
Christopher White, Head of School