Countryside Montessori School
2008-2011
Introduction
The Countryside Montessori School Board of Directors developed a formal, comprehensive Strategic Plan to guide the development and management of the school for the next three years. The School is facing a variety of exciting and challenging issues, such as the launching of the high school grades and the construction of the third campus on Johnston-Oehler Road. The Strategic Plan is designed to support the Countryside values, align the attention of key stakeholders and focus resources on the initiatives needed to achieve the stated goals. The Plan also will help deter meaningless distractions, direct decision-making at all levels, and provide a mechanism for evaluating the year-to-year progress being made by the Board of Directors and School leadership.
Plan Development
The Board solicited input from a number of key stakeholders, including Parents, Faculty, Staff, Administrators and Directors. Input was gathered in a number of ways. In mid-2008, surveys were conducted among Parents, Staff and Faculty to determine their perceptions about the value of the Countryside educational process, their expectations for continuing with the school, and suggestions for improving school performance.
Vision
Countryside Montessori School will be well known throughout the Charlotte region for its unique, highly effective educational experience, the community service provided by its students, and the active engagement of its parents. The School will have the highest student re-enrollment and higher education acceptance rates of the region’s private schools.
Mission
Countryside Montessori School is dedicated to providing education for children consistent with the Montessori philosophy. It is our goal to endow the students with the desire and ability to learn, and the self understanding and the social awareness necessary for healthy, productive lifetimes. It is our aim to instill respect and responsibility for ourselves, the world of mankind, and the natural environment.
Countryside Montessori School Values
The Countryside Montessori School is dedicated to using the Montessori approach to best serve the learning needs of our students. This educational process helps the School create a unique, student-centered, principle-based learning environment. The benefits of the Montessori Method evolve as the child matures through the Countryside system. Throughout the Countryside experience, students learn self-direction, self-discipline, and self-reliance. Based on students’ age and ability, Teachers focus on additional skills:
· Toddler through Kindergarten… Grace, Courtesy and Self-Motivation
· 1st Grade through 6th Grade… Group Problem Solving Techniques, Community Decision-Making Frameworks
· 7th Grade through 12th Grade… Organizational Structures and Social Systems
Countryside also is committed to creating a school climate that engages teachers, staff, directors, parents and members of the community.
The benefits of engagement are many:
· Teachers – When teachers are engaged, instruction improves. Students benefit from teacher imagination, as well as teacher knowledge. Engaged teachers are more likely to take advantage of development opportunities provided by the administration, which improves their performance and their career momentum.
· Staff – Engaged staff not only help manage the day-to-day operation of the school, but their enthusiasm for the Countryside Mission encourages them to create ways for the school to achieve a successful future.
· Directors – TheBoard of Directors is responsible for governing and guiding the school. An engaged Board will focus attention on ways to achieve our goals, help develop new ideas for continuous improvement, and ensure our sustainability.
· Parents – Engaged parents tend to participate more frequently in school activity, which help the teachers and supports the students. In addition, they are the most effective and valuable sources for positive word-of-mouth advertising and enrollment stimulation. Potential new parents are likely to place high value on the views and comments of current parents.
· Members of the Community – The Community is the source of new students and new funding, both of which are essential for the long-term success of Countryside. Engaged Members of the Community tend to know more about Countryside and respect our contributions to the students and the community. This engagement encourages them to recommend us to potential parents and to respond positively to our requests for funding and other needed resources.
Countryside Strategic Objectives
We will focus on five areas: Community Presence, Enrollment Growth, Funding, Curriculum Development, and Infrastructure.
Goal 1: Community Presence – Increase awareness of the Countryside Montessori School as the premier private school located in the University City area of Charlotte, the only Montessori High School in the state, and a leading choice in Montessori school programs within North Carolina.
· Increase the community’s awareness of Countryside by investing in targeted marketing initiatives.
· Promote Countryside Montessori School as the premier private school located in the University City area by establishing a unique and compelling brand identity for the School that differentiates it from other public and private schools in the area.
· Engage members of the community in Countryside events, projects and student programs in order to enhance their knowledge of Countryside through first-hand experience.
Goal 2: Enrollment Growth – Grow the Countryside student population to full capacity at all age levels by adding 80 new students. Add 40 students to the High School/Middle School program and 40 students to the Elementary School program.
· Increase the rate of students who re-enroll and continue in the Countryside program.
· Attract new students to Countryside through enhanced marketing efforts and expanded classroom opportunities.
· Identify and implement additional programs that will attract new students to Countryside and will encourage current families to re-enroll their children.
Goal 3: Funding – Maintain fiscal stability, continue to fund quality educational experiences and create new funding opportunities that will support the new strategic initiatives of the School.
· Use the One Fund and Legacy Campaign vehicles to enhance the level of donations received from Countryside stakeholders in order to enhance school development.
Goal 4: Curriculum Development – This area is divided into three components:
A) Science – At each age level, ensure that appropriate resources, materials and supplies are readily available to support the delivery of Montessori-based Life Science, Physical Science and Earth Science curricula, which focus on observational skills and the scientific method.
1. To facilitate both initial lessons and students’ desire for additional exploration, in-depth study and personal research, at all age levels, Countryside will provide science resources, materials and supplies in a manner readily accessible to teachers and students alike.
2. Each pre-school class will have updated science curriculum guides and additional training.
3. Each 6 to 9 classroom and 9 to 12 classroom will have inquiry based materials and resources for each specific science topic in the curriculums, in addition to age-appropriate basic science equipment and supplies.
4. The 12 – 14 curriculums will have resources supporting the scientific process that facilitate the addition of monthly laboratory experiences in physical science as well as field experiences in life science.
5. For the high school levels, as course offerings are added and laboratory experiences become more varied, science faculty, dedicated space, course materials and supplies will be provided.
B) Visual and Performing Arts – In support of the Montessori ideal of developing the “whole” child and allowing students to develop their full potential, create a fully-integrated visual and performing arts curriculum that will be designed to refine the aesthetic, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual and physical dimensions of our students.
1. Provide teachers with the necessary materials, training and facilities to support the arts.
2. Expand current arts offerings in music and drama at all levels.
C) Movement Education and Athletics – Provide students at all age levels with daily opportunities for physical activities designed to promote more active lifestyles, enhance student well being, and fight the tendency toward childhood obesity and decreasing levels of student fitness.
1. Provide teachers with the necessary materials and training for Movement Education.
2. Enhance the programs and facilities at each campus to enable greater student participation in athletic activities.
Goal 5: Infrastructure – Infrastructure is also composed of three major components: Facilities, Technology and Administration.
A) Facilities – Optimize the use of facility resources in concert with the growth of programs, enrollment and funding availability.
1. Move the Middle School and High School programs to the new JO campus and re-configure the MC campus space to fully accommodate the Elementary School programs.
2. Provide effective systematic maintenance for all three campuses.
B) Technology – Effectively use technology to enhance the Countryside educational experience, achieve our instructional goal of teaching our students to live productive lives, and facilitate communication between families and the school. Students who graduate from Countryside will have the technology skills necessary to be successful in their next life step.
1. Provide staff and students with up-to-date computer hardware and software applications.
2. Advance the use of technology and electronics for all internal and external communication.
C) Administration – Ensure the long term effectiveness of the administrative management of Countryside through the application of sound policies that direct essential school procedures.
1. Adopt administrative policies that will help guide the management of the school.
2. Attain and maintain formal accreditation.
3. Engage in succession planning for head of school and executive director positions.
Final Comments
The Strategic Plan was created to act as a “guide” for school advancement purposes and to allow all constituencies of the school to have involvement in the process. The implementation of the plan will be guided by the Board of Directors and administrative staff with faculty and parent involvement along the way. The plan will continue to evolve as enrollment increases or decreases, revenue remains consistent, and funding opportunities become available. Contingency Plans are in development.
