Strategic Plan for 2009-2012
Area of Planning: Catholic identity
Since Our Lady of Lourdes School is not only a Catholic school, but an integral part of the parish, it is essential that Catholic identity permeate all aspects of student life and that this be extended into the lives of the students’ families.
Goal: We will enhance our Catholic identity as a Catholic community by making our faith alive and active in all aspects of school life.
Area of planning: Curriculum
The core of instruction in Our Lady of Lourdes School is the curriculum. It is vital that the content, scope, and sequence of the curriculum be both current and relevant to students’ lives and their futures. Our Lady of Lourdes has pledged itself to continued updating of curriculum so that students will be eminently prepared for the demands of this century.
Goal: We will develop, implement, and evaluate best curricular practices in order to ensure that students are prepared for 21st century learning.
Area of Planning: Staffing
Essential to best practices in instruction, including the provision of role models for students, the faculty and staff are key to the school’s success. Therefore it is the duty of the school to provide to students quality, committed teachers and other staff.
Goal: We will recruit, hire, and retain qualified faculty and staff dedicated to the school’s mission and its pursuit of excellence.
Area of Planning: Buildings and Grounds
The provision of a safe, attractive campus for students and their families is important to the mission of the school. The school buildings and grounds should reflect the respect that the school has for the school community, while enhancing the sense of a faith community that gathers each day to learn.
Goal: We will maintain and enhance the campus in order to provide a safe, attractive, and welcoming environment for students, faculty/staff and members of the community.
Area of Planning: Finance
The role of finances in the school is crucial to its ability to provide for an excellent education, including a qualified faculty and staff. Planning in this area, in a time of special challenges, should provide for the continued viability of the school. Currently, the School Advisory Council does not have a separate finance committee; the parish Finance Council provides the school budget and works with the SAC in establishing priorities.
Goal: We will maintain financial accountability in accordance with Diocesan standards.
Area of Planning: Enrollment
In a time when Catholic school enrollments are declining around the country, the task of maintaining an optimum enrollment at Our Lady of Lourdes has become crucial. Since the quality of programs and the maximization of parish resources rests on the school’s ability to attract students, planning in this area is vital to the school’s future.
Goal: We will maintain and increase enrollment, focusing on the lowest grades, in order to achieve continued growth of the school.
Area of Planning: Marketing
Viewing the school as a commodity to be promoted to the parish and to the greater community, it is important that the school achieve a “brand presence” as a unique, essential, and exciting entity. The school has the responsibility to promote itself to the parents of children who can benefit from a quality, Catholic education.
Goal: We will undertake strategic marketing initiatives to increase and enhance the school’s image and profile in the community.
Area of Planning: The School in the Community
As the only Catholic school in Dunedin, FL, Our Lady of Lourdes School has the responsibility to make its influence felt in the Dunedin community, while partaking in the resources provided by the civic and business communities of Dunedin. It is important that Our Lady of Lourdes School be viewed as an integral, essential part of Dunedin, providing a public benefit to everyone.
Goal: We will establish and maintain a presence as an integral part of the community in Dunedin, FL.
Area of Planning: Governance
Shared governance is a hallmark of Our Lady of Lourdes School. In the past year, the School Advisory Council has been re-constituted and its committees re-vitalized. As an advisory group, the SAC has the responsibility to the school and parish communities to give Gospel-based counsel to the pastor and the principal regarding vital areas of the school.
Goal: We will maintain a dedicated School Advisory Council to provide guidance and advice to the school administration.
Ratified by School Advisory Council on May 13, 2009
