Nurturing Our Growth, Strengthening Our Roots: The 2016-21 Strategic Plan

Over the last five years, Casa di Mir has seen a tremendous amount of growth and change. We have expanded our program to include middle school, and graduated our first class of 8th graders. We’ve opened new classrooms, increased our facility space by 50%, increased our staff by a third, and increased our fundraising potential by 100%. The growth that we’ve seen has been amazing. It has truly taken Casa di Mir, and the opportunities afforded to its student body, to the next level.

GOING FORWARD, WE WILL FOCUS ON FOUR KEY PRIORITIES:

• Stronger Partnership with Parents through Greater Communication
• Sustained Healthy Growth Rooted in Tradition
• Applying Montessori Principles to Student Technology Use
• Creating a Welcoming Casa Inside and Out

We welcome input and ideas from our community as we move forward with these initiatives.  If you have suggestions, please let us know. Contact Wanda Whitehead, head of school, by calling 408.370.3073 or emailing her at whitehead@casadimir.org.

Casa di Mir’s 2016-21 Goals:

GOAL 1. BUILD A STRONGER PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS THROUGH GREATER COMMUNICATION.

A great partnership is built on steady meaningful communications. At Casa di Mir, we will increase communications with our greatest partners — our parents. More communications between school and parent, teacher and parent, and parent to parent, will make our school a stronger, more vibrant community. Here’s how we’ll do it:

• Beginning this year, parents will hear more from teachers about their children’s academic and social/emotional progress.
• Over the next five years, Casa di Mir will:
  • Offer more opportunities for parents to connect socially with teachers at parent-night events.
  • Initiate a parent organization so parents can connect more often with other parents.
  • Encourage more parent observation time in the classroom.
  • Deliver Montessori specific communications, including: curriculum information, methodology theory, application to everyday life, studies/research findings.
  • Annually survey parents on ways Casa di Mir can grow and improve.
  • Raise awareness of Casa di Mir to prospective parents through events, outreach, and public communications channels.

GOAL 2. PROMOTE SUSTAINED HEALTHY GROWTH ROOTED IN TRADITION.

The natural, healthy transitions of growth over time will continue at the school. To accommodate those changes while staying true to our philosophy, Casa di Mir will sustain and strengthen the core Montessori values, culture and organizational structure that have made it exceptional since its founding. To achieve this, we’ll:

• Ensure staff have a strong foundation in:
  • nurturing students’ critical thinking skills, creativity, and love of learning
  • implementing the highest quality Montessori curriculum and methodology in the classroom
  • clearly communicating Casa di Mir values to parents and students
• Communicate core whole child curriculums to the Casa community and beyond. This includes: nonviolent communication, mindfulness, social thinking, and emotional development.
• Ensure continuity and consistency of curriculum across classrooms.
• Define organizational structure and roles that facilitate transitions.

GOAL 3. APPLY MONTESSORI PRINCIPLES TO STUDENT TECHNOLOGY USE.

Casa di Mir’s overlying technology goal  is to bring integrity to student use of  technology — to ensure it enhances  creativity and learning — while providing  the skills needed to succeed in today’s  digitally driven world. To do this, Casa will:

• Develop guidelines that are grounded in Montessori principles. These will be developed for teachers, staff, students and parents.
• Communicate with parents to create continuity between home and school.
• Over the next five years, we will:
  • Communicate to parents Casa’s use of technology by program level.
  • Train staff on implementing appropriate technology based on children’s developmental readiness.
  • Make investments in technology that keep Casa di Mir current with our philosophy and curriculum.

GOAL 4. CREATE A WELCOMING CASA INSIDE AND OUT.

Tranquil, welcoming surroundings are the hallmark of a Montessori school. They open students’ hearts, minds and spirits to learning. At Casa di Mir, we are committed to giving our students such a space.

To do this, over the next five years, Casa will improve and develop both campuses inside and out. This will benefit our students and families. And it will attract new families who often make decisions based on first impressions.

 

NOTE: This text was originally published in the 2016-2021 Strategic Plan issued Fall 2016.