Strategic Plan Update, February 2018

Thank you to everyone who joined us on campus for Visioning Day at the end of January. More than 200 school members participated in this energizing and engaging day to help create a five-year strategic plan for the school.

To set the stage for our work on Visioning Day, the board of trustees recently approved a new Mission Statement for St. Stephen’s that captures the heart and soul of our school community: “Our shared purpose is to inspire a lasting love of learning and spirit of service so that each of our students lives a life of meaning and enriches the world.” The board also adoptedfive core values that serve as the foundation of our mission and the St. Stephen’s experience — love of learning, balance, diversity, community and service.

The new mission and core values guided the deeply purposeful work we accomplished together on Visioning Day. In the morning, participants gathered in small groups to craft aspirational vision statements identifying what success will look like for our school in five years. Each group presented its ideas, and participants voted to determine which draft statements best encapsulate our highest hopes for St. Stephen’s future. Following lunch, we gathered into small groups again. After choosing one of the draft vision statements from the morning, groups identified goals to bridge the gap between where we are today and where we want to be in five years. The day closed with a second round of voting to identify the most meaningful strategies from each group. By the end of the workshop, we had a broad range of input from the community to guide the next steps of the strategic process, which will be to finalize our vision statement, goals and strategic initiatives.

In a few weeks, members of the school community will have another opportunity to participate in the strategic planning process. On February 27, parents, trustees and alumni are invited to gather in the Middle School Gym from 6:30–8:30 p.m. to help draft strategic initiatives to put our plan in motion. We hope that you will join us for this important and engaging event. In addition, be on the lookout for an invitation to our Spark 2023 celebration event in April, when we will launch the new strategic plan.

For additional information about Spark 2023, please visit the Strategic Plan section of our website. Thank you again for your insights and energy as we imagine the future of St. Stephen’s together.
 
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Address: 6500 St. Stephen's Dr., Austin, TX 78746
Phone: (512) 327-1213