Dear Montgomery Community:
As I look back on the first half of the year we have accomplished much. Our children are deep into the challenges of the academic year, the faculty is working diligently on curriculum development, and Montgomery School’s strategic planning process is well underway. In the fall, I wrote to you about launching the development of our strategic plan with our Future Forum. I would like to give you an update as to where we are in the process and the results of the Future Forum.
You may recall that critical to our Strategic Planning was participation from a broad cross-section of our community. In October, we gathered a group of parents, faculty, staff, past parents, students, alumni, and members of the larger Chester County community for a two-day planning session, which we called The Future Forum. Nearly 70 representatives of our community were in attendance for an exhilarating and productive two days. The result of this process was a set of strategic initiatives that define our collective vision for Montgomery School. Collectively we determined that we want Montgomery School to continue moving forward to:
- be a diverse community that prepares our students for global citizenship.
- be a financially sustainable enterprise with thoughtful stewardship of our space, place, and people.
- have a balanced, integrated curriculum that remains true to the values Montgomery School has always held dear.
- be a vital and engaged community that positively impacts the larger community
- ensure the ongoing affordability of a Montgomery School education.
We also indicated that overarching all of these strategic initiatives, we wish to be a dynamic community with vision, will and courage, committed to carrying out our mission.
At the Future Forum we asked the participants to serve on teams defined by the five strategic initiatives above and conduct the next stage of the strategic planning process. This stage is now in full swing with nearly all Forum participants serving on one of our five teams. These teams are proceeding with enthusiasm and commitment further refining their initiatives and conducting research in order to focus on tangible goals and outcomes.
We anticipate that the teams will complete their work late this spring at which time the Strategic Planning Committee will assemble to integrate the work of the teams and write a draft plan. In the fall of 2008 we will hold a second Future Forum to get feedback on this draft. It is our intention that the Strategic Plan will be finalized, approved by the Board of Trustees, and presented to the Community in early 2009.
This is truly a community project that will have a significant impact on the direction of the school for the next three to five years. I want to thank all of the community members who are giving of their time and talents for such an important initiative that will benefit the children of Montgomery School.
As always, if you have any questions or feedback, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Kevin R. Conklin,
Head of School