Quest Montessori School
STRATEGIC PLAN
2014-2020
“ Education should no longer be mostly imparting
knowledge, but must take a new path, seeking the release of the human potential. “
Maria Montessori
A Framework for Quest Montessori
formulating a strategic plan
At Quest Montessori School you will observe frequent and numerous contributions by volunteers, an overarching willingness to accommodate change, steadfast commitment, and real passion for blazing a trail to the future. Quest is a community of energized contributors, who are driven towards a great goal and inspired by a mission.
At each juncture, with faculty, parents and board, this community uses every opportunity to re-visit Montessori philosophy and best practices. There is both enthusiasm and passion for meaningful applications of Montessori philosophy and practice that best serves the child. There is an openness for suggestion and a thirst for knowledge that is both refreshing and
renewing. There is a culture of learning at Quest that is exciting and awe-inspiring. This obviously translates to tangible benefits for the children of the school.
The successful completion of the Strategic Plan of 2008-2013 was realized when the school funded, designed and built our beautiful new school. The next steps are to define the vision for the future, the shared purpose and direction of the school. In this way the community, thoughtfully and deliberately, rededicates the school to the service of the child and Montessori ideals. This is the true essence of an Authentic Montessori School.
QUEST
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QUEST MONTESSORI
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TEGIC PLAN
2014-2020
QUEST MONTESSORI
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TEGIC PLAN
2014-2020
Our Mission
★ The mission of Quest Montessori School is to evoke our children's love of learning. A Montessori curriculum will serve the needs of the whole child; it is our desire that the children be academically motivated, artistically creative, physically active, and emotionally supported. The school will be a safe, caring and peaceful environment which will prepare students of diverse backgrounds to pursue that which
Goal One:
Build a School Campus of Natural Learning
Objective: Plan, design and build a school campus that realizes a natural environment for play and learning beyond the classroom and serves all constituencies of the school community .
Action Items:
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2014-2020 1.1! Develop a Long-term Campus and Facilities Master Plan
Develop a long-term campus and facilities master plan that includes the purchase and development of contiguous properties which includes a property/facilities plan that projects both a preventive maintenance schedule (and its costs and revenue sources, both subsets of the strategic/ financial plan) for existing buildings and grounds, and projected new-structure/new-property expectations.
1.2! Enhance the Entrance and Security of the Campus
Enhance the entrance of the site to welcome the community and reinforce the sense of arrival and departure. Develop appropriate signage and displays that convey information and promote wayfinding. Fence site for safety and security as necessary.
1.3! Provide Accessibility to the Entire Site
Make the entire site accessible by creating and maintaining safe and sensible pathways for pedestrians, wheeled toys and bikes. Create secondary paths to enhance exploration and play. Protect and build upon the natural diversity of the site by creating accessibility and providing environmental education through nature observation and study. Build positive relationships with local residents, businesses and city representatives and provide opportunities for sharing the campus with others beyond the immediate school community.
1.4! Develop Play Spaces
Create age-appropriate play areas with innovative play equipment that fosters creativity, enhances cooperation and encourages physical challenges in a safe and protected manner.
1.5! Design and Build a Multipurpose Building with Middle School Classroom
Identify and create a multipurpose room for sports and games, community gatherings, and school performances. Incorporate storage space for school. Build a new Middle School classroom to accommodate 25 students by 2016-2017.
1.6!Greenhouse and Garden
Create and maintain an outdoor fenced garden space with an adjacent greenhouse for year round gardening
1.7! Develop an Outdoor Performance Setting
Designate and develop an outdoor performance setting for gathering, meeting and working to further stimulate presentations, encourage teamwork, and foster a sense of community
1.8! Build Outdoor Structures on the Campus
Build outdoor storage space(s) to house sports equipment, wheel toys, bikes and game equipment. Encourage the entrepreneurial ventures of the adolescent community with structures on the site, eg, pottery barn, bike repair shed, farm stall, sugar shack etc.
1.9! Incorporate Farm and Domestic Animals into the Outdoor Environment
Incorporate farm and domestic animals into the outdoor environment for opportunities of meaningful work, learning and enjoyment.
Goal One:
Build a School Environment of Natural Learning
timeline
costs
revenue
source
person/entity
responsible
1.1
Develop a Long-term Campus and Facilities Master Plan
Year One 2013-2014 $ 7,000-$ 10,000 combination of fundraising/operating/ soft costs of MultiPurpose Building USDA loan HOS/Faculty/Parents Board Designated Committee 1.2 Greenhouse and Garden Year One 2013-2014 $15,000 Capital Campaign Named Gift HOS 1.3
Develop Play Spaces
Year One to Two 2013-2015
$ 7,000-$ 10,000 fundraising HOS Board Designated
Committee
1.4
Design and Build a Multipurpose Building and Middle School Classroom
Year Two to Three 2014-2015
$830,000 combination of fundraising/operating revenue from increased
enrollment/USDA loan HOS/Board 1.5 Build Outdoor Structures on the Campus
Year Two to Three 2014-2016 $7,000 fundraising HOS/Parents Board Designated Committee 1.6 Build Outdoor Structures on the Campus
Year Two to Four 2014-2017
$ 5,000-$ 10,000 fundraising Board Designated Committee 1.7 Enhance the Entrance and Security of the Campus
Year Two to Five 2014-2018 $ 40,000-$ 50,000 combination of fundraising/operating reserves HOS Board Designated Committee 1.8 Provide Accessibility to the Entire Site
Year Two to Five 2014-2018 $ 5,000-$ 10,000 fundraising HOS Board Designated Committee 1.9 Develop an Outdoor Performance Setting Year Four 2015-2016 $ 3,000-$ 5,000 fundraising HOS Board Designated Committee
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Goal Two:
Enrich and Enhance Program
Objective: Work vigorously to improve our curriculum and programs with an emphasis on teaching innovation, leadership, global awareness, responsibility and sustainability. Support and strengthen our core curriculum based on current educational research.
Action Items:
2.1! Broaden the Scope of the Curriculum
★ Health and Wellness Curriculum
Add a Health and Wellness component to the core curriculum along with the necessary teacher training that will engage students in age-appropriate discussion and instruction on issues that are important to their physical, social and emotional development.
★ World Language Program
Survey the expressed interest by parents for expanding our World Language curriculum and provide the necessary staff, training and resources to implement it school wide.
★ 21st Century Technology
Develop standards for computer competency for our students. Create an assessment plan that will identify appropriate technology instruction needed to prepare our students for the demands of high school. Provide state-of-the-art technology and equipment for instruction and administrative operations.
2.2! Middle School
Further develop the Quest Montessori Middle School program by creating a dedicated space for instruction with
characteristics that define a land based Montessori Middle School that is a Center for both noble work and academic study.
2.3! Community Learning
Create and develop specific programs designed to facilitate learning, connections, and interactions between students across age levels.
2.4! After School Programs
Create a Montessori program after school that is a home-like environment and encourages the social, emotional, physical, and intellectual growth of each child in its care and one that continues the Montessori philosophy of independence, cooperation, and mutual respect that the children are accustomed to in their classrooms.
2.5! Summer Programs
Implement a summer camp program that meets the level of demand for all ages in a variety of fun and enriching activities. Program to include field trips, special visitors and work with specialists in areas including athletics, visual arts, performing arts, nature exploration, science, music and movement, games, gardening, and other specialty programs.
QUEST MONTESSORI
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2014-2020 ★ “ Education is a natural process spontaneously carried out by the human individual and is acquired not by listening to words but by experiences in the environment. “
Goal Two:
Enrich and Enhance Program
timeline
costs
revenue
source
person/entity
responsible
2.1
Broaden the Scope of the Curriculum
Year Two to Five 2014-2018
To Be Determined operating HOS/Faculty
2.2
Further Develop the Montessori Adolescent Program
Year Two - Year Five 2014-2018
$ 500,000-$ 600,000 combination of fundraising/operating revenue from increased
enrollment/USDA loan
HOS/Faculty
2.3
Community Learning
Year One - Three 2015-2017 $ 7,000-$ 10,000 fundraising HOS/Parents Board Designated Committee 2.4 After School Programs
Year Two - Year Four 2014-2017 $15,000 Capital Campaign Named Gift HOS 2.5 Summer Programs
Year Two - Year Four 2014-2017 $ 3,000-$ 5,000 fundraising HOS Board Designated Committee
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Goal Three:
Connect the Quest Community through Opportunity, Service and Giving
Objective: Design and implement strategies that connect the Quest community through
opportunity, service and giving in ways that ensure the financial stability and longterm viability of the school.
Action Items:
3.1! Strengthen the Community Connection Among Parents, Students and Staff
Strengthen the community connection among parents, students and staff through increased and purposeful engagement of parents, more venues for teacher collaboration, and initiatives to facilitate connection and relationships between students across programs. Implement strategies to increase visibility and participation within the greater community. Cooperate with other organizations to increase the number of cultural, arts, and informational events for students, teachers, parents and community members.
3.2! Enhance the Parent Experience
Increase parent community cohesiveness by providing more diverse opportunities for gathering in small groups for lifelong learning, parenting discussions, and social interaction. Engage parents in a wide variety of volunteerism including our parent organization that strives to engage Quest families fully in the life of the school and represents the school in a variety of forums. Develop parent programs and strategies to welcome and support incoming and transitioning parents and students. Develop a plan for periodically assessing level of satisfaction and understanding among parents and faculty.
3.3! Culture of Philanthropy
Foster a culture of philanthropy in order to generate greater resources for the School. Create a compelling case for support that invites investment and clearly indicates why a gift will make a difference. Cultivate annual giving, alumni giving, and major gifts programs while decreasing emphasis on fundraising events. Involve School Head, Board members, volunteers, donors, staff members, and faculty in planning and executing cultivation strategies.
3.4! Long-term Strategic Financial Plan
Ensure that tuition increases are reasonable while sustaining commitment to program, faculty, and facility needs by developing a long-term Strategic Financial Plan for the school which includes regular, routine utilization of a planning document that simultaneously displays viability-related items ( items related to money, organizational structure, technology, and facilities/grounds) and the financial/ quantitative consequences of those items, including the projected net tuition gradient, other hard-income gradients, and the basic expense gradient. The Strategic Financial Plan will also include soft-income targets such as capital and/or major gift items that are identified in the strategic planning process. These are six-year planning documents that are completely re-done every four years.
3.5! Institutional Advancement Plan
Create a strategic Institutional Advancement Plan aligned with the school’s strategic financial plan to provide necessary discipline and structure; clearly identify goals, implementation strategies, timeframe, staffing, delineation of responsibilities (professional and volunteers), and related costs. Transition the current capital campaign to an effective development office that continues annual fundraising by creating and funding the position of Development Director. Provide professional training for this position as necessary. Design and implement a multi-year capital campaign for facility improvements based on the Quest Campus Master Plan. Continue to strengthen the school’s financial profile, reducing debt and planning for an endowment as appropriate.
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Goal Three:
Enrich and Enhance Program
timeline
costs
revenue
source
person/entity
responsible
3.1 Strengthen the Community Connection among Parents, Students and Staff
Year One - Year Six 2014-2020
minimal fundraising HOS/Faculty/PTO
3.2
Enhance the Parent Experience
Year One - Year Six 2014-2020
minimal operating HOS/Faculty/PTO
3.3
Foster a Culture of Philanthropy
Year One - Year Six 2014-2020
minimal fundraising HOS/Faculty/Board
3.4 Develop a Long-term Strategic Financial Plan Year Two 2015-2016
minimal fundraising HOS Board Designated Committee 3.5 Develop and Implement an Institutional Advancement Plan
Year Three - Four 2016-2018
$ 500,000-$ 600,000 combination of fundraising/operating revenue from increased
enrollment/USDA loan HOS Board Designated Committee
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Goal Four:
Invest in People
Objective: Design and implement a professional development program that creates an
avenue for sharing innovative instructional methods, provides support in securing resources and information, promotes collaboration among faculty, and makes connection between classroom and community. In short, invest in people.
Action Items:
4.1! Growth-oriented Faculty Culture
Create and support individualized, innovative, and ongoing professional development plans for each member of faculty and staff. Provide for teacher preparation and planning time outside the classroom. Fund teacher participation in AMS and other
conferences. Provide for continuing education and Montessori certification for all Quest faculty. Hire talented staff who are passionate about Montessori education and love of learning. Support faculty and staff interested in assuming leadership roles. Build faculty recruitment programs (i.e. Montessori internships) to expand pool of qualified applicants for teaching positions.
4.2! Budgeted Support for Faculty
Professional Development
Budget a separate line item each year for financial support of a growth-oriented professional development program to meet over time the ISM benchmark of 1.5% to 2.0% of total budgeted expenditures. Fund
consultations with Montessori experts, both individuals and organizations.
4.3! Trustee Education
A Board that functions professionally and strategically is one that is directed by designated leaders who discipline themselves and the Board, as an organization, to “take viability-focused action on behalf of the next generation of students.” As such, the Board’s core activity is the quadrennial strategic/financial planning event. Therefore, the school budget will include a line item to educate Trustees regarding all things strategic, how to conduct strategic financial planning , and the implications of the fundamental distinctions between governance and operations.
4.4! Fair and Competitive Salaries and Benefits
Assure a competitive and appropriate faculty and staff compensation package to attract and retain the best teachers and staff. “Fair and competitive faculty salaries” must be viewed by the teachers themselves as adequate when compared to known salary markers that the teachers view as “good.” Compensation reviews may need to include local public school medians or ranges, or published private-independent school figures pertaining to meaningful referent groups. Employee benefits refers to the adequacy (in the eyes of the employees themselves) of the breadth of offerings in the school’s benefits package.
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Goal Four:
Invest in People
timeline
costs
revenue
source
person/entity
responsible
4.1
Growth-oriented Faculty Culture
Year One - Year Six 2014-2020
Professional Development Line Item
1.5% - 2.0% of expenditures fundraising HOS/Faculty 4.2 Budgeted Support for Faculty Professional Development
Year One - Year Six 2014-2020
$15,000 per year operating HOS
4.3
Trustee Education
Year One - Year Six 2014-2020 Trustee Development Line Item $5000 per year operating Board 4.4
Fair and Competitive Salaries and Benefits
Year Three - Four 2016-2018
minimal operating HOS Board Designated Committee
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Goal Five:
Accreditation
Objective: Use the process of accreditation to establish a vision for the school in collaboration with the Quest stakeholders, including administrators, governing board members, faculty, staff, parents, students and community. Use this process to guide the school in capturing the core reasons for its existence, distinguishing it from other schools, and defining its educational purposes.
Action Items:
5.1! Revisit the Mission, Develop a Purpose and
Outcome Statement
Revisit the school mission statement, develop educational goals and articulate a philosophy appropriate to the needs of the school
population in harmony with Montessori’s descriptions of the nature of the student, the needs of the family, the prepared environment and the needs of the staff. Create three definitive documents: the mission statement, the Portrait of the Graduate, and Characteristics of
Professional Excellence. Communicate the vision and purpose to build stakeholder understanding and support. Identify, document and monitor goals to advance the vision.
5.2 ! Accreditation
Undertake dual accreditation process with American Montessori Society and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Start the accreditation process by conducting the self-study required by the NEACS and AMS accreditation process which will help to identify opportunities to improve our program and to reflect on our educational approach.
5.3! Implement a Continuous Process of institutional
Self-reflection and Improvement
Use the accreditation process to promote the sharing of new ideas that enhances the professional expertise and judgment of the community by examining the institution’s purpose and identifying and correcting weakness. Use the outcome of the accreditation process, the School Improvement Plan, to differentiate the two major planning structures of the school. Institutional advancement as detailed in the Board Strategic Plan, and the Instructional Improvement Plan as developed through the accreditation process.
Goal Five:
Accreditation
timeline
costs
revenue
source
person/entity
responsible
5.1
Revisit the Mission, Develop a Purpose and Outcome Statement
Year One to Three 2016-2017
no cost none HOS
5.2
Accreditation
Year Three to Six 2017-2018 $5,000 operating HOS/Faculty 5.3 Implement a Continuous Process of Institutional Self-reflection and Improvement
Year Three to Six 2017-2018
no cost none Board
QUEST MONTESSORI
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Quest Montessori School
STRATEGIC PLAN
2014-2020
Goal 2.4 : Establish a Montessori After School Program
Objective: Design and create an after school program for the 3-6 year-olds and an after-school program for the elementary students.
Action Items:
3.1! Develop the Program
Create a Montessori program after school that is a home-like environment and encourages the social, emotional, physical, and intellectual growth of each child in its care and one that continues the Montessori philosophy of independence, cooperation, and mutual respect that the children are accustomed to in their classrooms. Insure that the Extended Day program is a community of children and adults who remain part of that community for the full five days a week. The continuity of adults as well as children needs to be maintained so that the children receive constant understanding and care from those who really know their needs and bond with them.
3.2! Purchase Materials and Equip the After-school Classroom
! Environment
The environment will be set up with activities to self select, carefully prepared and considered, and have ample space for relaxation as well as space designed for purposeful activity. Organized and directed activities in the arts, music, crafts and drama will be offered to those who choose them. Daily activities outdoors including sports and games as well as walks and free play would be an essential component of the routine. Above all, consistency in routine and approach is essential to create the atmosphere that is key to an authentic Montessori environment.
3.3! Structure After-school Classes with Three-Year Groupings
A key component of Montessori education is the three-year age grouping. These groupings insure social viability, and protect students against inappropriate influences of children from older groups whose needs and interests differ greatly from those that are younger. Experience has shown that mixing children in a six or nine-year span is developmentally inappropriate and provides too wide a span to accommodate the needs and interests of the group with both materials and directed activities.
3.4! Dedicated Space
House each age level in a space dedicated to that group of children. This space should allow for the storage and display of materials and activities for the student participants and also provide for staff operational needs. Additionally, dedicated spaces for the extended day program allows the Quest Montessori faculty full use of their classrooms at the end of the day to prepare for the following day and to meet with parents for conferencing unencumbered by the activities of extended day participants. This supports one of the most critical aspects of a well-run Montessori classroom - its prepared environment.
3.5! Social Groupings
The social groupings refers to the minimum number of children necessary to form a healthy community. A certain critical mass is necessary so that students can bond with a special friend, work together in self-chosen small groups, or act in unison as a community. This grouping should also have a balance in gender, so both boys and girls can develop positive relations with peers. The community-based approach is a key component of an authentic Montessori program. Social viability is critical to a quality extended day program and allows for the participants to be fully engaged in a rich variety of age appropriate activities and interactions with peers. Experience in both educational and recreational settings indicates that a minimum of 8 full time students in each 3-year grouping is necessary to create a healthy community (assumes about 4 boys and 4 girls). Experience also has shown that an odd number works less well than an even number of participants, and is more critical the smaller the group; i.e., 8
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Goal 2.2 : Further Develop the Adolescent Program
Objective: Authentic Montessori “Erdkinder” with fully functioning land-based program
Action Items:
4.1! Develop the “Land-Based” Approach to Montessori Middle School
Unlike adults who work to change their environments, adolescents use the environment to change themselves. It is for this reason that Dr. Montessori speaks of a Center for Study and Work where the transformation to adulthood can be fulfilled, a Center that authentically embodies:
* A community where young people learn how to live as a productive society
* An ethic that speaks to the virtues which reflect human heartedness, respect, and trust
* Meaningful roles that relate to the work at hand and which impact the functioning of the group * Clear parameters of behavior which guard the human rights of all
*A genuine balance of freedom and responsibility as young people go about their independent and group studies
All these broad elements are balanced with work on the land. Montessori speaks of the need for young people to work not only with their heads but also with their hands. She sees the importance of their taking on meaningful roles which may arise from the cycle of farm occupations. Work of this nature has a normalizing effect upon the young person and will invite him/her to related academic investigations. The holistic experience of a small farm community provides a microcosm of society
through which the young adolescent comes to see himself/herself as a viable member of this society and social group and embraces responsibilities and challenges as a confident, respectful citizen.
4.2! Provide for Continuing Education and Montessori Certification for Our Adolescent Faculty
Over the last decade, Montessori principles have oriented work with adolescents towards identifying the developmental psychological characteristics of the adolescent, the importance of mind-body learning, the need for a micro-economy of production and exchange, the “little community” benefits of an intimate size and social mix, a curriculum covering history of humanity in relation to community life, the three-period exploration, self-expression, pedagogy of place, and the importance of social experiences. Blending these theory principles into practice will take ongoing training and connections with the emerging Montessori Adolescent practitioners across the country.
4.3! Complete Middle School Implementation (Ages 12-15, Grades 7-9).
Multi‐age grouping is an integral part of the Montessori learning environments at all levels and particularly vital for the adolescent where the context of the “small community” is a key element in their developmental stage. The “small community” of adolescents provide opportunities to test a diversity of community components, experience a wide range of social
experiences and acquire deep relationships with a small group of their peers. The 3‐year age‐span is considered the optimal configuration for Montessori, and experience suggests that the 9th grader is more appropriately placed in a social grouping of seventh and eighth years where the experience is one of leadership with peers in a capstone year.
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★ Small business experiences that unite the entire community in productiveness with earning power and initiate the adolescent to the world of adult work. ★ Occupations that are the collective work of the entire community united in a
common goal and requiring total participation.
★ Meaningful experiences with the land that challenge the body to find its physical strength, the mind to apply effective strategies, and the heart to lend contribution and service to others.
★ Experiences with the land that demonstrate the creative abundance of nature, the mystery of growth, the historical ties of humans to the soil and inspire stewardship of the earth.
★ Practical work integrated into the everyday activities of student life. ★ A curriculum of moral education, characterized by Socratic methods of
discussion with free exchange of ideas and healthy respect for dissent and room for making mistakes gracefully.
★ Educational strategies that provide for cooperative projects, individual research, experience based learning, meaningful roles (apprenticeship or service), trips to places of historical meaning, timelines and independent detailed study based on personal interest.
★ Challenges that bring the adolescent into the world of contribution through service and apprenticeship. Caring and sharing with younger and older people. ★ Experiences that prepare them to devote their life to the well being of the
community and teach them how to live the example in pursuit of wisdom including career investigations and vocational training,
★ Going out into the wider community, learning to use resources beyond the school including literary, governmental and human resources.
★ Real world experiences in the outdoors including odyssey trips and camping experiences.
★ Visit and study of the city, its cultural centers and ethnicity, components that meet all fundamental needs. Utilizing the city for study and investigation, as a center for learning through experience. To know how to travel well and acquire skills of independence.
★ Building relationships with neighbors and the local community through work and service.
★ Developing apprentice and mentor relations with profession adults, trying on adult roles safely and within a context.
The Montessori “Land-Based” Approach
Characteristics that define a land-based Montessori Middle School that is a Center for both noble work and academic study:
The land and farm-like setting is an intrinsically rich and interesting environment that inspires curiosity and catalyzes the development of personal qualities like perseverance, resourcefulness, and responsibility. The land provides the physical and psychological space for growing bodies to move about and develop unfettered.
The work of a farm affords many lessons in life in a nonjudgmental and impersonal framework. The land itself is a laboratory for the study of applied and Earth sciences. The land is also a place to enact and experience one’s connection to human history through: the use and invention of tools; camping out; developing relations with neighbors and participating in oral history interviews; and the activity of farming.
The land presents a tangible connection to the world outside oneself; it allows the students to develop the notion of stewardship in regard to the natural world.
