Executive Summary. Barat Academy. Ms. Debra L Watson, President/Owner Wild Horse Creek Rd Chesterfield, MO

Transcription

1 Ms. Debra L Watson, President/Owner Wild Horse Creek Rd Chesterfield, MO Document Generated On January 23, 2014

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Description of the School 2 School's Purpose 3 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement 5 Additional Information 6

3 Introduction Every school has its own story to tell. The context in which teaching and learning takes place influences the processes and procedures by which the school makes decisions around curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The context also impacts the way a school stays faithful to its vision. Many factors contribute to the overall narrative such as an identification of stakeholders, a description of stakeholder engagement, the trends and issues affecting the school, and the kinds of programs and services that a school implements to support student learning. <br><br> The purpose of the Executive Summary (ES) is to provide a school with an opportunity to describe in narrative form the strengths and challenges it encounters. By doing so, the public and members of the school community will have a more complete picture of how the school perceives itself and the process of self-reflection for continuous improvement. This summary is structured for the school to reflect on how it provides teaching and learning on a day to day basis. Page 1

4 Description of the School Describe the school's size, community/communities, location, and changes it has experienced in the last three years. Include demographic information about the students, staff, and community at large. What unique features and challenges are associated with the community/communities the school serves? is comprised of 156 students in grades 9-12 and 40 faculty and staff. The demographics of students include 142 Caucasian (89.3%), 12 Chinese (7.5%), 3 Hispanic (1.9%), 1 Native American (0.6%), and 1 African American (0.6%). Comparatively, the school district in which Barat is located (Rockwood) includes 81.2% Caucasian, 10.6% African American, 2.0% Hispanic, 5.6% Asian, and.2% Native American. Gender of students is 98 female (62.8%) and 58 male (37.1%). Barat students come from a variety of regions in the St. Louis metropolitan area. These include 128 from St. Charles County (82.6%), 24 from St. Louis County (15.5%), and 3 from Franklin County (1.9%). 134 families are represented in the Barat student population, including 21 families with multiple children attending. Faculty also include 38 white (95%), 1 African American (2.5%), and 1 Puerto-Rican American (2.5%). is located in West St. Louis County. Local public school districts are well funded. Specifically, is located in the Rockwood School District and in the city of Chesterfield, Missouri. The demographic makeup of Chesterfield is 41,078 Caucasian (86.5%), 4,091 Asian American (8.6%), 1,257 African American (2.6%), and 1,058 Other Ethnicities (2.2%). The private school market in this area offers many quality choices., however, has been welcomed by the Chesterfield community. Page 2

5 School's Purpose Provide the school's purpose statement and ancillary content such as mission, vision, values, and/or beliefs. Describe how the school embodies its purpose through its program offerings and expectations for students. 's purpose is articulated in its mission statement, vision statement, and Core Values as articulated in its goals. Barat's mission is: " creates the unifying power of an educational community that fosters the growth of mind, body, and spirit" (adopted by Barat Board of Directors in September, 2005). Barat's vision is "to create a learning community of citizens who are transformed in Christ and who will change the world." The Goals of Sacred Heart Schools also capture our daily mission, as well as connecting us to our Sacred Heart spirituality: a personal and active faith in God, a deep respect for intellectual values, a social awareness which impels to action, the building of community as a Christian value, personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom. 's purpose is achieved in a few ways. The growth of the mind is fostered in students' academic work. Our pedagogical philosophy is based on the work of Ted Sizer and the Coalition of Essential Schools' Ten Common Principles (available at The guiding metaphor is "student as worker, teacher as coach." Operating under that metaphor, classes focus on students developing their own understanding of information, as opposed to teachers delivering content for student consumption. To accomplish this, teachers follow the principle of "less is more, depth over coverage," meaning that teachers focus on developing core, essential skills in common courses that all students take, rather than covering a large amount of content knowledge. To facilitate the higher-level thinking skills that need to be developed in students constructing their own understanding of information, Barat utilizes a one-to-one laptop program. Each student purchases a school-specified laptop, to which they have access during and outside of school. Recognizing the different learning needs of boys and girls, all core Barat classes are single gender. Faculty are trained and regularly updated on strategies for meeting the needs of males and females in the classroom. In conjunction with the goals of "a social awareness which impels to action," all students participate each year in a fully integrated Service Learning program. On twelve Wednesdays of the school year, students participate in morning service at local organizations and spend the afternoon studying the global implications of the related social justice issues. Service topics are intentionally integrated in the curriculum. For example, freshmen serve at local conservation and environmental agencies, study environmental issues on Service Learning days, and study Environmental Biology as their science during freshman year. This program culminates in the students' capstone project, the senior Peace Project, for which students work in collaborative teams to explore one of the UN Millennium Development Goals through direct service, indirect service, and advocacy. The growth of the body is fostered in students through our required Physical Education and Health curriculum for freshmen, as well as the annual elective offering of Personal Fitness. Additionally, all students participate in our co-curricular program, which is an important part of Barat's educational philosophy. All students are required to participate in athletics and/or performing arts 2 out of 3 seasons each year. Our athletics and activities are highlighted at the end of each year both with the Eagle Awards and Field Day. The growth of the spirit is fostered through multiple opportunities to develop socially and spiritually. These include the Advisory System, the House System, and Campus Ministry. Each academic year, each student is shepherded by one member of the faculty. That advisor serves as primary contact for families and is the person to whom the student can turn with questions about academic requirements, social issues or other concerns. As this relationship develops outside the bounds of subject-specific interaction, weekly contact time is built into the school schedule for advisors to meet with their advisees. In keeping with the single-gender classroom approach to learning and in acknowledgment of the very personal nature of communication, advisory groups are also single gender. The House System at was implemented in the fall of Students across grade levels are assigned to one of four houses. The student will remain in that house during his/her high school years. The purpose of the House System is too enhance the mission of, to develop a Christ-centered community across grade levels, to provide opportunities for students to serve in multiple leadership roles, and to develop and foster positive relationships among students across all grade levels. Houses include Amiens, Grenoble, Joigny, and Sacre Page 3

6 Coeur. Page 4

7 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement Describe the school's notable achievements and areas of improvement in the last three years. Additionally, describe areas for improvement that the school is striving to achieve in the next three years. has much to celebrate with regard to the achievements of the school, faculty, and students. Academically, data indicate solid gains in all skill areas on PSAT testing data for the class of 2015, with all skill areas above the national average, and the majority of skill areas above the state average. 99% of the students in the class of 2013 currently attend college. Barat's three graduating classes have been recognized with close to twelve million dollars in scholarship awards. Individual student achievement is also worthy of celebration. In the past three years, Barat has celebrated one National Merit Finalist and two commended students. In the past three years, has celebrated four students accepted to the all-district choir or band and two students accepted to the all-state choir or band, including some recognized every year. Three students have been awarded the Archbishop May Service Award by the Archdiocese of St Louis, and one student has earned the Martin Luther King, Jr. Service Award. Barat athletics have also won notable achievements, including our first team victories at both the district and state level with the Golf Team, as well as a district championship in Girls Volleyball and Girls Tennis. From a service standpoint, Barat students have logged over thousands of hours of service to local organizations in the past three years through our Service Learning program. As a result of our Senior Peace Project, this has also included raising funds and launching advocacy projects for local organizations. Barat Faculty have also been recognized in the community. In the past three years, three Barat teachers have been honored as Teachers of Distinction with the Independent Schools of St. Louis and two teachers have been honored as Emerson Teachers of Excellence, which includes receiving grant money for classroom purchases. Page 5

8 Additional Information Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were not prompted in the previous sections. With recognition of Board members, faculty, and staff on boards and positions of leadership throughout the community, is establishing itself as a first-class educational institution. Page 6