Our Mission:
Our mission is to provide an excellent Catholic academic education built on a foundation of self-discipline, compassion, and a sense of responsibility for social justice in the tradition of the Sisters of Mercy.
Our Vision:
Saint Bernard Academy will continue to be a model independent Catholic school. Students will benefit from an excellent academic program, while learning the virtues of compassion, responsibility and service to others. Saint Bernard Academy graduates will go forward ready to share their gifts and to contribute to society through their positive example and leadership.
In order to engage our Mission and ensure our Vision, the Board of Directors, Administration, and faculty commit themselves, in fulfillment of their respective roles, to the achievement of these strategic priorities.
Academic Excellence
SBA is committed to advancing each individual student’s academic potential by addressing capabilities and targeting student needs within a supportive, nurturing classroom environment, aligned to student ability with high expectations of achievement through the use of appropriate evaluative data and effective research based teaching methodologies and materials. We will therefore:
- Provide instruction that ensures the opportunity for every student to reach his or her academic potential.
- Continuously review and evaluate curriculum, instruction and student performance to ensure success in consideration of our ongoing mission and the academic needs and potential of our students.
- Provide opportunities and establish expectations for faculty professional development and ensure appropriate faculty compensation.
- Commit to ongoing innovation in instructing our students, taking into consideration the best practices and research from the teaching profession.
Governance
SBA is committed to ensuring the Vision, by managing the selection, organization, and coordination of school Board and Administrative leadership to ensure institutional stability and viability within an environment of high expectations, established principles of good practice and the responsible assignment of authority. We will therefore:
- Review and evaluate school governance structure and practice as they relate to SBA’s mission and vision.
- Adopt by-laws that support institutional stability, operational viability and the school’s governance and administrative structure.
- Appoint appropriate board committees, review their respective charters, and define the metrics by which success will be identified.
- Support the search committee in completion of a full, objective search for the Head of School.
- Ensure alignment of Head of School position requirements with Board responsibilities and the mission, vision, and governance model of the school.
School Community
SBA is committed to strengthening its sense of community in support of culture of the school environment and of the over-all educational experience of our children. We will therefore:
- Develop a comprehensive, systematic communication strategy that well informs all of the stakeholders in SBA’s success.
- Identify and define mechanisms for parents to communicate constructively with the Board, Administration and faculty.
- Ensure transparency of school Board and Administrative processes for all stakeholders.
School Financial Resources
SBA’s Board and Administration have the fiduciary responsibility to manage current finances to ensure financial stability and economic viability now and to build the financial foundation for the school’s next 100 years. We will therefore:
- Ensure the adequacy of the strategy for the long-term financial health of the school.
- Increase the breadth of participation from all stakeholders to the school financial support campaigns.
- Build an endowment which will provide resources for tuition assistance and the support the school’s long-term operating requirements.
- Develop a targeted enrollment configuration that, though giving primary focus to the optimization of the student academic experience, also facilitates financial planning.
