Contents

 

Mission Statement

St. Raphael School, in conjunction with its parish and parents, provides our children with an engaging and inspiring academic program infused with strong Christian morals and virtues. Our Catholic identity permeates each subject and daily activity in a warm and welcoming environment. Through faith and reason, our school community challenges students to lead lives of service while embracing the love of God and neighbor. We foster a strong sense of self-worth and build character in each of our students, enabling them to reach their full spiritual, intellectual, physical, and emotional potential in accordance with the teachings of Jesus Christ.

 

Christ is the reason for this school.

He is the unseen but ever-present teacher in its classes.

He is the model of its faculty and the inspiration of its students.

 

Vision Statement

We develop the mind, spirit, and body of each child through rigorous, focused, individualized Catholic education.

 

 

About Our Crest

The Holy Trinity, represented by three crosses, guides and inspires our faculty in their care and teaching of our students. The chevron signifies our home within the Catholic Church. Our patron, St. Raphael the Archangel, intercedes for us as God’s biblical healer. The green field represents life, growth, and renewal. Our motto, Faith and Reason, recalls the two basic philosophical principles necessary for understanding.

SRS Crest.jpeg

 

Philosophy

St. Raphael School is a co-educational parish school providing students with a Catholic education rich in tradition enhanced by a 21st century classroom. Our academic standards and Catholic virtues provide students with the tools essential to lead lives of service to God and community.

Being an integral part of the parish community, St. Raphael School offers a warm and welcoming environment enriched by the time and talents offered through our partnership with parents. Recognizing parents as the primary teachers in life, we welcome and value their ideas and interest.

Our parish priests, administration, faculty, and staff are committed to supporting the mission of the school and fostering the development of faith and reason in every child. St. Raphael School provides a challenging curriculum, focusing on each child’s unique capabilities and talents. We provide quality education and prepare all students for the rigorous academic demands of secondary school.

Our class size affords each child individualized attention and the opportunity for differentiated learning. We instill a strong sense of self-confidence and Catholic spirituality in our students. The classroom environment is one of love, respect, and compassion. Students attend Mass weekly at school and participate in daily prayer to instill the virtues necessary to lead a moral and purposeful life. Students participate in community outreach to further develop their understanding of service while helping those in need.

Knowing that Jesus is the reason that this school exists, we acknowledge His presence in our daily life at school. He guides and encourages our teachers and inspires our students to follow in His footsteps.

 

Catholic Identity

Goal

St. Raphael students will share a deep understanding and love for Jesus Christ and our Catholic faith through prayer, worship, teaching, service, environment, and community.

Objective 1
By the end of the 2019-2020 school year, 100 percent of our students will show growth on the Faith Knowledge Assessment.

What Who When Status Update Performance Measure
  • Weekly lesson plans reflect evidence of teachers' knowledge of Archdiocese of Washington religion standards
 Principal / Teachers Weekly IP Weekly lesson plans
  • Ensure Religion teachers are certified or working toward completing certification within three years in the ADW Living Catholic Program
 Principal / Religion Teachers Annually IP Principal review, ORE review

 

Academics

Goal

St. Raphael will achieve national recognition for academic performance.

Objective 1

By the end of the 2022-2023 school year, St. Raphael School will obtain Blue Ribbon Status.

What Who When Status Update Performance Measure
  • Form Blue Ribbon school committee
 Teachers, parents, students (Jerry Nash, lead) Fall 2018 Blue Ribbon - Fall 2019 Meeting minutes, agendas, etc.
  • Apply for Blue Ribbon recognition award
 Teachers (Teri Dwyer, lead) Spring 2019 Blue Ribbon - Fall 2019 Application

 

Objective 2

By the end of the 2019-2020 school year, SRS will have refined our plan to maintain small, flexible instructional groupings tailored to individual student learning needs.

What Who When Status Update Performance Measure
  • Examine the feasibility of staffing an additional resource teacher
 Teri Dwyer Summer 2019

        Completed,          Summer 2019

 Budget
  • Review criteria and document process for establishing instructional groupings
 Teachers (Teri Dwyer) Summer 2019       Completed,    Summer 2019 Policy and procedure documentation
  • Identify three instructional areas of focus for each class in reading and math
 Teachers (Jerry Nash, lead) Fall, Winter, and Spring (annually) IP Class learning targets
  • Develop individual learning targets for each student, including accommodations for students with learning differences
 Teachers (Ben Desmond, Jody Bosnick) Fall, Winter and Spring (annually) IP Individual learning targets

 

Objective 3

By the end of the 2010-2021 school year, SRS will have planned and implemented a focused program on critical thinking and project-based learning.

What Who When Status Update Performance Measure
  • Provide staff with professional development on critical thinking and project-based learning
 Administration team Winter 2021 IP Scheduled professional development
  • Create a plan to implement critical thinking and interdisciplinary project-based learning, leveraging existing practices used in each grade level
 Teachers and administrative team Spring 2021 IP Project-based learning plan
  • Implement project-based learning plan
 Teachers Fall 2021 IP

Curriculum

 

Objective 4

By the end of the 2021-2022 school year, develop a program to enhance student writing proficiency by eighth grade.

What Who When Status Update Performance Measure
  • Form a writing curriculum committee
 Teachers / principal Summer 2018           Completed,          Winter 2020 Committee notes
  • Investigate writing curriculum at various schools and through various programs to determine best practices
 Writing committee and teachers Summer 2020 IP Reports and samples of writing programs
  • Develop a writing plan based on identified best practices and St. Raphael student needs
 Teachers / principal Spring 2021 IP Writing plan

 

 

Students

Goal

To attract, develop, and retain a diverse group of families committed to the spiritual and academic growth of their children, both inside and outside the classroom.

Objective 1

By the end of the 2019-2020 school year, we will have increased awareness of opportunities to make Catholic education affordable for families.

What Who When Status Update Performance Measure
  • Apply for educational grants
 Stacey Woodward Ongoing IP Completed applications
  • Remind parents of the tuition-assistance process through ADW
 Gerri Stoner / Lara Roach Wednesday Weekly / website  / emails IP Archives of correspondence
  • Tuition sponsorship program

Stacey Woodward

 Ongoing IP Number of sponsorships
  • Provide families who qualify for BOOST with information
 Gerri Stoner Annually fall IP Number of applicants

 

Objective 2

By the end of the 2019-2020 school year, we will have developed a plan to expand and enhance offerings for Catholic education to students with developmental learning needs.

What Who When Status Update Performance Measure
  • Explore the feasibility of increasing staff members for the Resource Room
 Teri Dwyer Winter 2019         Completed,          Spring 2019 Finalized budget
  • Work with the CSO to use available resources

Teri Dwyer / 

Jody Bosnick

 Ongoing IP

Increased services /

increased population

 

Personnel

Goal

To recruit, develop, and retain qualified faculty, administration, and staff who embrace and embody the mission and philosophy of St. Raphael School.

Objective 1

By the end of the 2019-2020 school year, SRS will have developed a plan to ensure all staff members are certified or in process of certification.

What Who When Status Update Performance Measure
  • Ensure all teaching staff are current with professional development needed to earn or retain certification in the state of MD
 Principal Ongoing IP

Individual teacher professional development plans

 

Objective 2

By the end of the 2019-2020 school year, SRS will have developed a plan to recruit and retain staff members committed to the mission and values of St. Raphael School.

What Who When Status Update Performance Measure
  • Introduce team building and morale activities at staff meetings and other group level activities
 Principal / committee Ongoing IP

Completion / implementation
  • Establish written policies for orientation and mentoring
 Principal / committee Fall 2020 IP

Completion / observation
  • Examine schedules to determine most efficient workloads
 Principal / committee Ongoing IP

Completion / observation

 

Facility

Goal

To maintain a safe physical environment that inspires learning and provides enrichment opportunities for students, faculty, and members of the community.

Objective 1

By the end of the 2022-2023 school year, St. Raphael School will ensure that security systems are updated to meet the needs in today's school environments.

What Who When Status Update Performance Measure
  • Form team to conduct security analysis
 Principal / pastor Spring 2019  Completed, 2019 Team identified
  • Update plan for enhancing security in building
 Security team

Summer annually

 IP Plan exists
  • Implement enhancements from security plan
 Principal / pastor TBD by security plan schedule IP Plan elements in place

 

Finance

Goal

To maintain a financially sustainable school with a responsible budget and cost-based tuition.

Objective 1

By the end of the 2022-2023 school year, we will have developed a plan to keep tuition affordable for parents.

What Who When Performance Measure
  • Create additional revenue streams to offset costs for planned and unexpected maintenance
 Finance Council / pastor Yearly Budget
  • Create a "culture of philanthropy" throughout alumni, current families, and parish to help increase cash flow.
 Marketing Yearly Marketing Plan
  • Develop an endowment plan to subsidize costs for St. Raphael School
 Pastor, principal, Finance Council Spring 2022 Endowment Plan

 

Technology and Resource

To compel students and staff to responsibly and effectively use technology to accelerate learning, deepen understanding, and ensure lifelong success in a rapidly changing world.

Objective 1

By the end of the Fiscal Year 2021-2022, develop a plan to reduce costs for the installation, maintenance, and refreshment of network and instructional technology resources.

What Who When Status Update Performance Measure
  • Analyze cost savings options for switching to VOIP
 Tech Committee Spring 2022 IP Cost comparisons
  • Develop proposal to switch plans
 Tech Committee Spring 2022 IP Statement of work
  • Implement switch to VOIP phone system
 Chao Wang Summer 2022 IP Completion

 

Objective 2

Implement technology standards for students and staff.

What Who When Status Update Performance Measure
  • Provide professional development to staff on technology standards for students and staff
 Ben Desmond Ongoing IP Staff meeting attendance
  • Conduct classroom observations to ensure effective student and staff use of technology
 Teri Dwyer, Ben Desmond Ongoing IP Classroom observation

 

 

 

Last updated, March 19, 2020