Strategic planning is underway at Wellington Catholic District School Board, in an effort to stay current and excellent in education, while making a difference in the world.
Tamara Nugent, the board’s director of education, said she wants to hear from the public about what their priorities are for shaping the direction of a multi-year strategic plan.
“It’s my understanding that this is the first time there has been this broad-based consultation with staff, parents, students, and the community,” Nugent said. “I think it creates a greater sense of ownership. So, we need to listen, and then we are going to look to co-create what that looks like. We want to engage as many people as we can.”
The Catholic board has launched a series of three online surveys, in which it invites various stakeholders to share ideas and suggestions on the board’s future direction. The process builds on the collective wisdom in the community.
The public is invited to share until Monday, Feb. 22. The new strategic plan is set to launch in September. The surveys are available on the board’s website at www.wellingtoncdsb.ca/herewegrow.
The board hopes to articulate three to five strategies that will guide it to June, 2019, and to renew its vision, mission and values through the process.
“We have a tagline of ‘Here We Grow,’ and really I think that’s what we’re looking to do, is to grow into the future,” Nugent said. “I would say the challenges are around making sure we maintain excellence and variety in the kinds of programs were are offering to our student.”
The board wants to ensure that it remain current in terms of societal changes, she added, whether that be through keeping up with technological changes, or to addressing, through education, issues like the pressures on the environment.
“These are all things that we want to be able to explore, and then determine where we really need to focus our energy and efforts over the next three years,” she said.
She said young people today, including students in the Catholic system, are heavily invested in social justice and environmental stewardship. The foundational Catholic principles of the separate school system offer guidance in these areas.
“We have some great teachings that can guide us in those efforts,” Nugent added. “And so we are looking at how we bring those to life in a way that better engages our young people.”
Through the surveys, the board will study the various themes that emerge, and choose the strategic directions that are timely and relevant.
Stakeholder feedback will be studied in the months of March and April. In May a new strategic plan will be published and shared, with implementation scheduled for September.
“It’s an energizing process,” Nugent said. “I’m very excited.”
