Introduction to our Strategic Plan – July 26, 2015

We are officially into the 2015-2016 school year.  School administrators have a time in the summer when the wrap up from the previous year gives way to ramping up for the next year.  As I look at the calendar in late July, I am filled with anticipation on the start of another school year.

 

Last year was a year filled with many blessings and progress on multiple fronts.  As I look forward to the 2015/2016 school year, I am optimistic about our faculty and staff’s ability to move Parkview forward in strength, innovation, and quality.  I am most excited at the level of teamwork we have on staff across the board.  Each division is filled with quality individuals who are committed to Parkview’s success.  Not only do we have veteran staff who have an obvious buy-in to Parkview, but we also have a great new group of faculty who will be joining us in August.  These new staff members bring a mixture of years of experience and talents that will strengthen our overall team. Check out our Facebook page and website for special features that let you get to know our new staff.

 

I am also enthusiastic about our new Strategic Plan which will guide us for the next three years.  A strategic plan does not tell us everything we need to do or will do over the next three years, but it gives a structure to guide decisions, track progress, and build our school in an intentional manner.  In today’s blog, I will give an introduction to our new plan and in subsequent blogs, I will look at each of the three sections.

 

Our 2015 to 2018 strategic plan can be found on our website under the “about” section where you see ‘State of the School.’  Here you can see the items in our previous plan, see the progress we have made, and see where we are headed with our new plan.

 

The 2015 to 2018 plan was developed through extensive meetings with school staff, school administrative team, and the Long Range Planning Committee of our school board.  The Long Range Planning Committee is made up of school staff, Parkview board members, Parkview parents, and other at-large members.  It is our most diverse committee so we can have maximum input from many sources.  The school also employed the use of surveys and focus meetings in the development of the plan.  The end result is a guiding document that gives school administration focus to make decisions and allocate resources in a transparent and systematic way.

 

By way of introduction, the new plan brings us back to the focus of our school mission and the importance of our real purpose, the building of Christian students.  Each section of our plan must be tied in some way to the portrait of a graduate that we have developed.  We must remember that we are here to produce a student who is:

 

1. Committed to a Biblical worldview and Christian values
2. Able to articulate a personal testimony and relationship with Jesus Christ
3. Equipped to perform with distinction at the next academic level
4. One who exemplifies high moral standards and personifies the school mission statement
5. Committed to serving others and improving one’s community
6. Recognizes and develops their unique gifts and talents and uses them to glorify God

 

By staying true to these statements, we will maintain a course that keeps us grounded in our mission and philosophy of a quality Christian school.  Based on our guiding Portrait of a Graduate, our new plan will focus on the three major areas of abundant life, academic excellence, and support for the future.

 

Proverbs 19:2 says that desire without knowledge is not good.  It talks about the danger of just rushing into situations without a plan.  The main purpose of having a strategic plan is to avoid the admonition of this verse.  We want to move forward with a powerful desire to produce excellence, but not in a haphazard way.  We want desire WITH knowledge and God’s blessing.  I would like to thank the many people who have helped funnel our desire for Parkview into a wise plan.  I look forward to sharing details and progress in the future.

 

In the meantime, we have just two weeks before school begins. Enjoy this time with your family, and be ready to come back Parkview Strong!

 

Dr. Don R. Mayes

Superintendent