We're pleased to say great progress was made in this first year of implementation. Among newly completed items, achieving our target of securing $2 million in pledges to the endowment toward a goal of $10 million by 2022, and raising more than $562,000 in unrestricted Annual Fund giving, exceeding our goal of $500,000.

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Elevate Learning & Teaching Excellence

• Define the distinctive educational philosophy of Spartanburg Day School for all members of the community and uphold it in daily life by:

  • creating a distinctive educational philosophy to guide the academic and co-curricular programs of SDS
  • studying the role for curriculum coordination for all divisions

• Examine curricular cohesion and divisional alignment guided by the school's educational philosophy by:

  • creating a cycle and for curricular alignment and review
  • providing resources, faculty professional development and support to ensure best practices for the use of technology for learners of all ages
  • creating a strategic facilities master plan
  • emphasizing and elevating student wellness in program decisions
  • introducing programs and opportunities through athletics to enhance the student experience
  • examine the college counseling program to optimize resources and enhance the student and parent experience

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Support Faculty Quality & Engagement

• Support, develop and retain faculty members who are committed to creating meaningful learning experiences within a collaborative culture by:
   
  • studying faculty compensation to provide data for goal setting
  • using data from faculty feedback to support quality and engagement
  • connecting faculty professional growth and evaluation to current and future program needs
  • creating a "portrait of a faculty" to pair with the school's "portrait of a graduate"
  • aligning faculty professional development priorities and funding with strategic initiatives
     
• Recruit and hire faculty members who are committed to exemplary teaching practices and contributing to the life of the school by:
   
  • documenting a system based on best practices for faculty recruitment
  • further enhancing the faculty hiring and onboarding process

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Strengthen Culture & Community

• Utilize intentional strategies to enhance the culture and experience for all constituents by:
   
  • continuing survey cycles to improve the student, faculty and parent experience
  • creating programs for faculty and student wellness
     
• Establish program support for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) for faculty, students, parents and alumni by:
  • using survey and focus group feedback to create a baseline for DEI work at SDS
  • identifying funding for DEI faculty professional development, DEI programming and a coordinator for DEI initiatives
     
• Leverage the talents and commitment of the Parents' Community to support culture and community at SDS
   
• Focus on internal communications to enhance engagement and connectivity by:
  • studying the organization reporting structures to improve communication and workflow
  • using survey feedback to improve internal communication

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Achieve Financial Sustainability

• Utilize a strategic enrollment management process by:
   
  • identifying the maximum physical capacity for current facilities
     
• Heighten focus on student retention by:
   
  • being more strategic in engaging with students and families
  • using survey feedback to improve student retention
  • tracking retention for trends
     
• Inspire greater charitable giving by:
  • increasing endowment holdings to $35 million
  • emphasizing and cultivating planned giving
  • maintaining an Annual Fund goal of $500,000 or more
     
• Pursue strategic initiatives by:
   
  • studying the preschool market and current capacity of SDS preschool program
  • exploring new revenue strategies (i.e. summer programs, VISTAS...)
  • maximizing strategic partnerships (international student program, college partnerships...)