Search
A Mission Effectiveness Year: Celebrating our Commitment to Holy Child Education
As a member of the Holy Child Network of Schools, Mayfield Junior School is committed to the Goals for Schools of the Holy Child Jesus. The Goals are principles by which we teach children, and in doing so perpetuate our tradition.
Every six years each school within the Network participates in a self-study process surrounding the Goals called Mission Effectiveness. Mayfield Junior School began our fourth self-study in the Mission Effectiveness Process in the spring of 2016, which will continue through early April 2017.
As an independent school it is an evaluation not unlike the academic evaluations required of independent schools to remain accredited. There is a self-study portion, a written report; a team of visiting evaluators, commendations, recommendations and an action plan.
As a Holy Child School, Mission Effectiveness is not only a time to observe, discuss and evaluate how strongly the Goals are incorporated into our daily life, it is also a wonderful opportunity for celebration, renewal and recommitment to our Holy Child heritage and to recognize how Holy Child Schools share a unique spirit as members of a national network and international community. Each School draws from this distinctive spirit and applies it to its own community.
An important element of the entire Mission Effectiveness process is the inclusion and input of all members of the community. In forming data for the self-study document, parents, students, faculty/staff, alumni and members of the Board of Trustees were engaged in dialogue and reflection on each of the Goals through surveys, presentations and activities.
In early April a Visiting Committee made up of Holy Child educators, staff and administrators will spend a few days on campus and while they are here will tour the school, review printed and electronic school materials, observe classes and activities and spend time talking with members of the community: parents, students, teachers, staff, alumni and the Board.
The Visiting team composes a report (called a Reflection) with recommendations and commendations. The Reflection is presented to the school community and is then submitted to the Society’s Provincial Leadership Team. When the PLT sends their response to our school we develop an action plan that is implemented over the next 2 years.
Far beyond the reflection required within the Mission Effectiveness process, our community witnesses daily what it represents. It is the laughter in the halls, the open interaction between student and teacher, the keeping of beloved traditions and the celebration of the “whole child” that validate Cornelia Connelly’s vision. The Mission Effectiveness process inspires and ultimately confirms that a Holy Child education is not merely an ideal, nor something lost to modern progress. It is cherished, upheld and lived.
The Goals for Schools of the Holy Child
Goal 1: Faith
Our Catholic heritage and traditions have shaped our past, define our present and guide our future. Goal 1 offers purpose and direction in creating and supporting a strong faith commitment within the school. It reads:
Holy Child Schools foster a faith commitment that engenders a joyous personal relationship with God in addressing the challenges of the world.
Goal 2: Community
The idea of community is essential to the principals and progress the Goals promote. Our relationship with the school defines our expectations and perspective within the extended community. This partnership fosters strength and support in times of need and celebration, a shared focus on educating the children to be wise, confident and compassionate as they step out into the world, and connections that last far beyond the school years. Goal 2 encourages the joyful spirit a strong community radiates on campus and beyond. Goal 2 states:
Holy Child Schools live, learn and worship as a dynamic Christian community.
Goal 3: Learning
Cornelia Connelly believed that children learn with their hearts as well as their minds. A woman beyond her times, she recognized the importance of developing the whole child in pursuit or his or her full potential. Goal 3 steers us to provide the tools, skills and confidence each child needs to succeed in a changing global community. Goal 3 states:
Holy Child Schools offer an intellectually challenging and creative program of study that develops a love of learning and academic excellence.
Holy Child Schools work for Christian principles of justice, peace and compassion in every facet of life.
Goal 5: Individuality
Cornelia Connelly was committed to creating a learning environment that ensured each student was valued and treated as a child of God. She believed that young people learn best when treated with reverence and respect and when actively engaged in their education. Goal 5 encourages us to recognize that our differences make us stronger, our gifts are best when shared, and that our individual potential is unlimited. Goal 5 states:
Holy Child Schools create a learning climate based on trust and reverence for the dignity and uniqueness of each person.
Holy Child Schools promote the personal growth and development of all who participate in the life of the School.
Goal 7: Future of Holy Child
Each Holy Child School has a role in continuing the tradition of Holy Child Education for future generations. Trustees of the Schools are commissioned to make policy decisions and design long-range plans with Holy Child ideals as their guide. The administration in support of the trustees and board policy recognizes and promotes Holy Child in admissions, recruitment and hiring, in cultivating financial resources and in all capital endeavors moving the School forward. Goal 7 asks us to uphold our history, celebrate our growth and understand the gift of a Holy Child education is a promise for the future. Goal 7 states:
Holy Child Schools ensure the continuation and growth of Holy Child mission and philosophy in the School.
In understanding the Goals, it is evident that a Holy Child education is so much more than challenging academics, flourishing art programs and successful sports teams. To receive a Holy Child education is to be celebrated and encouraged. It is an opportunity to give of oneself and thus learn about oneself. It is to be a vital part of a faith-filled community and to learn to act with kindness, compassion and integrity.
Back
Every six years each school within the Network participates in a self-study process surrounding the Goals called Mission Effectiveness. Mayfield Junior School began our fourth self-study in the Mission Effectiveness Process in the spring of 2016, which will continue through early April 2017.
Mission Effectiveness can be described in two ways.
As an independent school it is an evaluation not unlike the academic evaluations required of independent schools to remain accredited. There is a self-study portion, a written report; a team of visiting evaluators, commendations, recommendations and an action plan.
As a Holy Child School, Mission Effectiveness is not only a time to observe, discuss and evaluate how strongly the Goals are incorporated into our daily life, it is also a wonderful opportunity for celebration, renewal and recommitment to our Holy Child heritage and to recognize how Holy Child Schools share a unique spirit as members of a national network and international community. Each School draws from this distinctive spirit and applies it to its own community.
An important element of the entire Mission Effectiveness process is the inclusion and input of all members of the community. In forming data for the self-study document, parents, students, faculty/staff, alumni and members of the Board of Trustees were engaged in dialogue and reflection on each of the Goals through surveys, presentations and activities.
In early April a Visiting Committee made up of Holy Child educators, staff and administrators will spend a few days on campus and while they are here will tour the school, review printed and electronic school materials, observe classes and activities and spend time talking with members of the community: parents, students, teachers, staff, alumni and the Board.
The Visiting team composes a report (called a Reflection) with recommendations and commendations. The Reflection is presented to the school community and is then submitted to the Society’s Provincial Leadership Team. When the PLT sends their response to our school we develop an action plan that is implemented over the next 2 years.
Far beyond the reflection required within the Mission Effectiveness process, our community witnesses daily what it represents. It is the laughter in the halls, the open interaction between student and teacher, the keeping of beloved traditions and the celebration of the “whole child” that validate Cornelia Connelly’s vision. The Mission Effectiveness process inspires and ultimately confirms that a Holy Child education is not merely an ideal, nor something lost to modern progress. It is cherished, upheld and lived.
The Goals for Schools of the Holy Child
Goal 1: Faith
Our Catholic heritage and traditions have shaped our past, define our present and guide our future. Goal 1 offers purpose and direction in creating and supporting a strong faith commitment within the school. It reads:
Holy Child Schools foster a faith commitment that engenders a joyous personal relationship with God in addressing the challenges of the world.
Goal 2: Community
The idea of community is essential to the principals and progress the Goals promote. Our relationship with the school defines our expectations and perspective within the extended community. This partnership fosters strength and support in times of need and celebration, a shared focus on educating the children to be wise, confident and compassionate as they step out into the world, and connections that last far beyond the school years. Goal 2 encourages the joyful spirit a strong community radiates on campus and beyond. Goal 2 states:
Holy Child Schools live, learn and worship as a dynamic Christian community.
Goal 3: Learning
Cornelia Connelly believed that children learn with their hearts as well as their minds. A woman beyond her times, she recognized the importance of developing the whole child in pursuit or his or her full potential. Goal 3 steers us to provide the tools, skills and confidence each child needs to succeed in a changing global community. Goal 3 states:
Holy Child Schools offer an intellectually challenging and creative program of study that develops a love of learning and academic excellence.
Goal 4: Compassion
All Holy Child Schools belong to an international community committed to serving humanity through education, social welfare programs, legal assistance and other ministries. Encouraging our students to look beyond themselves and to be aware of the world around them is perhaps the most important thing we do. Goal 4 reminds us to think with fairness, believe with conviction, and respond with integrity. Goal 4 states:
All Holy Child Schools belong to an international community committed to serving humanity through education, social welfare programs, legal assistance and other ministries. Encouraging our students to look beyond themselves and to be aware of the world around them is perhaps the most important thing we do. Goal 4 reminds us to think with fairness, believe with conviction, and respond with integrity. Goal 4 states:
Holy Child Schools work for Christian principles of justice, peace and compassion in every facet of life.
Goal 5: Individuality
Cornelia Connelly was committed to creating a learning environment that ensured each student was valued and treated as a child of God. She believed that young people learn best when treated with reverence and respect and when actively engaged in their education. Goal 5 encourages us to recognize that our differences make us stronger, our gifts are best when shared, and that our individual potential is unlimited. Goal 5 states:
Holy Child Schools create a learning climate based on trust and reverence for the dignity and uniqueness of each person.
Goal 6: Personal Growth
Cornelia Connelly’s wisdom and vision called for Holy Child education to teach the “whole child” by addressing all aspects of the student’s personal growth. Holy Child schools foster each child’s well being, positive peer relationships, personal responsibility, clarity of wise choices, leadership development and experiences in varied forms of the arts. A Holy Child education positively influences strong academics as well as meaningful opportunities for self-expression, creativity and self-confidence. Goal 6 states:
Cornelia Connelly’s wisdom and vision called for Holy Child education to teach the “whole child” by addressing all aspects of the student’s personal growth. Holy Child schools foster each child’s well being, positive peer relationships, personal responsibility, clarity of wise choices, leadership development and experiences in varied forms of the arts. A Holy Child education positively influences strong academics as well as meaningful opportunities for self-expression, creativity and self-confidence. Goal 6 states:
Holy Child Schools promote the personal growth and development of all who participate in the life of the School.
Goal 7: Future of Holy Child
Each Holy Child School has a role in continuing the tradition of Holy Child Education for future generations. Trustees of the Schools are commissioned to make policy decisions and design long-range plans with Holy Child ideals as their guide. The administration in support of the trustees and board policy recognizes and promotes Holy Child in admissions, recruitment and hiring, in cultivating financial resources and in all capital endeavors moving the School forward. Goal 7 asks us to uphold our history, celebrate our growth and understand the gift of a Holy Child education is a promise for the future. Goal 7 states:
Holy Child Schools ensure the continuation and growth of Holy Child mission and philosophy in the School.
In understanding the Goals, it is evident that a Holy Child education is so much more than challenging academics, flourishing art programs and successful sports teams. To receive a Holy Child education is to be celebrated and encouraged. It is an opportunity to give of oneself and thus learn about oneself. It is to be a vital part of a faith-filled community and to learn to act with kindness, compassion and integrity.
Mayfield Junior School
405 South Euclid Avenue, Pasadena, California 91101 626.796.2774
Located in Pasadena, California, Mayfield Junior School of the Holy Child Jesus is a K-8 Catholic coeducational private school. Our kindergarten, elementary school, and middle school experience best prepares students for high school education and beyond.
