Mascoma Valley School District
Amanda Isabelle, Superintendent
547 US Route 4
Enfield, NH 03748
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019
Media Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]
Mascoma Valley Regional School District Releases 5-Year Strategic Plan and New Mission Statement
ENFIELD, N.H. — Superintendent Amanda Isabelle is pleased to share the Mascoma Valley Regional School District’s new vision, mission statement and Strategic Plan for the 2020-2025 school years.
The district began developing a new vision, mission statement and strategic plan in April, and formed a strategic planning working group comprised of district representatives, School Board members, School Budget Committee members, community volunteers, local business owners, parents and guardians. Community listening sessions were held along with an online survey to garner input from the public, with the goal of soliciting thoughts and ideas on what knowledge, skills and abilities students should be learning and how the district can best serve current and future students.
The strategic plan, district vision and mission statement were adopted by the Mascoma Valley School Board in July. To view the district’s new strategic plan click here.
The district’s new vision statement reads,
“Mascoma Inspires! Build the Path You Want to Take”
The Mascoma Valley Regional School District’s new mission statement reads,
“We are a community that values creativity, curiosity and the pursuit of excellence, cultivating our strengths and interests to inspire partnerships in the district, community and the world beyond.”
The new vision was crafted with the goal of reinforcing student belief that education is a relevant part of whatever path they may take in life, and encouraging students to commit to learning.
The strategic plan, which will be rolled out over a five year period, focuses on four primary goals to support a customized learning environment for students: leveraging learning communities, building a safe and respectful community, improving communication and collaboration, and improving academic quality and expectations for teachers, students and staff. To achieve these goals, the district will undertake a wide array of initiatives and will closely examine its current curriculum, programming, procedures and areas of improvement.
“We created this strategic plan and revised our mission statement in an effort to refocus, improve and expand our programming to best prepare students to meaningfully contribute to society upon graduation,” Superintendent Isabelle said. “We’re excited to share these goals and plans with the community. It’s a new chapter for our district, and I’m confident as we work toward these goals, Mascoma Valley will become a stronger, more collaborative and supportive district that provides students with the tools and knowledge they need to succeed and thrive.”
As the district works to improve academic quality and expectations for teachers, students and staff, administrators and faculty will examine the life skills students are currently learning and work to design and implement a life skills course. The district will also consider becoming a HI SET (High School Equivalency Test) site where students can earn their New Hampshire General Education Diploma (GED), and consider partnering with the Mascoma Valley Parks and Recreation Department to offer adult education classes. Mascoma Valley will additionally work to improve the curriculum to better meet New Hampshire Department of Education standards, improve the Extended Learning Opportunity Program and examine current assessment procedures, among several other initiatives.
In addition, the district will endeavor to leverage learning communities and build connections with local businesses, organizations and groups. District leadership will prioritize expanding their partnership with the Mascoma Valley Parks and Recreation Department, starting this school year, to create STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programming for all students. That partnership will work toward eventually opening a teen center at Mascoma Valley High School. Mascoma Valley Regional School District will also seek out community members willing to volunteer in schools and examine new vocational arts learning opportunities.
As it builds a safe, respectful community, the district will continue and refine mindfulness exercises for students, explore hiring a second social worker for the district, and work to develop and implement additional social emotional development and wellness programming. The district will also work to improve its processes for identifying emotionally and physically vulnerable students by building relationships with groups that offer mental health services and working with a trauma expert.
To improve communication and collaboration, the district will develop a communication strategy and brand standards, and will foster and encourage community and student dialog with the district.
As the district undertakes these initiatives, it will also work to provide and improve professional development opportunities for staff to align with the strategic plan’s goals.
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