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April
2008 - from Network News
Over this past academic
year, the Network worked with a committee to develop a new
resource entitled “Stewarding the Mercy Charism.” Throughout
the sponsorship process
there was consistent reference to the responsibility and the
commitment to ensure
ongoing fidelity to mission, the teachings of the Catholic
Church and the charism, core
values and tradition of Mercy. Ongoing assessment and
accountability reporting is
part of the rhythm of this fidelity. This newly developed
tool provides for reflection and
documentation. Communities may adopt this resource as the
tool for Sponsorship
Councils to fulfill their responsibility in reporting to
leadership. Moreover, it can be used
by school leadership, boards and faculty and staff for
in-service and ongoing reflection
and dialogue on how fidelity is exercised.
Five key areas were identified in developing the tool:
Mission; Personnel and Community;
Stewarding Resources; External Community and Leadership and
Governance.
The tool includes a brochure on each area with background
information on the area
and questions for reflection on strengths and areas for
needed growth. It invites users
to identify actions to bring about this growth.
The tool also includes a guide with suggested ideas for use
and an outline format that
could be used for a summary report. The tool is designed to
be flexible in implementation.
The Network will be sending an advance package of these
materials in June with an
invitation to one of three conference calls for sharing
ideas, addressing questions and
planning for further distribution of materials.
The Network thanks the following schools for piloting the
program and making very
valuable recommendations: Mount Mercy Academy, Buffalo; St.
Vincent’s Academy,
Savannah; Mount Saint Mary Academy, Manchester; Catherine
McAuley High School,
Brooklyn; Mercy High School, Omaha and Alpha Academy,
Jamaica.
September,
2007 - January, 2008 Pilot in progress - Report will be made
to Assessment Committee on conference call meeting, January
10, 2008
from
Network News - September 2007
As shared
in the initiatives of the Network for Mercy Education, the
Network assisted in developing an “assessment tool”. This
tool, part of the sponsorship process, is designed to assist
schools in documenting and reporting fidelity to the
teachings of the Catholic Church and fidelity to the Mercy
charism, core values and tradition of Mercy. The tool was
created by persons invited to serve on a committee this past
school year: Karen Calta, Mount Saint Mary Academy, NJ;
Sandy Flaherty, Mercy High School, Burlingame, CA; Katy
Prebble, Mount DeSales Academy, Macon, GA; and Sisters Nancy
Thompson, Mercy High School, Farmington Hills, MI; Martha
Mulligan, Mercymount Country Day School, Cumberland, RI;
and Carol Wulforst, Our Lady of Mercy High School,
Rochester, NY.
 Carol
Wulforst, RSM, Our Lady of Mercy High School,
Rochester, NY |
 Katy
Prebble, Mount deSales Academy, Macon, GA
|
 Karen
Calta, Mount Saint Mary Academy, NJ |
 Nancy
Thompson, RSM, Mercy High School, Farmington Hills,
MI; |
 Sandy
Flaherty, Mercy High School, Burlingame, CA |
 Martha
Mulligan,RSM, Mercymount Country Day School,
Cumberland, RI |
The draft
assessment tool has been developed to be inclusive of all
members of the school community, emphasize and foster
dialogue in the community and to identify areas of strength
and growth.
Stewarding the Mercy Charism: Mercy Secondary and Elementary
Education Assessment and Accountability Report
was sent
to the six schools that volunteered to pilot the program:
Catherine McAuley, Brooklyn; Mount Mercy Academy, Buffalo;
Mercy High School, Omaha; St. Vincent’s Academy, Savannah;
Mount Saint Mary, Manchester, and Alpha Academy, Jamaica.
These six schools will pilot
the program during the first semester, critique the process
and return the critique to the committee so that changes can
be made. We want to greatly thank these six schools for
their willingness to pilot the program during an always busy
school year.
************
Historical
Reference
Summer
2007 - Revision of draft materials,
6 schools
identified to pilot the tool during the 2007-2008 school
year. These schools will be invited to give feedback and
suggest revisions on the process.
April, 2007 -
Draft materials were considered at the April meeting.
Committee members reviewed a collective listing of core
values, writing on charism and tradition. Committee members
each used a draft "Framework for the Conversation" with
small groups of persons and offered ideas for revising the
format. During the months of May and June the Network staff
will be working with the materials to have them in
presentation form for the committee in June. Then 6 schools
will be invited to pilot the materials in the 2007-2008
school year.
In addition
to the assessment process itself, committee members
identified additional potential uses for the materials and
the committee is further addressing these ideas to provide
resources for schools.
Committee
Update: At its initial meeting in January 2007, the
committee agreed that a name for the process was needed as
well as key assumptions and areas that could be included for
assessment. After sharing a number of ideas, the Network
chose “Stewarding the Mercy Charism’ for the name of the
process and ultimately the tool. At its meeting on February
14, 2007 the committee discussed key assumptions and areas
that could be included. These were then shared with the
Network for Mercy Education Board for reflection and
comment. The committee met again on March 14th and will hold
its next meeting on April 18, 2007.
from Network
News - February 2007
Throughout the
sponsorship process working towards a model for Mercy
secondary and elementary education, there was consistent
inclusion in the responsibilities stated for fidelity to the
teachings of the Catholic Church and fidelity to the Mercy
charism, core values and tradition of Mercy. At the Member
level it is a reserved power, the mission; at the level of
the sponsorship councils, a stated responsibility is
reporting to leadership on the school's ongoing fidelity; at
the level of the board and school leadership a stated
responsibility is to insure successful completion of an
assessment process and assist in the preparation of an
accountability report.
As shared in the initiatives of the Network for Mercy
Education, the Network would assist in moving this need
forward by developing an “assessment tool”. This tool would
be created by persons invited to serve on a committee. The
intent is that it would be a resource for emerging
communities, sponsorship councils and schools. Moreover, it
is expected that a number of schools would be invited to
pilot the tool and process and provide feedback on their
effectiveness. The Network recognizes that there are a
variety of processes in place today and offers this work as
a resource.
The Network
invited Karen Calta, Mount Saint Mary Academy, NJ; Sandy
Flaherty, Mercy High School, Burlingame, CA; Katy Prebble,
Mount deSales Academy, Macon, GA; and Sisters Nancy
Thompson, Mercy High School, Farmington Hills, MI; Martha
Mulligan, Mercymount Country Day School, Cumberland, RI; and
Carol Wulforst, Our Lady of Mercy High School, Rochester, NY
to serve on this committee. (Pictured here)
The
implementation of the model is staggered in time and format
as Communities form and materials and programs designed by
the Network are offered as resources for assisting in this
implementation.
A note on stewarding – the source of the word provides
references to “one who manages affairs of an estate on
behalf of his employer"; a “house guardian”. And in our
schools, our houses of Mercy, guard well the charism, values
and tradition of Mercy, the affairs of the legacy we have
been given, our estate. |
