keyword. Because not all great minds think alike

strategicPlan 2015

“Because not all great minds think alike.” This statement sums up the impetus for the creation of Chartwell School in 1983, starting with just eight students. We operated as a K-8 school in rented facilities for more than two decades, and then built and opened our new green campus at the former Fort Ord in 2006. We added a college preparatory high school program in 2009, and today it, along with our K-8 program, attracts students from throughout California’s Central Coast region and beyond.

CHARTWELL WAY Because not all great minds think alike Introduction

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This Strategic Plan, while forward looking, remains faithful to

our mission, commitments and core values, and sets achievable

initiatives in motion. This plan has four core commitments that provide

a clear roadmap for the next three to five years and can be updated as we

move ahead.

Because not all great minds think alike

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Chartwell School empowers bright students with language-based learning differences, including dyslexia. We do this in grades K-12 by offering them the knowledge, creativity, and skills in self-advocacy and perseverance needed to thrive in college and beyond.

our MISSION

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Chartwell aspires to show the world that young people with language-based learning differences and diverse learning styles and profiles can be among

the most creative, productive and valuable members of any community. We further aim to inspire others to get to know, understand and value these

students from very young ages and to help them realize their full potential. We seek to see them develop into confident young people and adults, committed to

lifelong learning and equipped with the knowledge, skills and social and emotional competencies to achieve their goals.

Our vision of a better educational world for these students includes teachers who are lifelong learners, the adoption of cutting edge research and effective

technologies, and being a center of learning for the teaching profession, parents and the community. Our collaborative relationships with individuals, organizations

and networks of allied professionals aim to advance the understanding, advocacy and practical delivery of services for the benefit of individuals with learning differences, while

partnerships with higher education, business, and others in our region seek to advance the quality of education for all students.

Our vision also includes sharing our green campus in ways that inspire our students and many others to appreciate, enjoy and be good stewards of the environment, respecting its

beauty and vulnerabilities and using its resources wisely in their future lives and careers.

our VISION

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Commitment to FacultyThe faculty are Chartwell’s greatest asset, and we

rely on them everyday to reinforce our reputation as a safe and engaging learning community. We will

work to recruit, retain and grow teachers capable of building the sort of skills and attitudes in their students

that have real equity in the 21st century. Chartwell is known for its faculty’s commitment to mutual support

in creating safe, welcoming and inspiring learning environments for our students.

Our faculty are also admired for their dedication to continuous learning and improvement. All faculty members

are committed to staying informed about the latest, peer-reviewed research on the many facets of the well

designed and individualized education that best helps our students succeed.

our COMMItMeNtS

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Commitment to Curriculum

From learning and the brain to social skills, self-advocacy, technology, and effective teaching strategies for students who learn differently, Chartwell translates cutting-edge research into

practice in ways that create good learning experiences and outstanding outcomes for our diverse students.

Commitment to the Learning EnvironmentWe are committed to a caring school culture that respects each of its members. We will foster their

unique talents with curricular and extra-curricular activities that also take advantage of our 60 acre campus. We look forward to developing the facilities needed to serve a larger school population in the

lower, middle and high school.

Commitment to StabilityChartwell is committed to sound and stable governance and leadership that instills confidence. Since

Chartwell’s robust, contemporary, and individualized education costs more than more traditional approaches, we will seek ways to develop the school in a responsible manner. We will balance upgrades and growth with

affordability, delivering excellent value for money invested.

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We value diversity and believe that greater outcomes are achieved by

working together toward cooperative solutions. We strive for and nurture productive relationships with diverse

communities and stakeholders and partnerships with others who

support similar goals.

Collaboration

03We will encourage and welcome an atmosphere of inquiry, discovery

and innovation. We will be flexible, but committed to developing a culture that focuses on how

something can be accomplished. We will seek collaborative and innovative solutions to challenges in education.

DisCovery

02Chartwell values learning as a

lifelong process. We will study and support the positive ways each

student acquires skills, experience and judgment and applies them

solve problems, persevere, and be creative as he or she matures. We will teach in a manner so that each

student will want to learn.

learning

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our COre ValueS Our strategic plan builds on the following core values of Chartwell School.

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We will make sustainable contributions to the practice of education so that families and communities can benefit from our

work for generations to come. We will use the many sustainable aspects of our green campus to teach students to care for and respect the natural environment and to prepare them to use its resources wisely

throughout their lives.

sustainability

05We will support each student’s effort to

understand and develop her or his learning potential. We will help families develop the

knowledge and qualities that make them effective advocates for their children’s best

educational interests.

aDvoCaCy

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Our strategic plan builds on the following core values of Chartwell School.

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Our GOalS

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GOal #1We will continue to develop our curriculum and integrate it more fully across all grades.

An integrated curriculum is critical as many of our students will be at different stages in their various subjects (for example, grade 3 in writing and grade 4 in math). We will emphasize strong foundational skills combined with rich and diverse experiences that guide students to actively explore and extend their abilities. In addition, we will work to develop skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, empathy, analysis, problem solving and self-awareness.

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Employ new and emerging technologies to support, enhance and extend student

learning, including subject knowledge, social-emotional learning, executive

function, and good character

64Ensure we have a K-12 curriculum

that is contemporary, clearly mapped, organized, vertically integrated and designed using the best research

available

Hire a Dean of Academics (responsible for our curriculum and for the collection

and analysis of data from student testing) who will work with teachers to better

understand and build on each student’s strengths and to inform classroom instructional practices to overcome

difficulties

3Recruit new faculty, whenever possible,

from schools of education with recognized expertise in literacy as well as an understanding of the importance of social-emotional learning that prepares their graduates to work with students

with language-based learning differences

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Continue to recruit, retain and grow outstanding teachers, with knowledge of their subject areas, a passion for teaching students with learning differences, and a

desire for continuous improvement

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Action IteMS

Increase funding in faculty professional development that will enable them to access

cutting-edge research on language-based learning differences, social-emotional

learning, working memory and executive function

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We will continue to update and add detail to our analysis of the need for the services we provide, using this to determine the need for and to provide additional facilities. Chartwell originally based its curriculum on its students transiting back to a traditional classroom in 2 to 4 years. We have learned that many students benefit from continuing at Chartwell through high school. We will continue to develop our curriculum to provide an integrated education for those who continue at Chartwell as well those whose educational needs are best served by transitioning to a mainstream classroom.

We will invest in growing our K-12 enrollment.

GOal #2

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Because not all great minds think alike

Leverage our parents and alumni to increase community

awareness of the value of a Chartwell education and the

importance of obtaining the type of expert help and intervention

we can provide

43Explore the feasibility of busing and homestay boarding in the

near term, and eventually, a Chartwell boarding program, to allow more out-of-area students

to attend

Expand after-school experiences in sports, science, and the arts,

areas where many dyslexic students excel

2Review our tuition structure and

financial aid policies to better promote student tenures that maximize the likelihood that a student will be able to achieve his or her educational potential

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Action IteMS

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Chartwell is an undeniable success with ambitious plans to get even better. We will continue to be attractive to the best students, faculty and donors by being intentional and creative in how we present the Chartwell story. We will emphasize our research, innovation and accomplishments to boost recognition for Chartwell as a center of excellence in California and the United States.

We will be proactive in communicating the value of the Chartwell difference clearly and in detail to enrolled and prospective families and the wider community.

GOal #3

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Renewing adding our accreditation by the Western Association

of Schools and Colleges according

to schedule and add accreditation by the

California Association of Independant Schools

6Strengthen existing alliances and build

new relationships with other professionals to encourage early identification and

referrals for students with language-based learning differences

54Redevelop our

website and explore communication alliances with groups with similar

values and goals

Continue to solicit parent feedback and

explore a “Parent Ambassador Program”

3Integrate the lower,

middle and high school in our communications,

emphasizing their common elements and

strengths as well as their unique attributes

2Develop a

comprehensive media plan to continue to

raise public awareness of the many ways

that Chartwell helps students who learn differently succeed

1Action IteMS

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Chartwell is well established in the cohort of independent schools that serve students with language-based learning differences, both in California and the United States. We will build on this foundation by combining education expertise, alumni engagement, endowment growth and outreach to students and teachers beyond our school. We will commit necessary resources to ensure prosperity and leadership in our field for the 50th year and beyond.

We will increase the capacity of our Board of Trustees and Advancement Department to develop and sustain Chartwell as a center of excellence in the near term and for decades to come.

GOal #4

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4Optimize our

current investment and debt

management strategies

Cultivate new relationships

with people and organizations who share and support our vision and core

values

3Strategically expand our

boards size and composition

2Continue to nurture

our relationships with former

trustees and others who can assist with advancing

Chartwell’s mission

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Commit ourselves to continuing

learning, evaluation, and improvement in our governance,

management and advancement practices and

activities

5Continue to

strengthen our annual fundraising

and build our endowment

for long-term stewardship and

support

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Action IteMS

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2511 Numa Watson RoadSeaside, CA 93955

831.394.3468chartwell.org