As an Episcopal school, St. John’s is dedicated to academic excellence and ethical conduct in an atmosphere that respects the dignity and beliefs of every student regardless of origin, background, ability, or religion. Rooted in Christian tradition and lively Episcopal-Anglican practice, St. John’s is a diverse ministry of educational and human formation for children of all faiths, or no faith at all. We encourage our students to be grateful for their blessings, understanding that a culture of thankfulness creates a healthy, happy environment in which students are free to learn, strive, question, and explore to their full potential. Understanding that love and mercy are the heart of the Christian gospel, we promote the gospel by our behavior rather than by enforcing doctrine. We encourage our students to discover the breadth of learning that takes place in successes, as well as failures, in what works, as well as what does not work. Ours is a community where all are welcome, wherever they are on their journeys of faith and life.

Strategic Goal:

Continuously align the mission and programs at the School with its Episcopal identity and heritage.

Update as of February, 2020: On campus, the Chapel program at St. John’s began to leverage one of its most important assets—the voices and experiences of our students—to deliver “guest sermons” during our division chapels. These opportunities not only underscore writing and public speaking learning goals, but engage our students in thoughtful reflection on faith, life lessons, and ethical dialogue. 

Locally, St. John's students and teachers have continued to expand our service-learning programs. Specifically, the entire St. John’s faculty and staff took part in their first-ever service learning project during the course of their fall in-service. The teachers partnered with the St. John’s church in-gathering by bagging donated food to support the RSM Cares Food Pantry during the holiday season.

Nationally, Head of School Patrick McHonett has been serving on the planning committee for the National Association of Episcopal Schools’ Biennial Conference, which will take place in November in San Diego.  School Chaplain Patti Peebles will also be coordinating the chapel services for the event, which will welcome Episcopal School leaders and educators from around the country to Southern California to share faith, trends, and best practices. 

St. John’s will stay at the forefront of the STEAM approach to teaching and learning, while researching and adapting to appropriate educational trends and industry changes. The School is excited to embrace new paradigms for pedagogy that utilize technology, flexible spaces, and collaborative instruction to create active learning environments. St. John’s will remain true to its mission to balance innovation with tradition, embracing technology and any other emerging curriculum, pedagogy, or tool, that enhances student learning, with thoughtful integration, professional development, and support. The School will continue to use a variety of data sources to ensure that St. John’s students’ physical, emotional, and social needs are met to reach their highest academic potential and that all curricula are effective and aligned with best practices.

Strategic Goal:

In alignment with the School’s mission, embracing both tradition and innovation, ensure the School provides a physical, social, and emotional environment where students learn best, and a STEAM based curriculum that ideally prepares our students for success in high school, college, and the workplace beyond.

Update as of February, 2020: This fall, the St. John’s faculty took part in a program review of all classes and grades, from kindergarten through eighth grade. Students, parents, and faculty each met with an outside expert consultant to identify areas of strength, as well as opportunities for growth within our program. Through the program, as well as subsequent follow-up meetings as an entire faculty and staff, the School has identified two key areas to devote additional attention: 1. Articulation of Program, from ECC through eighth grade— leveraging collaboration, alignment of learning goals and pedagogical practice. 2. Student Wellness and Support, including creating a shared understanding of engagement, differentiation, and academic and socio-emotional supports for our all students. 

Over the course of the spring of 2020, faculty and staff are engaged in deliberate professional dialogue and professional development to better learn from one another and codify a comprehensive school program, supporting the notion that we are “One School,” from ECC through Middle Division, with age- and developmentally-appropriate curriculum and pedagogy for a seamless and robust educational experience. Additionally, the school is seeking to add a School Counselor for the 20-21 school year to support the socio-emotional needs of our students and foster a continued goal of student wellness at St. John’s.

St. John’s Co-Curricular programs play an integral part in fostering the intellectual and physical development of our students. St. John’s targets three co-curricular areas – athletics, after school programs, and summer school – to complement its 21^st-century curriculum and provide excellent offerings that support the diverse interests of its student body. The School seeks to provide students with viable, high-quality, on-campus options for cultivating and developing interests beyond the classroom. In addition, school athletics will be a consistent source of spirit and pride.

Strategic Goal:

Offer co-curricular programs that engage students, their families, and the wider community in the life of the School.

Update as of February, 2020: In addition to an array of after-school athletic and enrichment programs, St. John’s initiated its first-ever Intramural Program in the Middle Division this fall, allowing our students to engage in wellness and friendly-competition within the footprint of the school day. The first season was a huge success, welcoming a significant portion of our MS students for team dodgeball, and the second season is now underway with team handball. Additionally, St. John’s athletics was proud to field its first-ever Lacrosse program this winter, as an after-school competitive sport. Wherever possible and aligned within the School mission and strategic goals, we continue to seek opportunities to engage our students on and away from campus and to grow and learn beyond the classroom. Go Cardinals!

As the first independent school in Southern California to adopt a STEAM approach to teaching and learning, St. John’s has positioned itself as the leader in innovative education among independent schools in Southern California. Based on the curricular changes, coupled with innovative classroom and facility changes, the School is poised to see consistent demand for a St. John’s education and thereby stable enrollment. Consistent with its mission, St. John’s seeks to admit a diverse student population and promote inclusiveness through its enrollment process.

Strategic Goal:

Reach admissions targets and establish long-term strategies to optimize and maximize enrollment with students and families who are well aligned with the School’s mission and culture of philanthropy. 

Update as of February 2020: Beginning with the 19-20 academic year, the Offices of Admission and Advancement at St. John’s re-aligned to best support the evolving needs and strategic goals of the School. The Admissions team has been optimized to provide all prospective families a personalized and engaging experience, reflective of our overall St. John’s experience, prizing individual touch points and support in the recruitment, application, and enrollment processes. As a result, the School opened with a strong enrollment for the 2019-20 school year, including active wait lists at a number of grade levels. 

The Office of Advancement has prioritized donor cultivation and stewardship, particularly as it builds a clarity of message surrounding key events, ways of giving, and impact of philanthropy at St. John’s. Whether espousing the impact of the Cardinal Fund—the School’s top philanthropic priority on an annual basis—or planning Cardinella, our annual fundraising gala event, as well as a host of other fellowship, fundraising, and outreach events, the Office of Advancement continues to support a grateful, clear, and inclusive message of a school community “all-in” in support of St. John’s. 

St. John’s has entered a phase of growth and innovation. Employing a highly-disciplined budget planning process is necessary to ensure successful funding of strategic initiatives that encourage growth and support high-level academic programs. Planning will be thoughtful and pragmatic to strategically invest resources in support of our objectives. Balancing the growth of the organization while maintaining an appropriate tuition base relative to the value of the education is paramount.

Strategic Goal:

Continuously update the financial model to ensure the School’s long-term growth.

Update as of February, 2020: Through prudent management of resources and sound planning, the School has been able to evaluate and evolve its financial model to both maximize investment in resources to support its mission, while also reserving funds to maintain and support the physical plant of a now-thirty year old campus. While always being conscious of the price-point and philanthropic asks of families investing in the School, St. John’s was able to strategically invest in three key areas this fall in order to enhance our students’ experience: Professional Development for Faculty/Staff, Additional/New Learning Materials for Classrooms, and IT Infrastructure. At every opportunity available, the School continues to strategically manage its approximately-$8M operating budget, investing appropriately for long-term, sustained improvements, while maximizing students’ experiences each day.

The School will establish a clear St. John’s brand to increase community awareness of the unique value of a St. John’s education and achieve the School’s admissions and philanthropic goals. Fundraising activities will be focused and synergistic with marketing efforts to maximize community awareness and achieve necessary financial support.

Strategic Goal:

Advancement, working in alignment with Admissions, will actively promote a consistent brand image, strengthen community awareness, drive new enrollment, and meet philanthropic goals.  

Update as of February, 2020: At the onset of the 2019-20 School Year, the School set increasing parent participation in the Cardinal Fund as a strategic goal. The Cardinal Fund— our most important annual philanthropic effort—not only fills the gap between tuition revenue and the cost of a St. John’s experience, but also represents the margin of excellence at St. John’s. We’re proud to announce that the 2019-20 Cardinal Fund has not only shattered records for parent participation (70% and growing! Up from 47% in 2018-19), but also in funds raised to support our student learning experience. Many thanks to the entire St. John’s community, including the 100% of Faculty/Staff, School Committee, and PTF leadership that contributed to this key, annual initiative. We’re “all-in” in support of St. John’s students!

Over the course of its 30-year history, St. John’s has been blessed with able, long-tenured leadership. With the School welcoming a new Head of School in the 2019-20 school year, our strategic priorities will focus on successful integration and support of Mr. McHonett, his leadership team, and the structures in place to make an impact on the community experience. Review of internal administrative resources and staffing will be conducted to ensure efficiency, effectiveness of positions, and appropriate succession planning for potential retirements. In addition, the School Committee, in accordance with its bylaws, will continue to ensure that its members are spread across the divisions of the School, have diverse professional and personal backgrounds, and are sufficiently active and philanthropic in their service.

Strategic Goal:

Facilitate the successful transition and integration of a new Head of School and optimize human resources for successful administrative and governing leadership.  

Update as of February, 2020: Through the transition of a new Head of School this past summer, the School has taken the opportunity to evaluate its overall leadership, administrative, and faculty and staff structures to be in alignment with its mission and strategic goals. The Head of School has met with key constituencies, including each faculty and staff member, students, School Committee members, and key community stakeholders and educational leaders in California. Over the course of this transition, the feedback has been clear: The magic of St. John’s is best exemplified by the genuine, loving relationships between students and expert teachers, supporting optimal learning and personal growth.

The School has also sought opportunities to plan for appropriate succession planning, faculty or staff retirements, and professional growth of promising leaders, in order to ensure sustainability and growth of personnel. When Mrs. Barnum, Elementary Division Principal, announced her retirement to follow the 19-20 school year, the School engaged with a prominent, national search firm, Educational Directions, to lead a comprehensive, inclusive search for the position. Educational Directions visited campus this winter, spoke with students, parents, School Committee members, faculty, and staff to best understand the school culture, as well as codify the ideal traits and skills of the next leader of the Elementary Division in order to inform their search and recruitment process. Semi-finalists and finalists for the position will be selected in the early-Spring of 2020, with the goal of having the position filled by the end of the Spring and start July 1, 2020.

The facilities at St. John's will continuously be evaluated and updated to support St. John’s mission and 21^st-century education. The Making Space for the Future capital campaign will transform instructional and common spaces across campus. Technology will be enhanced in all classrooms and the infrastructure will be maintained and upgraded as necessary to support required functionality and security. The campus will be safe, welcoming, and aesthetically appealing.

Strategic Goal:

Provide facilities that are safe, attractive, and ideally support the School’s mission and its innovative, 21^st-century program.     

Update as of February, 2020: The 2019-20 academic year at St. John’s opened with students entering newly-renovated Middle Division classrooms and enrichment spaces throughout campus, guided by the Making Space for the Future capital campaign. These student-centered flexible learning spaces are guided by research-based best practices to support student learning in the 21^st Century. During the spring and summer of 2020, sights are set to learning from these new spaces and using these experiences inform the design and renovation of our other learning spaces on campus, specifically our Elementary and ECC classrooms and outdoor areas.

Additionally, the School has announced that the benefit of the “Parent Gift” at Cardinella this spring will be a remodel of the Multipurpose Room on campus—one of the most heavily-trafficked spaces that is used for academic, enrichment, outreach, and church purposes across ages, grade-levels, and constituencies. We are excited to continue to build a physical plant that reflects the excellence of a St. John’s experience!