Mission Statement
Rooted in the tradition of the Sisters of Notre Dame, St. Francis is a Cleveland Diocesan school working in partnership with parents to provide a quality Catholic education based on Gospel living within a safe, caring, and peaceful environment.
Vision
Because of our philosophy and mission, St. Francis School endeavors to:
- Emphasize Gospel living
- Model and foster Christian community, worship and service
- Meet the individual needs of students
- Develop basic educational skills
- Enhance students’ self-esteem
- Develop leadership skills
- Stress critical thinking skills in the light of moral reasoning
- Develop self-discipline
- Develop responsibility for peace and justice
- Enhance students’ ability to function in a technological world
- Challenge students to develop their potential
- Teach, model and utilize non-violent methods for problem solving, conflict resolution and peaceful living
Belief Statements
We Believe:
- Each student is a valued individual with God-given dignity, whose life is enhanced by positive relationships and a safe and supportive environment.
- Students must be actively engaged in a variety of challenging and meaningful learning activities, which accommodate different learning styles, to help children to reach their full potential.
- All students can learn. Recognizing that because each student has unique strengths and weaknesses, a variety of methods and assessments must be used to build upon strengths and overcome weaknesses.
- The faith formation of students, staff and families is a primary goal of our school and needs to be integrated throughout the school environment.
- Educating children within the framework of the Gospel, in order to prepare them to be productive members of the human family, who work to bring forth the kingdom.
- We should educate the whole student, fostering their intellectual, social, emotional, physical and spiritual growth.
- Our school needs to function as a learning organization, promoting opportunities for partnership among students, staff, parents and the community, to work together to advance our mission.
- Assessment must be varied, curriculum based, formative and summative, used as a key component for on-going instruction and used to evaluate both students and the teacher.
- Continuous improvement is a measurable process, necessary for the growth of both students and educators as a means of improving school quality.
- The role of leadership at all levels is to foster communication and discussion that is honest, open, constructive and positive.
- All students should use technology responsibly, effectively and morally.
- Students must be prepared to communicate, collaborate, use critical thinking skills and be creative to be effective 21st century learners.