Parent-School-Student Partnership

What does it take to educate a child of the Sacred Heart? The process begins as a partnership of parents, faculty and administration guided by the Goals and Criteria. The Convent of the Sacred Heart’s Parent-School-Student Partnership is founded on the belief that parents, the School and students must establish and maintain a relationship of mutual trust and respect in all aspects of school life, but most especially in the education of our students.

What parents can expect from Sacred Heart:
1. Parents can expect that Sacred Heart will provide a thorough and thoughtful college preparatory education.
2. Parents can expect that Sacred Heart will strive to maintain a safe, secure and  welcoming environment for their children and that it will react vigorously regarding any rumors or reports or threats of danger.
3. Parents can expect regular communication about their children from the School, including term and interim report cards, other “early warning” messages (via telephone, e-mail, in writing or in person), and notification of School news and special events.
4. Parents can expect conferences and meetings with teachers, when necessary.
5. Parents can expect fair assessments of their children, thoughtfully and carefully  presented in writing and in person.
6. Parents can expect to be informed immediately if there is a serious disciplinary infraction involving their child.
7. Parents can expect timely notification of their child’s academic difficulties. Parents can expect collaboration between the school and themselves to discuss options of appropriate follow-up plans. They can expect to be informed of any actions or strategies to address these issues.
8. Parents can expect that the School will demonstrate respect for the privacy of families.
9. Parents can expect that the School will model integrity and civility in all contacts with parents and students.
10. Parents can expect the school to have an open reception to responsible expressions of concern or dissatisfaction.

What Sacred Heart can expect from parents:
1. Sacred Heart can expect that parents will support, encourage and help to give order and certainty of concern to the lives of their children.
2. Sacred Heart can expect that parents will model civility and integrity for their children, and that parents will listen to, supervise and hold their children accountable, with consequences for inappropriate behavior.
3. Sacred Heart can expect that parents and students will model integrity and civility in all contacts with the School.
4. Sacred Heart can expect that parents will support and endorse the philosophy and mission of our School as expressed in the Goals and Criteria and that they will actively support and/or participate in events sponsored by the Parents Association and other School groups.
5. Sacred Heart can expect parents to make timely payments of tuition and other expenses.
6. Sacred Heart can expect parents to support both the School’s efforts and their children’s responsibilities when children are experiencing academic or other difficulties.
7. Sacred Heart can expect parents to register dissatisfactions and concerns in a responsible and fair way, to understand the structure of operations and management at Sacred Heart, to use proper channels to communicate concerns and to seek a collaborative solution to problems.  First contact should be with the teacher, extracurricular program advisor or coach.  If the concern is not addressed, the next step would be to contact the Division Head.  If after this step there is still concern, the last step would be to contact the Head of School. 

“Proper channels”
First contact: Individual teacher, extracurricular program advisor or coach.
Next: Head of Division.
Last:  Head of School.

What students can expect from Sacred Heart:
1. Students can expect that Sacred Heart will provide a safe and supportive learning environment that encourages them to ask questions and work independently, providing them with a broad range of academic opportunities to help them achieve their full academic potential.
2. Students can expect teachers to assess their work fairly and to value process as well as product.
3. Students can expect teachers to speak with them directly about their progress in their schoolwork and to give them opportunities to improve.
4. Students can expect that the School clearly explains uniform regulations and school rules and that responses to infractions are fair and understandable.
5. Students can expect that the adults in the community respect their ideas about the life of the school.
6. Students can expect that the adults in the community live the Goals that give meaning to the School’s mission and serve as mentors to students as they prepare to share their knowledge with the world.  

What Sacred Heart can expect from students:
1. Sacred Heart can expect that students arrive on time and in uniform and follow school policies with grace and maturity.
2. Sacred Heart can expect that students treat one another with love and respect by allowing the spirit of the Goals to shape their relationships with one another.
3. Sacred Heart can expect that students respect all members of the community, including faculty, administration, staff, religious,  parents and other students.
4. Sacred Heart can expect that students work to the best of their ability and always ask for help when they need it.
5. Sacred Heart can expect that students see the adults in the community as resources in the life they lead now and for the dreams they hold for the future; that they will speak as individuals to faculty about concerns they have and listen well to those who are here to guide them.