The Crusader Way

• The whole student comes first.
• Catholic education is paramount to evangelization.
• Our community must utilize our God-given gifts to foster our values and help grow our community.
• Learning is a partnership involving parents, students, teachers, and the Parish.
• Excellence is intentional.
• Challenges are opportunities.
• We are a community of unique learners, responsible for their own learning, and always growing and learning.
• We are a family.

The whole student comes first.

• Caring for the whole child – spiritually, physically, psychologically, and intellectually – is our responsibility.
• Our students come before the needs and comfort of other stakeholders.
• Learning is profoundly influenced by social relationships.
• Learning is significantly affected by emotions.
• A consistently safe, positive, and secure environment is imperative and will be provided.
• Students bring diverse personal, social, and cultural experience, knowledge, and skills to our classrooms.
• Every member of our community will be a role model of healthy behavior and good decision-making. 
• Students will learn to manage stress, regulate emotions, and balance the demands of a busy life.
• Taking care of one’s self is a necessary companion to caring for others. 
• Social, emotional, and physical well-being impacts academic achievement.
• Every member of our community will be generous and compassionate.
• Every member of our community has the right to self-confidence and to find intrinsic value and joy in their accomplishments

Catholic education is paramount to evangelization.

• Catholic education looks to teach Catholic values, role model Catholic excellence, and assess students progress on their Catholic journey.
• Catholic schools are the most effective secondary educator after the family.
• Faith is integrated into instruction, recognizing God as the cornerstone of our faith.

Our community must utilize our God-given gifts to foster our values and help grow our community.

• As St. Catherine Labouré said “one must see God in everyone,” we strive to see Christ in everyone we encounter, to be at peace with ourselves, and to trust in the guidance of God.
• Our God-given gifts of time, talent, and treasure will be valued by the Parish and School community. 
• Our God-given gifts of time, talent, and treasure will be used to support the Parish and School community.
• Every member of our community will be generous and compassionate.

Learning is a partnership involving parents, students, teachers, and the Parish.

• Communication among students, parents, teachers, and the Parish promotes positive change.
• Parents are the primary educators of morals, faith, manners, values, and responsibility.
• Students are active participants in their learning process by being effective communicators and having the desire to learn.
• Teachers model, monitor, inform, and instruct in a collaborative environment.
• Our school works through the support, cooperation, and collaboration of our Parish.

Excellence is intentional.

• We strive for excellence in all that we do. 
• Our outcomes will be benchmarked against global standards of achievement, citizenship, and scholarship.
• As educators, we are intentional in planning our lessons and have high expectations for ourselves and our students, ensuring the best possible education that combines rigor and focus.
• Teachers remain committed to spiritual, professional, and personal growth.
• Content must be authentic, relevant, and purposeful.
• Assessment focuses on demonstrations of understanding that move beyond gathering and recalling information.
• Through actions, we show our students that we believe in them and their ability to succeed and grow.
• Our actions demonstrate our high expectations for all students.
• Data-informed practices are used to achieve our intended results. 
• Excellence is attainable through sustained collaborative effort.
• Education does not happen to our students, it happens with our students. Students must take an active role in their learning.

Challenges are opportunities.

• God places challenges in front of all of us as opportunities to demonstrate our strength and faith.
• Growth mindset allows us to see that challenges and failures are the best opportunities for growth and learning.
• Students will note and use errors as a means of improving their own learning.
• Learning is a lifelong endeavor filled with successes and challenges. 
• Through self-directed inquiry, we develop persistence, resilience, and confidence. 
• We remain faithful, optimistic, and open-minded in the face of challenge and we have the humility to rethink our own assumptions. 
• Our positive outlook helps to create a joyful learning environment.
• Every member of our community will have the courage to make mistakes and learn from them.

We are a community of unique learners, responsible for their own learning, and always growing and learning.

• Learning is a process of making meaning of the world.
• Learners self-assess and develop their capacity to monitor their own learning. 
• Learners reflect upon and evaluate assessment tasks.
• The school will maintain appropriate expectations that challenge all learners. 
• It takes perseverance and patience to build understanding, meaning, and ownership.
• The school is responsible for recognizing and responding to individual differences and learning styles. 
• Learning growth or progress matters most, requires risk-taking, and the work we do in school has the greatest impact on this.
• Teachers remain committed to spiritual, professional, and personal growth.

We are a family.

• Relationships are the foundation of education and everything we do. 
• Our relationship with God and with one another brings joy to every aspect of our learning community. 
• We express gratitude to each other, our families, and our students for partnering with us in the spirit of continuous improvement. 
• We value our family community and its well-being. We understand that we are part of a whole, and that the whole is bigger than the sum of its parts. We support each other and want what is best for the whole.