You are asked to write a Mission Statement for a religious Jewish school.
What would it say?

1)Is this for a board? new parents? faculty? government grant? What is the goal of this statement? Who will it be sent to? (obviously the basic mission is the same, but the way it is stated will be different.)
2) Can it use Jewish words? (i.e. hashkafah)

Take a look at some examples out there. Pick frum schools and compare and contrast them with "community" schools or with MO schools.

Here are mission statements of some DC area schools:

Hebrew Academy(MO)
http://www.mjbha.org/about_mjbha/mission_statement.html

Yeshiva (more right-wing)
http://www.yeshiva.edu/mission.shtml

JDS ("community")
http://www.cesjds.org/FolderID/68/SessionI...anage/Guide.htm

Are you asking for help writing one and what would typically be included,
or are you asking what we [collectively] would write for an ideal school of our creation?

Or each person alone.

no man is an island

Correct... that's why there's a school

Anyone want to give it a shot?

I think the phrase about "the potential of each student" should to be in there
working with the potential of each student
seeing the potential of each student and helping them grow/archive

I'd just put in this Animal School PowerPoint, and put kippahs on them.

I would write the truth about what the school hopes to accomplish. All schools say they are committed to helping each student develop his/her potential and all schools claim they strive to achieve excellence in both secular and Judaic studies - but that doesn't mean it's true. Personally, I think mission statements are worthless.

I do think it's true. I think just like people always want the best of everything so do schools. I think, however, that just like in life sometimes you have to choose A while forgoing B, schools must do the same. Some schools choose to forgo religious education for a higher secular education, some vice versa. Some choose to forgo both so the kids get more physical activity in their day. Like everything in life, the goal is hard to attain, but that doesn't mean it's not their goal.

It doesn't bother me if a school wants to forgoe one thing for another. I just think they need to be honest about it in their mission statement.

I think the mission statement should list both goals and say which one has a higher priority and how they plan to achieve both goals.

Ok, and what would yours look like?

You go first?

I look forward to drawing on the collective wisdom of the h.com community in writing mine.

This thread is meant for things like Nechama posted... what a mission statement would look like in a school you are running.

"every student's potential"
"inculcating Jewish values"
etc.

I am NOT a good writer by any means, but it would say something about how I want to develop children with proper Jewish values, middos and hashkafos. It would say something about how I want them to have a secular education that will help them lead succesful lives as frum Jewish members of society*. It would also say something about how I think gym should be inclucated into the schedule EVERY day and not once a week for half an hour letting kids play on playground.


*TBH, I'm not particularly concerned about social studies or most sciences, but I DO want my kid to have the seichel to purchase a home, pay right price, earn a decent living, etc. (know fractions so that they can double recipes, even if their male.). To me, most imp secular subject is math and english (i.e. grammar, writing letters, etc.). Social studies, History, and Science are a lot lower down on my totem pole. But, again, this is personal, not necessarily does everyone agree with this.

**I also think that schools should put somewhere in there a concept of discipline and respect (two separate items). But don't think this would fly with most people.