MSA - Information Resources

The MSA Self-Study process outlines twelve standards that a school uses to self-evaluate and plan for improvement. All the faculty as well as some board members have divided into Standards Committees, groups that meet to gather data on each standard and discuss ways we can improve. This week, the Information Resources Standards Committee reached out to students in the PGIA and Upper Elementary for their input. Topics included concerns with print resources, how students are currently using digital resources, and what they would like to see for digital resources in future. Students were given the opportunity to describe their dream library, and even asked to draw a picture of what it might look like. Stay tuned for these pictures as well as what the PGIA students had to say. Please contact Gloria Arpasi or Jess Di Francesco if you want to become involved in the process.

MSA - Mission Statement

What is a mission statement?  Many definitions exist, and many examples - some better than others.  A school’s mission statement defines who they are, why they exist, and who they are serving...all this in a short, catchy statement that can be easily remembered and fit on the back of a business card.  Sound impossible? Not for Planning Team A! This subset of the Planning Committee met this week to review VIMSIA’s current mission statement, core values, and profile of a graduate. The team reflected on these founding documents and if they needed to be updated to reflect our evolving community.  Stay tuned to see the results!

VIMSIA mission statement as of August 2018

MSA Planning Commitee

The VIMSIA community has begun the process of our MSA Self Study.  The Middle States Association (MSA) is an accrediting body that provides schools with a framework to evaluate areas in which they are successful, and where there is room for growth.  The Self Study Planning Team had a successful first meeting this week.  The Planning Team is responsible for creating a plan to respond to the findings from our self-study, and acts as a champion for the work of our school community as we implement the plan for the next seven years until our next re-accreditation.  An ideal Planning Team has about 15 rotating members, so there are still opportunities to get involved!  If you enjoy collaborative work and affecting positive change, please contact Gloria Arpasi or Jess Di Francesco.