Goals and Criteria of Sacred Heart Schools

Independent yet united in spirit and purpose, the international community of Schools of the Sacred Heart believes in educating the whole child, and preparing her to live fully and wisely. At the core of the Sacred Heart education are the Five Goals, principles that express the intentions and hopes of our 200-year tradition.

Newton Country Day School's culture and identity are bound inextricably to the vision set forth in the Goals of Sacred Heart Schools. They awaken and spur our faith, intellect, social action, community building, and personal growth. Whether planning a community service project, tackling an academic challenge, or supporting one another, Newton students and faculty frame their choices and actions in accordance with the Five Goals. When faced with challenges, they give us the language and focus to understand and prevail.

During their years at Newton Country Day School, students measure their actions in the light of the Five Goals, until doing so becomes a habit of being. By the time our students graduate, these principles have become an internal well of wisdom and strength from which they draw throughout their lives.

Goal I: Schools of the Sacred Heart commit themselves to educate to a personal and active faith in God.

1. The school identifies itself to the wider community as a Catholic-independent-Sacred Heart School and embodies the mission of the Society of the Sacred Heart.
2. The school forms its student and adult members in attitudes of the heart of Jesus, such as gratitude, generosity, compassion and forgiveness.
3. The school community reflects an ethos of joy, hope and celebration and its programs assert that there is meaning and value in life.
4. The school community welcomes and respects persons of all faiths and educates to an understanding of the religions and spiritual traditions of the world.
5. School leadership prioritizes space and time for silence and contemplation for its members to deepen their interior life.
6. Members of the school community, open to the transforming power of the Spirit of God, engage in personal and communal prayer, discernment and reflection which inform their actions.
7. The school community, rooted in the love of Jesus Christ, nurtures the spiritual lives of its members through the exploration of one’s relationship to God, to self, to others and to creation.

Goal II: Schools of the Sacred Heart commit themselves to educate to a deep respect for intellectual values.

1. Sacred Heart educators and students engage in challenging experiences that inspire intellectual curiosity, a global mindset and a life-long love of learning.
2. Sacred Heart educators develop and implement a dynamic curriculum, effective instructional methodology, current educational research and ongoing evaluation.
3. Sacred Heart educators and students utilize a variety of teaching and learning strategies to support their growth and development.
4. The school curricular and co-curricular programs integrate innovation and collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving, the exploration of emerging technologies and critical evaluation of information.
5. The school utilizes space and the physical environment in alignment with best pedagogical practices.
6. The school cultivates aesthetic values and the creative use of the imagination.
7. Sacred Heart educators assume responsibility for their professional growth, supported by resources and a culture that promotes life-long learning.

Goal III: Schools of the Sacred Heart commit themselves to educate to a social awareness which impels to action.

1. Sacred Heart educators prepare students to serve the common good in an interdependent world.
2. Sacred Heart educators immerse students in diverse global perspectives, developing competencies such as critical consciousness, language facility and cultural literacy.
3. The school, drawing from Catholic Social Teaching, educates students to analyze and work to eradicate social structures, practices, systems and values that perpetuate racism and other injustices.
4. All members of the school community accept accountability for the care of God’s creation, practice effective stewardship of the earth’s resources and work to alleviate the climate crisis.
5. School programs promote informed active citizenship and civic responsibility on the local, national and global level.
6. The school community engages in direct service, advocacy, outreach and partnerships to work for justice, peace and the integrity of creation.
7. Sacred Heart educators work to develop in the students a life-long commitment to service.

Goal IV: Schools of the Sacred Heart commit themselves to educate to the building of community as a Christian value.

1. The school, affirming that all are created in the image and likeness of God, promotes the inherent dignity of the human person and strives for relationships characterized by inclusion and mutual respect.
2. The school implements an ongoing plan for educating all members of the community to the charism, mission and heritage of the Society of the Sacred Heart.
3. The school engages with the Network of Sacred Heart Schools in the United States and Canada and Sacred Heart schools around the world.
4. All members of the school community support a clean, healthy and safe environment.
5. Members of the school community practice and teach with a spirit of peace and reconciliation the principles of non-violence and conflict management.
6. School leadership demonstrates a conscious effort to recruit students and employ faculty and staff of diverse races, ethnicities and backgrounds.
7. School leadership allocates financial resources to support socioeconomic diversity both in the admissions process and in the daily life of students.

Goal V: Schools of the Sacred Heart commit themselves to educate to personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom.

1. Student and adult members of the school community grow in courage and confidence as they discover new abilities, cultivate strengths, learn from mistakes, develop empathy and exercise resilience in meeting challenges.
2. All members of the school community take personal responsibility for health and balance in their lives supported by a school culture that promotes spiritual, intellectual, physical and social-emotional well-being.
3. Members of the school community model and teach respectful dialogue in support of clear, direct, open communication.
4. All members of the school community endeavor to practice informed, ethical decision-making and accountability.
5. Student and adult members of the school community model, practice, and teach safe, ethical and responsible use of technology.
6. Sacred Heart educators cultivate in the students life skills, such as initiative, creativity and agility.
7. Sacred Heart schools recognize and educate to motivational, inspirational, and transformational leadership.

“NCDS is special because of its goals and the confidence it teaches girls to have. I've learned to be unapologetic and courageous in my strengths and weaknesses, and it has helped me academically and socially.”CLARA Parsons '18