Network+of+Sacred+Heart+Schools

As a means of living out our Goals and Criteria to respect earth's resources and to learn and enrich the use of technology, this page will be used to collect collaborative work from various conferences and meetings. The tabs to the left will identify the conference and the ability to edit will be given to attendees.

Mission Statement:

Guided by the global vision of St. Madeleine Sophie Barat, the Network of Sacred Heart Schools is an association of Catholic independent schools and the Province, which advances the mission of the Society of the Sacred Heart. The Network provides services and programs that promote and stimulate creative education and leadership framed by the //Goals and Criteria for Sacred Heart Schools in the United States.// In the [|Goals and Criteria of 2005]--the document which defines the scope and vision of Sacred Heart education in the United States--the present generation of Sacred Heart educators has expressed its commitment to educate students to:
 * a personal and active faith in God,
 * a deep respect for intellectual values,
 * a social awareness which impels to action,
 * the building of community as a Christian value, and
 * personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom.

While these five goals unite the twenty-one schools of the Network in the United States, the schools enjoy an even wider affiliation with the people and institutions associated with the Society of the Sacred Heart in [|forty-four countries around the globe]. This truly international character of Sacred Heart education helps to foster an important global awareness in our students as we strive to build a more just world.

The Network provides a means for mutual support and development among the schools through sharing of intellectual, spiritual and other resources in furthering the mission of Sacred Heart education. Member schools have numerous opportunities for collaboration. Faculty, staff, administrators and trustees participate in national Network workshops and seminars. Students benefit from award-winning Network summer service programs, national and international exchange programs, group workshops and opportunities to use shared technology resources including distance learning.

In 1991 the Network was incorporated as a membership organization made up of the [|Provincial Team], the Head of the Conference, the Director of Program Planning of the Network, and the Network schools (represented by the Heads of School and the Chairs of the Boards of Trustees). The Network Board of Directors (U.S. Provincial, Network Leadership and others elected by the membership) has the task of directing the life of the Network as an entity. The Membership and its Board are not responsible for the life of individual schools, but rather for Network programming, funding, and planning.

The Network is served by a Head of Conference, Director of Program Planning and staff. Standing committees of the Board of Directors are: Finance, Formation to Mission, Membership and Committee on Trustees. Faculty, staff, administrators and trustees from Network schools serve on these committees.

As required by the Society of the Sacred Heart, which holds in trust the Society's mission of education, each Network school renews its vision and practice as a Sacred Heart school in a five-year cycle of reflection and renewed commitment to living the //Goals and Criteria//. This process is supervised by the Sacred Heart Commission on Goals, a committee responsible directly to the United States Province of the Society of the Sacred Heart. In addition, each school is fully accredited by its own state agency, regional independent school association, local diocese and/or federal association for schools in its region.