Mission & Values

We will cultivate faculty and staff who are highly skilled educators, passionate about the mission and values of our school, and dedicated to the success of each child.

Building Upon Our Foundation: Bertschi School's highly skilled and mission-centric faculty and staff are a cornerstone of each child's success. We enable our educators to do their best work, fostering a learning environment that promotes the intellectual curiosity of all.

Strategies

• Provide teachers agency to innovate and incorporate their own passions as well as those of their students.
• Explore a variety of recruitment and retention strategies to grow and sustain our outstanding cohort of faculty and staff.
• Expand on our shared vision for teaching excellence and “just right” learning to prepare students with the necessary skills for a rapidly changing world.
• Develop a common vision of culturally-responsive teaching.

Why?

• Children are inspired to learn when their cultures, passions, and interests are supported and valued by the community.
• A school where teachers feel valued and empowered creates a culture of continuous learning for the whole community, allowing students to thrive.
• We want all of our students to be confident, adaptive learners who are supported to reach their full academic and social-emotional potential.

We will exemplify a diverse community that is inclusive and equitable at all levels, with a commitment to developing cultural responsiveness, embracing different perspectives, and challenging biases and assumptions.

Building Upon Our Foundation: The value of diversity within our learning environment has been an intentional commitment of our school since its founding. We continue to welcome a diverse group of families and deepen relationships within our community so that everyone feels supported and connected.

Strategies

• Attract children, families, faculty, and staff from varied backgrounds to ensure that Bertschi is a racially, culturally, and socioeconomically diverse community.
• Provide holistic support to all families for a successful experience at Bertschi, ensuring all aspects of the community are fully accessible.
• Develop and strengthen our competency around issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice together as a community.

Why?

• Children thrive in a learning environment that includes peers and faculty of diverse identities and backgrounds.
• We want every child and family to feel welcome, supported, and connected at Bertschi.
• We want to nurture future leaders who can navigate a culturally-diverse, global society with integrity, respect, compassion, and a commitment to equity.

We will steward our resources with the school’s long-term future in mind and inspire the community to further invest in preserving the legacy of our mission and values.

Building Upon Our Foundation: Bertschi School’s long tradition of sound financial management, paired with a generous community that volunteers time, expertise, and financial resources, has encouraged broad participation and shared ownership in the school’s future.

Strategies

• Examine and establish a balance of tuition, financial aid, and staff compensation that is consistent with our mission and values.
• Update and implement a campus master plan for Bertschi that is environmentally sustainable, welcoming, and accessible.
• Strengthen the culture of philanthropy at Bertschi.
• Contribute to the greater community by sharing our leadership in environmental sustainability, innovative teaching practices, and community service.

Why?

• Our financial allocations should reflect our values, commitments, and priorities.
• A well-planned, sustainable campus will allow Bertschi to more effectively welcome and educate future generations.
• All members of our community can provide valuable support for the long-term health of the school.
• Sharing our successes and resources with the greater community contributes to our legacy and allows us to live out our mission beyond the walls of the school.