Please join us for our inaugural Pastor Principal Summer Institute.

This summer workshop will be led by former Superintendent Kristin Dixon and former Assistant Superintendent Terri Fewel, who both served for many years as principals in parish schools and recognize the importance of a strong pastor-principal relationship. It will be further supported by the Office for Catholic Schools and the Office of the Vicar for Clergy. It was designed with a recognition of the importance of the relationship of the pastor and principal in creating strong, healthy parish schools and with the hope of setting aside time to engage in the development of this partnership with other pastors and principals.

The day will be framed with the guidance of the National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Schools to allow for opportunities to reflect on shared hopes and expectations for our parishes and schools. We will focus on five key benchmarks that highlight integral nature of this relationship to the success of a Catholic school:

• 1.1 – The governing body and the leader/leadership team ensure that the mission statement includes the commitment to Catholic identity.
• 1.3 – The school leader/leadership team regularly calls together the school’s various constituencies (including but not limited to faculty and staff, parents, students, alumni(ae) to clarify, review and renew the school’s mission statement.
• 3.1 – Every student is offered timely and regular opportunities to learn about and experience the nature and importance of prayer, the Eucharist, and liturgy.
• 3.4 – Every student experiences role models of faith and service for social justice among the administrators, faculty and staff.
• 5.4 – The governing body, in collaboration with or through the actions of the leader/leadership team, maintains a constructive and beneficial relationship with the (arch) diocesan Education Office consistent with (arch)diocesan policy pertaining to the recognition of Catholic schools by the Bishop.

We will begin the day with Mass and conclude with a reflection on next steps to allow for the deepening of the partnership over the course of the academic year. In between there will be opportunities to learn, reflect, and share together.

The workshop will take place on Wednesday, August 2, at St. Thomas Parish in Tukwila, from 7:30a-3:30p.