Innovation

Innovation at St. Margaret's

Creating our everyday tomorrow.
Our Tartans are always looking up, reaching higher because they are excited about learning and the unlimited possibilities of their futures. St. Margaret’s is known for unrivalled academics and programs that nurture and support the learning and growth of talented, enthusiastic students. Our Tartans motivate us every day to continually create and advance the most vigorous and innovative learning environments and experiences for them. So we too, are always looking up and reaching higher.
 
This makes the very best everyday for today, and tomorrow.

Strategic Plan

The launch of the visionary 2016 Strategic Plan sets a bold, aspirational course for St. Margaret’s and its students with a purposeful focus on our mission and core values.

Design Thinking

The Plan is being implemented with a design thinking approach that, importantly, puts the students and their educational, growth and development needs at the center of the innovation process.

Ryan Dahlem, Assistant Head of School for Strategic Initiatives

“Our approach to innovation is inspired by the creativity and success of Silicon Valley tech companies where the human-centered design process begins with empathy.  The guiding principle of “fall in love with your end user” clearly resonates with us and our relationship with the most important element of our innovation process: the student.”

Top ways St. Margaret’s is INNOVATING every day.

List of 4 items.

  • Cultural Competency

    Cultural competency is possessing the understandings, perspectives and skills needed to effectively communicate and interact with others across differences, both within our school community and in the larger world. We view diversity of culture, thought, identity and perspective as a strength to be leveraged and recognize that our students need real skills to do this.
     

  • STEM & Technology

    St. Margaret’s STEM program serves our students’ natural interest, engages them through experiential, project-based curriculum, allows them to make sense of the technological world, builds critical and creative thinking and higher-order reasoning skills, and prepares them for college majors and 21st century careers in science, technology, engineering and math fields.
     

  • Experiential Learning

    Tartans are active learners! St. Margaret’s provides myriad opportunities for them to get their hands as busy as their minds, to explore, discover, solve problems and make a difference. Experiential learning at St. Margaret’s allows students to apply their learning in real situations and settings outside the classroom, immersing themselves into the work and taking time to reflect on the process and learning.
     

  • Unique Courses

    We continually seek student learning interests or opportunities within our curriculum, inspired by everything from industry trends and current events to technological advances and evolving learning styles, and pursue them through an extensive Academic Leadership Team process of research, analysis and development. Explore courses and programs only offered at St. Margaret’s.
     

Innovative Partnerships

List of 4 items.

  • UCI Henry Samueli School of Engineering

    The UCI School of Engineering is a higher learning research institution offering 12 undergraduate and 10 graduate degree programs. The school educates students to be the best engineers and leaders in the nation and world by engaging them in a stimulating community dedicated to the discovery of knowledge, excellence in scholarship, and service to society; and to develop tomorrow’s technologies that will make a global impact.

  • Pacific Symphony

    Pacific Symphony enriches the human spirit through superior performances of symphonic music and community engagement. Led by Music Director Carl St.Clair, Pacific Symphony is the largest orchestra formed in the U.S. in the last 50 years. The Symphony presents more than 100 concerts and events each year and a rich array of education and community programs, reaching more than 275,000 residents—from school children to senior citizens.

  • Breakthrough SJC

    Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano is a tuition-free program providing academic enrichment opportunities and support for highly motivated, underserved middle and high school students so that they can realize their potential to excel in high school and graduate from college. Nearly all Breakthrough SJC students are from low-income backgrounds and will be the first in their families to go to college.

  • edX

    Founded by Harvard University and MIT in 2012, edX is an online learning destination and MOOC provider, offering high-quality courses from the world’s best universities and institutions to learners everywhere. The world’s leading universities, nonprofits, and institutions comprise edX’s more than 90 global partners.
1 / 12
An independent preschool through grade 12 college-preparatory day school in Orange County, California