SUMMER SLIDE AT WASHINGTON
PRINCIPAL, SUMMER UPDATE, JULY 20, 2016
Movie Trailer- Washington Elementary, Fall 2016
Summer Experiences; a big part of learning!
I hope you are having an amazing summer with family and friends. My guess is that we have all been soaking up the summer sun at baseball games, watching a parade or two, spent time fishing, swimming, playing soccer, golf, going for a walk or simply relaxing on the patio or front porch. Summer is an important time to develop friendships, let your mind wander and, of course, read a good book or two. We are coming up on the month of August and that means finding out your teacher and signing up for entry conferences. You will receive a mailing notice in mid-August with details. Save the dates: August 23 and 24 are early entrance conference sign ups. Conferences with your child's teacher takes place on September 6 and 7. K-5 first day of school is September 8th! I hope see you yet this summer! Enjoy the 2nd half of the summer season! Read, Read, Read!
Culture of Leadership and Excellence
Dear Parents and Families: (See Video Message from Mr. Baier, Principal)
The Washington Elementary School Community is gearing up for another year of learning, personal growth and social development. We are excited that you have decided to join us on this exciting adventure. I appreciate your time and energy investment as we look to make a difference in lives of children. We get an opportunity each and every day to be our best for the children we serve. At Washington Elementary, it is our desire to further develop a culture of leadership and excellence.
Guided by the District 77 Strategic Roadmap, Washington Elementary is committed to preparing our students to be life ready. The first three strategic directions of five in the roadmap, point us to develop systems and programming to support the concept of preparing students to be life ready.
Direction A: Student learning and engagement
Direction B: Developing district culture and practices of partnership and connectedness between staff, students, families and community for student learning
Direction C: Increase readiness for all students to ensure options for life.
The diagram linked here illustrates the important components of a leadership culture.
It is our vision to create a culture of leadership and excellence where each person sees their worth and potential so clearly that they are inspired to rise to their potential. (Stephen and Sean Covey, 2014)
We have developed 5 desired outcomes related to leadership and excellence:
A safe and supportive environment focused on developing leadership capacity in all students.
A student centered culture with a laser like focus on our primary purpose of student learning
An environment where differences are embraced and celebrated
Healthy relationships where every student has at least one adult advocate and peer friendship.
Develop the skills and mindsets that allow students to lead their own lives, to be able to work effectively with others and make a meaningful contribution wherever they go in life. (Stephen and Sean Covey, Leader in Me)
Inspired by The Leader in Me book study, our school is planning to utilize the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People to guide us on the journey to equip our students to be life ready. Ultimately, we plan to get our entire staff trained and acquire necessary instructional resources to support the teaching and use of the 7 Habits over time. The training and resources will be scheduled for fall of 2017 so that we can secure the funding. In year one, our teachers will be teaching one Habit per month in in cross grade level groups. Additionally, we are creating a plan inclusive of leadership, mentorship and community building activities to help our students grow in their leadership capacity.
To guide this work, we are in the process of developing a Leadership and Excellence Team (LET) to provide direction and support on this leadership and excellence journey. The team make up includes teachers, support staff, students and parents. This LET team will meet at least once per month. We are seeking two parent representatives to serve on this team. If you are interested, please respond to the question below and return your response to me via email or drop it off in the office. I will choose two parent members based on interest and written responses. Please complete this process by September 15, 2016. Student representatives will also be selected through a similar process.
LET Parent Representative Response Question: Describe how you can have a positive impact on our students through your participation in the Leadership and Excellence Team.
Thank you for joining us on this journey. The Thoughtexchange survey feedback you provided this past spring helped us know your position on the importance of creating an authentic real world learning experience for our students. We will continue to engage our parent community as we work to meet our desired outcomes for students shared above. The two quotes below are powerful reminders of our responsibility to lead and engage for positive change. “Our lives begin to end when we become silent about things that matter.” -Martin Luther King Jr. “People who persevere walk the undulating edge between hope and fear and success and failure. The edge is where life happens. Let’s challenge our thinking and notice where we are and not lose sight of where we want to be. -Margaret Wheatley, Perseverance
If you have any questions or feedback, please contact me by email at sbaier1@isd77.k12.mn.us or by phone at 507-345-3059.
Sincerely,
Shane Baier
Coming Up...
- Entry Conference Sign up: August 23 and 24
- Entry Conferences: September 6 and 7
- 1st Day of School for K-5: September 8
- September 2-hour Late Start: September 20
Reading Academy Update
Reading Academy is underway! 55 students at Washington Elementary are into their 2nd week of Summer Reading Academy. It has been fun to see the smiling faces and watching them spend time learning and practicing reading strategies for success. Reading Academy runs through August 11th.
Websites
Thoughtexchange Results for Washington Elementary
Check out the results collected this spring from parents, teacher and the community about celebrations, concerns and things to consider related to Washington Elem.