DISCOVERYING YOUR DREAMS |
Mission Statement
Our mission is to nurture and enrich our students’ natural delight in learning and in the powers of mind and body. Each child’s awakening into confident young adulthood requires guided engagement with vital ideas and events of the past to realize fresh possibilities and discoveries for the future.We aspire to foster in our students those qualities of character consonant with the ideals of a democratic society. We are committed to reaching beyond routine expectations in a learning environment that encourages inquiry and builds its daily practice upon respect for oneself and others.
District Goals 2009-2010
GOAL ONE:
We seek to continue evolving as a community of learners in which each participant is supported in becoming passionately engaged in a process of continuous growth and improvement. Consistent with our mission and vision statements, we will continue to develop and support those facets of the North Shore Schools that place an emphasis on learning that is deep and meaningful.Indicators of success or progress toward this goal will include:
- Evidence of students exploring essential questions and key problems.
- Evidence of students gathering and assessing relevant information and using abstract ideas to interpret it effectively.
- Evidence of students using skills to come to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions and test them against relevant criteria and standards.
- Evidence of students objectively entertaining competing ideas, evaluating those ideas and developing/defending a position while recognizing its weaknesses.
- Evidence of students engaging in effective communication and collaborating/cooperating with others in exploring solutions to complex problems.
Specifics tasks to be accomplished as part of goal one during the 2009-2010 School Year:
- Development of exit assessments for Grades 5, 8 and 12 that demonstrate passionate engagement in a process of continuous growth and improvement.
- Analyze the work being given to students to determine the extent to which tasks meet district values/21st Century learning outcomes.
- Work with teachers on modifying tasks to more closely align with district values.
- Implementation and ongoing review of the Ninth Grade Experience.
- Implementation and ongoing review of the changes to the Elementary Special Education Program.
- Implementation and ongoing review of the Life-Skills Program at the Middle School.
- Implementation of recommendations contained within the District Diversity Taskforce Report.
- Review of Grade 10 Social Studies Program.
- Presentation of Pride Report and accompanying plan of action.
GOAL TWO:
In an ongoing effort to review district programs on a regular basis, the following programs will be evaluated during the 2009-2010 school year:
- Health and Wellness:
Follow-up visit by Tri-States Organization to review progress made in implementation of recommendations from the initial visit.
- Review structure and use of the elementary student day.
- Senior Experience.
- Evaluation of Fine and Performing Arts Programs K-12.
- Evaluation of the efficacy of the literacy block in improving student performance using both quantitative and qualitative data.
- Review Board Policies numbers 3000-5710.
