“The biggest strength I see in our school and in the community involves the resilience of our students and families. Our community is always changing, but the value our families continue to place on education remains the same. With strong family support, our students come to school each day ready to embody our school’s vision, which is for all of our students to “Be our best, love learning and inspire the world!””
Building on our strengths by...
Opening the doors of PS 6X to our community for the benefit of our students.
We have met with key stakeholders to evaluate the use of resources, assess school needs, and develop a set of prioritized next steps in order to meet the school’s instructional goals. We have established and can articulate clear rationales for the investment of resources to meet school goals, and directly connect those goals to student achievement. Examples of key budget adjustments include: purchasing books and curriculum to increase rigorous instruction, purchasing of the Reading Recovery Program and certification fees, rebranding in order to create a supportive environment, and hiring a Community Culture Coach to support students’ social and emotional development. The impact has been the collaborative relationships formed within all members of the community and improved student outcomes.
Improving student safety within our building.
Staff and student schedules were adjusted in order to not only improve rigorous instruction in literacy and math but also to improve safety during transition times. This shift has allowed students to return to class ready to resume learning (without unnecessary trips to the nurse’s office). Staff schedules allow all out-of-classroom teachers to be present in the cafeteria during morning arrival and during dismissal, thus providing additional support during transition times. Student services are differentiated based on student needs as determined through assessment results, log of behaviors, family feedback, and organized by the strategic scheduling of providers.
Raising expectations for learning.
We use every opportunity to model and communicate clear, consistent, and high expectations to the school community regarding professionalism, instruction, and other elements of effective practices to the entire staff. Additionally, I guide the school community towards a culture of respect and trust by providing professional development and engaging staff in shifting/changing mindsets and culture. For example, the school social worker engaged teachers in professional development sessions around the demographics of the school community, including families and students with special needs, and how to support them as a community. In an effort to validate our students and send a strong message that their opinion counts, we now have an active student council that sends voice messages on the school messaging system.