2011-12St. Gregory’s 32nd year

Thinking Forward: Character, Scholarship, Leadership, Innovation

Jonathan Martin, Head of School

Ms. Taylor constantly told the class how little she knew. “Sorry, sometimes I jump to conclusions too quickly.”

She stressed the importance of collecting conflicting information before making up one’s mind, of calibrating one’s certainty level to the strength of the evidence, of enduring uncertainty for long stretches as an answer became clear, of correcting for one’s biases.

St. Gregory honors the development of student character built on personal integrity, compassion, and respect.

We promote the dignity, self-worth, and potential of each individual within a supportive, connected, and caring community which embraces a diversity of students, families, faculty, administrators, staff, trustees, and others.

Character

• Advisory: A connected community• Middle School Mission Days• Kindness learning: Middle School programs

and work with our new counselor• Diversity Day• One School, One City program: Connecting

service, sustainability, school-meeting, and advisory.

ScholarshipThe St. Gregory learning community is committed to educating the whole child intellectually, physically, emotionally, socially, artistically, and ethically.

Our students’ disciplined scholarship is instilled and developed in a learning environment which values the rigors and joys of learning.

This scholarship is grounded in intellectual curiosity, critical and creative thinking, and effective communication.

Scholarship• Academically Adrift: 40 pages of reading, 20 pages of writing in at

least one course each semester. • Curricular Changes in Upper School: More requirements & Choice

for students, Greater Depth over Breadth• Curricular Changes in Middle School: More Rigor, more

requirements, more choice• MAP, CWRA, other testing• Information Literacy Advances• Professional Development: Modeling Learning• Student-produced video: What is the role? • On-line textbooks: Pushing forward• Reverse Instruction for more PBL• PBL

Leadership & Innovation Learning at St. Gregory: Next Steps

LI Retreat Team, August, 2011

Retreat, August 2 & 3Retreat, August 2 & 3

Leadership at St. Gregory affirms the civic responsibility of students and encourages using skillful facilitation and collaboration to positively influence the action of others.

We recognize our school’s public purpose to use our resources to serve our own students and others in our region and beyond.

At St. Gregory we cultivate a mindset of innovation founded upon open-minded inquiry, divergent thinking, and purposeful action.As innovators, our students develop the creativity, ingenuity, inventiveness, and originality of thought to tackle and resolve the challenges facing our world.

The GoalsAdvance Leadership and Innovation Learning (LIL) for all students in all grades interwoven across the breadth of the school experience and beyond the school community.

Raise the visibility, understanding, and universality of LI

Linkage

Advance common understanding and common language for LIL across school

Improve communication about LIL

Move from talk to action.

Key Decisions/Plans

“Experiential Education” now “Leadership & Innovation Learning “ (LIL)

New 9th grade course will be Foundations of L & I and required as core class of either LI Diploma

Review Scope & Sequence of LIL 6-12. Identify and ensure there are Leadership and Innovation Learning elements in each year, including 12th

Develop this fall a common set of “debrief” questions to be used in LIL and share with all teachers.

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Invite advisories to participate in voluntary “challenges” of leadership and problem-solving, in part aligned with new One School, One City service program

Form a standing LI committee meeting monthly to steer ongoing efforts.

Expand 9th grade foundations of leadership & innovation to serve all 9th graders in 2012 or 2013

Launch this fall a Middle school student council, called Senate, formed of advisory group representatives.

Begin a 4th grade LI Summit

Advance! 5 working groups underway: Invitations forthcoming

Five Areas for Advance

1) . LI school-wide curriculum, scope and sequence

A. MS mission days (Corinne, Mike, Heather)--designing scope and sequence for LI

B. Re-tooling the US curriculum to provide more breadth, more innovation, and more US faculty involvement (Kate, Fred, Dennis, Laura)

2) Coordination and communication of leadership opportunities--existing, new, internal, external.

A. Advisory, all-school meetings, one-school one-city program (Rachel steering, Lorie, FA, Jonathan, Laura)

B. B. Re-shaping co-curricular programming to increase LI opportunities, training, and practice (Kate, Fred, Dennis, Heather)

C. MS senate/SC--Heather/Fred--Fred will discuss faculty coordination with Heather

Five Areas for Advance

3. Summit: Fred, Corinne, Laura, Mike

recruiting and facebook publicitydesigningplanning7th grade and 4th grade

4. Faculty Involvement & PD

LI rubrics, guiding questions, and training towards a common LI language (Kate, Jonathan, Fred, Mike will help wordsmith)Brown bag optional PD sessions on leadership and innovation teaching and learning: Jonathan and Fred

Five Areas for Advance

5. LI diploma program (Kate, Fred, Jonathan, Dennis)

Write clearer criteria for earning creditsCreate info-graphicshelping students understand why they want the diploma and how they can get there

What about Leadership & innovation in the curriculum?

pbl-t

The “egg”

Thinking Forward

NAIS Guide: Becoming a School of the Future

Unifying theme number2: Project-based learning, as an integral part of the school’s program, is woven throughout all grade levels and disciplines

Thinking Forward:Unifying Themes from A Guide to Becoming a School of

the Future

• The Schools are Academically Demanding

• Classrooms extend beyond the school walls, actively engaging students in the world around them

• Digital technologies and a global perspective infuse all aspects of the curriculum

• Vibrant arts programs help promote creativity, self-expression, self-discipline, and flexibility

Thinking Forward:Unifying Themes from A Guide to Becoming a

School of the Future

• The adults are actively engaged with one another and with the students in a process of continuous learning

• A culture of engagement and support invites participation, innovation, and a “growth mindset” on the part of teachers and students

• Transformational leadership challenges the status quo, draws out the issues, navigates through conflict, and mobilizes people and resources to do the adaptive work necessary to create and sustain effective change

NAIS President Pat Bassett: Schools which are not Schools of the future will not be schools in

the future.

St. Gregory is, it is clear, more than most, truly on the road to becoming a school of the future.

Let’s keep going!

How do you want to be involved?