To: Michael Green, Superintendent
From: Phil Pearson
Date: October 5, 2023
RE: Woodland High School Board Report
School Improvement Plan
Last month, Monday Action Teams began meeting monthly. Monday Action Teams are keyed to individual school improvement goals and are tasked with developing new approaches to meeting the specified goals and fully implementing those approaches that seem to be bearing fruit. Our 23-24 School Improvement Plan reflects the current projects those teams are working on. Much of the data that will be made available as a part of our School Improvement presentation to the board shows some very promising progress against many of our SIP goals.
One example of work being pursued by the Monday Action Teams pertains to encouraging participation in College in the High School, AP, and dual enrollment CTE courses. This team has begun the process of developing student viewable videos in each academic department describing opportunities for students to “challenge up” in all of our disciplines. The goal is to open the door to all of our students to pursue their grandest aspirations.
Our work with advisory is closely related. Advisory (now called GRIT 101) has been restored to 4 days per week and is being supported by grade level anchors whose job it is to develop curriculum and support GRIT 101 teachers. Our hope is to create connections between students and adults, expand our students’ capacity to manage life and adulting tasks, and give our students tools to manage their own wellness. The Character Strong curriculum is a key component of GRIT 101 and is used once per week.
Recognition
Woodland High School staff are doing amazing work at all levels. Shari Conditt and her students are facilitating the Woodland Mayoral debate next week. Our GRIT 101 grade-level anchors (Melanie Holmes, Stephanie Marshall, Jaclyn Stewart, and Anne Pershall) are forging new paths and making our advisory meaningful, a task that I have not actually seen accomplished before. Mike Lindsay and Jen Benedict are doing very well in their new roles, especially in the category of making new connections with kids. Patrice Lins took 5 choir students to a leadership conference over the weekend and had some great things to report.
And then here’s a smaller one. A week ago or so, I went to a JV football game. It was a pleasure to watch our players on the field, not so much because of their play but because of their attitudes. I saw our players helping the other teams players up, congratulating one another, and being great competitors. It was wonderful to see.
Upcoming Events
The homecoming game and dance are on Friday, October 13th. Senior nights in football, volleyball, and soccer are October 20, October 21, and October 22, respectively. Jostens will be on campus during lunch on October 18th and 19th for students to order their graduation materials.