Superintendent's Update: Strategic plan drives work on Profile of a Learner
Over the next three years, our new strategic plan will be driving our work in the Upper Arlington school district.
At the core of the strategic plan are two priority areas: whole learning and student and staff well-being. The whole learning focus is not new for our district — it builds on our long-running philosophy of educating and supporting the whole child.
A crucial part of this work will be developing a Profile of a Learner for Upper Arlington Schools. The Upper Arlington Profile of a Learner will articulate the knowledge, skills and attributes that we believe will prepare our students to serve, lead and succeed in Upper Arlington and beyond. This document will reflect our vision for all Upper Arlington learners at every stage and grade because we value the experience of every student, at every point in the Upper Arlington education.
In September, a team of 60 teachers and administrators that we call the Teaching & Learning Team and another 12 staff members who serve as service learning leaders began the work on this document. Their initial considerations included exploring the elements of instruction that make learning irresistible for students and identifying strengths and qualities, from a whole-child perspective, that they hope Upper Arlington students will attain.
We appreciate the work of these educators and look forward to sharing more as this important work unfolds!
Community screening and discussion
The second priority area in our strategic plan — student and staff well-being — incorporates our continuing districtwide focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.
This fall, dozens of staff members and parent volunteers from across the school district came together for two days of important conversations on diversity, equity and inclusion.
We will be continuing these conversations throughout the school year with not only our staff but also our community.
This fall, Upper Arlington Schools will become the first school district in Ohio to host community screenings and discussions for America to Me, a 10-part documentary series filmed at Oak Park and River Forest High School in suburban Chicago. America to Me offers an in-depth look at the effects of race, equity, culture and privilege on educational opportunities in a well-resourced suburban community.
We will offer weekly screenings and facilitated discussions for each of the first five episodes beginning at 6:30 on Monday, October 21 at Hastings Middle School auditorium, 1850 Hastings Lane. For a full schedule, please visit our website, , or see the attached flyer.
These events are free and open to everyone in the community. Due to mature themes in the documentary series, we recommend the events for high school age or older.
Legacy Campaign
My thanks to the many people who have donated to our Legacy Campaign, the private fundraising effort seeking to raise $7.5 million to complete and enhance the scope of the projects in our facilities master plan, which are on budget and on schedule.
In a short period of time, the Legacy Campaign has already raised more than $5.7 million in donations ranging from $25 to $1 million. To learn more about being part of the Legacy, please visit www.uaschools.org/legacycampaign.
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Posted: Thursday, October 3, 2019