Collective Responsibility

Working as the Interim Principal at Split Rock has been eye-opening for me. My teaching background is rooted in secondary social studies education and my leadership roles have usually focused on supporting teachers' efforts to integrate instructional technology in meaningful ways. Nonetheless, I have been enjoying serving as Interim Principal at Split Rock and am excited to come to work every day as I am continuously learning about the role from our faculty and staff, students, and parents. One question that many parents have is "How come my child is switching teachers for math instruction?" Or "Why is my child being pulled out of the classroom for small group literacy instruction?" What I have learned is that West Genesee supports ALL students through our commitment to "Collective Responsibility."

What is Collective Responsibility?

• Collective responsibility is the shared belief that the primary responsibility of each member of the organization is to ensure all students are moving forward with their learning. 
• Collective responsibility exists when two conditions are examined, clarified, and adopted as the foundation for the shared mission of a school: 
• We believe that all kids can consistently move forward with their learning. 
• We make the collective commitment to ensure learning occurs for every student.
• Our system of support and enrichment for all students is centered around three "big ideas" and four "big questions."

3 Big Ideas A focus on LEARNING  A focus on COLLABORATION  A focus on RESULTS

4 Big Questions What do we expect every student to know?  How will we know if they have learned it?  What will we do if they don't?  What will we do if they already know it?

Collective Responsibility Process

Our collective responsibility model helps us to ensure that every child receives the time and support needed to learn at high levels through what is known as "TEAM Time" or "WINN Time." TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) and WINN (What I Need Now) are interchangeable terms--I know...it's confusing! Some of the other elementary schools have dropped the term WINN in favor of TEAM, but the concept is still the same. Here's what it all means:

1. Data Meetings: We respond in different ways for different learners with the knowledge that not all students learn the same way or at the same speed. Some students require interventions or additional practice to meet essential learning targets; whereas others who have already met the essential learning targets need to be challenged with additional opportunities. Grade-level teams meet every other week to analyze student work in order to identify needs. During that time, classroom teachers, instructional specialists, special education teachers, and teaching assistants review classroom data with the help of our literacy and math instructional coaches. They discuss student performance on assessments, plan core instruction and TEAM instruction, and discuss student groupings. 
2. TEAM Time: Each grade level team has a block of time during the day called TEAM time when they provide the interventions and opportunities that each student needs. You may have heard from your child or your child's teacher that your child sometimes receives support from a different teacher during literacy and/or math instruction, whether it's with another grade-level teacher or in a small group with an Instructional Specialist--it's part of our collective responsibility to provide what students need when they need it. We think it is a winning formula for student learning. 
3. Repeat: After approximately 2 weeks, we repeat the process of assessment, data analysis, grouping students, and providing instruction for all learners based on their individual needs. 

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Dates to Remember:

Monday, January 28th Superintendent’s Conference Day, No School for students Wednesday, January 30th PTO Grade 5 Recognition Meeting, 6:30 - 7:30, Library Friday, February 1st Family Bingo Night, 6:00 - 7:00, Cafeteria

Tuesday, February 5th Redhouse Rapunzel Show, 2:00, Cafeteria PTO Meeting, 6:00 - 7:00, Library Wednesday, February 6th Board of Education Meeting, 7:00, WGHS Library Friday, February 8th Spirit Day, Grade 3