Professional Community Engages in Division-Specific Innovation Strategy Work During In-Service Day

St. Margaret’s professional community engaged in the next step of the school’s innovation strategy work during last week’s in-service day, putting actionable strategic priorities into motion.  

 

“Much our innovation strategy work over the past year has been dedicated to listening, reflecting, and conducting ethnographic interviews with members of the school community as we emerged from the deepest phases of the pandemic,” Assistant Head of School Ryan Dahlem said. “Now we’re at the stage of providing the time our divisions need to take actionable steps based on what we’ve learned. In-Service days accelerate this work as we leverage the incredible creativity and expertise of our professional community.”

 

Each division spent time reviewing themes derived from the ethnographic research conducted with their students, parents and colleagues, then focused on opportunities for innovation within the seven strategic priorities discussed in previous in-service days,  including:

 

·         Curriculum & Pedagogy

·         Health & Well-Being

·         Professional Development

·         Technology

·         Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

·         Experiential & Service Learning 

·         Methods for Student Feedback

 

Here is a look at each division’s work:

 

 

Related to curriculum, pedagogy and experiential learning, Early Childhood School pedagogista Sonia Yoshizawa presented to Early School faculty about putting constructivist theories to practice with St. Margaret’s youngest learners. 

 

 

The Lower School focused their in-service day on experiential and service-learning opportunities, and how to tie them to the United National Sustainable Development Goals. The UN goals are used by the Lower School as guideposts for project-based and service learning in each grade level. 

 

 

The Middle School professional community devoted their day to health and well-being work, including social-emotional learning and the advisory program, with a special focus on empathy. Grade level teams met to discuss, know and support every student. The Middle School also planned and practiced the utilization of Project Adventure tools, which were the result of a PTF grant, and met in academic departments as well. 

 

The Upper School professional community engaged in discussions regarding experiential education and the advisory program, tying their work to schoolwide goals around learning and community. Faculty also met in academic departments. 

 

Professional community members also had the opportunity to participate in optional affinity group meetings during lunchtime as part of the school’s ongoing diversity, equity and inclusion work. 

 

The next in-service day on January 3, 2023 will also be designated for innovation strategy work in divisions as St. Margaret’s continues to move forward in its strategic priority areas.