A Spirit of Growth
Tuesdays are perhaps my favorite days here at Greenwood! Every Tuesday, tee shirts become an official part of the school dress code—but not just any tees. The Greenwood Spirit shirt is more than just a tee shirt with a fierce graphic of an Eagle on the front. It’s a symbolic representation of the opportunities and drive of each of our amazing students, faculty members, and staff. The Spirit shirt is a statement that no matter what the challenge may be, no matter what our past experiences have been, we are rising up to meet it—and we are taking it on together, as a Team.
Those of you who have been part of the Greenwood Team prior to this year should be noticing some differences in our approach this year. Part of being an effective and supportive team is a willingness to take a close look at ourselves and recognize areas and skills that we can improve, then work together to take those skills to the next level. A team that is not constantly seeking improvement becomes stagnant, complacent, and ineffective—and I can promise you that those words will never describe Greenwood.
You will likely hear the term “Continuous Improvement Plan,” or “CIP” quite often around here, so I want to take a moment to introduce you to the goals contained within it. There are five main goals that we have chosen to focus more consistently upon as a team for targeted improvement over the next three years. The goals are fully aligned with and driven by the mission statement of Greenwood School:
The mission of Greenwood School is to provide a challenging and supportive education for average to above average middle and high school students who have learning differences and/or ADHD.
Many wonderful things already happen at Greenwood, and we will always be dedicated to providing the very best environment for student success. As a team, we have identified the following areas that we will work together (School, family, and student) to improve over the next three years. Each of these initiatives are already in motion, and I encourage you to provide feedback throughout the school year as partners in these efforts!
- Establish and maintain a readily accessible, research-focused, collaborative Professional Development Program for Greenwood faculty and staff.
- Increase effectiveness of upper level mathematics courses.
- Improve proficiency of academic writing.
- Improve parent/family engagement in the educational process.
- Increase the relevance and effectiveness of the Personal Education Plan (PEP) document for each individual student.
We may only wear Spirit shirts on Tuesdays—but here at Greenwood, we show our school spirit every day through our efforts to always be the very best that we can be!
Dr. Anthony D. Mortimer
Head of School
