Earlier in the school year, I mentioned that one of the school's priorities this year will be to develop a vision of the graduate, a document that captures the hopes, aspirations, and dreams that the community has for our students and the skills, qualities, and knowledge that will help students to thrive.
While we don't yet have a document that concisely depicts the vision of the Northwood School graduate, we do have some important structures in place that identify our core values, beliefs, and learning expectations and will serve as the foundation for the vision of the graduate. These include:
Our mission statement: The mission of Northwood School is to inspire students to be lifelong learners. As a community we are committed to providing a safe, challenging environment that encourages all students to aspire to excellence.
Our vision statement: Northwood School will engage and inspire lifelong learners to become globally aware and prepared to take their next steps.
Our scholastic values: Inspiration, innovation, and inquiry
Our social values: Be respectful, be responsible, and be safe
At the beginning of the school year, our staff members worked together to begin articulating what various elements of the core values, beliefs, and learning expectations mean to them in order to develop the vision of the graduate. We will be seeking input from students, parents, and community members to further expand on the vision of the graduate over the course of the school year with the goal of having a completed document by the spring.
If you're interested in seeing examples from other schools, check out this link. (Note: While some schools use the term vision of the graduate, others may use similar terms such as profile or portrait. We are using the term vision as it directly aligns with the language in the NEASC standards).