First Steps- Vision Parades

Although track 4 has just begun, we are already looking for ways to make our school better. The school improvement planning process is an effective way for us to begin identifying strengths and needs. As a new school, our school improvement plan (SIP) is a blank slate. Members of the school community will be working throughout the year in committees to develop goals, key processes, and action steps for improving instructional programs, school culture, and community involvement. One of the first steps in this process is to establish a shared mission, vision, and values.

An important part of developing these cornerstones involves the individual classes of Banks Road Elementary. Teachers and students have been talking about their class vision. These class visions range from, "Doing my best everyday" to "Being successful and helping others", even "Kindness counts." On August 13, the classes from tracks 1 and 2 will share their vision statements with each other during a Vision Parade that will be held on the track behind the school. Classes on tracks 3 and 4 will do the same on August 27. We will also be recording the individual class vision statements and sharing them with our school community and SIP committees. The class vision statements will serve as a foundation for crafting the school mission and vision statements. Identifying mission and vision is an extremely valuable process. It helps our students, teachers, and parents understand what is most important to all of us at Banks Road Elementary. Once the mission and vision are established, we can set purposeful goals for improving our school.

The Vision Parades will certainly be an exciting opportunity for students, staff and teachers! This celebration will be symbolic of the first steps we are taking to ensure that Banks Road will always be an outstanding school. I think it is awesome that these first steps will be taken (literally and figuratively) by our students! What a great way to kick off our inaugural school year and begin the very important work of continuous improvement. I hope you can join us at 9:30 on August 13 and August 27 to be a part of our Vision Parades.