W.B. Goodwin Elementary School is a neighborhood school committed to helping all students develop world-class skills of the Profile of the South Carolina graduate. W.B. Goodwin's purpose is to provide a culture of embracing and empowering the whole child to maximize their academic, social, and emotional growth to become life-long learners. Through our purpose statement, we are reflective in our practices as we create and foster an atmosphere that promotes self-esteem, respect for others, and a passion for learning which is evident in the daily growth of our students. We will accomplish this through our collective commitment to engaging ALL stakeholders in the learning process. We will own, monitor, and adjust our strategies to ensure we meet our stakeholders' needs. We Can and We Will Excel!!! Our students, staff, parents, and community members continue to work hard daily to embrace our purpose to provide a safe and nurturing environment where students are encouraged to be creative thinkers and problem solvers while working towards meeting their individual goals as learners.
Student achievement and academic growth continue to be our focus and top priority. During the 2021-22 school year, to ensure ALL of our scholars had access to the core curriculum, we modified and adjusted schedules to provide scholars an opportunity to be engaged in grade-level text. Through piloting a new ELA curriculum (Expeditionary Learning- EL), our focus has been on providing a rigorous curriculum challenging our students and teachers. Teachers spent time in professional development internalizing the modules and analyzing student assessments. Using our implementation of iReady, the digital platform for Math and Reading, we were able to personalize lessons addressing topics students struggled with to provide optimal opportunities for learning. Participating in professional development, teachers gained knowledge about accessing reports and how to modify paths through reinforcement or enrichment to enhance student achievement.
At W.B. Goodwin, we know it is vital for teachers, students, and parents to know and understand each child's level of understanding and collectively develop plans to help every student make optimal growth. We monitor student progress by analyzing various data points, including MAP math and reading in grades 1-5, FastBridge in math and reading for grades K-1, MyIGIDS for students in Child Development, and student text levels to make sound instructional decisions that are best for students. Through our Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) process, administrators and teachers collaborate to monitor interventions and students' progress, allowing stakeholders to provide opportunities to reflect and revise goals after each assessment window.
Our faculty and staff are invested and committed to building solid relationships with all stakeholders in our community. We wholeheartedly believe our students have great potential and are committed to helping them reach that potential. Maintaining an open-door policy will foster a positive and welcoming school climate and culture for all stakeholders.
Implementing a Social Emotional Learning (SEL) program school-wide has established a common language in assisting our students in knowing and understanding how to learn. Our students are working towards self-regulation, discovering skills for learning, including empathy, managing emotions, and problem-solving skills to be more successful learners. We believe that children need a solid foundation that includes self-regulation skills to stay focused on their learning, including getting along with others and working independently and cooperatively in the classroom.
At W.B. Goodwin, we set challenging goals for our students because we sincerely believe that high expectations result in optimal performance. Teachers meet regularly as a team through our Professional Learning Communities (PLC) and with administrators to discuss student academic and behavioral progress. We communicate high expectations for student progress through using data notebooks for teachers and student data notebooks, which are shared with parents during conferences. We believe it is imperative that all students are capable of communicating academic and behavioral goals with their parents and other relevant stakeholders.
Natasha Jones, Principal
Mary Stansell, SIC Chairperson