W.B. Goodwin Elementary School is a neighborhood school committed to helping all scholars develop the 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 and leaders. 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 scholars. Our scholars, parents, faculty, staff, and community members continue to work daily to embrace our purpose by providing a safe and nurturing environment where scholars are encouraged to be creative thinkers and problem solvers while working towards meeting their individual goals as learners.
Our scholars' achievement and academic growth continue to be our primary focus. During the 2022-23 school year, to ensure ALL of our scholars had access to core curricula, we modified and adjusted class schedules to provide scholars an opportunity to be engaged in grade-level instruction. Through our ELA curriculum, EL, our focus has been on providing a rigorous curriculum that challenges our scholars and teachers. Teachers spent time in professional development, internalizing the modules, and analyzing their scholars' assessments. With the implementation of i-Ready, our digital platform for math and reading, we personalized lessons to provide optimal opportunities for learning. By participating in professional development, teachers gained knowledge about accessing reports and how to modify individual scholar pathways through reinforcement or enrichment to enhance their academic achievement.
At W.B. Goodwin, we know it is vital for ALL stakeholders to know each scholar's proficiency levels. We monitor their progress by analyzing various data points, including i-Ready math and reading in grades 1-5, FastBridge in math and reading for grades K-1, and MyIGDIs for scholars in Child Development. This allows us to make sound instructional decisions for our scholars. Through our Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) process, administrators and teachers collaborate to monitor interventions and scholars' progress. This allows stakeholders to provide opportunities to reflect and revise goals after each assessment window.
Our faculty and staff are invested in and committed to building solid relationships with all stakeholders in our community. We wholeheartedly believe our scholars have great potential and are committed to helping them reach that potential. Maintaining an open-door policy will continue to foster a positive and welcoming school climate and culture for all stakeholders.
Through the school-wide implementation of our Social Emotional Learning (SEL) program, we have established a common language to ensure our scholars have the necessary tools to become better leaders and learners. Our scholars continue to work towards self-regulation by discovering new learning skills, including empathy, managing emotions, and problem-solving skills. Children need a solid foundation with self-regulation skills to stay focused on learning. This includes but is not limited to getting along with others, perseverance, and working cooperatively in the classroom.
At W.B. Goodwin, we set challenging goals for our scholars because we sincerely believe that high expectations result in optimal performance. Teachers meet regularly as a team through our Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and with administrators to discuss scholarly academic, social, emotional, and behavioral progress. We communicate high expectations for scholar progress through data notebooks shared with parents during conferences.
We will accomplish this through our collective commitment to engaging ALL stakeholders in their learning process. We will own, monitor, and adjust our strategies to meet stakeholders' needs. We Can, and We Will Excel!!
Natasha Jones, Principal
Mary Stansell, SIC Chairperson
