W.B. Goodwin Elementary School is a neighborhood school committed to helping all scholars develop the world-class skills of the profile of a South Carolina graduate. W.B. Goodwin aims 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. We continue to be reflective of our focus statement to ensure our practices are aligned in creating and fostering an atmosphere that promotes self-esteem, respect for others, and a passion for learning. We see this displayed daily in the growth of our scholars. Our scholars, parents, faculty and staff, and community members continue to work daily to embrace our purpose through our collective agreement of encouraging scholars to be creative thinkers and problem solvers while working towards growth and academic achievement.
Our scholars' achievement and academic growth continue to be our primary focus. During the 2023-24 school year, our 90-day plan prioritized our goals and drove our decisions to ensure we are meeting the needs of our school. Having a collective voice, we modify and adjust the plan to determine the next steps, areas of celebration, and where opportunities exist. Through our ELA and Math curricula, we provided a rigorous curriculum that challenged our scholars and teachers. Teachers spent time in professional development, internalizing the modules, and analyzing their scholars' assessments. Implementing i-Ready, our digital platform for math and reading, allowed us to personalize lessons to provide optimal opportunities for learning. By participating in professional development, teachers learned 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 understand each scholar’s proficiency level. 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. Data conferences are held (teacher and scholar, as well as administration and teacher) to set goals and next steps and implement strategies and interventions where support is needed.
Our faculty and staff continue to be invested 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. Restorative Practice training for the faculty and staff has allowed the team to build their skills in creating, maintaining, and fostering authentic relationships with scholars. As our scholars continue to work towards self-regulation by discovering new learning skills, including empathy, managing emotions, and problem-solving skills, we have clear expectations that they can achieve and reach the goals they have established for themselves. Establishing a clear message builds a solid foundation for our scholars to stay focused on learning.
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 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.
W.B. Goodwin’s growth will be accomplished through our collective commitment to engaging ALL stakeholders in the 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
