English Department Meetings
Vision Meeting 5/3/2017

1.Darrin Brozene	6.Jessica Stith
2.Maya Furukawa	7.
3.Marissa Adkins	8. Rob Hathaway
4.Caitlin Bell-McCarthy	9. Sara H
5.Courtney Queen	10. Jennifer Travis

Vision and mission statements provide schools with an overview of where they want to go and what they want to be. Vision and mission statements establish clear expectations and standards for the whole school community, and help the school reach common goals.

A vision statement is a collective expression of the school’s aspirations. A vision is concise and easy to recall.
A mission statement provides an overview of the steps to achieve that future vision. A mission is lengthier and is the "how-to" statements that help schools achieve their vision. 1

Vision: A vision statement describes the department as it would appear in a future successful state. When developing a vision statement, try to answer this question: If the department were to achieve all of its strategic goals, what would it look like 10 years from now? An effective vision statement is inspirational and aspirational. It creates a mental image of the future state that the department wishes to achieve. A vision statement should challenge and inspire employees.2

Sample Vision Statements 3:

Every Battlefield High School student will achieve personal success and become a responsible and productive citizen.

The Richard Montgomery cluster will work collaboratively to ensure all students succeed. Placing the highest priority on reading and writing instruction will support consistent student achievement so that all students attain grade-level or higher performance levels annually, as measured by county, state, and national assessments. Partnerships across the cluster will sustain student success so that all students will read fluently by the end of Grade 2, write proficiently in both narrative and expository modes, pass algebra by the end of Grade 8, pass all High School Assessments on the first attempt, and graduate on schedule with the skills and knowledge required for success in higher education and/or the workplace.

Our vision, as a community, is to inspire a passion for learning.

All Potomac Senior High School students will achieve personal success in their learning and become responsible and productive citizens.

At Brentsville District we believe that all students can learn to their fullest potential. Student learning will be enhanced by national, global, and multicultural perspectives. Graduates will possess the basic knowledge and skills that will assure their proficiency in problem solving and technology. They will be responsible citizens, lifelong learners, and will be prepared for a variety of post graduation options.

Questions to guide a vision statement:

● What kind of department do we hope to be?

● What should be reflected in our vision statement?

● What do we need to do differently to achieve this vision?

● How are we different from other departments? What unique opportunities or pathways do we offer?

Vision statements should be:

Understood and shared by members of the community
Broad enough to include a diverse variety of local perspectives
Inspiring and uplifting to everyone involved in your effort
Easy to communicate - for example, they are generally short enough to fit on a T-shirt

English Department Vision: As a department, we are committed to advancing student achievement through the use of rigorous academic opportunities which are creative, collaborative,culturally relevant, and developed through critical thinking skills in order to graduate socially conscious citizens.

Question	Adkins	Bell- McCarthy	Brozene	Furukawa	Queen	Stith	Travis
What kind of department do we hope to be?		The Forest Park English team is committed to advancing student achievement through multiple levels of collaboration and integrating STEAM and 21st Century learning into our planning and practices. Critical thinking, communication, creativity, collaboration are central to our work together and with students.	Plans with colleagues to prepare 21st century learning and encourages students to utilize these skills	Cohesive Collaborative Creative Critical Cultured	One that actually works. Like one where students actually grow in their reading, writing, and speaking abilities	The Fun one! One that drives student achievement and success. Collaborative and supportive. Excited and motivated, eager to try technologies and strategies.	← What she said. One that is collaborative, productive, and sees results of effective teaching via growth in student data.
What should be reflected in our vision statement?		STEAM	Commitment to practicing 21st century collaboration	Real world implications of English skills	Something about reading writing and speaking	Student readiness for post-secondary options. Authentic assessment?	STEAM/ CCSS
What do we need to do differently to achieve this vision?		More collaboration on actual lesson planning-more technology awareness (for me, at least)	Practice using technology/21st century learning skills as teachers and foster its use within the classroom. It will take upfront planning	Give students practical skills and tie them into lessons	I DO NOT KNOW...	Meaningful and strategic incorporation of technology.	-Understand what STEAM is and how it applies to FPHS and the English dept. -Focus in on skills/strategies that are evidence-based and WORK for our students
How are we different from other departments?		We rock. Also, we teach a subject that easily and often leaks into other subjects; we can capitalize on this to tap student interest.	Sense of collaborative approach and willingness to learn from each other		WE TEACH ENGLISH We pick on Brozene.	Focus on skills, not standards.	-Respectful and productive collaboration -Focus on student successes/ best practices -MORE PRESSURE!!! (PARCC, i-Ready, SATs…. All those high stakes testing that students need to be able to READ AND COMPREHEND in order to understand)

Mission Meeting 5/10/17

1.Darrin Brozene	6.Jessica Stith
2.Maya Furukawa	7.Jennifer Travis
3.Marissa Adkins
4.Caitlin Bell-McCarthy
5.Courtney Queen

Mission: A mission statement explains the department’s reason for existence. It describes the department, what it does and its overall intention. The mission statement supports the vision and serves to communicate purpose and direction to employees, students, and other stakeholders. The mission can change to reflect a department’s priorities and methods to accomplish its vision.

Sample Mission Statements4:

At Battlefield Senior High School, we believe that student learning is the chief priority and all students can learn to their fullest potential. Students will develop their individual talents, critical thinking, and technology skills by being actively engaged in the learning process. Continuous commitment to improvement ensures that our students are well-rounded, self-directed, lifelong learners. By maintaining a safe and optimum learning environment, we provide the opportunity for students to be successful. Promoting high standards and expectations, teachers, administrators, parents, and the community share the responsibility for advancing the school's mission.

In order to prepare students to live in and contribute to a changing world and engage in active, lifelong learning, Richard Montgomery High School provides a balanced, varied school curriculum designed to meet the academic, cultural, and social needs of individuals from the diverse backgrounds of our community.

John T. Baker Middle School seeks to be an exemplary learning community school. We build the foundation of this community through meaningful relationships, relevant and engaging learning, and effective communication. We challenge ourselves to be better than we think we can be, and advocate for the greater good of our multidimensional community. Our success in this mission will build lifelong, confident learners, who have the tools necessary for success in a changing world.

Our mission is to empower all students to apply their acquired skills and knowledge, and to rely upon their personal attributes to lead productive lives and to become contributing members of the global community.

Our mission is to provide a high-quality, comprehensive, and meaningful education for all students. Each student will be expected to succeed within the bounds of their abilities and chosen educational goals. Each student will be treated as an individual, given the tools to be a lifelong learner, and taught to function as a member of a group and as a productive member of society.

Questions to guide Mission Statements:

1. Why are you here? What do you want for yourself, your family and your students?

2. Who are your students? What can you do for them that will enrich their lives and contribute to their success—now and in the future?

3. What image of your department do you want to convey?Students, staff, employees and the public will all have perceptions of your department. How will you create the desired picture?

4. What is the nature of your products and services? Consider how these relate to the reasons for your existence. How will all this change over time?

5. What level of service (teaching) do you provide? Most companies believe they offer “the best service available,” but do your stakeholders agree? Don’t be vague; define what makes your service so extraordinary.

6. What roles do you and your staff play? Wise captains develop a leadership style that organizes, challenges and recognizes employees.

7. How will you use technology, capital, processes, products, and services to reach your goals? A description of your strategy will keep your energies focused on your goals.

8. What underlying philosophies or values guided your responses to the previous questions? Some departments choose to list these separately. Writing them down clarifies the “why” behind your mission.

A Mission Statement should be6:

Concise. While not as short as vision statements, mission statements generally still get their point across in one sentence.
Outcome-oriented. Mission statements explain the fundamental outcomes your organization is working to achieve.
Inclusive. While mission statements do make statements about your group's key goals, it's very important that they do so very broadly. Good mission statements are not limiting in the strategies or sectors of the community that may become involved in the project.

Question	Adkins	Bell- McCarthy	Brozene	Furukawa	Queen	Stith	Travis
Why are we here?	To help students strengthen their reading and writing skills as well as build their confidence in themselves and their abilities	To help students build confidence in their ability to learn new skills.	Determining how we deliver and make the vision come to life.	Because every student deserves a good education.	Here to help students learn. BCTR pulls random people off the streets… I was one of them!	I think our students are disadvantaged by the structure of the district and high teacher turnover. I also think that our students need high quality, dedicated teachers who believe in their potential and are willing to push them to achieve it.	To prepare students to be literate and productive citizens upon graduation/promotion from our classes, and to give them the confidence to advocate for themselves.
Who are our students and how can we help them?	Our students are scholars who have a desire to be successful. It is our job to give them the opportunity to tap into that success.	They need lots of different supports from us; they are critically behind in reading and writing.	Critical thinkers who need the opportunity to analyze in this way.	Teenagers filled with potential.	They are young and full of potential. I do not know how to help them	Our students are teenagers, most of them are also students with high ACE scores who lack sufficient supports and/or have not learned societal expectations.	Our students are extremely diverse in terms of academic ability and experiences. Many have not had positive experiences with the education s system, and almost all are significantly behind in math and reading. Our students need consistent and effective academic supports, coupled with caring and devoted teachers who will empower them to realise their potentials.
What image do we want to convey?	An image of teachers who are dedicated to student sucess.		One that challenges students and engages them in learning with necessary supports	One full of motivation	The image I’d like to convey is a serious and urgent image. READ NOW OR DIE L8TR… Like symbolic for an intellectual death	We want to be perceived as educators who are educated, dedicated, and skilled. We want to make real progress with our students.	That we are committed to student success.
What is the nature of our department?	Supportive		A collaborative team that engages one another and supports each other with feedback.	Sassy	Good natured Sincere Hopeful	Our department is a core department, we build the skills that students need to be successful in other subjects as well as our own. Our temperament is a bit sassy, but it is also focused on the work we do.	-Positive -Collaborative -Supportive professionally and personally -Humorous
What is the quality or level of teaching we provide?	Boss level		Focused on reading and writing supports with scaffolds to support deficits in ability.	The best we can do	Low Level	I think we are moving towards a standard that is rigorous for all students, but meets students at their individual levels and helps them develop towards the common goal.	We hold high academic expectations for our students while also providing supports to meet their academic needs.
What roles do we play?	Teacher, advisor, role model		Numerous, teacher, support system, advisor	Teacher, “school mom”	Teacher Friend Counselor Advisor Mentor MOM OR DAD Pastor	Teacher, advisor, mentor, coach, cheerleader, educator, counselor, social worker, confidant, role model,	SO. MANY. -Educator -Student -Counselor -Mentor -Support system
What resources will we use?	Challenging texts, tech		Technology is key but we need a foundation for this “21st Century” learning	Good ones	Books Well planned lessons	Tested and Proven strategies, specific strategies and best practices to drive our instruction and prioritization, whichever technologies are appropriate for the work we are doing.	Technology, evidence-based practices/strategies/interventions, books, each other
What are our philosophies and/or values?			Creating engaging lesson that make learning meaningful for students	Also good ones		We value literacy and see our work as crucial to social justice. We think that making our students better readers and writers doesn’t make them better people, but it can help them create better lives for themselves.	We value the power of literacy and educational equity

Forest Park’s Current Vision/Mission:

Mission: The guiding mission of Forest Park High School is that every scholar will graduate, environmentally conscious, globally competitive for work and post-secondary education, and thoroughly prepared for life in the 21st Century.

Vision: Every scholar excels in a rigorous and relevant 21st Century Common Core curriculum that includes a mastery of languages, an appreciation of the arts, competency in the use of technology, and prepared to excel in a globally competitive workforce. Every student’s achievement is measured with an assessment portfolio that drives instruction and evaluates knowledge, skills, performance, and dispositions needed in the 21st Century

English Department Vision: As a department, we are committed to advancing student achievement through the use of rigorous academic opportunities which are creative, collaborative, culturally relevant, and developed through critical thinking skills in order to graduate socially conscious citizens.

English Mission Statement: Mission: In order to empower our students to create better lives for themselves, contribute to an evolving world, and sustain active learning, our department is committed to engaging students in a balanced, varied English curricula designed to meet their individual academic, cultural,and social needs. As faculty we strive to provide a safe and nurturing environment for our students while pushing them to meet standards of college and career readiness. We equip our students with the tools and technology to advocate for themselves and others, to effectively communicate in a variety of mediums, and become socially conscientious global citizens.

Connected to social justice
Technology
Supportive/Supports
Student agency
Globally, socially, politically, emotionally, conscious
Mastery of language

Memedom