Holiday Park Vision

 Voice Of All -

As we continue our work together, it is important that we take the time to identify and articulate our Vision for our school. We are reminded everyday how the power of a clear vision can drive success for any organization.

We do not have months, or even weeks, to develop this together. Why? Because we have our students now! We must be clear now! Our work is very important. Our kids deserve it.

I have spent some time this summer trying to understand the power of Vision. I have learned that the most effective organizations all over the world have Visions that drive everything they do. They are often simple, concise, powerful, memorable, and a bit magical. Some examples of what I found-

The Disney Corporation - We Make People Happy
Feeding America Organization - A Hunger Free America
Human Rights Campaign - Equality For Everyone
Microsoft - A Computer On Every Desk

These examples caused me reflect on our Vision as a school. What to we want for every child at Holiday Park? How can we capture this in a memorable statement that drives everything we do? That is the question before us. 

I can tell you that we are a sub-part of an organization; Cartwright School District. Our Vision must align with the district Vision to strengthen the whole organization. Knowing that, consideration must be given to the following:

• Focus on results
• Collaborate to meet the needs of every student
• Exceed State standards 

These might represent more of goals for us and should fit nicely into any Vision we will articulate for our school. So now... our work must begin. The voice of each of us is important as we work to create our Vision. Than being said, it is important that our Vision align with our school goals. I feel the importance to communicate my goals with clarity so that there is no ambiguity as we move through this process. 

Please spend some time thinking about what you "see" and "want" for every child at Holiday Park so that we can each contribute to the conversation. A few thoughts that I have been focused on are -

• Making sure our students know that thinking, critically, is our main goal for them.
• That working hard and persevering is more important then getting a "right" answer.
• That thinking leads to questioning, that leads to wondering, that leads to searching for information, that leads to sharing what you know, that leads to creating something.
• That the adults at Holiday Park are all there for the students, every student, everyday.
• That we learn from failure and we should celebrate our failure as it gives us the chance to reflect and learn.

Please feel free to post any comments below as we move through this process together.