Results of the School’s Initiative Faculty Survey

Dear Faculty and Staff,

I hope this letter finds you all well. I’m excited to share the results of the School’s Initiative Survey with you and want to thank you for your candid feedback and reflections.

First, let me tell you how happy it made me that so many of you expressed a much greater understanding of the importance of wellness in your own lives and the lives of our students. To see 90% of respondents agree to the positive impact that the PD in Positive Psychology had, reaffirms our belief that it is a meaningful initiative.

The survey results illustrated strong support for the direction of Vision 2030. They also made it clear that you believe that the school, and the work we do, promotes the intellectual and personal development of each student.

While celebrating these positive results, we take to heart all of your feedback, including the areas where we still have room to grow, the alignment of the school curriculum, the culture of analyzing and interpreting student data for faculty, and the visibility of principals in classrooms.

Alignment of School Curriculum – Your feedback supports the decision to focus on curriculum documentation. The results highlight the need and rationale of working on the alignment, and we are confident that that need will be met.

Student Data for the Benefit of Faculty – We are continuing our work on making data a meaningful part of the school dialogue while improving how we gather, analyze, disaggregate and share it with you so that you can maximize the benefits.

Performance Matters has been rolled out for the Student Support Team, and now that we have had a chance to put the system to the test, we can truly begin using it to your advantage as it becomes increasingly populated with student data.

Visibility of Principals in Classrooms – As we design new systems and structures surrounding non-divisional activities, principals will be able to spend more time in their divisions. I am aware that in recent months, I have kept them involved in several school-wide initiatives. However, I recognize the need to increase your access to them. Their presence and your access to them is an essential part of the culture we are building, and we are actively working on improvements.

Like the student pre-assessments, the benchmarking of these results with the follow-up we will do this Spring, mirroring the accountability we set for them. Together, we can move forward and address these issues. In addition, I have scheduled meetings with our newest hires in the coming weeks and encourage anyone who wants to meet with me individually to also schedule an appointment during this time.

Lastly, I’d like to extend a thank you to each of you. Your dedication to our mission and the school’s core values is what allows us to continue ensuring the high-quality student experiences that our community has grown to expect of SSIS.

All good wishes,

Catriona