Wilmette Junior High School

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Wilmette Junior High School

• 2006-2007
• School Improvement Plan

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WJHS Mission

• WJHS is dedicated to meeting the educational and
  developmental needs of emerging adolescents
  through a caring partnership of students, staff,
  parents, and community

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2005-06 Accomplishments

• Significantly narrowed the gender discrepancies
  in LA achievement scores w/o decreasing
  achievement of female students.

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2005-06 Accomplishments

• Further enhanced a positive atmosphere within the
  school community
• Expanded extracurricular opportunities
• X-Country
• Chorus Program
• Clubs
• Found new ways to recognize students and increase
  student voice
• Recognition rallies
• Character citations
• Student raffles
• Reorganize student council
• Student Advisory Council

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2005-06 Accomplishments

• Improved communication within the WJHS community
• Home/School Communication
• Email listserv
• WIRE online
• Jr. Highlights - weekly newsletter
• Local Calendar and/or SchoolNotes.com
• Established the school website as the main portal
  for school communication
• Implemented shared decision-making model
• Building Leadership Committee
• Administrative attendance at team meetings

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SIP Process and Participation

• The BLC acted as the School Improvement Team.
• Representation from each team
• Review from parents through PTO
• All stakeholders involved
• Team teachers
• PE, RA, WL
• Special Education
• Parents

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Building Consensus
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Data and Rationale for Current Goals

• ISAT and CoGAT
• Harris Survey
• W39/WEA Joint Survey
• Independent School Surveys
• Student, Parent, and Staff Feedback

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Goal 1 - Improve instruction for all students at
WJHS

• Continue to address the gender discrepancy
• Seventh grade reading teachers will pilot single
  gender classrooms for at least one unit.
• LA teachers will work with the Michael Gurian
  Institute to develop strategies that address the
  gender discrepancy
• LA teachers will share strategies with WJHS staff

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Goal 1 - Improve instruction for all students at
WJHS

• Pilot a voluntary Observation Triad program. The
  Triads will focus on the following areas
• Characteristics of highly effective teaching
• Providing specific and constructive feedback on
  instruction
• How to use feedback to improve instruction

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Goal 2 - Enhance a positive atmosphere within the
school community

• Improve staff morale as measured by the Harris
  Survey, WEA/WSD39 survey, and WJHS focus groups.
• Administer the Strengths Finder Assessment
• Provide professional development on working with
  a diverse adult population
• Staff book study - How Full Is Your Bucket?
• Implement the Bucket strategies

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Goal 3 - Create a safe and respectful learning
climate for students.

• Establish a benchmark for students who report
  incidences of bullying and teasing
• Provide a parent/student information session on
  internet safety
• Create a safe way for students to report
  incidents of bullying (report_at_wilmette39.org)
• Develop a school-wide procedure for intervening
  when bullying occurs
• Identify and address students who may be
  disconnected from adults at WJHS

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WJHS - Teaching Tomorrows Leaders