As a district, we will lead forward with courage, compassion, commitment, and excellence that is delivered through a culturally responsive set of core values and expectations that communicate to all students at YCS that we see them, hear them, get them, value them, and respect them for the genius that each of them bring to the place called the classroom.
One of our major goals for the 2021-22 school year is to continue to create culturally responsive and intellectually safe classrooms that are alive with dialogue, inquiry and respect for students’ minds by intentionally cultivating their genius through the right level of rigor and support. We can continue to deliver on our district’s vision, mission, and beliefs by ensuring that we create intellectually safe environments that honor:
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A Growth Mindset (Love for Learning, Student Voice, Thinking About their Thinking, Asking Great Questions, and Considering Multiple Perspectives)
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A Strong Sense of Belonging (I see you, I hear you, I get you, I value you, and I respect you)
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Elevating Student Voice (Expression, Consultation, Participation, Partnership, Activism, and Leadership)
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Elevating Student Agency (Setting Goals, Initiating Actions, Reflecting and Redirecting, and Internalizing Self-Efficay)
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Ensuring that Students are Ready for Rigor and Independent Learning (Focus on Humanizing Education to Ensure that All Students Get What they Need, Focus on Whole Child, Focus on our Collective Deep Equity Work)
Our collective journey will require us all to be prepared for the most significant shift that will impact public education throughout the World as we transition back into brick and mortar institutions. We must shift our thinking and deliver with intentionality and precision through our actions. MAJOR SHIFT: Transitioning to a Student-Centered and Intellectually Safe Learning Environment that Places the Student As Leaders of their Own Learning 50% of the time. This move will require us to rethink how instructions will be delivered to our students in a manner that puts them in the seat of self-regulation and learning how to actively learn and grow through minds on thinking strategies and protocols designed to include student voice (50% of the time daily) in our classrooms. We must be ready to revisit some past strategies and make the necessary modifications to meet the needs of our students. As we venture to the 2021 - 22 school year you will be exposed to professional learning opportunities that will help you to better plan with student voice in mind. Some of these strategies might include: Use of Student Goal Setting, Use of Accountable Talk (Math Talk, or Talk Moves), Use of Student Engaged Assessment Protocols (Example: think-pair share), Use of Thinking Maps (graphic organizers), Use of Question Formation Technique (students generating their own questions), Use of Technology Tools, Use of Growth Mindset, Use of Formative Assessments, The Use of Making Learning Visible, and the Use of Choice in the Classroom. Again, the 2021-22 school year at YCS promises to be an amazing experience and shift for both our students and educators. I look forward as we co-create a culturally responsive and intellectually safe learning environment where all students can learn, thrive and grow.
Carlos Lopez -- Assistant Superintendent
