GLPS Families,

As we wrap up our second week and look ahead to our first full week, I thought this would be a good time to remind you about the many ways we track and celebrate success here at GLPS (as a reminder, click here to see this message on our webpage, which includes translation services). So, to those ends, this week, I am going to share information with you about our strategic plan goals from last year.  Next week I will share information about the various forms of student achievement data that we monitor and track, and the following week I will highlight our goals for this year. There are a multitude of ways to determine whether or not a district is meeting the needs of its students, staff, families, and community, but our focus is on whether or not we have met the goals laid out in our strategic plan, and whether or not our students are showing academic growth.

  1. Our strategic plan webpage can be found here. Please take time to review our mission, vision, and belief statements, along with our five focus areas. As a summary,  you will notice this graphic used throughout the district.
  1. For the 2022-2023 school year, we had 34 goals embedded underneath the five focus areas. This seems like a lot, but they were spread throughout the buildings and departments within the district. I am pleased to report that we achieved 20 of the goals, we are still working on 11, and we have not achieved three. We are currently developing plans to continue working on ones that have not been achieved, in addition to this year’s new goals. For a quick review of last year’s goals, level of achievement, and evidence, click here.
  1. Family perception data is important to track through this process as well. This presentation, shared with the school board in August, clearly shows that our families feel like we are successful overall and in the five focus areas in our strategic plan.

One of our goals from last year was to begin acknowledging important dates, events, and celebrations for families in our community. Last year, we sent a survey, asking families to let us know what celebrations are important to you. We have compiled all of that information, and more, and we are now publishing a list of monthly acknowledgements. Those can be found here, as well as in our building newsletters. If we missed something that is important to your family, please email our director of communications, John Ellsworth, so we can make sure all members of our community feel welcomed and acknowledged.

We are proud of our achievements and accomplishments when it comes to our strategic plan, and we appreciate the support that we receive from all of you in our GLPS family. Feel free to reach out with questions or concerns. Have a wonderful weekend. 

As always, I am #proudtobeacomet!

Dr. Bill Barnes
Superintendent of Schools