Kobza's Komments

The month of November is when plans are due in education which fits in with Habit 2 Begin with the End in Mind – Have a Plan. In the Alberta Education Ministry Business Plan for Education for 2020 – 2023, the Minister articulates goals for the province and then our Holy Spirit Board sets Strategic Priorities that align with the Business Plan. At our Professional Development Day on October 9^th, we looked at the following four divisional priorities to determine our area of focus at St. Teresa:

1. Faith: Staff & students will grow in their faith and experience the richness of Catholic Education
2. Learning: High quality instruction rooted in sound research & effective assessment practices to support growth for all learners
3. First Nations, Metis & Inuit: First Nations, Metis and Inuit education for all
4. Wellness: Foster a culture of wellness that is foundational to support learning

From these priorities we created goals to help us plan for student success.  As we ask our students to focus on the “Wildly Important Goals” or WIG, we too narrowed our focus so that our St. Teresa Continuous Improvement Plan focuses on the most important areas. Students are also going to be setting their WIGs during the month of November.  Teachers will be sending home information for parents to go through the process in the first week and we are asking that the goals be set and uploaded to Fresh Grade by November 13.  The following week will be our first set of office hours where parents can make appointments to discuss the goals and any other concerns with teachers.

Having goals helps us to plan for success and achieving small goals can increase confidence and motivation.  One thing I have learned about setting goals is making sure that they are realistic and achievable.  A podcast I listen to talks about attendance goals or goals that we can achieve every day.  For myself, I’ve set a goal of getting 20 active minutes on my FitBit every day.  There are days that I get many more than 20 but then there are the days when I do not feel like doing anything, but I tell myself that I can get to 20 minutes.  If I had put it at 40 minutes I am not so sure I would be as motivated to try to hit my goal every day, but 20 is achievable.  For now, I am developing the habit and will slowly increase the expectation as the habit is developed.  Make sure you are setting targets that you can achieve every day when setting your goals.

Another aspect of Habit 2 Begin with the End in Mind is having a vision for identifying the desired outcome.  Each class has created and posted Mission Statements which clarify the important purposes of their class.  It also helps the students know why they come to school and how the class can best work together. Our Leader in Me At Home page offers information for you to create a Family Mission Statement.  Try it out so you can capture the main principles and values of your family!