October 2019

Grant Community High School is undertaking an effort this school year to develop a Portrait of a Graduate.  Development of the Portrait will be an inclusive, local, and collaborative process that will identify and prioritize the competencies desired in all students by the time they graduate to enhance their chances of success now and in the future. 

We are undertaking this work because we want to ensure our educational system is being responsive to student aspirations and needs.  We also have a fundamental desire for all students to have an educational experience here at Grant that prepares them well for college, a career, and adult life.     

The Portrait Design Team will seek to include parents, students, educators, business leaders, and community members.  EdLeader21 and Battelle for Kids will be facilitating the work of the Portrait Design Team. Through a series of collaborative meetings, the Team will study how a changing economy, workplace skills and society impact our students.  A set of competencies, or the knowledge, skills, experiences and attributes, we want students to attain will then be identified.  Ultimately, we will define a visual and practical representation of the goals our school and community can word toward to incorporate and ensure 21st century learning experiences for all students.     

After the process of developing the Portrait of a Graduate is complete, we will seek to update the district’s goals so that we have forward-thinking strategic goals that includes measurable objectives and action steps that will help ensure that every student is well prepared to be successful in college and/or the workforce and to be “life ready.”

August 2019

I would like to extend a warm welcome to our students and families as we begin the 2019/20 school year.  We couldn’t be more excited to have the start of the school year right around the corner! 

There are so many things for our students, staff, school, and community to be proud of as we enter a new year.  As a Future Ready School, we have made strides toward each of our Future Ready goals, including:Providing authentic and relevant learning experiences that meet the curricular needs of all learners.

• Guiding students to become more self-sufficient and responsible by developing 21^st century skills focused on collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving.
• Increasing student engagement, student achievement, and academic rigor through personalized learning, differentiation, and equal access to technology.
• Teaching students to be productive and ethical through digital citizenship and global awareness.
• Empowering students with a voice and ownership in their education.
• Improving the effectiveness and efficiency of education.

To that end, students are currently in the process of receiving a District provided Chromebook.  Our focus isn’t on the technology, but rather providing the tools necessary to meet the needs of all learners.  These devices also work towards providing anywhere, anytime learning opportunities for all students. 

We renovated an additional twenty (20) classrooms this summer to provide 21^st Century technology and furnishings that embrace student mobility and collaboration.  We also completed renovations on the rooms that will be hosting two of our new courses, Tech Support Internship and Project Lead the Way – Introduction to Engineering.  Lastly, we updated a number of our older restrooms.

Teachers have been hard at work this summer, planning improvements to curriculum, instruction, and assessments.  You can expect to see an increased use of Schoology, providing valuable feedback on student performance.    

Communication between home and school has always been important, but I believe it to be even more so as we continue on our Future Ready journey and seek out changes to improve the educational experience for our students.  I encourage you to be in communication with your student’s teachers, members of the Student Services Team, and school administration, who are all here to see your student be successful.  We look forward to a great school year!