Fall is upon us and
as the leaves begin
to change, we have
Dr. Ken Lockette
accomplished much
Superintendent of Schools
since opening our
doors in August. We
entered the year beginning to implement the District’s new
strategic plan “Small World, Big Future,” a roadmap that lays out
how the District, together with the community and partners,
will evolve to serve the whole child in preparing to thrive as
part of a technology-driven workforce in a globally-connected
community. At the core of the plan are strategic and curriculum
overarching goals and action plans:
The strategic goals include:
• Increase cultural and global competencies to provide diverse
perspectives
• Identify and address social and emotional needs to educate
the whole child
• Address future growth in enrollment to anticipate needs and
plans for possible expansion
• Create a comprehensive communications plan to keep our
community engaged
• Enhance safety and security to prevent and ensure readiness
for emergencies
The curriculum goals include:
• Align teaching practices with vision to support teachers in
continuous improvement
• Redesign district assessment practices to measure what is
most meaningful
• Integrate the arts throughout the curriculum to provide a
well-rounded education
• Refine the curriculum process to ensure education is
consistently high quality
• Develop flexible career pathways to prepare students for the
future of work
In support of the overarching goal in the strategic plan to
improve diversity and inclusiveness, a new Diversity and Equity
policy has been created and is going through the approval
process with the Board of Directors. Additionally, existing
policies on Bullying/Cyberbullying and Unlawful Harassment
are being revised to work in concert with the Diversity and
Equity policy. Restorative practices have been built in all three.
The District also continues to work with diversity consultants
in developing practices and programming that focus on
inclusiveness and respect.
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In support of the overarching goal with social emotional
learning, the District is piloting a platform that will provide a
digital social and emotional learning program for students,
restorative justice and intervention programs, and other
resources. Trainings for trauma informed care have also been
scheduled for faculty and staff in the elementary buildings.
In the area of curriculum, all schools have refocused on
specific data points to better inform instruction and professional
development on creating a “culture of thinking” continues. In
October, the District hosted Dr. Ron Richhart, Harvard professor
and author, who gave a keynote and ran sessions for a District
conference that focused on developing a culture of thinking
through thinking routines and protocols.
Progress has been made on other areas of the strategic plan as
well, not least is the District’s goal in addressing the rapid growth
and continued increases in enrollment. To address this need, the
District has undergone a feasibility study with the architecture
firms The Hayes Design Group and Weber Murphy Fox that
began last spring and is coming to an end this fall. Through the
feasibility study, a visioning session was held with the leadership
team and with the Board of Directors; the District’s academic
programming was analyzed; the condition of the existing facilities
examined; and potential models for renovation and expansion
were vetted. In November, the Board of Directors will make
decisions on the recommended model.
As we transition seasons from fall to winter, the South Fayette
Township School District has much to be thankful for and
looks forward to winter events in the arts, continued growth
in academics, and the end of the fall and the beginning of the
winter athletic seasons. We hope that everyone has a safe and
wonderful holiday season.