Ensuring that our actions align with our goals and values is a continual focus at Mountainside. Implementation of our goals has required continual dialog and collaborative discussion and problem solving. Staff, students, and community members have worked together to unpack our goals in an effort to identify sequential steps and achievable short term objectives that we can continue to work towards.
The journey towards implementation of our goal of Maintaining the culture of Mountainside during the disruptive seismic renovation process involves ongoing communication with our school district partners and the construction crew who are responsible for the physical aspect of the seismic project. Their important work then needs to be considered through a human lens that accounts for the impact the project will have on students, staff and our Mountainside culture and values. Ongoing communication continues to take place with students, staff and community partners to identify where and how we need to adapt and where the plans for the project may need to adapt in order to protect the climate of our school.
The goal of increasing the engagement of students and key stakeholders has been something that Mountainside staff have been working towards since the school’s creation. Staff at the school recognize that the educational journeys of the students who attend Mountainside are rarely linear and many students who arrive at Mountainside are already struggling with a history of disengagement with the traditional model of the school system. We see one of our primary roles here at the school to be reigniting and reengaging students on their educational and life journeys.
Through consultation and collaboration with students, parents, and staff we decided to try to focus on the following objectives to increase the engagement of students and key stakeholders:
- Develop learning opportunities that spark passion, create a sense of accomplishment and build feeling of pride and self-esteem in students
- Support students to find ways to contribute and make positive changes to their community