Lift up what is best about Sidwell, while identifying new opportunities to cultivate a positive school “culture”, strengthen teaching and learning, and explore compelling ways to embrace the mission and purpose of Friends education.

Cultivate a Positive School Culture and Working Environment

Strengthen Teaching and Learning

Exploring Compelling Ways to Embrace the Mission and Purpose of Friends Education

How can we work together to help all members experience a sense of belonging and elicit more joy?

How might we grow trust across the boundaries of roles, departments, and divisions.

What tangible and realistic steps can we take to reduce pressure on adults and students?

What two or three efforts might we make to allow more time to focus on the “essential work” of the School?

When do you feel most connected to your colleagues?

What conditions need to be present for honest, open, judgement free sharing on concerns?

How can we restructure time to reduce stress?

How do we make the daily work more joyful? Think of a time when your daily work was joyful? What were the conditions?

What are the controlables that allow us to get to better balance in our daily work?

What is one responsibility you would love to give up? What work gives/drains your energy?

How do we uplift or highlight the Quaker values at each stage? How do we connect the threads?

What opportunities are there to shift our use of time in a culture that pressures us to do more now?

What can we do as colleagues to be more influential on our students, families and colleagues to be process oriented and less results oriented?

How can we further connect faculty and staff as a community? How can we further integrate?

Given issues of affordability, what are the opportunities for the school to mitigate some of the challenges of commuting? What are other opportunities like the ECLC? Increase of SMART benefits for example.

What should colleague relationships look like in a Quaker school?

How has the essential work of teacher changed and what's the impact?

Given the ongoing process of refining and introducing new pedagogy and approaches to teaching and learning and commitment to excellence, how do we bridge the gap?

How do we bring contracted partners part of our community in a real way? Through information sharing, activities and community building?

How can build empathy and understanding for the roles and work of others?