Bright Spots

The Woodside Way and Aloha Spirit

Baldwin High School in Maui recently sent a team of educators to visit Woodside High School in California to continue their learning about Student Voice & Aspirations   implementation in the high school setting. The Baldwin team left with a clear understanding of how Student Voice and the 8 Conditions are woven into the culture and community, or what is called "The Woodside Way." The team at Woodside shared that the visit was mutually beneficial as they experienced the collaborative Aloha Spirit of the Baldwin team and had the opportunity to reflect on their practice as they shared their journey with others. This experience was truly enriching for both schools, as everyone benefits from the collaboration that ensues when schools can meet and learn with educators from other locations who are working towards the shared goals of amplifying Student Voice and supporting all students in reaching their Aspirations.

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Reseda Charter High School, California

This essay was written by a student at Reseda Charter High School as part of an intentional lesson on names as part of our identity and belonging, and was linked to a content objective with poems students read about identity, names, and belonging.

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Quaglia Schools of Action

Educators from Baldwin High School in Maui, Hawaii visited two Quaglia Schools of Action in Los Angeles, California. Teams from all three schools were inspired by the opportunity to collaborate with one another and share various practices and strategies related to Student Voice & Aspirations. Thank you to the Reseda Charter High School and Northridge Academy High School Aspirations Teams for hosting the Maui team, and thank you to the Baldwin High visitors for sharing the Aloha Spirit. We look forward to continued partnership with these amazing schools as they continue their journey to see Student Voice & Aspirations come alive as a true Way of Being in schools.  

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Woodside High School, California

Enjoy this video, created by the summer school principal, as it shares the 8 Conditions of Student Success with incoming freshman as part of the Compass Program.

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Cranbourne Secondary College, Australia

The Multipride wall was designed by students to represent the multiple nationalities of the student body, particularly the Pacific Island Nations that make up a large cohort. It is in an area that students have claimed as their safe space to hang out together.

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Dolphin Ambassadors at Kihei Elementary School

Dolphin Ambassadors at Kihei Elementary School have been meeting to discuss their thoughts, opinions, and ideas. A 4th grade Dolphin Ambassador summarized the findings from the Dolphin Ambassador notes, and shared the summary during one of the school's daily morning broadcasts. Click here to view the recording, filmed and broadcast entirely by students! And a big shout out to Bianca Datiles, Kihei's Student Activities Coordinator for doing such a great job leading the Dolphin Ambassadors.

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Kindergarten Voice at Wailuku Elementary School

Kathleen Delos Santos, a kindergarten teacher at Wailuku Elementary shared the links below as examples of Student Voice in Kindergarten. Student voice CAN and DOES happen with Kindergarteners!

Fire + Ice

Kindergarteners showcased their work in the school cafeteria in December for all to see. They were so proud to show off their writing pieces along with their mauna art, and their teacher was too!

Book Trust Intro

After reading through their own books, students had several chances to share about their favorite parts with at least three friends. Their teacher shared “I just loved hearing the excitement in their voices and the engagement in their faces with one another.” Be sure to click through and watch all the videos!

Book Trust Celebration Day!

Mahalo Book Trust board, staff and guests came in and read to the students – and brought donuts too!

100th Day of School Fashion Show

Check out the great videos. Students also voted on the 100th day of school treat. Spoiler alert! Mini sprinkled strawberry and chocolate donuts won!

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Guardian Angels Primary School, Australia



Students selected the song “I Have a Voice” as their theme song for the 2023 school year.

Enjoy their performance here.

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Kansas Technical Assistance Systems Network

In partnership with the Kansas Technical Assistance Systems Network (TASN) the Quaglia Institute has been working with an amazing group of educators from across the state in a Learning Community focused on amplifying Student Voice & Aspirations. The most recent session was focused on celebrating the power of voice by developing greater partnerships and purpose. Looking forward to continuing this learning journey in Kansas next year!

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A Seat at the Table

How Can We Help Students Feel Connected to School? Watch this on-demand webinar as Dr. Quaglia joins host Peter DeWitt. Learn some strategies to help with your struggles with student engagement and help students recover the joy of learning.

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Kihei Elementary School, Maui
 
A couple of weeks ago I had to provide sub coverage in a classroom.
I looked on the board and saw "Morning Circle" on the schedule.
I asked the kids to explain to me what it was about.
They got very excited and all came together on the floor.
 
The whole class gathered in a seated circle in the front of the class.
The student to my right grabbed a stuffed animal and began to share what she was feeling.
While the student was talking, no one else spoke.
When she was done, she passed the "stuffie'' to the next student, who then shared whatever was on his mind.
The stuffie was passed around, some students chose to share and others chose to pass.
 
Many students shared deeply personal information and while they shared, the others just listened.
No comments or judgements were made.
 
It was a safe space to be heard and to just listen to one another.
It was one of the best experiences I have shared with students so far this year.
 
We must remember to make time to share and listen to one another.
It helps us all learn to be compassionate and helps us to build relationships with one another.
 
Mrs Nicole McCombs, Vice Principal
 
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Sit With Wisdom
 
Northridge Academy, located in Los Angeles Unified School District, CA, has introduced Sit With Wisdom lunches, benefitting both students and teachers. Students get to spend some time with their teacher in an environment that is different from the classroom, and teachers have an opportunity to get to know the students in a deeper manner. View this slide deck for more information and photos.
 
 
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Lawrence Middle School World Cafe
 
Lawrence Middle School recently conducted their fourth World Café Data Activity. Side by side, adult leaders and students analyzed Student Voice survey data with the goal of learning from students' perspectives about the transition back to in-person learning on campus. Students then brainstormed solutions for identified issues and actions that can be taken to further enhance the student experience at Lawrence. The World Café was never designed to be a one-time event. Lawrence hosts these regularly in order to obtain feedback from students on an ongoing basis. The insights students provide are critical to the continual improvement planning process. Student input has become part of the “way of being” at Lawrence. This spring the Student Voice survey will be administered again, and a new group of students will be invited to share their perspectives. Supporting Lawrence's new goal of involving students in conversations with staff about future professional development, these World Café participants will also engage in this collective planning. We strongly believe that we have a lot to learn from students if we are willing to listen—Lawrence knows how to listen! Click here to view a one-minute video highlighting Lawrence's most recent World Café Data Activity.
 
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Sutter Middle School Kind Club

Check out the amazing work being done by students participating in the Kind Club at Sutter Middle School. 

A special shout out to Principal Kelly Welsh and Ms. Natalie Berghoudian for leading this incredible group. The Sutter Kind Club is supported by the Girls Build initiative through the LA Promise Fund. 
 

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Parent Presentation from Mt. Gleason Middle School

The Aspirations Team at Mt. Gleason Middle School delivered a presentation to parents about Student Voice during their regularly scheduled Coffee with the Principal.  For Student Voice to truly become a way of being, all members of the school community, including parents and community members must be included. This is a great example representing the work many schools are doing to include families in their Student Voice & Aspirations work. Click here to download the parent presentation.

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Woodside High School, California

Congratulations to Ms. Thelma Mooney and the entire Team Ascent at Woodside High School for creating an amazing 4-week experience for incoming Freshman to explore the campus, get to know key staff members, and learn important information that will set them up for a successful transition to high school. The purpose of Team Ascent is to give students a Sense of Belonging while introducing them to the other 8 Conditions of Student Success: Heroes, Sense of Accomplishment, Fun & Excitement, Curiosity & Creativity, Spirit of Adventure, Leadership & Responsibility, and Confidence to Take Action. Check out this video to see highlights from the 2022 Team Ascent experience.

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Chatsworth Charter High School, Los Angeles

 

This school year (2021-22) Chatsworth Charter High School returned to in-person instruction. A small group of teachers met at the beginning of the year to focus on student voice with the direction of Quaglia Institute. This group continued to meet as the first semester continued. We brainstormed ideas on how to make student voice a part of student life and school culture. One idea we decided to plan and execute was a virtual Town Hall. This Town Hall would be open to all students and have the administration as the guests. Students would be able to ask the administration any question via a Google Form. Leadership students and the Aspirations Team held this event on December 1, 2021.

Overall, I believe it was a positive experience for those who participated. We received 76 responses from the Google Form questionnaire where the questions were culled a day before the event. A debrief session was held with 48 Leadership students after the event for further discussion and participants came away with some good insights:

  1. Students appreciated the chance to be heard.
  2. Students would like to do it in person next time to allow for dialogue and/or follow-up questions.
  3. Themes were identified related to student concerns and ideas for improving campus.

The reception to the event was encouraging and received some good buzz from the students on campus. I believe this is a start in the right direction to change the school culture and make our school more inclusive and welcoming to student voices. The Aspirations Team will continue to work in partnership with Leadership students to listen and learn from student perspectives and lead together as we seek continual improvement. We are planning to host another Town Hall second semester to further encourage and promote student voice on Chatsworth Charter’s campus.

Click here to learn more.

Written by Gretchen Wiesner, Teacher, Chatsworth Charter High School