Jeremy Womer

Haine Middle School
Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania
womerjc@svsd.net

Best Practices

1) Whole Child Initiatives: As a leader, I am constantly thinking about how the decisions I make and things we are doing in the school impact and support students. Our goal to create an environment where we are providing academically challenging opportunities and being innovative leaders helps us to move forward. At Haine Middle School we offer clubs on a bi-weekly basis. These clubs occur during the school day during A&E period. Teachers lead a club or an opportunity for students to try something new. Clubs range from sports clubs such as basketball or hockey to cooking clubs where students use fresh produce from hydroponic units in the building. Another club new this year is an Esports club. This club provides students opportunity and exposure to competitive gaming. The Esports club and many other clubs give the students an opportunity to explore something they may not have had the chance to engage in. It also provides students a platform or opportunity to share their interests and skills with their peers. Outdoor learning is another example of focusing on the whole child and the opportunities we are able to provide. This is a teacher-led program that focuses on learning in the world around us and giving students the opportunity to engage with the outdoors. As a leader I get to support the teacher through planning and implementation. Seeing their passion and focus on the students helps to drive the initiative forward. One of the biggest ways that we have been able to support this program is through scheduling and providing opportunities for the lead teacher to work collaboratively with their colleagues. I work with various agencies and groups within our community to support our students. One of the groups that I work most closely with is our PTO. Working with the PTO helps to provide additional opportunities and experiences for the students. Field trips, family engagement/fun nights, and playground equipment are all areas that I have worked closely with the PTO.

2) Assistant Principal’s Role as Instructional Leader: As an instructional leader, I focus on instruction, curriculum, professional development, teacher capacity, resources, and data. Through PLCs we focus on the four essential questions of learning. I monitor instruction by being in classrooms and observing the instructional strategies that are being used. I provide feedback to teachers and help to facilitate reflection. I am currently working as a member of the math resource committee and the STEELS standards/resource committee. Through these committees we are focusing on instructional strategies and resources to effectively facilitate learning for students. I co-lead the current K-6 Science resources for the district. Through this role I help support teachers through resources they may need to facilitate hands on learning. Professional development is an opportunity to improve on instructional practices. I utilize a mixed approach with professional development and learning. Using the expertise of teachers and staff within the school is a great way for leadership opportunities but also using the knowledge and expertise of the staff. Other professional development and learning opportunities are identified through data or in collaboration with different committees within the building. Teacher induction is part of professional development and learning. When I lead professional development and learning we focus on instructional practices, data, professional responsibilities, evidence of learning, classroom management, and other needed topics. Teachers participate in this for three years. Data is used to evaluate effectiveness and continuous improvement. Through MTSS we provide support and instruction at each tier to meet the needs of students. Focusing on high-quality Tier 1 instruction helps to ensure that all students are getting high quality instruction. Tier II and Tier III instruction helps to provide support and instruction for students on targeted skills using data.