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March 13, 2026

GLPS Families,

We kicked off the third trimester this week, after wrapping up conferences and the second tri last week. Moving into the home stretch of the school year means that spring is in the air (although it does not feel like it today!). We are still a few weeks away from spring break, but for all of you basketball fans, March Madness tips off soon, and that is a sure sign that it is time to make our last push to ensure that all students learn what they need to learn to be successful for the remainder of this year and are prepared for the fall. 

As I mentioned last week, this is the time of year when we track and monitor our school improvement goals, so I am going to spend my next few messages outlining our goals within each focus area in our strategic plan, and the work we are doing to achieve them within the district. To those ends, today I want to share what we are doing within the Learning Environment and Culture focus area, which states that GLPS will develop and maintain a robust and sustainable culture, focusing on diverse goals, needs, and experiences for all students. This year, we have two goals in this area:

Currently, our professional learning plan for staff is very comprehensive, with our monthly sessions aligned to our strategic plan, academic services framework, and instructional frameworks. All district staff participate in some form of professional learning and training, with our instructional and leadership teams engaged in professional growth multiple times per month. The learning is focused on improving instructional practices, and I have written about it multiple times following our district professional learning days. As it pertains to goal #1, we have various mechanisms for seeking feedback and input on our sessions. Teacher leaders gather input from our teams, and the district instructional leadership team reviews that input monthly. We have additional formal and informal means to hear from teachers on what is working and what is not. We also seek feedback from our Caregiver School Improvement Team, whose input directly helps us plan our sessions. Finally, we utilize student voice as well, as we look at survey results to ensure that we are targeting areas identified as needs for additional training. In fact, we are actually going to have students as presenters at our next session on April 6th, discussing their experiences and how our policies and practices impact their experiences and how we can create a more inclusive learning environment. 

Goal #2 in this category speaks to some next steps in the development of a cohesive vision for teaching and learning in the district. The portraits referenced there outline what we expect all students to learn and be able to do before they graduate and how our educators and leaders support the development of those competencies. We have started this work within our leadership teams andCaregiver School Improvement Team, and we will continue it throughout the spring, summer, and fall, seeking input from a wide variety of folks on what those competencies should be and how we should structure our systems to achieve them.

Goals are important, because they create the backbone of our work, allow us to align resources, and build opportunities for reflective growth and celebrations of success. We appreciate all you do to support us in our efforts to improve, and we are thankful that we get to work with you and your children every day. Have a wonderful weekend, and as always, I am #proudtobeacomet!

Dr. Bill Barnes
Superintendent of Schools