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Greenwood Elementary spotlight: principal shows how 'ensure all students learn and belong' guides day‑to‑day instruction
Summary
At the Wayzata school board meeting, Greenwood Elementary presented a student video and a walkthrough of schoolwide practices—success criteria, PLCs and data use—aimed at improving learning and belonging; the board also recognized student athletes, chess and math achievements and employees of the month.
Greenwood Elementary used a brief student video and faculty presentation to show how the school translates district vision into classroom practice. Executive director Diana Miller introduced the spotlight and Greenwood’s principal shared snapshots of team work on success criteria, ladders of learning and grade‑level projects.
The principal described schoolwide Professional Learning Community (PLC) practices, the district’s 5D+ rubric focus (purpose/success criteria), and examples from first and fifth grade where teachers co‑created learning targets, scaffolded steps to mastery, and had students reflect on progress. "Our vision is to ensure all students learn and belong," the principal said, summarizing the school’s aim.
Board members praised classroom engagement and the video’s authentic student voice. Several directors noted the connection between equity and belonging and highlighted growth shown in the school’s benchmark data. The board also used the recognitions portion of the agenda to honor Nordic state champion Laya Gallum and coach Andrew Hansen, the 2026 state‑champion chess team and middle‑school MathCounts qualifiers headed to nationals, and employees of the month Greg Meyer and Tina Sheldon.
The presentation emphasized instructional systems—shared learning targets, success criteria and data‑informed responses—that administrators said make teaching more consistent across classrooms. Board members asked about sustaining consistency across elementary schools; the principal described the work as a districtwide journey and credited the district teaching‑and‑learning team for alignment efforts.
What’s next: Greenwood will continue to report school‑level progress to the board; board members encouraged ongoing focus on scaling consistency across schools and on ensuring resources from the recent referendum support classroom needs where appropriate.
