Mission:

Through a partnership of school staff, students, parents and community, all Portage Public Schools students will become effective communicators, responsible citizens, self-directed learners and complex thinkers. In order to accomplish this mission:

The school staff will:

Ensure high quality innovative curriculum, research-based instruction, opportunities for practice, and measurement of student achievement, that is customized to meet all students' needs.

Ensure a safe learning environment that empowers students to be responsible, confident, independent thinkers who are able to monitor their own behaviors and performances.

Build positive relationships in a professional, ethical manner by honoring diversity, modeling life skills, and meeting the physical and emotional needs of all students.

Be technologically literate, complex thinkers in an ever-changing profession.

The students will:

Master effective communication skills.

Master the ability to monitor and assess their own performance and be responsible for expanding their physical, emotional and intellectual learnings.

Demonstrate responsible citizenship through positive social interactions in various environments.

Use innovative complex thinking strategies to solve problems and make decisions in everyday life.

The parents will:

Provide a home environment, which encourages and supports effective communication.

Model, teach and hold their children accountable for appropriate behavior.

Foster and support their children's creative thinking and actions, and help them understand the responsibility that goes along with self-direction.

Model complex thinking and provide opportunities for their children to be complex thinkers.

The community will:

Interact with students to foster effective communication and place value upon youth participation.

Build relationships with youth by supporting programs, which involve students, families and community.

Support a variety of opportunities that provide youth with choices that encourage self-improvement.

Provide opportunities for youth to observe and participate in decision-making.

Vision

Portage Public Schools will shape the future by empowering every student to contribute intelligently and ethically in an information rich, global society.