VividVision2022Prepared By:

KARINE VELDHOENChief Learning Officer

Revised and approved by the School Board

WILLOWSTONE ACADEMY

SEPTEMBER 2019

INTRODUCTION

WHY I DO WHAT I DO

The following is my 2022 Vivid Vision for Willowstone Academy.

A Vivid Vision creates a detailed picture of the future and a compelling call to snap that future into the present. Our school is designing a new Learn ForwardTM educational experience by being crystal clear on the five most important journeys of a child:

faith, worthiness, selfhood, belonging, and changemaking.We are rooted in relationships because we value inclusion, diversity, and equity. We are designing a thriving community and ultimately multiplying our work.

This Vivid Vision is my description of what Willowstone Academy will look like, feel like, and act like in 2022.

It is my calling to “lead with love” both locally and globally. My heart is to empower teachers and parents to cultivate the conditions for thriving for the sake of the children. My work is most often at a community level because grass-roots movements change the world. To that end, I serve as the leader of Learn ForwardTM, Willowstone Academy, and Niteo Africa Society. My motto is: work meaningfully, live artfully, and love deeply.

Within our learning community, I eagerly embrace the challenge of designing and leading a world class school as a new template for an educational experience where children and families flourish. Willowstone Academy’s new model and philosophy is shared beyond our doors for the sake of children everywhere!

ROOTED IN RELATIONSHIPSChildren grow and develop when they ‘rest in love.’ Fundamentally, this love originates with the Creator and the first practical expression is designed to begin between a parent and a child. From there, a child ventures forth and attaches to other caring teachers and adults within the community. We fundamentally support and nourish this primary parent-child relationship. And, the research shows a child only needs one adult to ‘be crazy about him’ to be successful!

A WELCOMING TABLE OF LEARNINGLearning is at the heart of our work and everyone is learning to love better. 'The Table of Learning‘ is a metaphor for how we engage in the Willowstone community and where we practice loving and learning.

From the first day, each family member is a willing learner alongside our Willowstone Academy students. We posture ourselves as learners, modeling vulnerability and creating a warm and respectful culture.

Our school community is inclusive to love as an expression of our faith. We are a reflection in every way of our community’s population: social, economic, gender identity, ethnic, language, and heritage. We practice welcoming the ‘other,’ those different from us, with grace and dignity.

Each member of our community cultivates clarity about his or her highest contribution. Everyone asks, gives, and receives.

Loving children is our primary work.

Let’s champion the extraordinary potential in each child!

The leadership of Willowstone Academy nourishes the sacred work of teachers and parents through an accessible menu of experiences, classes, online resources, books, events, and coaching opportunities.

Our teachers, staff, and parents understand and apply the work of Dr. Gordon Neufeld and the Neufeld Institute. Learn ForwardTM resources also give our community the philosophical and practical tools necessary to develop healthy relationships. Plus, Nest-Building at Home and Nest-Building in the Classroom are our signature Learn ForwardTM online courses. We host each bi-annually.

BLOSSOMING IN LEARN FORWARDTM

In 2022 our manifesto is alive and our Learn ForwardTM learning philosophy is understood and applied in every classroom. These cultural pillars inform our signature pedagogy. We welcome students to inquire and make meaning of the five most important journeys: faith, worthiness, selfhood, belonging, and changemaking as foundational to our BC Curriculum.

Practically, we have Designed a Thriving Community, rooted in healthy relationships and based on our signature pedagogy

that includes a(n): • Vibrant Garden,

• Outdoor Classroom,• Active Transportation Program,• Rooftop Learning Space, and• Student-led Social Enterprise and Changemaking

Initiatives.

TEACHER-LEADERSHIP TEAMTeachers at Willowstone Academy lead their classrooms and education more broadly in personalization of learning.

We embody the 6 traits of a Willowstone Academy educator with excellence:

• Designer of Learning Experiences• Deep Dedication to all Children• Generous Collaborator• Innovative Risk Taker• Courageous Learner• Active Faith Journey

These cross-cutting characteristics are how we ensure we are connecting with students, managing our classrooms efficiently, creatively designing our learning experiences, and offering our highest and best contribution to our profession.

Each teacher-leader knows he/she is cherished by this community.

DYNAMIC & PERSONALIZED LEARNINGWillowstone Academy delivers dynamic and personalized learning as reported by students and parents. Students own their own learning journey and teachers are the guide-on-the-side. It is energized and creative work.

Children enrolled at Willowstone Academy become powerful learners, rather than just proficient students. They are coached consistently by both parents and teachers to identify learning goals, design learning paths, create learning experiences, and share accountability for learning progress and success.

Everyone is always seeking ways to identify and harness the child’s natural and creative energy because we believe in the competency of the child. The Willowstone Academy team, parents, and children all contribute on a daily basis to the educational community built on the premises of dialogue and cooperation (Edwards, Gandini, Forman, 108) and children journey in organic and creative ways.

Our learning experiences consistently hold the following mindsets and pedagogies as superior:

• Childhood is Cherished• Competency-based • A Rich Culture of Inquiry• Design Thinking

SUSTAINABILITY & PHILANTHROPY

Willowstone Academy multiplies. Despite each campus being a uniquely developing community, the campuses are all connected because we focus on what matters most together:

• The Learn ForwardTM philosophy permeates each campus.

• The Willowstone Academy team is deeply connected, dedicated, and fulfilled in meaningful work.

• Children are becoming creators, learners, and initiators of their own learning journey.

• Together, we are story-catchers and story-tellers of learning and growth.

• Parents are invited to the Table of Learning and consistently come to learn and grow along with their children and educators.

• Visually engaging, organized, and orderly spaces are created to ignite learning.

Our sustainability is secure and rests in our hands because our main campus is debt free. Our leadership governs effectively for the sake of the children.

Our culture of philanthropy ignites our potential to Design a Thriving Community. We have donors who see

their investment coming to life in the lives of our students, families, and graduates.

Financial structures make our community completely accessible to anyone and push against the inherent structures of privilege. Our design is a reflection of our faith and champions the extraordinary potential that lives within every child.

MULTIPLE CAMPUSES

Today, we find ourselves amidst a powerful group of education, corporate, and industry collaborators who are creatively solving the wicked problems of the 21st Century. We value our collaborations and are willing to invest in mutually beneficial outcomes. We choose our collaborations based on values, alignment, and potential to more effectively serve our students and families.

Our community partners are working side-by-side with us to ensure we are serving students, families, and education more broadly in powerful and creative ways for the fourth industrial revolution. Our organizational relationships extend into post-secondary schools, research institutions, school districts, independent schools, technology, corporate sponsors, and like-minded charities. We have a research partnership working to validate our model. Being strategic and focused on deliverables as we work in partnership is always, ultimately for the sake of the students.

CREATIVE COMMUNITY COLLABORATORS

We are a model school system for children of all ages, investing in education and educators locally and globally. We are consistently called upon to share, teach, consult, collaborate, and lead in educational communities throughout the world because we are writing an innovative and successful template for the Human Renaissance to come.

Our Designing a Thriving Community approach is documented and replicable. It becomes a template for schools around the world.

MODEL SCHOOL WITH WORLD-CLASS EDUCATION (INFANT TO GR. 9)

WILLOWSTONE ACADEMY4091 Lakeshore Road

Kelowna, BC V1W 1V7

MY LEADERSHIP JOURNEY

KARINE VELDHOEN, M.ED.Chief Learning Officer

• Strategic Thinking• Activator

As the Chief Learning Officer of Willowstone Academy, I am at my best when I am growing, learning, and taking new ground in vibrant teams. I invest intentionally in my learning and professional development through continued involvement in academic, leadership, and educational organizations aligned with my values.

My strengths are:• Communication• Ideation• Connectedness

As we journey together, I always welcome our thoughtful collaboration.