Demonstrate awareness, sensitivity, concern, and respect to connect with others’ feelings, opinions, backgrounds, and culture
Imagine what others are thinking, feeling, or experiencing
Attempt to understand the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of others
Portrait of a Graduate
Vineland Public Schools is excited to embark on a new school and community-minded project called a Portrait of a Graduate, a collective vision that helps articulate our community’s aspirations for all of our students.
As the district begins to formulate the new Strategic Plan for the upcoming school years, the Portrait process will begin framing a new vision for our school system, which can then be implemented through the Strategic Plan. Now, more than ever, learning experiences must not only provide rigorous academic content, but must be more intentional in fostering critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity, and other skills that our children need to thrive in our rapidly changing world.
Our Portrait of a Graduate will be locally developed and globally positioned. It will be the first step in framing a new vision for Vineland. From our kindergarteners to our seniors—this work has an enduring impact. Each of us will play an important role in making our Portrait of a Graduate a reality for every student as we continue to create meaningful learning experiences every day. And, once we create our Portrait, the exciting work of implementing this new vision begins.
Portrait Competencies
Empathy
Adaptability
Work effectively in a climate of changing priorities
Demonstrate agility in thoughts and actions
Respond productively to feedback, praise, setbacks, and criticism
Understand and balance diverse views and beliefs to reach workable solutions
Demonstrate flexibility when acclimating to various roles and situations
Perseverance
Demonstrate determination in achieving success despite difficulty, opposition, and/or failure
Embrace the idea that failure is a part of success and quickly pivot to keep moving forward
Responsibility
Act honestly and demonstrate care for the interest of the larger community and greater good
Honor commitments and own the outcomes, whether positive or negative
Initiate and take action independently
Recognize how personal decisions and actions have an impact beyond oneself
Communication
Articulate thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written, and nonverbal communication skills in a variety of forms and contexts
Listen effectively to decipher meaning, including knowledge, values, attitudes, and intentions
Use communication for a range of purposes and audiences
Critical Thinking
Understand the ”bigger picture” and propose solutions that are mindful to the impact they may have on the greater good
Consistently improve the quality of one’s own thinking by skillfully analyzing, assessing, and reframing
Applies disciplined thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence