About Us: Our Philosophy

John Bullen Middle School utilizes a philosophy we established over the last ten years based on three principles:
  1. A purposefully collaborative focus designed to educated all students to reach their fullest intellectual, academic, social/emotional & physical potential.
  2. We attain this by involving all participants of our school community in sharing important educational decisions and the responsibility for the outcome of these decisions.
  3. We know that by sharing and utilizing all of our human resources that students, parents, school staff, district and local communities bring to our educational efforts are school becomes stronger than that of any single individual or group could create.

Our governance structures asks each staff member to work in a cadre. We create and transform these staff committees to align with the school action plan created through an analysis of Bullen data. The success of these committees emerges from discussions and the work of school administrators, parents, and staff members.

The cadres meet a minimum of two times per month for 90 minutes in order to address building level concerns with the goal of making the action plan a reality. The school steering committee, Bullen's "site council," meets at night to gain greater input by parents and community members. Decisions and solutions--most emerging from the cadre recommendation--go before the steering committee for final approval and allocation of funds.

Our STAT process begins with grade level teachers collaborating with one another to identify possible solutions for students who are experiencing academic difficulties. After several solutions are attempted without expected success, the STAT members may refer a child to the Staffing Committee (including the school psychologist) that offers after in-depth discussion further suggestions, looks for alternative approaches within general education (including the Bridges Program), and/or develops a group recommendation for a special education evaluation and possible placement.

The building principal and assistant principal, involved with all of these processes, work closely with each of the cadres. The principal, also, leads the Steering Committee and the Staffing Committee.