Portrait of a Graduate
Our Portrait of a Graduate identifies the skills and attributes we believe are critical to ensuring students are future ready. Built collaboratively by the Chelsea School District and community, it serves as a guide for work and decision-making in all aspects of the organization. Read more about the attributes below and see what they mean to us and how they are exemplified through our work.
The 4C's
Communication
A Chelsea graduate exchanges information and ideas effectively in various modes for diverse purposes.
- Use effective interpersonal skills during conversations and discussion to build positive relationships with others and promote collaborative learning.
- Communicate interactively and effectively to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others using a range of contemporary tools, transmissions, and processes.
- Listen effectively to decipher meaning, including knowledge, values, attitudes, and intentions. Communicate ideas through the creation of authentic products to inform, persuade, and entertain others.
- Communicate effectively in diverse environments (including multi-lingual). Show cultural understanding and global awareness when engaging with learners of other cultures.
- Deliver effective oral presentations to communicate the results of inquiry. Field questions to demonstrate conceptual understanding and knowledge, along with details about the inquiry process.
Creativity
A Chelsea graduate is imaginative, innovative, and willing to take risks.
Think Creatively
- Use a wide range of idea creation techniques (such as brainstorming).
- Create new and worthwhile ideas (both incremental and radical concepts).
- Elaborate, refine, analyze, and evaluate their own ideas in order to improve and maximize creative efforts.
Work Creatively with Others
- Develop, implement, and communicate new ideas to others effectively.
- Be open and responsive to new and diverse perspectives; incorporate group input and feedback into the work.
- Demonstrate originality and inventiveness in work and understand the real world limits to adopting new ideas.
Demonstrate Courage to Explore
- View failure as an opportunity to learn; understand that creativity and innovation is a long-term, cyclical process of small successes and frequent mistakes.
Implement Innovations
- Act on creative ideas to make a tangible and useful contribution to the field in which the innovation will occur.
Collaboration
A Chelsea graduate works effectively and respectfully with others to accomplish a common goal.
- Collaborate with others.
- Demonstrate the ability to work effectively and respectfully with diverse teams.
- Exercise flexibility and willingness to be helpful in making necessary compromises to accomplish a common goal.
- Assume shared responsibility for collaborative work and value the individual contributions made by each team member.
- Work productively in teams for sustained periods of time to develop high-quality products.
Critical Thinking
A Chelsea graduate identifies problems and reasons effectively, considering multiple viewpoints and sources, to develop solutions to problems of all types.
- Collect, assess, and analyze relevant information.
- Reason effectively.
- Use systems thinking.
- Make sound judgments and decisions.
- Identify, define, and solve authentic problems and essential questions.
- Reflect critically on learning experiences, processes, and solutions.
The three branches, Academic, Social, and Emotional, represent the aspects we aim to nurture in supporting growth of the whole child. See below for definitions of each branch and the competencies that are involved in each.
Academic, Social, and Emotional Branches
Academic
The Chelsea School District will foster students to be innovative and critical thinkers who possess the ability to analyze and question by embedding researched instructional practices into the pre-k to 12th grade classrooms.
- Innovative and Creative Thinkers
- Content Mastery
- Self Directed
- Ability to Analyze and Question
- Critical Problem Solving
Innovative and Creative Thinkers
Chelsea High School: A CHS student will have a mindset that fosters imaginative thinking and risk-taking to solve challenging problems.
Beach Middle School: A Beach student will approach failure as a step in the learning process. A mistake only proves that they tried and it will never be the biggest mistake they can make.
South Meadows Elementary: A South Meadows student will use a growth mindset to tackle problems through curiosity and exploration.
North Creek Elementary: A North Creek student will use imagination, curiosity, exploration, and take risks to solve challenges.
Content Mastery
Chelsea High School: A CHS student will demonstrate mastery of learning objectives, as set forth by curriculum guidelines.
Beach Middle School: A Beach student will use content expertise to solve problems and create through Problem-Based-Learning.
South Meadows Elementary: A South Meadows student will utilize "I Can" statements to demonstrate an understanding of learning targets.
North Creek Elementary: A North Creek student will understand and demonstrate grade level curricular expectations.
Self Directed
Chelsea High School: A CHS student will take responsibility for their educational growth and display endurance for life-long learning.
Beach Middle School: A Beach student will take initiative in the classroom by asking questions of their classmates and teachers.
South Meadows Elementary: A South Meadows student will be self-motivated and an active participant in their learning.
North Creek Elementary: A North Creek student will begin to take responsibility for their learning.
Ability to Analyze and Question
Chelsea High School: A CHS student will possess the skills needed to break down complex problems, apply logical thinking, and ask critical questions to find creative solutions.
Beach Middle School: A Beach student will be able to make a claim and justify the claim based on evidence from text and data.
South Meadows Elementary: A South Meadows student will determine problems and use higher level thinking to develop questions and solutions.
North Creek Elementary: A North Creek student will solve age appropriate multi-step problems.
Critical Problem Solving
Chelsea High School: A CHS student will be able to design, evaluate, and implement strategies to address real-world problems and achieve desired goals.
Beach Middle School: A Beach student will be able to design, evaluate, and implement strategies to address real-world problems and achieve desired goals.
South Meadows Elementary: A South Meadows student will be able to approach problems with an open mindset and incorporate a variety of strategies to achieve the desired goals.
North Creek Elementary: A North Creek student will solve problems using age-appropriate strategies.
Social
The Chelsea School District will foster students to be globally and culturally conscious citizens who act with integrity by providing opportunities for students to enhance social well-being.
Grit
Chelsea High School: A CHS student will have strong character and pursue goals with tenacity and courage.
Beach Middle School: A Beach student will continue to develop strong character and persevere toward goals.
South Meadows Elementary: A South Meadows student will have a growth mindset and persevere toward goals.
North Creek Elementary: A North Creek student will use a growth mindset to do their best and never give up.
Confident
Chelsea High School: A CHS student will be sure of themself and their abilities in a variety of situations.
Beach Middle School: A Beach student will develop their beliefs and learning to explore and apply their individualism.
South Meadows Elementary: A South Meadows student will learn to be confident and strong in their strengths and abilities.
North Creek Elementary: A North Creek student will discover and realize their own strong beliefs.
Adaptable
Chelsea High School: A CHS student will adjust to a variety of situations within their community and beyond.
Beach Middle School: A Beach student will willingly seek out solutions as new challenges develop.
South Meadows Elementary: A South Meadows student will be able to adjust to a variety of situations in and outside of the classroom.
North Creek Elementary: A North Creek student will adjust to a variety of situations within their community and beyond.
Reflective
Chelsea High School: A CHS student will think about their choices to guide future behaviors.
Beach Middle School: A Beach student will think about their choices to inform future behaviors.
South Meadows Elementary: A South Meadows student will think about and take ownership over their choices and participate in the restorative justice process.
North Creek Elementary: A North Creek student will think about their choices to inform future behaviors.
Healthy
Chelsea High School: A CHS student will make positive and responsible choices that lead to a sound minds and body.
Beach Middle School: A Beach student will make positive and responsible choices that lead to a sound mind and body.
South Meadows Elementary: A South Meadows student will make positive and healthy choices that lead to lifelong wellness.
North Creek Elementary: A North Creek student will make positive and responsible choices that lead to a sound mind and body.
Passionate
Chelsea High School: A CHS student will be compelled by interests in personal or global topics.
Beach Middle School: A Beach student will explore their feelings about topics that may be personal or global to develop their passions.
South Meadows Elementary: A South Meadows student will be driven by strong feelings about topics and speak out to make an impact.
North Creek Elementary: A North Creek student will be emotionally driven by personal interests or interests in the world around them.
Empathetic
Chelsea High School: A CHS student will consider and acknowledge the thoughts, feelings, and circumstances of others and act with kindness.
Beach Middle School: A Beach student will consider and identify with the thoughts of others around them.
South Meadows Elementary: A South Meadows student will consider and care about the thoughts and feelings of others.
North Creek Elementary: A North Creek student will understand and think about the thoughts and feelings of others.
Emotional
The Chelsea School District will foster students to be confident, reflective, and empathetic by supporting their overall emotional health.
Involved Contributor
Chelsea High School: A CHS student will use their skills and resources to benefit others within and beyond their community.
Beach Middle School: A Beach student will be able to collaborate constructively with others.
South Meadows Elementary: A South Meadows student will actively choose positivity and kindness in the school setting.
North Creek Elementary: A North Creek student will use their skills to help others at school and in their community.
Globally and Culturally Conscious
Chelsea High School: A CHS student will be sensitive to different cultures, value their importance in global society, and understand their responsibility to learn about other cultures and develop relationships with people of diverse backgrounds.
Beach Middle School: A Beach student will realize the world is larger than their own head and act accordingly, increase their awareness and interactions with global perspectives, and become more sensitive to the needs and opinions of others within a diverse culture.
South Meadows Elementary: A South Meadows student will appreciate and accept differences in all people.
North Creek Elementary: A North Creek student will