Parent/Guardian Engagement Survey results and next steps

Greenwood families have the opportunity to provide direct feedback to the school through the Parent/Guardian Engagement Survey each year. The survey, administered by a third-party vendor, gives insight into a multitude of aspects of school life, allowing parents/guardians to share reflections, suggestions and ideas about the way they experience Greenwood. This feedback helps school leaders consider future planning for school programming and initiatives.

The survey invites families to share their experiences around topics like Greenwood’s welcoming community, communication about school initiatives, family support of learning at home, time spent doing homework, as well as Greenwood’s support of student learning, the development of positive behaviour and student safety. 

In May 2025, 168 Greenwood families participated in the parent/guardian engagement survey Greenwood scored positive results in many measures. 

Some of the positive attributes of the school, as identified by parents/guardians in May 2025, are listed below. 

Parents/guardians indicated that they feel:

Those who participated helped Greenwood identify the following areas for growth:

The results of the survey have been reviewed, and specific ways to approach the growth areas have been identified. Some of Greenwood’s next steps are outlined below.  

The school will work with the Guidance and Postsecondary Team to broaden our scope of the available postsecondary and future pathways that are presented to students, with a particular view on non-traditional pathways. 

The theme of Greenwood’s Parent/Guardian Speaker Series this year is Community and Belonging. One aspect of this series will focus on the needs of tweens and teens from a variety of perspectives, some of which will involve workshops from guest experts and internal Greenwood experts who will share what teens need at various ages and stages of their growth and development. This will cover social and emotional needs, how Greenwood intentionally works with students at various stages of development, and how parents/guardians can support students throughout their teen years. These sessions will also look at how the school supports positive student behaviour and manages behaviour concerns using an approach that couples education with discipline. 

Since the pandemic, this continues to be an area in which students need guidance and support. Advisers and Greenwood’s Social Workers will continue to prioritize working with students on social skill development, identifying positive and negative interactions, building resilience and being kind to each other. 

The ethic of pluralism is at the core of developing community and belonging at Greenwood. Pluralism means recognizing and valuing differences such as identity, beliefs or politics. Differences are not seen as threatening; instead, these are opportunities to learn from one another, enriching our community with new perspectives and ideas. Everyone belongs. 

Pluralism both includes and deepens equity, inclusion and diversity work. It involves learning from each other and working together. 

Again this year, Greenwood will continue the parent/guardian community learning groups that have run for the past several years. There are two of these groups: one focuses on inclusion, belonging and pluralism at the school and the other centres conversations on the Jewish community at Greenwood. All interested parents/guardians are welcome to join either/both of these community groups as they are an excellent avenue through which to learn about what pluralism means at Greenwood, our ongoing efforts towards increased visible diversity at the school and the many initiatives offered with the goal of all people in the Greenwood community feeling that they belong.

In addition to the community learning groups offered for parents/guardians, the theme for this year’s Parent/Guardian Speaker Series is Community and Belonging. This series will include many avenues to look at community and belonging, from supporting students to thrive and feel they belong during each stage of development to helping students develop skills to build community now and in their future. In a world that is becoming increasingly divisive, it is important that students learn to listen to each other and seek understanding when presented with varying viewpoints. This focus on Thought Diversity is one of the school’s key pluralism initiatives for the year and we invite parents/guardians to join us in this work through several guest speakers and workshops. 

For example, Greenwood has partnered with author Irshad Manji who has been a champion for understanding how to appreciate thought diversity in a variety of ways. The school will host Irshad Manji on September 25, 2025 for an in-person presentation and conversation prior to Curriculum Night. We encourage all parents/guardians to attend this speaker. 

In addition, Greenwood has joined a consortium of schools that are in a year-long partnership with ConnectEd, an organization dedicated to empowering educators to foster critical thinking, empathy, and respectful discourse on the Israeli-Palestinian story, antisemitism, and Jewish history, and equipping students with essential skills in media literacy and courageous conversations. This partnership enables us to learn from experts, share best practices with other schools, and lead the way in helping teens develop the skills needed to have effective, productive conversations when there is diversity of thought (curiosity, effective listening skills, and the courage to engage in courageous conversations). Greenwood will host a virtual parent/guardian evening with ConnectEd in January or February (date TBD). 

We will also continue exposing students to thought diversity and to develop the skills that support a pluralistic community and approach: the ability to “disagree well,” practicing effective civil discourse by listening to understand, building empathy for different viewpoints, and encouraging new ideas. These elements of intellectual character are at the heart of strong interpersonal relationships and we will continue to support the development of these skills through academic classes, the Adviser program and full-school learning opportunities such as student workshops with Ishrad Manji and ConnectEd. 

Finally, Greenwood will continue to use benchmarks created in collaboration with the Global Center for Pluralism to assess our progress towards being a pluralistic community where everyone belongs. These benchmarks look at all aspects of the school and organization from a pluralistic lens.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2025 Parent/Guardian Engagement Survey. The feedback you provided is invaluable and has helped us to shape several next steps and initiatives for the 2025-2026 school year and beyond. 

In addition to your feedback, the Greenwood staff will continue to collaborate and share their ideas about how to make Greenwood an even more special place for students, staff, families and alumni.