BBCS Stays WINN-ing!

WINN is an enrichment-based program where students attend weekly "clubs" regarding staff personal interests.

WINN provides opportunities for social-emotional learning, accomplishment, and joy throughout the school day.

How It Got Started...

Stepping into her position as “Lead Teacher Plus,” Adia Vellaccio, a 2nd Grade Teacher at Bridge, reflected on her personal growth experiences in school: for Adia, many of these opportunities came from school-related extracurricular activities. Here, she felt empowered to explore her likes and dislikes, connect with safe adults in addition to her classroom teacher, and experience a space away from academics to just be a kid. Adia decided it’s time for BBCS scholars to experience the same consistant moments of joy at school. These were Adia’s primary motivations for developing Bridge Boston’s Wednesday Innovations, or WINN Program.

How It Works...

Our staff were prompted to develop enrichment sessions based on a personal passion of their choosing. For 45 minutes a week, our students engage in these small-group “clubs” about their teachers’ favorite topics. Clubs included teacher personal interests, featuring everything from Nail Painting, to Drama, to Financial Literacy, to Cooking, to Challenge Course, to Ukulele, to the Basketball Tiny Team and much more. Scholars were prompted with 5-6 clubs to choose from within their grade level.

Our WINN program began in January and lasted the entire 3rd quarter. This week, the WINN program culminates in a celebration of learning, including performances and presentations where our community joins together to see what new skills our scholars have learned through the program.

Why WINN?

Adia and Bridge Boston developed our WINN Program for several reasons: First of all, because our students need these opportunities to support their emotional growth and sense of belonging. Through the WINN program, our students are finding joy in the school day, developing hobbies with trusted adults, and connecting & relating to one another through shared interests. Because of our WINN program, students develop a sense of pride in Bridge, and view school as a safe and fun place that grants them autonomy over their learning. 

A second reason why WINN is important to Bridge is our student’s sense of accomplishment. Our WINN program allows our students to feel proud of their mile-markers at school: not just test scores, but other types of achievements, like trying something new, stepping out of their comfort zone, or making important decisions. Students take a break from “hard skills” like math and reading, and develop “soft skills,” like communication, creativity, and confidence, that support them in both their personal lives and academics. Students who might usually struggle with traditional school subjects are given the opportunity to excel and find something new to be good at while at school. At Bridge, we want to give every scholar their chance to shine and feel supported at school.

Our final reason for running our WINN Program is because our staff is amazing. Our teachers and administrators have fulfilling lives to share and celebrate with our students. Students are provided the opportunity to learn with trusted staff members outside their traditional classroom teacher, increasing their likelihood of developing a strong bond at school. When our staff share their personal experiences and interests with students, they build trusting relationships and joy in our school. Our teachers know that teaching is hard, and there are moments that are overwhelming. That’s why the WINN program prioritizes teachers' personal passions. This passion translates into student engagement, participation, and enthusiasm.

The J in Jaguar Stands for Joy

Enrichment is an essential part of social-emotional learning because it provides our students opportunities to bond with safe adults, explore joy outside of academics, and experience protected spaces to just be a kid. Bridge Boston is committed to our social-emotional curriculum, designed to develop the successful management of life tasks such as learning, forming relationships, solving everyday problems, collaboration, decision-making, and conflict resolution. Our WINN program is just one way we do that.