The Goal of Washington State Education The goal of the Basic Education Act... shall be to provide students with the opportunity to... become responsible citizens, to contribute to their own economic well-being and to that of their families and communities, and to enjoy productive and satisfying lives. To these ends, the goals of each school district, with the involvement of parents and community members, shall be to provide opportunities for all students to develop the required knowledge and skills... ESHB 1209, 7/25/93

Education Goals RAISE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE and IMPROVE CHILDREN’S WELL-BEING

Alignment for Success RAISE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IMPROVE CHILDREN’S WELL-BEING Improving academic performance by increasing well-being

Helen Haller School’s Culture Goal Continue to strengthen our relationship/ connections with our staff, our students and their families, our district, and our community.

Important Research Findings: Two key indicators for lowering the risk of a child's involvement in negative behavior and improvements in academic achievement: –Connectedness to a parent –Connectedness to a school based adult Journal of the American Medical Association (2004)

We are doing good things to nurture healthy relationships. Here are some examples of what is happening now:

Connections with Students and Classmates – Meet and Greet – Classroom Meetings – Community Building Activities – Second Step – Kelso the Frog – Field Trips – Assemblies – Reading Buddies – Haller Helpers

Connections with Parents PTO Parent –Teacher conferences newsletters Family Fun Festival Field Day Movie night Ice Cream Social Science Fair Talent Show

Connections with District High School Teacher Assistants CWWC: Cougar Wolf Writers Conference Family Reading Night in Spring Appreciation Weeks Read across America Greywolf and Haller Collaboration The “Kelly” Show One-on One meeting with Principal

Connection Community Building Futures Community volunteers Elks contributions Santa Breakfast Carrie Blake Park Fishing Jose Salsa Reading tutors Missoula Children’s Theater Authors Volunteer Tea Veterans’ Day Assembly PA symphony Assembly Sequim Gazette school coverage

More is on the way in good time: (pacing is very important) Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports – (PBIS) Friendship Friday Introduce the Second Step Program and Building Learning Communities Program to new staff members

What Does Schoolwide PBIS Look Like? Classrooms Lunchroom Hallways Afterschool Programs Playground Bus Bathrooms Assemblies Front Office Teaching behavioral expectations in all areas.

The purpose of school-wide PBIS is to establish a climate in which appropriate behavior is the norm. Introducing, modeling, and reinforcing positive social behavior is an important step of a student's educational experience. Teaching behavioral expectations and rewarding students for following them is a much more positive approach than waiting for misbehavior to occur before responding.

PBIS Code of Conduct Chart

Friendship Friday Friendship Friday is Haller’s once a month cross-grade gathering. Its goal is to build a sense of school wide connectedness and community.

Relationship Building, Empathy Training, Problem Solving, and Impulse Control Our goal is to introduce two existing programs to the new staff and to make a plan for consistent use. Second Step Program Building Learning Communities Program

More: Looking at programs and providing time to discuss and implement some strategies that will reach the behaviorally challenging student: students who are affected by adverse childhood experiences.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) We have students who …. –have been in a serious accident (e.g., car accident). –have been a victim of physical or sexual assault. –have lost a loved one. –live in homes with family members who abuse alcohol or other drugs. –live in homes with family members with untreated mental illness.

–witness domestic violence. –are physically, emotionally or sexually abused. –are neglected. –are homeless. –have family members who are fighting overseas. –have experienced a natural disaster (e.g., tornado, house fire). – has loss a parent to death or abandonment, including abandonment by divorce. –has a family member who has been incarcerated.

Impact of Trauma on Learning Academic Performance Classroom Behavior Relationships

Two programs or models offering specific strategies for working with ACE students are: Compassionate Schools, and Collaborative Problem Solving

What is a Compassionate School? A compassionate school enables children to build caring relationships with adults and peers, self-regulate their emotions and behaviors, achieve in academic and non-academic areas, and be physically and emotionally healthy.

Collaborative Problem Solving We’ve learned a lot about challenging kids in the past 40 years. We now know that they’re lacking skills, not motivation...skills like flexibility/ adaptability, frustration tolerance, and problem solving. That knowledge makes it possible for us to help these kids in ways that are much more compassionate and effective. The Collaborative Problem Solving model allows the adult and the child to collaboratively solve a problem and to help identify the skills the child needs to develop.

A lot of relationship strengthening is already in the works at Helen Haller Elementary. And, as mentioned earlier, implementation of new ideas and models will be done at a healthy pace. This is part of an ongoing school wide improvement plan.

Every Moment, Every Child, Every Day!

Education Goals RAISE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IMPROVE CHILDREN’S WELL-BEING next: