Some journeys are direct, and some are circuitous; some are heroic, and some are fearful and muddled. But every journey, honestly undertaken, stands a chance of taking us toward the place where our deep gladness meets the world’s deep need.    Parker J. Palmer

I feel honored to begin the journey of a new school year with each of you.  Without question, we are meeting a deep need in our community. My hope for each of us is for that need to intersect with our own deep gladness.

We currently have 185 students - the most we've had in several years.  This means classes are full.; however, we often lose a few students at the beginning of the year.  If you need additional desks or tables, please email Autumn so we can begin tracking some down.  Conversely, if you have too many desks, let Autumn know so they can be reassigned.  Thank you for your flexibility!

Sixth Period Opportunity:  We are required to offer sixth period classes as part of our responsibilities as a four day per week school.  This term, Tony will teach a sixth period P.E. class.  Students who would like to earn an extra credit can join the sixth period PE class.  

Extended Learnings:  Extended Learning will begin on Sept. 22.  

Wellness:  Wellness will begin on September 30.  Because of the many events and days off scheduled for first term, we will only have four days available for Wellness.  9/30, 10/14, 10/21 and 11/4.  Please start thinking about what you'd like to teach/do with students during those four days.

Fire Drills:  We will have a fire drill in the first two weeks of school and a lockdown drill soon.  Please teach to those two events during the first two weeks of school.

Trust-Based Relational Intervention Review:  Our two mornings of TBRI training was filled with content and I thought it would be helpful to review and discuss the principles throughout the year.  The following is  taken from: Reid, Mark J.; Proctor, Angela M.; and Brooks, Thomas R. (2018) "The Early Promise of TBRI Implementation in Schools," School Leadership Review: Vol. 13: Iss. 2, Article 2.

Available at: https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/slr/vol13/iss2/2

The three main principles of TBRI protocol: Empowerment, Connection, and Correction.

Empowering students helps to relieve unnecessary stress in the classroom by giving voice to the students, and manipulating the classroom environment so that students do not become overstimulated. This approach creates a space where fear can be overcome before it can overtake a student. 

The connecting principle, which has been highlighted as the most important aspect of any trauma-informed intervention centralizes the relationship between the student and the teacher. The ability of teachers to connect with their students helps them grow both emotionally and socially, but also academically. Teachers have many tools at their disposal to help develop connections with their students. By utilizing those tools, teachers make an investment in not only the success of the current school year, but also, perhaps more importantly, the future school years of those children. The connecting principle represents a key element in the success of TBRI implementation in a classroom.

The correcting principle requires knowledge of how to respond to behaviors and also an understanding of how to teach more appropriate responses. Using the correcting principles can prevent poor choices by students and help children be more successful with their expressions of need. The correction principles include TBRI proactive strategies such as role play, self-regulation techniques, and social skills practice. These proactive strategies routinely decrease behavior issues when working with students who have experienced trauma. 

However, even with these strategies in place, some students may lose control of their emotions and act inappropriately. When a child is highly dysregulated like this, she or he needs immediate intervention. TBRI’s IDEAL Response  provides guidelines to interact with an agitated student in calming, nurturing ways in an attempt to discover and meet the need of the student. For example, a teacher working with a dysregulated child can use the IDEAL response to guide them through how to match the intensity of the behavioral reaction with appropriate responses that maintain a nurturing connection that assures the child that he is safe, his needs will be met, and strengthens the relationship with the adult.

Bus/Parking lot duty: Doering and Mazhan

Monday 9/5:  Labor Day

Tuesday  9/6: First Day of School

Wednesday 9/7:

Thursday 9/8:

Friday 9/9:

Bus/Parking lot duty: Posey and Penske

Monday 9/12:  PD Day - Certified Staff

Tuesday  9/13: 

Wednesday 9/14:

Thursday 9/15:

Friday 9/16:

Bus/Parking lot duty: Gonzalez and Gaynor

Monday 9/19:  Non Work Day

Tuesday  9/20: 

Wednesday 9/21:

Thursday 9/22:

Friday 9/23: Picture Day