MERIDIAN SCHOOL BOARD's Work Session and Regular Board Meeting February 4, 2026

001We put me into order. And then we All right, everyone. Welcome to the Wednesday night uh February 4th board meeting. We will call the meeting to order. Um at 40:02, we will retreat into a board work session. >> All right. So, we're in our work session now. Um, I guess do we want to start off with maybe present your your proposal here and then we can bring in Kurt and James as have a discussion and kind of an open conversation about it. >> Sure. >> Um, yeah. So, I uh I had a a draft resolution that I sent over to Jared and to James. Um, it's a couple weeks ago it is. So, it should be in your guys's inbox. So, I just kind of wanted to go through that um everyone's thoughts and ideas

002about uh perhaps word smithing and and go from there. But yeah, hoping to use that as like a judgment point to to get everyone's thoughts. um to kind of start the conversation, do we mind if we ask maybe Kurt or James um what is our current policy and procedure just so that everyone I know we shared it with everyone but what is if ICE comes to school what is the current policy and procedure just so we are clear on that so um I don't have >> they should have Angie. Do they have the policies as well or not? >> This is just the >> Thank you. >> Okay. of so we we had created a a one three pages um process to follow but basically the short answer is if ICE comes to their school

003um they are to limit conversation but greet them find out why they're there and then notify if they if ICE produces a warrant for a um well what's the other word administrator ative warrant or a judicial warrant. They notify James or myself and then we go to the school. Um in the process we are on the phone with our attorney and our attorney has said you can call me anytime if I'm not available. I will get you in contact with somebody. Um and then we walk review the warrant with our attorney. Um and then go from there. Um there is talk of um we have the buzzin system um and so some of our schools where you buzz in classrooms can't see um other schools when you buzz in um classrooms can see. So we've

004talked with principles on hey where they're allowed to go into public spaces which is the main office. If the principal wants a little bit more private setting, they can take them into a conference room or something like that, but it's at the principal's request. So, we we have I guess this process, we worked with our attorney to create this document. I can send it to you. Um, this document, it was created last January or February, and then we updated it. I sent it back to him this fall. Um and it was updated October 31st. Um we had sent it out to the principles. Principles went over the document with their main office. So their main office team and APS have an idea of the the practice and what we should be doing. Um there but

005so it is it has been communicated. I will say we haven't had to utilize it yet, which is good. Um, but we have it in place. Um, if it is there and and one of the things I asked principles to do was when you get it, notify your staff, talk to your staff and then send me a email saying you did and so all the programs are aware of it. um in >> and and if memory serves me correctly, it was just shared again through parents square. I received it from the district. >> Yep. It was and and the piece piece two pieces I would add is that the the basic approach that we've had towards ICE immigration what's happening is to not draw attention to that to protect our families but if something should

006happen and we have had where some families some of the parents any parent has been deported or has been detained. So, our family services and we come in and support however we can. Um, and then the other piece there there is I think the New York Times talked about how ICE has moved to just doing administrative warrants rather than judicial warrants. Um, but given that move, schools shouldn't be treated any differently and the guidance we've received is still valid. >> We haven't been tested yet either. Yeah, of all that place. And just to confirm that is policy 4,300. >> Well, 4,300 is the policy as far as policy >> that we updated in December. >> Um, looks looks like March of 25, the last range. Yep. >> We updated that. And then the other one

007that is specific to immigration, immigration enforcement in school. The other one that the document that I shared references 326 um and that is that's regarding interviews with interviews and interrogations of students on school premises. Um we updated the policy and I just looked at this today. We updated the policy at the same time so March of 25. Um, and I noticed today that you will need to update the procedure match and and the changes in the procedure because I wanted to know if it impacted this conversation, the changes into the procedure are um it basically says when a law enforcement comes to our schools and they want to interview a student um our former policy said that we will reasonable effort to contact parents. The updated one is we will immediately contact parents. So that

008one will be before you already. >> Yeah. Back to your question. >> Yep. Well, I I appreciate that uh we already have policy in place that that Washington state has cleared. Um, I think that having a resolution that the board um can share with our community also reaffirms that, hey, we have your back and we're in support. Um, we've already I I don't know if you guys have heard, but we do have students, families that are afraid to come to student conferences um in fear of ICE from around campus. And so I think sending this message from the board gives us a free chance to remind people that hey yes we do have this policy in place. We are following this protocol and reaffirming the the policies 3226 and 4300. What's what's the classification those

009policies? Is it my sense is 3226 is essential and 4,300 4,300 is encouragmented. >> Correct. So I guess Jasmine I I have a question is um resolution of your this is a some what are you trying what is it you're trying to produce to the public? I I think it would help reaffirm our families that the board stands in solidarity with our migrant families. Um I think that up until now my perspective has been that the board's been fairly silent on this issue. there's policies in place and it kind of just seems like we're going through the motions, but having a resolution that the board firmly supports and states like you guys did last year um with the WIA um resolution along with lending. I think that sends a clear message that the board states

010yes this is our value support. >> We didn't write a resolution. We wrote a letter. There was a resolution that was signed by the board in February 2025. >> There's a letter we did initially and then there was a resolution. >> Yeah. >> That we added after we had to have a public meeting for the MP3 campus. >> Yeah. >> I was traveling up. You remember that? >> Yeah. I think part of that was and when me and Michelle were discussing there was there's not laws in place in Washington state to protect female athletes in competition. And so that's why we decided to to act on that. Um >> I would >> and we did with Linda. I feel like when there's a policy in place and they want to write a resolution, it's more

011more symbolic and more, you know what I'm sense then um than operational like a policy where that's where our role is and I think that's what you're just saying too is so we didn't have a policy about that so that's why we maybe took action in that place. I >> think so. That's what I recall. Um, yeah. The only thing it's just such a hot button item. I mean, we have people in our community that, like you said, are scared to go to school, scared to go to conferences. We have also people in our community that are police officers and maybe our border patrol or ICE agents and stuff like that. And so, I don't know. It's just such such a hot button issue that >> I don't know. I don't see this as a

012a critique on our current police officers or border patrol by any means. Um, absolutely stand with them too and make sure that we're following the right protocol moving forward. Um, we do have a policy in place that that touches on this and I I hear what you're saying, Jana, that we didn't have one um about about female athletes. Um, I did follow up with the resolution that you guys passed last year. I think it was WIAA amendment number seven and 8. Um, in April following following the resolution, uh, there was an article uh, stating that those amendments were not supported by the ACLU. Um, and they ultimately did not pass because they were in conflict with Washington state. um discrimination laws. So, I I think it's important to recognize that while we're we're writing resolutions

013that we stand in support of or for certain topics I don't want to be I think both are hot issues, I guess, is what I'm getting at. Um, both are conflicting and I think it's important that the board says something and doesn't stay silent even if it is part a topic issue. Have any school boards or do you does anyone know if any school boards have passed a resolution like this? >> Um, I have read the Scadget County um there's an article about their school district taking more action to protect students. Um, Scadget Legal Aid has provided workshops called know your rights and safety planning for school districts. Um, there is Burlington Edison schoolboard policy um that also 4,300 um that we carry and they've also added into that supporting families in dealing with ICE

014and connecting with community resources. So, it just dives a little bit deeper than the language that we have, but the districts aren't releasing resolutions. Other agencies are speaking up on their behalf. >> I haven't seen our resolution language yet. Yeah, cuz I do appreciate that the school district acknowledged what's going on not around the country sent it via parent square which has the ability to translate it into multiple languages so we know if they f their their spoken language in their home. So I do appreciate that we have something in place both policy and procedure that was adopted by the board approved by the board and shared with families including the procedure and would have it noted that the administration and people involved have been trained on it as well and as Dr. Ever said,

015"Our family resource center does get involved or has historically been involved with something happening." I might I might be in favor of something if there is something not in place where we want to protect our students, but I feel like this might be redundancy and I don't want it to be confused and I don't want to be our community to be confused, our staff or our students. And I also don't want us to be noisy. Um you look at the rest of a lot of other um school districts, things are noisy. Um the students are noisy, the staff is noisy, and we need to be good leaders. So if we're noisy, other people are going to be noisy. And I don't know another bit better way to describe that, but we need to be good

016leaders. And also, I can't remember if it was in this document or somewhere else, but we actually call it the amount of people that are in our school district that were was it migrants or um what was the word? >> Uh non-citizens. >> N okay, non-citizens. But so that just like throws a target on our school district and I think that's unprofessional. Um, so if you want somebody to come knocking at our door and just did it and I don't support this. >> That'd be my concern as well. Like if we point a bright light at we're the only district to pass something like this. >> Yeah. >> I would Yeah. Not to say we have to do what other districts do or not. Like we're our own district. We're Meridian, but that would be

017my concern is it all sudden there is a bright light on our district. So, and do they do people get more scared? I don't know. I don't know. I don't want to understand both sides. So, >> so if we had other districts that took that first step, then it is the sentiment that the board would be more inclined to sign on board with that. >> I think at least in my opinion, I kind of want to see how that goes because we just kind of saw what happened to Ferndale and that was a complete disaster. So to us you up to that was pretty noisy. >> It was it was it was very embarrassing for the community. So and I would not want that to happen. So I mean >> was there any any activity

018that happened in Meridian school district on Friday? I don't have a high school student so I wasn't aware of any >> I asked and the answer was no. Was there any discussion about it among teachers or faculty or was it just kind of >> context why that would be a discussion >> from teachers >> just to I mean I guess talking about current events if burnale had their students participate in a walk >> I don't think they had them participate >> that would be a litigation if the district for their students if our teachers had students students participate. >> I'm not using the right language, but the students participated in in a protest. And so I was just curious if since that happened in Ferndale, if there was any talk about it in Meridian in

019relation to that and kind of what expectations are of students >> in my high school or that was ever discussion, they have heard classes. So, but I just have one. >> so I was paying attention. you asked. So I'm going to say I was paying attention to age. Anybody leaving or we checked in with our secondary, middle school, and high school. We don't know of any students that have left now. Were there conversations around current events and did it get discussed? I don't know that. Pretty easy to find out though. Yeah, I think maybe maybe the first step is finding kind of where our families and students are at right now and if they do feel supported. Um if they feel heard and you mentioned the responsibility of a listening session, that kind of thing.

020>> Um I think that would be a great step in trying to figure out where those gaps are. and how we can better support our families. Are we doing enough? I don't know. >> I think that would be a great idea. People want to come and and talk about that with with a few of us, then um I think that'd be a a good next step. Your thoughts, right? >> It it is. The one thing that I want to say with too and I understand where you're going with the resolution. The one thing I want to say is it seems like a lot of times the conversation has been limited to like you know the Hispanic community adopted immigrants and quite frankly there's a large population of Ukrainian people who are scared to death right

021now as well. They posted a thing I saw it was on social media of two Hispanic ICE agents detaining a Ukrainian illegal immigrant and deporting him. I don't know what message they're trying to spread but I'm what I'm saying. So I shouldn't it's the conversation should be with all all of our communities not just the Hispanic community because it just seems like the language lately like >> and that's what >> I love so much when I when we have graduation but when I see kids walking together you know like seek Hispanic you know Hindu and they're walking together they're friends they're out in the courtyard hugging each other it's almost like like race doesn't matter doesn't like and we have such a wonderful community that way and and I think a lot of these policies

022that we had to bring in place. We had a a really big problem back in 2010. So that would have been the Obama administration, whatever. But but we had instance where things were happening. Don't raise, you know, some kid want to start flying the Confederate flag because that's my part of my heritage and all that stuff. And they found a noose out in the woods behind the football field, stuff like that. So I mean, we had to take Were you principal then? I think right before >> anyway but anyway so we had okay this this is serious >> this isn't good so you know you know they acting has made some changes but I think 2025 coming through that's why I asked what the policy was because regardless of you know how I feel or

023what my opinions are as a board member you know the first thing I got to ask myself is like what's the law what's the law you know and so there's a lot of things that frustrate me frustrate me terribly but bottom line I'm cut down to it is the law and so sometimes I might have to make a decision because that's what the law says and I took my local office um Meridian being a unique community it was and how much we embrace each other as community I guess when you talk about you're using the term being loud or something I guess I'm ask I I don't want Minneapolis's problems to be Meridian's problems I want our community of our community, you know, and you know, folks on us and our neighbors around us, he'll

024burn that over, too. But, um, that's just that's just my personal thoughts. I'm kind of going to follow the law. So, if we got policy in place that's essential, that's required by law. I I think we're there. Um, I think we could share maybe our policy or what's that thing you had, Dr. the >> 3226. That's what Kurt's going to send out. But it's >> so that would be and that's just my personal opinion. I think that would be >> honestly >> I think it's good language is what I'm saying >> outside of that our resource family center is amazing and the families that they utilize and have relationships really the communication would probably go to them before I would even come to a board like honestly and that's fantastic I I I even tell

025my own children that you have anybody. It doesn't have to be me, but have someone you trust that you can talk to. And I do feel like the families that are being served, that first step and their trust and their communication is going to go to the family services and not necessarily >> Marty, I do hear what you're saying about um uh directed to Hispanic population. So I I was sure in this language here it's just focused on regardless of immigration or citizenship status. It's not directed to a specific type. >> Right. >> But nationality, >> right? And asking to No, it was just with your kind wasn't the language your comment. You said that you know somewhere Hispanic. I just a lot of people are just using focusing on mostly Hispanics. There's a lot

026of communities and especially Ukraine. They don't want to go back now. where to mess that, you know, any of any of those countries, Haiti. Uh, but anyway, um, but that that was just basically Yeah. So, the only one that I I guess I have reference to is the one that was passed last February. So, writing um a resolution in solidarity with Lynden. Um what was the kind of the followup with that or how did the the board move forward after that or what was >> Yeah, we had one of these discussions and then we agreed like hey let's do this. I think we we had word submissive some things. We want to make sure it wasn't what the word to describe it was, but we we word submissive things and then we passed it. And

027then I think there was a group of schools that that went to the WIA saying, "Hey, we want you to wrote a bonus resolution." And that's where can't remember if the WIA or it was OSPI said, "No, we're not going to talk about it this year." Something like that. I can't remember the either. >> WA. Okay. So that's where it went and that was the last time that we uh we did something along those lines. So, >> and then in April of last year, >> they decided not they didn't Yeah. >> pick it up. But I think there's a Supreme Court >> trial going on right now. So could just be a big point. So >> I don't think we had one at least in the in the four years or three years before when

028I was a board. But if you had another resolution so not to my members >> and again only because there isn't a policy procedure of anything in place that work >> and I think we thought long and hard about that too because we weren't even going to write a letter. >> I think the letter we got a letter from someone from Lyndon I think and we're like yeah let's not do this so we wrote it. self. >> No, that's true because I think the first the initial letter I abstained. Yep. >> Because I didn't have enough information to what I thought. So I actually obtained the first time but then once >> I got more information I was in support. >> So what is our call to action today? >> I don't think that there's

029any action that needs to be taken during the work session. Is that right? >> Yeah, I think there's Yeah, we can't take any action. Um, but I think coming out of this, we can all touch base with you and we'll see if we want to do not sure how we go about the the listening session. So, let me follow up on that. I'll get back to you. So, >> so if we were to have a resolution proposed, I would love to to go through together since we still have time. And what is the type of language that you guys would like to see to get on board with this kind of thing? what would help us give our our staff and faculty direction to know that yes, we do want to have listening sessions and

030support our families. >> So now you want to put listening sessions into this resolution? No, but I think like the the idea that if we if we support our migrant families, then that will help back up our our staff and faculties to understand, okay, yes, this is the direction that our district is willing to take and it is safe to have listening sessions where otherwise it's like this is kind of quiet and we shouldn't touch anything, so let's just not talk about it. I are we not talking about this in school and having like an open door conversations with our students. I haven't been aware of any conversations. >> Yeah, >> I think when you have social studies and classes typically have been some things I would have >> Yeah. I mean, I'm sure CNN's

031all over our TVs and our school conversations are probably in your AP where, you know, different citizening sessions as much as a conversation coming from somewhere like family resources that listening sessions or the addition additional services that they've already provided. I'm not entirely sure how that's communicated to families from the resource center, but I'm sure they're communicating that they can set the order. I think I think they've done meetings before maybe around the bond or something like that where there's like a board member there and the community can come and like talk like kind of openly and stuff like that. So, I think that's what you're advocating for, correct? >> Yes. But in a resolution, >> no, not in a resolution. So yeah, separate from that, I think the listening sessions like kind of a

032public place where we can say, "Hey, Jasmine's going to be there. Michelle's going to be there to kind of hear community thoughts and ideas and stuff like that, whereas it's not within a resolution." Am I speaking for you? Is that correct? >> Oh, continue. >> Yeah. I was just basically uh where we don't have a quorum, there's one or two board members there. If the committee would come to like would like to come and discuss these issues, then they could um that's what I believe you're asking for. Correct. >> Yeah. And I do believe that that a resolution like this one would give a foundation for that. I honestly I feel like a resolution is the bare minimum that the board could be doing right now. We're not asking to have any policies changed. It's

033really just a voice in solidarity. I already said how I feel about it. I think I would be not in favor of passing resolution as well, but if we wanted to have the community listening sessions, I think that could potentially be valuable. Um so we had talked about foreign popups or some other things will be present in the community not just around this conversation of of immigration um but pretty much anything that we go toward >> because there not everybody comes to board meetings or work sessions, but if we go to where the the people are, if there's a PTA event, you have the board popup tent, Jana and and I designed a pretty fun one um for post-it notes and all those fun things. But um different ways, but we're more accessible. >> Yeah,

034I can't imagine if we said we're going to have a popup about immigration. I don't think a lot of immigrants would show up. If we're scared, they're scared not to come to school. They're not gonna they're going to be probably scared to come and talk to us in >> a public baiting, >> right? And that's why I was curious the engagement with the family resource center >> because those relationships are so strong. The resource center already knows the individual stories of those families and that's not for us to know. I mean we we that that's unless they want to share with us that's that's their story to share with who they trust >> and Scadgets uh their their workshops have been called know your rights and safety planning workshop not necessarily immigration workshop >> and

035this is legal scadget of that >> yeah scadget legal aid three workshop >> so a legal um legal department about the school district, >> Scadget Legal Aid in partnership with uh Burlington Edison School Board. Yeah, Burlington is and perhaps that's something to look into also knowing what the what other school boards are doing around those kinds of workshops and >> how they got to that point. Superintendent Dr. Chris Pearson, I know we talked about, but the popups is is is a good idea. So, there's no there's no format. There's no nothing. It's just what do you want to talk about? Are you mad about the bond? Are you mad about curriculum? Are you mad about this? Are you happy about this? Happy with this? So, >> and we could have like or Logan there too

036and so they can speak to the kids and open forum pointed We go over to the events, but the conversations don't. >> Yeah. Can I make a suggestion? >> We have a unique resource in Lisa and what I'm hearing across the spectrum of dialogue is that one of the things I'm hearing is two-way and that's also the invite to hear back from principles. What are you seeing? What are you hearing in buildings? So, what's being discussed in schools? If directed, I would be happy to meet with Lisa to also any of you to talk about what could listening sessions look like. It could be two-way, not one way, not just I think there's a lot around what was being discussed that it's how can we help? Um I I know I don't know enough about

037it and so I think >> it's worth asking the question like what is being discussed today we can get that information back and then we can decide on kind of next steps. >> I just we have a resource that could be helpful in trying to do that. I know Lisa wouldn't just come up with it. She'd come family resources. We talked to our principles. try and I think I think that the way we've operated has been to try and be safe and honor our families, but what I'm also hearing is how do how do we as a system also consider what are people going through? What's appropriate to be able to support them in whatever way that is? I don't know that answer myself. Yeah, maybe it's not just this topic. Maybe it's other things

038they learn. So, I love that. Y >> and the language in this resolution is heavily influenced by what we just recently passed by Wom County Council. So this is something that our county does support. So it's not just coming out of the also feel like this sounds like sanctuary city. And I know that that is also if we lose our funding because we are doing something that's not law. >> Well, that's that's what I touched on. It's like what what's the law, right? >> And I mean I've you all know I've had my personal opinions over the years, right? But >> the law supersedes my feelings and opinions. It it took me four four years to actually learn that you know now how bro is a lot but sometimes too what I'm like say if

039there's a individual out there like myself and then all a sudden we're adopting a resolution you get a hand people like well why are they adopting resolution ICE's on their way they're coming I mean they just adopted a policy in March now they got a resolution coming up you know okay they're not going to be coming you know they're not because why all of a sudden brid and a daughter. I used to come into their school district. But but you know, we take care of one another. You know, I mean, the community takes care of and I think that a lot of people move to our district because they feel safe. They feel like Meridian is the safe place to be, a community that's going to, you know, you know, look out after one another,

040be our Hispanic neighbor to Ukrainian or undocumented neighbors or something or whatnot. you know, I would probably if I, you know, I would do everything I can to help those people. I think a majority of people community will as well. Um, but I just think we have a very clear essential policy that's required by law in place. So, I I think that would be our I think we share public, you know, we have a vault in place and so I don't think I don't think push back from it. I think we did kind of share that with the like the the the notice that you referenced uh Michelle. >> Oh, that just went out last week. >> That went out last week. Yeah, >> we did reference that we are supporting our families and this

041is how we do it and it was a methodical policy that we know is essential and law and we follow it. That's our procedure and training and as her said it hasn't had to be anything. So I know we don't want to be reactive. We are proactive and I feel like what the things we have in place are proactive conversations we've had have been proactive. They do a very good job. thoughts for and again if we didn't have anything in place and it was you know what's going on around the country is going on and we had no qualif procedures in place then absolutely a resolution on what we do as a district with how we serve our families of the district would be appropriate. play because there's already something in place of resolution. It's

042time I just don't see that we would need to do that or do you feel that it would be the redundancy with the issue? We're already Yeah. Because we're already doing something and we're already sharing from the district level that we're doing something and the board's roles and responsibilities our policy. So that policy was signed by the board. Yep. We're we're going with that. It's approved and it's entirely by the state. I would love to learn more about where our gaps are. So if we could guess if if there was direction to give our superintendent, would we take that during a board meeting and or during a work session? >> I think during a work session that correct? >> It's not it's not policy or anything. It's just me working with my team. >> Sure.

043>> Asking that for for some data and some information. So would we to make a motion to give some direction to coordinate or it's just coordinating? >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Yes. >> Thank you. Um also that is it okay that um Jasmine's emails are still be shared for all of us. >> Yeah. And is it okay to talk about that? >> Yep. >> I mean a related work question. Um last week um on Tuesday I sent an email to our principal asking how students are doing um just kind of in light of the nation and um what we see or what I think what I and what the school board could do to help. Um and I think maybe the concern there was that when I I said school board that I was speaking on

044behalf of everyone. I wanted reaffirm case. I wasn't trying to to speak for anyone here. Um, just really wanted to get a feel for what is going on at our schools. Again, I don't have a high schooler, so I don't have, you know, that I'm not tapped in there. I don't know what the conversations are like or if families are feeling safe or taken care of or um just kind of feeling in the dark there. There's not really conversation that I'm hearing about from my kids that I either. So, um, yeah, it just kind of feels dark and mysterious right now. It feels like there's not conversation going on. And so I sent the email to our principles and hoping to get clarity. Um and in the future if it would help I can becc

045if we're going to be reaching out to work through James with those questions. So and then he can work with administrators or bring us back information. So >> okay with BCCJs and board >> direct we can direct them to James and then you can talk about >> so you know part of you know want to stay away from like a kind of back door forum too like three if it's like you and Jame to Jar and Jared to you know there's no you know Just know any communication >> might be too. You know, you're new. I'm still new. I feel like a lot. and you're gonna have a lot of questions and you want to reach out to one of us or you know he can help answer some questions for you and it's it

046might happen. I appreciate any more discussion on that or should we move out of our work session? Okay. Um, we will end the work session at 4:45 and we will reconvene for our regular scheduled board meeting at 5:00 pm. All right, thanks for coming everyone. Uh, welcome to the February 4th um, 2026 board meeting. Um, we'll call the meeting to order and we will stand and say the pledge of allegiance. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice. >> All right. Can we get a motion on the consent agenda? was complet. >> Yeah, we're back to the regular agenda. So, >> we we are back on consent agenda right now. >> Yeah. But did

047did we take did we take action on that? >> Action. >> We haven't adopted the reg. >> Oh, we haven't. >> Um, can I get a motion to adopt the agenda? I'll make a motion to adopt the agenda. >> All those in favor? >> I get a second. I'll do a second. Second. >> I'll second. >> All those in favor? >> I. >> Can we get a motion to adopt the consent agenda? >> I make a motion we adopt the consent agenda. >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> I I um first item of business is recognition. MP3 student recognition and that is Michelle Cidell. Hi there. Well, thanks everybody for coming tonight. I appreciate it. I'm so excited um to be celebrating our student advisory students. I'm gonna get this started here because

048Oh, all right. You guys, when I call your name, if you don't mind coming up here, um and if you're not here, that's okay. I'm still going to be celebrating you, but would you please come on up here? Addy Lindy, um she is part of our MP3 student advisory team. Thank you for being here. Do you want to stand right here because we have a little bit um little presentation we want to share with all of you about what the student advisory team has been doing. Is Jim here yet? Come if he comes. We want to make sure we're celebrating Jim Miller tonight. Um also really exciting. If you have not seen the London Tribune, this is Jim. He is nominated to our MP3 um share fair. So pretty exciting um that just came out.

049So if you see the London Tribune, check it out. And also in their presentation today, there's a link to it so you can see it. Josie, come on up. All right, Josie, I know you just got done with volleyball practice, but thank you for being here. Congratulations and thank you for all of your work. Oh, Emit Short. I know he's at wrestling right now. We have busy kids. So, if he shows up, we want to make sure that we can celebrate EMTT Short today, too. And let's see. Oh, Joey Franklin. He's also at drama right now. So, he's going to be helping to get your kids. But I love that so much that they're so active and involved not just um you know in school and sports and clubs but um also serving as student

050advisory. Um I appreciate it. And then Isa V coming up here and she just came from drama also. Congratulations. >> And then Mickey come on up. Thank you so much and thank you for being a leader and greeting people just like you did tonight. So thank you for doing that. I appreciate it. and Lucille. She's not able to be here tonight, but we're really excited to be able to have Lucille at a meeting on. Are you guys ready for this? >> Okay, here we go, you guys. Um, our student advisory team, uh, they have been working so hard. They give up their lunch and recess so that they, um, so that they could serve our whole school and that is being such a great leader. So, really excited about the work that you guys have

051been doing. It just started last year in P3 student advisory, which is part of our big district onewide one. Um, last year we did a lot of learning around the strategic plan. Do you guys remember that? We did all this work. Oh, yay, Joey, you're here. >> Awesome. Thanks for coming. >> All right, Joey, congratulations. Thank you. >> If you want to join the team here, that'd be awesome. >> Um, but we started off first with belonging. And so some of the things that were going really well and we did these chart papers and stuff just to learn about how are we doing connected to this strategic plan. And the feedback that we got was um love being greeted by name by teachers and students. And so we know your names and knowing who each

052other are in our community is so important. When you are seen and heard, feel like you belong, right? Um and so I appreciated that. You also appreciated too like sharing love for your teachers. Your teachers get to know you, your interest, and how was your weekend and your hobbies. Like just like when you came here, I knew exactly where you were all at today. Like whether it was sports or volleyball. So just having that relationship is so important. But this year it's actionbased, right? So we did all this learning and feedback, but then what do you do with it? We put it into action. You guys have been incredible. So I appreciate all of your work. Um and so one of the areas and I'm hoping um maybe Josie and Kaylee can share this part

053about it. Um one of the things that came from it is we're a K8 school. So when you're a K8 school, we have some unique opportunities, right? Not very many schools in the state of Washington have that large of a spread. Pretty awesome though. The feedback was we want to partner older kids with younger kids and those opportunities. And so um that was a goal this year and also getting to know you. So um would you guys want to share like Josie, do you want to share a little bit about some of those activities you did that were the older kids partnering with younger kids? >> Yeah. So, um, we have literacy day and on literacy day we partner with the younger kids and help them like work on things and we draw with them

054>> and it's really fun because they get to know us. >> And one of your projects was like the frog and toad and so around literacy um and so partnering older kids with younger kids and making like frog and toad projects and then reading together um was pretty incredible. Awesome. And then Kaylee, um, what was some of the Do you remember when we did the main game and we went, you guys went into classrooms? Do you want to share with them a little bit about that? >> So, what we would do is we would like somebody got assigned to each classroom and you go in explain this game. Someone would say their name to get to know each other. So, they say their name and something they like about each other. The them something they

055like or something. And we they would all go around every single time. time you'd have to repeat to know their names and you'd know like something about them. >> And it's been super cool for me as a principal going into classrooms because I'm hearing classroom discussions where it's I agree with what Kaylee said to student names um and teacher names and then also kind of neat too when you find out what your interest is like, oh, I really love soccer. So do I. And then guess what? When you go out to recess, you like soccer, I like soccer. Let's play soccer. And so it's just a way to get to know people. Um, and so I really appreciate that. And then we talked about communication. And so we got your feedback. We did a little

056protocol. Of course, we love chart paper and sticky notes and getting feedback. So we did this um, how do you like getting communication? Um, and how do you know what's going on? And so again, action. Um, I'm wondering if maybe um, Isa, if you might be able to share a little bit, what is this Fridays at four campaign? So, we made Fridays at 4 because we found a lot of the kids didn't know what was happening in the school or like I didn't hear that that was coming up and stuff like that. So, in our newsletter, we made uh created Fridays at 4 that on Fridays at 400 p.m. the kids with their parents go on to the newsletter and see what upcoming events are um coming up so they can be planned for that.

057And every student and every family has a student learning plan um consultant and technically at 3:45 they get scheduled and we collaborate the SLP team and we have a an email that goes out. So by 4:00 we know every family is getting this email so students now can ask their parents, hey it's Friday at 4, check your email. And so it's just a way so they can know all the things happening and connect that. Um and then we have one of our editors here, the vibe. Joe, you want to tell us a little bit about the vibe? Yeah. So, we wanted a way that kids could share um if that's like a poem or anything that they just found cool with the rest of the school. So, we made a digital newsletter >> called the

058vibe and each month anyone can enter in anything. It be a poem, it could be a photo, it could be anything about school, teaching at school or teaching at home. It could really be anything that they find cool and want to share with the rest of the whole school. and they enter it to us and we put it into a digital newsletter and each month it gets sent out if that's on Google Classroom or if that's on Gmail and then everyone gets to see it and it's a really good way for people to connect and for people to get to know each other on different >> Awesome. Well said. Thanks, Joey. >> And then we also have our morning announcements and I was doing the morning announcements like for a while, right? and we thought

059we need some different voices. And so Addy, um here's a picture of Addy and Isa doing our morning announcements. It just started this semester. Do you want to share a little bit about what do you do in the announcements? >> So every morning um like you said, you usually do the announcements, but then we decided that we should give like some of the students a chance to do the announcements. So me and Isla have been doing that for like a while now or just like three days, but I missed one of the days. But >> um every morning like before school like fully starts, we would go into the office and go on the phone and then make the announcements like good morning staff and students and we would talk about like the lunch options

060and then some of the special announcements and then we would start from the pledge of allegiance and it's been really fun and I'm really glad I got to do it with Isla >> and it's been great too like for example when things come up like we have play coming up right the Meridian um plays coming up so it's just a way so kids can see it in the print we have posters up and then they're also hearing it. So, just making sure the more people know, the more they feel again like they belong, right, and they have a place. So, I appreciate that so much. Um, perfect timing, Jim. I'm so glad you're here, Jim Miller. We just shared a little bit about >> You're so glad you're here because it's perfect timing. Then we

061talked about support and we talked about you also today Logan um because you have been leading the work for the student advisory districtwide and if you remember back to last spring do you remember this little card it's called the feedback cards you remember that where you did at the high school then you shared it with um all the buildings and so then >> Jim do you want to share a little bit about here's a picture of Jim Joey and EMTT and they have the share your voice table set up in our school garden. Tell us a little bit about that. So what we do is we went out there, set up the table during uh near the end of third third period. We set it up so that um fourth grade and under came over

062on their way to recess um and they would stop by our table and we would ask them one thing that they like about MP3 and one more thing that we or one thing that they we can grow on because we're uh holding in the garden. And so, um, >> anyway, so then we would do that and then when the once the bell switched, the younger kids would go to lunch and fifth grade, uh, fifth through eighth grade would come and we'd ask them to do the same thing, write something on the card that they want MP3 to grow on and something that they liked about. >> Awesome. Well, thank you. And so it was really nice because we do like CE data, but we only get fourth through 8th grade, right? And so I love

063how you highlighted our little people also need a voice too and a way to share. And so g making sure we get voice from our kindergarten, first graders, second and third graders. And so I really appreciated your guys' leadership also helping them get their input. And so one of the things that came from that is kids really love when they do all this work, but they want to celebrate it, right? And so we just recently had our MP3 share fair. And um Jim, I was sharing, I don't know if you know this, but you were highlighted today in the Linder Tribune. Yeah, I know. I like the library and I picked up a copy of myself. >> Excellent. Well, the link is right there if you guys want to check that link out so you

064can see it. But um I was wondering do you guys want to share a little bit about anybody feel free to just pop out like what is the share fair for anyone here that doesn't know what it is? You want to share a little bit Joine? Okay. way for students to share with their parents, their friends, anyone who wants to come. Uh it was just this Tuesday. >> Yeah. >> Um and they can bring their parents, anyone they want to show their work to and they can go from class to class and their work will be set out on the tables and they can show their parents, hey, like I made this in art and it's a really good way to show your parents what you've been doing so they can um so it can

065be better at home so it can be together. Yeah, that's awesome. Well said. And then the other part is just making sure that we have those positive learning environments and relationships. And so that's the feedback um that we got from students. And so I appreciated that. And then the next area was wellness. And we talked about this today too because we had student advisory. We meet the first um Wednesday of every month. And it was map it out. And so we did red and green dots like where do you feel safe physically, emotionally, and academically on campus? Where do you not? Um, one of the areas last year that we talked about was our the way our portables are designed. There's two a couple classrooms that you can exit out the back. Well, there's not

066a lot of supervision in our courtyard. You can see everything there, right? Not that anything bad's happening. It's just there's not a lot of it's, you know, there's spiders back there. It gets a little, you know, so um, it's just it's a good thing for us to know. And then we talk today. This might be something we do every year because it's important. Each year is different, right? And so making sure that we know where do kids feel safe um and successful and if there's areas that aren't then we want to know about it because then we can come together and and find ways to help it be a better place for our friends. So I appreciated that. And then lastly we talked about learning, right? And so we talked about we did this chart

067paper last year where they could do a range of like one through five and put a sticky dot on there to see um you know do you have a great learning schedule at home? How's your curriculum working? And so we wanted to make sure that um we're putting that connection in a parent partnership program. How do you connect all those dots between campus at home um and school? And so one of them we talked about was um at the beginning of the year we did a every teacher on campus met with every single student. So 170 students um and found out like hey like do you have a good learning routine at home? Do you have a trusted adult? somebody um and it doesn't mean if you have a problem. It also could be if

068you have a celebration. Do you have somebody you can go to if you want to celebrate something? And then um do you have some connections at school? Do you have friends? Are you um feeling successful? And so we talked about that and we'll continue to do that. But what stemmed from it also again Logan, your name came up because when Mr. K or Mr. Carico and Mrs. Kershiki presented um at the beginning of the year and we talked about that. Um you had mentioned you're like I wonder if though if if you did a kind of anonymous survey if you would get different feedback and so how many of you guys took a survey this week? All right. All right. What was on that survey and what did you think of it? >> Yeah. Go

069ahead. >> It talked about like how do you feel at MP3? Like do you enjoy coming to MP3? Um, is there a trusted adult you feel like you have and >> like where do you feel most successful in MP3? Like what class? What's your favorite part with MP3? So, it mostly got the students perspective on MP3 and how they feel. >> I just want you guys to know your voice matters so much because, you know, we're in a school system. So, guess what? We all kind of like kids. And so, I just want to say thank you for sharing your voice and for being so active. and also thinking about our whole entire school and um just being great leaders. So I appreciate your work. Thank you so much you guys. Now I'm sure because

070I know our school board members might have a question or a comment. Um, so feel free. And then also after this, um, we do have a long agenda and so you and your parents are welcome to stay, but you're also more than welcome to head home because I bet you were starving because you've had a longer day. >> But if there's any questions or comments for our student advisory teams, >> I'm just curious, what is what is an older student and what is a younger student when you're working together? What were the age groups? It was like when cuz uh me and Addie were eighth grade, we would get paired with like the like third graders up to fourth graders. >> Our campus is kind of split with uh K4 is our elementary teachers and

071then 58 is our middle school teachers. And so if you think about it, so kindergarten is like on its own. So the way campus classes are, so you would have like first and fifth, second and sixth, >> okay? >> Third and seventh, fourth and eighth. So, you can have a four-year gap. >> Yeah, great question. >> Yes, Logan. >> I just have a comment for you guys. >> Um, huge shout out. It's always a pleasure like hearing what MP3 is up to when we meet as a district >> and kudos to you as well, Michelle, obviously, for how much work you do and your leadership and your partner. So, thanks guys. >> Well, you guys make it fun and when you make it fun, it makes it so rewarding. So, thank you. And that's this

072uh digital newsletter, the vibe and the Fridays at 4. >> Super creative. >> Oh my goodness. I wish I I would love to see that everywhere. >> If you ask kids, they come up with good ideas. >> So you really put these ideas >> on your own. >> That's awesome. >> Mrs. Oscerson's son, Ethan, originally started, he's now a senior in high school, but started the vibe. Do you remember Ethan? Yes. You and Ethan were in school together and started the vibe. But then to carry that tradition that just take leadership. So I really appreciate that. And then the Friday just kind of came together again doing some chart paperwork. It's amazing what a little chart paper and sticky notes. >> Just thinking of tools that work for you guys. I love that. >> Can

073I get added to that newsletter? >> Yeah, absolutely. >> I would love to hear about what's going on with each. >> Yeah, it's fun. Yeah, it's awesome. It's a great way to show your work. So, thank you so much. All right. Thank you so much. Um, cool. All right. Next up is public comment. We do have two speakers. Um, I will read very quickly. It's been a while since we had this. So, I'll read through the general reminders just real quick. Um, the total time for public comment period is 30 minutes. Each speaker has a maximum of three minutes. There's no mechanism whereby a speaker can donate some or all their time to another speaker. No individual may speak more than once per regular board meeting even if there is time remaining. Um public comment

074period is an opportunity for the board to listen to individuals on educational issues and board members are encouraged to listen in. Um if public comments are to express concern about specific students, the board asks not name the student as naming the student can be invasion of privacy, viol district policy related harassment, uh those others. Um, public comment period is not a time for dialogue between the board public. The poor the board will not respond to questions, statements or challenges made during public comment period and there will be no back and forth dialogue. Note the board silence is neutral and is neither a signal of agreement nor disagreement with the speaker's remarks. And then last one, although the board will not engage in dialogue, the board chair may ask a speaker to clarify question. It is

075also possible the school district staff will contact the speaker at a later time to follow up on an issue raised during public comment. Okay. Um, first up we have Austin Melma. >> Oh, here. >> Oh, sorry. I apologize. >> This is very nerve-wracking. Um, thank you for um letting me speak here today. My name is Ala Melma, though I do go by DICE throughout Meridian. Um, I'm a student at Meridian High School and at Northwest Career and Technical Academy. Um, as an NCTA ambassador, I'm here to thank you, the Meridian School Board and School District for supporting students educations by providing transportation, classroom space, and classes that spark our curiosity about our careers. February is career and technical education month. CTE is an important part of our school and it's where we the students can

076be curious about our future careers. We learn valuable professional skills such as teamwork, educa, uh teamwork, communication, and problem solving. NCTA currently serves over 600 students representing 27 high school high school programs and 16 school districts in Scadget, Watcom, and Northern Snomish C counties. We have four campuses that house 17 CTE programs. Classes meet daily for two and a half hours each day. Not only do we earn three credits towards high school graduation, you can also earn dual credit at Scadget Valley, Bellingham Tech, and Wakom Community College. You can also make valuable connections and work with local businesses and organizations. In freshman year of high school, I took my first CTE class, foods, taught by Miss Scott. We were taught about what it would be like to work in a kitchen and as well as

077earning our food handler certification. I also took other CTE classes like floral design and woods during my sophomore year. I was first introduced to NCTA by my friend Ash who had graduated last year. At the time I was a sophomore and she was a junior enrolled into the culinary arts program at NCTA. As she shared her experience and showed me the NCTA website, I became excited about the opportunity to explore additional pathways that could complete my compliment my interests. I was especially interested in the video game development class as it helped me see how I could connect my interests to future career possibilities in a meaningful and motivating way. After I graduate Meridian in June, I will be attending Northwest College of Art and Design in Tacoma, Washington. It's a four-year college where I will

078be getting a bachelor's degree in fine arts. When I graduate, I want to become a concept artist for video games and where I can hopefully help others bring their visions to life. I learned about this program when they helped me when they when they presented my class in the fall. I believe NCTA is amazing gateway for teenagers like me to help find out who they are. Thank you for your time, support, as well as letting me speak here today. >> Thank you so much, Jose. Right. Next up, we have Riley Sweeney. >> Mine's much less fun. So, >> yeah. >> Um, my name's Riley Sweeney. Thank thank you all so much for the really thoughtful discussion you had during the work session uh in the last hour about the resolution uh to uh protect the

079rights of our students so that they're free from violence while they're pursuing their education uh regardless of their immigration or citizenship status. Um I was really struck by how thoughtful and cautious you all were. I think that was really good, right? that we we want our elected officials to be thinking about how to keep everybody safe, especially during these times. It's really great that we have a policy that um immigration officials can't grab students and families on our campuses. Um but we've also seen that currently they ICE hasn't respected law or policy. at my work in the courthouse, they grabbed two people right on the steps of the courthouse in violation of state law. Um, a lot of people, you know, I know that there was concerns about not wanting to be noisy or to

080draw a target on Meridian's back. uh you know, the students in the Bellingham School District and the Ferndale School District and this Friday at the Lynen School District all feel very comfortable speaking out and saying that this is wrong regardless of what target that may draw on their back. And um I think that now is the time to be brave, right? and to say that we support our students and that they deserve to feel safe and know that their elected officials, that their staff, that their district supports them and stands behind them no matter how scary it gets out there. So that's why the PTA invested in those big, beautiful feather banners that you see at Irene Ryther Elementary that say all families are welcome because that's part of our our values. So, I really

081urge the school board to take up the resolution that uh Jasmine Fast has proposed because at its core, it's telling our community that we care about their safety no matter how scary it gets. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. >> All right, we'll move on to reports. Uh first report as PLC need presentations is MP3 school report with Michelle set up. >> Okay. Just keep going. >> Should I just scroll through this one? >> I think we're out of >> I might have went out of order. >> We should We abandon our spot. >> It should be Yeah. Okay. >> Middle school ELA. >> Okay, we're good now. Can we just go? We're here. Okay, here. Okay, we're here. Can we do it? >> Okay, let's go. Okay, thanks. Um, all right. Thank you

082for your time. Um, we're excited to be here. I was feeling really nervous and then I watched our students just do this beautiful job and I'm like, "Okay, wait. If they can do it, so can I." So, aren't they great? Oh, you guys just like these are the kids we get to teach at M3 and it's just like makes my heart burst and it's just so awesome. >> Both of us. >> I know. I know. Yeah. No, they're fabulous. So, thank you for your time. Uh, this is Janet Gon and I'm Rachel Oscerson. We um teach writing at MP3. Um Janet has the first through fourth graders and I do um fifth through eighth graders. Um as you guys know at MP3 we are we teach work sty workshop style classes um two days a

083week and um partner with families as they are learning at home. So we're going to talk today about our narrative writing units. Okay, we slipped in an extra slide and that is because this is our this is our motto for the year of collaborate and um calibrate and it also gives us a chance to kind of say couple things about what's gone really well this year. One thing is Michelle and our leadership team reorganized how our PLC some of the grouping and so this year Rachel and I have dedicated time every other week to work just the two of us just on writing which is a huge gift to us. Um and so that's been awesome. Another thing is because we are together, we can really um really dial in on instructional strategies and assessment

084to um to go from first through 8th grade, which is a new chance for us. And then um also we've really benefit benefited from the waiver days where we've been able to work with really excellent teacher leaders in the district and uh just have those people as thought partners to dial in kind of some strategies that we've um that we do and then that so fun to use their expertise too to improve our practice. So, as part of that collaboration, we've been able to um align the major writing units that we do at the same time. So, we both started with narrative writing this year. This is the overarching learning standard and then there are subcategories underneath that apply to each grade level, but um teaching narratives about real or imagined events. Okay, so we

085took this big standard and we pulled out the most essential elements and you can see that like what what this has right here is actually a poster in my classroom. So I'm always referring to this and the students know that this is um this is where we're headed. Also, we have it on a little sticky note where that's attached to all their work. So, it's a constant um reflecting on whi what have you what have you included in your narrative and then what are your next steps. And then with the bigger kids, this is their rubric. Um so um with the bigger kids, I'm working on um expanding their writing skills. We focus a lot on imagery, uh descriptive writing, and figurative language. Um and then really hone in on uh the conventions of writing.

086So this is what their rubric looks like. um they will uh through the course of their writing identify all these literary elements in their paper and you'll see that in just a little bit but um yeah. >> Okay, perfect. The next PLC question is how do you know what they're learning? And so it's all formative assessment. So this little graph that you can see here is just 10 of my fourth graders who I felt needed like kind of an extra spotlight on their work. So, um, we're constantly doing formative assessment to to check in and then push them to the next spot. Um, the fourth column over is their preassessment. So, it truly was just sit down and write a story. And the score is out of those six elements that were on that poster

087we just shared. So, um, then after that, I model each part of the narrative and then the kids are working on it. And then after they're finished writing it, they meet with me and two peers where they read their piece of writing and then we give them feedback on that. Um the students give them feedback, but so do I. And I'm filling out that little sticky note so they know exactly what they have and then I push them um to the to the wherever they need to go with that. The other pieces are um there's we do a lot of work with revising and editing. And then um right before that green bar you can see the post assessment and that's where they that's the same six elements by the time the essay was finished.

088So you can see that they all made a lot of progress. And then one more thing, don't push the button yet, is that um the very last column is also a new thing for me this year, and I I'll show you an example of it next, but I also had all my students reflect on my teaching and give me feedback on what they what they liked and didn't like. Okay, >> okay, this is this is an example of what um the kids did. So, they had this after we were done with our unit, those pieces under what uh was this helpful? Those are different instructional strategies and different um scaffolding that I do with them. And then they circled yes, it was helpful or no. And then what things about it of whether anything they

089would add or change. And at the bottom I just gave them a chance to say um anything else they want to tell me about the unit or the class or just things I should have known which was really helpful. Okay. So in my class, how will I know that they're learning it? So, lots of formative assessment along the way. We do um peer sharing. Um they'll assess themselves and then um exit tickets have become a big um go-to for me um because it's just a great communication tool between a student and I. So, first couple questions on this one was uh I wanted them to evaluate their own time and their own learning. So, um did you use your time well today? And are you pleased with your process or your progress on your story?

090And then below that, it's a way for them to kind of communicate like how they're feeling about their story. So, um, how are you feeling about the next step of writing? Do you know where we're headed? And, um, is there anything you're still unsure about? And I did, it was it was really good to get some, um, feedback from some of the kids that like, oh, yep, no, I'm feeling a little bit lost about what's next. And then I can check in with them oneon one. So, very helpful. And then the other way that I'll know for sure, this is what a paper will look like when it's finished and it comes to me. So, they've um, identified the um, elements that I'm looking for. I'm do they have dialogue? Do they have a hook?

091Do they are they using figurative language? Um it's easy for me to uh glance at it pretty quickly and be like, "Yes, they have it." Or, "Well, they think they have it, but it's not quite on on target." And then I know what needs to be either rettaught or um or we need to go over in more depth in our next unit. So, yeah. Okay. Excellent. This is an example of some student work. So um if a student come they'll come to the conference and the orange piece is what the their classmate said and so the some of it is compliments and some of those things are they what they want this student to do. And then while they're while I'm quickly scribbling those things the students are saying I'm also filling out that little

092six-point checklist. And you can see up there that some of them are me checking them off and then the other ones are them because then they go back to their desk and they check the rest off as they do those. And then the other half of the slide is some of the things that I'm helping them to do to make sure that kind of the resources they have um at their disposal so that they can continue to make growth. So having the conference with me and their peers, there's lots of anchor charts. So if they have forgotten what dialogue is, there's a big poster that explains examples of dialogue and um then model writing. Like I said, I'm I'm modeling the whole writing process for them so that they can they can see it. Okay.

093So um with the older kids, we are conferencing at least twice during the I mean one-on-one during the writing process. We go over the rubric itself to make sure that they understand all the elements that are supposed to be there. It's also a chance for them to kind of evaluate their own paper based on um what made you most proud about your writing and what did you find most challenging. Those are um good discussion starter. They also will go back with um a sticky note of like here are some things that I need you to add before you turn in your final your final copy. And then at that point if it's clear that some things aren't aren't jing then there are some tier 2 supports in place. We I can model or um offer

094visual aids. Always extra time is an option. Um we don't have a whole lot of homework at MP3, but um if they need extra time to do it, that's when I'll communicate with mom or dad that this might be a good thing they could be working on at home. And then always um individualized instruction. Excellent. There's always students who um you do need to extend their writing. So um whether they're everyone can make growth on their writing. So, one of the most powerful things that I learned this year at a waiver day is to be really clear about articulating the gradation of um of what it means to meet a target or not. So, up here you can see on this example, there's students who have no dialogue in their story and that's one place

095and you can help them to just add dialogue. But there's some students who have dialogue which is not punctuated. you can teach them to punctuate it. Or they have dialogue, it's punctuated, but maybe the tags are weak. Everything just says said, so I can help them um to make their tags more powerful. Or maybe they have dialogue, but it doesn't really move the plot at all. Or they don't they don't have their characters engaging. So really an excellent writer, I could just push them towards those those things. It's all just kind of help make sure everybody's moving along on all the elements. Um most of the kids find the um rubric itself pretty challenging to hit all of those targets. I have a lot of um items on there, but there are some that we

096sit down for that first conference and they they've nailed it. They have them all. And so then um there are challenge tasks that um those kids go back with because I again want to make sure that they are progressing as well. So we talk about enhancing your vocabulary with some wow words. How can we vary your sentence beginnings? Vary sentence length. Um identify the theme and mood in your story. So, kind of just taking it to the next level for the kids that are like their writing was really, really strong. They hit all the points on the rubric. Here's some challenge things. So, that's how we extend the learning. >> All right. Well, thank you very much for your time. We love what we do. We happy to take any questions you have for us.

097>> What's your current ratio for student to >> like 20? >> 20. >> Yeah. and older kids. My classes range between 15 and 20. Yeah. But 20 is the top. So, makes all of those conferencing pieces we were talking about really doable. So, that's nice. >> Do you always have the older kids in your classrooms? >> Mine are fifth through eight. >> Okay. >> Yep. So, Janet does the first through fourth and then minor fifth through eight >> because I think I remember Janet did um at the ShareFare, didn't you have the creative writing a couple years ago? You shared that in your classroom? >> Yeah. And those were >> would have been fourth graders. Could have been third graders. Yeah. >> It just being compelling. >> Yeah. >> And so they were already showing

098just >> amazing writing skills. So I can only imagine what this looks like. >> It's so fun. Yeah. It's also inspiring to make sure I have them ready to go to Rachel's class. >> Motivating. >> Thank you for what you did. Thank you so much. Okay. Uh, next up is the Ry Middle School ELA professional learning theme. >> You need the clicker. >> You click. >> Okay. Hi, guys. Hey. Um, our ELA department focused on a sixth grade focus for our PLT cycle. And so I teach six fifth grade. My name is Bailey Drake. >> Yes, you're going on around the least. >> I'm Gregory Gates, seventh grade. >> And I'm Ashton Thomas. I do eighth grade. >> And our PL is also supported by Kelsey Funk from um Olivia Booker, who's our reading specialist.

099And our main focus is also actually narrative writing. So, it's kind of cool to see theirs because there's a lot of overlap and similarities between what they do at MP3 and what we're doing right now. Um, but our biggest thing is we want our students to be really good storytellers. And so, when we were starting our narrative writing unit, we're talking about why it's important to be really specific, use lots of details. That was one of our main focuses for this. Okay, you'll have to excuse my flash cards. I'm 6 months pregnant. Pregnancy brain is real. So, I brought my flash cards so I didn't forget what I'm supposed to say. Okay. Um so our standard for this overarching unit is very long but basically it's just students are spo or students should develop real

100or imagined experiences using uh effective technique descriptive details event sequences transition words relevant descriptive details and sensory language and that's what we broke into our learning targets to help us map their success. So why it's essential each grade level has a narrative writing component. So I Bailey does one, Greg does one and I do one and they all build on each other. Um and this skill aids students in descriptive writing and challenges them to focus on details in order to engage their listener and reader. So we're really focusing on engagement when it comes to being an effective storyteller. So for our learning targets, I won't read them all, but they're basically those we parsed out that standard and turned them all into I can statements and we use those to kind of navigate our our

101unit. And then if you see that image over there in the corner, that's actually a photo of one of our preassessments that we all worked together on that Bailey got to use in her sixth grade classroom um to make sure that she really got an accurate data point that she can jump off from for her summitative and her formative assessments. So this was a trend that we continued to use uh throughout our own narrative units um to target but also to expand on the narrative expectations that each of our respective units were asking of but also then I could build on the previous year's experiences and then Greg could build on what Bailey was doing. So it really helped us scaffold what we were doing in each of our grade levels. So when we're thinking

102about how we know they learned it, like Ashton mentioned, we built our formative assessments together. So the initial data you'll see on the left side is when they first took the test. So it's like a preassessment and then at the end of the unit, their post assessment, you'll see their percentages on the right hand side. And so not only did we do a formative assessment that way, but we also provided a summative. And so their summitive was at the beginning of the year in September, they wrote a narrative. I told them you're going to write a childhood narrative, write me one full page. And so they wrote me their full page and then they didn't know it, but we're coming back to the same thing at the end. So that way after we've learned everything,

103they can add all those details back into the same story and then they can identify and notice them themselves. So some examples you might see are like um preassessment the student wrote after math I went to robotics but my sister made me late to class because she took my Red Bull. post assessment they said after math I went to robotics but my sister made me late to class because she confiscated my Red Bull give me my Red Bull back I said no it's mine now my sister said right so pre they didn't have any like vivid verbs like confiscated that we talked about or dialogue and so later on after they learn those skills they came back with added them yeah >> and how will we respond if they don't learn it what what's been

104nice about our approach to PLC's we bail and put, you know, really a laser focus on a specific trait or a specific skill. Um, and I think that's what the the data allows us to do. The data points out and signals which which skill, which concept, um, which technique needs to be circled back on. And so letting letting the data inform um, what is needed to come to circle back on. That's the beautiful thing about the writing process is you get to allow young writers to um ample opportunities to show new evidence of a new trait or a new technique um and then allow them to continue practicing that um going forward in both low-risk journaling environments um and also you more um um uh more more extended more focused u assessment pieces. Um, and

105we've had a lot, we've had emphasis on, you know, all all career levels on the showing versus telling. And >> um, again, letting the data um, direct us in which technique uh, or which skill to be to reinforce or retach. Um, so some examples that are included up here of growth assessment or growth assessment from a recent journal prompt um are, you know, with the sensory language or, you know, sounds like crunchy snow in my neighborhood or you can hear the trees and sticks snapping and snow crunching. Um, and these are these appeared in in kind of more low-risk journal prompt practice. So to go off that after they learn it like where can we extend where can we bring this out more and more. So there's different forms like kind of Gregory mentioned we

106have journal prompts but then also you see in Gregory's class seventh grade they do red scarf girl which is another narrative. Sixth grade starts with boy tales of childhood. So it's the narrative of r doll when caves a boy. So, they're seeing examples of it in text, but they're also able to practice their own individual narrative writing on their own. And then in Ashton's aid gig, um they have also excerpts from Doll Flying Solo. >> They've got Going Yeah. Going solo and they have uh Fish Cheeks by Amy Tan. And they've got My Mother's Garden, which is a really great one that was published in the New York Times. And then uh they have uh Sandra Cisneros. >> Yeah. >> One from one of her vineyards. And so they've got four different opportunities. And then

107they write their own I give them a prompt about their own life after that that kind of relates to the topics that they were they just read. And then also they have their chance at trying the techniques that that particular author instilled. >> And then also it like continues to go on. So, like we just finished our Titanic unit in the sixth grade and so we this couple weeks ago we were looking at cuz the students were writing historical fiction based on a passenger that was on the Titanic. And so we're still seeing that creative storytelling and using those skills but in a different lens in a different time period. And so that was really exciting to see them building on that skills and also adapting more language and vocabulary. So like one of the

108student examples I really want to highlight here, it's a little bit longer but it's so good. wrote, "My time on the Grand Ship, the Titanic, has been so outstanding with exciting views and enjoyable activities. I tend to be found making conversation with many people I have not met before, as there are so many people upon the Titanic that I can hardly keep track. For dinner tonight, I shall order off the first class menu. A sirloin of beef, boiled rice, and French ice cream is what I feel like ordering tonight. And I doubt that their food will disappoint. After my very filling dinner, I might go walk the deck for a while. Or perhaps I will retire to my quarters for the night, which are so ornate and large, it almost feels like too much room

109for me and Jeep. So, it's just like >> sixth grade. >> So amazing and really exciting. And I'm like, that's a good storyteller right there. So, I feel like the emphasis is still there and we get to build on it more and more as the year goes on. So, it's exciting. >> I did not write that. I did not. Okay, me again. So, our focus area has shown us that students latch on to writing principles that when they learn a term and then they notice it in a text example and then they're able to create it on their own. And that kind of scaffold is scaffolding, excuse me, something that we have all used in all of our grade levels in these units. And we're going to continue to teach this way with this sequence.

110Um, so each grade level, before I go on to the next point, each grade level um has the standards built in of the previous year. So students continue, they're going to build on the writing principles, and be challenged with new strategies and concepts. So sixth grade was focusing on dialogue, vivid verbs, sensory details, and pacing. So then on Greg's grade, he would teach those things, refresh those things, and then add in his literary devices, simileies, metaphors, things like that. And then I teach all of those and I also add in uh moments in time. So we're dealing with how to effectively flash forward or flashback which is something that eighth grade students typically struggle with but it's a great way to kind of finish this off before they move on to narrative writing in high

111school. >> Is that it? Thank you. >> Was that the question? >> I love the I can statements. Those are so positive. But with a standard that long, you have to have six of them. But >> it works if you introduce them once one at a time. >> I like how you guys are kind of stacking. Like we're learning this in sixth grade, seventh grade, and eighth grade to have like a like a plan in place and uh we're kind of seeing that development. So that's really cool. >> And I love that you have foresight on being in high school knowing what they need to be successful going into high school. >> I'm having I'm in a really great spot where I'm at right now. Sweet. Yeah. Um, I want to know more about the

112journals. Are these physical journals or these they're what what do we have with paper? >> Yep. Paper, pencil. So, they'll get like different writing prompts and they write. They don't love it, but they do it. It's right. We all write with >> But I I like that. So, do you do they write in these and then they're connected in reviewing them or is it peer review or who what's sometimes they're collected? So, sometimes they'll be like especially if it's a prompt. Sometimes it's a creative prompt. Sometimes it's like more of an argumentative. So, especially if we're working on paragraph writing, like argumentative paragraph or if it's expository, we're trying to explain something. And so, sometimes I may be like, we do vocabulary, too. I'm like, well, you got to use two vocab words in this

113journal. So, you got to figure out how you're going to use that word correctly in this prompt. Or sometimes it's like, I need at least two pieces of dialogue, circle them, highlight them, and then we do journal tech checks in my classroom like quarterly. And then different time periods they check in classrooms, too. >> Yeah. And Amplify really emphasizes being able to produce uh an extended response in a short burst of time, like a hundred words or more. And so >> in >> 10 minutes, >> yeah, in our writer's notebooks, a lot of it is that practice of stamina. Um being able to write as much as you can, as well as you can. Um, and then and then them being able to go in and kind of highlight or underline traits that stood out

114to them or places they noticed themselves using writer tools. Um, but yeah, kind of a a tool for building writing stamina. >> And the amplified curriculum for eighth grade doesn't do a lot of those focused writings. We have a couple in that first unit, but it's something that if we don't practice it, it that skill will drop off cuz writing is very much like any other athletic like swimming, whatever. And so in our in eighth grade, one of their weekly warm-ups on Wednesdays is I give them some random picture and they have to write for three minutes without stopping a clear short story with a beginning, a middle, and an end. so that they although we're not doing it in our actual unit work, it's a skill that they practice on the weekly so that

115when they get to high school, they still have that stamina writing somewhere in their toolbox. >> How long has this group been together and focused and and building on on each to get to the high school preparedness? Like >> we've been building on so last year our focus was vocabulary. So we came up with a lot of strategies for vocabulary that we're still implementing this year. Um, but this year our focus more in quarter one was narrative writing because we were all seen in narrative writing. Our units kind of hand in hand are the similar to each other and so they're going to have like the same progression and flow throughout the years. Um, but I feel like the last two years you've been really focused on overlapping and the transition periods. >> Yeah. Yeah.

116>> I see that strategy pay off. >> Yes. >> Oh yeah, >> for sure. >> Excellent. Thank you so much. Uh, the next group we have up is the first grade professional learning. >> Sure. >> Sorry, I'm keeping track of my slides here. Thanks for having us. Yeah, thanks for being there. Oops. Oops. >> No. Am >> I going the right way? >> Yeah. >> Oh, yeah. That's right. Okay. Well, hello. We are the first grade IE um professional learning team. My name is Jordan Walcott. >> I'm Ariel Coen. I'm Liam Ber. I'm Lisa Garing. >> And Scout unfortunately couldn't join us tonight. Um, so we always start with what we want our students to learn. So our standard for this, we're not doing writing. So it's a math um standard. It's uh solve word

117problems that call for addition of three whole numbers whose sum is less than or equal to 20 um by using objects, drawings, equation with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem. Um apply properties, operations as strategies to add and subtract. So it's a long module. We're focusing on that in a lot of different ways with concrete pictures into like decomposing subtractins. So, we sit in it for a long time. Um, and that's what we're kind of hoping kiddos learn for this cycle. How will um how will we know if they have learned it? Um we gave a pre-assessment we did before we taught the module and we isolated the question for students to read, draw and do an organized um drawing picture and solve to give us information about prior math learning

118because in module one and two we also taught students how to read, draw, read, draw, and solve. And it's just being elaborated into module three. So kids could use number pass drawing or a whiteboard and marker. How will we know they have learned it? Here is the um we did the preassessment data for first grade students and we gave the post assessment data um today and for module 3 which we will enter in as a team informative and reflect on the data this Friday which then we will create the groups for students um who need more support extensions and then keep students learning at the level of first Right. >> So the only values are one or zero. Either they get it or they don't >> essentially. Yeah. So if they were to do a

119picture, they would get it or not. If they could provide an equation, they'd get it or not. And if they could represent like the total number and if that was shells on the beach, they get it or not. So yeah. >> So 53% of our students either got zero or one point. So they could either draw or they could write the answer, but they weren't able to do all three required parts. And so how will we respond if they don't learn it? Well, our direct instruction or tier one instruction immediately went into these three addend or threepart addition problems. And so, um, in our new Eureka curriculum, which we adopted last year, there's this structure of students doing their math fluency and then having an opportunity to do a launch problem where they see a

120visual, they get to talk about it with each other. They get to ask questions. Um, and then it moves into learn where they get opportunities to solve uh along the same structured problems before they finally do their exit tickets. And so you can see in the pictures up above, they each lesson is represented by lesson one, two, and three. And those tickets are their opportunity to show us their learning individually. Um, and then we collect that information at the end. We usually sort by got it, kind of got it, or totally got it. And that helps us inform the kind of instruction we'll do in the following day. And so a great thing about Eureka is not only do they have these exit tickets, but they have a lot of additional support and opportunities for

121students to keep developing those skills. And so these are all practice problems that um we've used in various ways. Sometimes we'll pull small groups and give them more opportunity here. Sometimes uh we'll give it as morning work and so just giving another opportunity to practice a problem um and then checking that work before we're launching into our day. So they have many opportunities to show it. Um and then if you look, sorry I went back one, but on the very end we have an A up there instead of a number. And so that's our topic ticket A. It is the fourth lesson in the sequence, but it's data that will then enter into formative that kind of helps us think about students who may need additional support. And then um depending on the need, we

122may separate into groups where we're sharing students across classrooms or if the need is smaller, we'll continue to support within our own rooms. And so here's um some of our first grade students using some manipulatives to help um build their support and their understanding with these styles of problems. And on topic ticket A, you can see we highlighted question two, which is a similar structure to the preassessment question they had. Um, and you can see 93% of students were on grade level and had success. So, a lot of growth in those initial lessons. So, then it asks, you know, begs the question, how will we respond if they don't learn it? So then if they do have it, um, luckily for us, Eureka offers a really nice progression of problems in the workbook. So, um,

123we teach the strategies and then for some kids, like Jordan showed in the last picture, they're still going to use the concrete cubes and that's great. That's a counting strategy that works for them. For the kids who are ready to do more abstract thinking, like decompose numbers to make a 10 and then jump on a number track, we challenge them with that. So, the workbook kind of helps them with that way with more abstract problems. um encouraging kiddos to use more concrete methods or if they want to try a more complex strategy, they can. Um and then here's kind of an example of how they might become more abstract with their work. You might see kids doing like a number bond under numbers. And you're probably thinking, what is that? Um because we didn't do

124that when we were in school, but now um we're helping kids understand that since we're in such a base 10 system, if they can decompose a part of an equation to make 10, then they can make it easier for themselves. And then if once you make a 10, they can add what's left. And it's actually pretty amazing how just a six-year-old can like look at a an equation like 8 + 6, decompose the six into two and four. It's still six al together. Take the two and stick it on that eight to make 10, and then add that four that's left to get 14. So it's a pretty like nuanced and and sophisticated way to think about numbers. So we encourage that for the kiddos who are ready for it. But if you need to

125use cubes and see eight and six, here are your cubes. So, >> and I've seen that actually work with kids how they were doing like just like you're talking how much they together. So, >> I'm so excited to see how this how this grows. So, when they're in, you know, sixth, seventh, eighth, 12th grade, how this really strong foundation of math is just so helpful because now it seems like it's first grade, it's simple, but it's such a good foundation I'm excited for. >> Yeah. There's a cartoon called Number Block where they're doing that just like >> Yep. Yeah. >> But so Na Grant said like in kindergarten he knows all the time tables >> because he sang that song so many times. >> Yeah. >> But it's and the blocks are colored like you

126know how you mix them together and to them it makes sense. >> Yeah. >> Very cool. >> Sorry. No, you're okay. >> So how will we know they've learned it? >> Yeah. So this week we actually just gave them their end of module math post assessment and the second question is actually the question that we pulled for our preassessment. So now we're getting to see after all of that time spent um doing instruction looking at our strategies and really getting that time to practice and kind of inform our teaching seeing from there how they are doing with the post and how much growth they've made. So now what we'll be doing is we're going to take that, we're going to sit down together as a team and analyze that data together at PLC and really

127just get to see and talk about what we're noticing. Um just what we're thinking are going to be those next steps and what that intervention may look like and then from there just getting to see those results and really get to look at that growth. Since we are just doing that this week, we would still love to share with you guys what those results look like and just getting to share with you our students growth as well. Um, and just sending that over in an email with um, and just getting to share that with you guys. So, >> but we thought it'd be fun to share something fresh and we'll we'll make sure you get that and >> after uh, yeah, that >> topic ticket A, it looks like we're heading in the right direction.

128So, >> love that. Um, and then the last piece here is we sent out a family math survey just to build a connection here. One thing I'm going to pop one more slide over. Eureka does is they send out this family math letter. Um, they offer uh English and Spanish. And the math letter is great because it gives parents an overview of the strategies that students will be working on in class and also just gives them some coaching points on how they can support at home. And then there's also some really great at home um activities like some are games, some are things that they can just like things they can grab out of a you know a drawer you don't usually open or you know you got stuff and and can count. And so

129it's a great way to to build that connection back at school and it just gives them another dip. Um because these first grade essential standards are foundational. They're very important for that trajectory as they continue. use language to like decompose the subtraction in a lot of parents to like >> yeah I'll do that with my kids. So the math letter is nice because it gives them like tangible games that like a parent could could do which is nice to have that so it doesn't seem like it's a foreign language. >> Going to look at that. >> It's just the number you can track >> break apart the problem. So, at the at the time of submitting this to you all, we we hadn't received very many responses yet, but I do have some that I

130just snapped a quick picture of today. And so, one of the questions we asked is this year in first grade, um, we have a goal that students can fluently add three one-digit numbers and what math needs do you see in your child? So, this is just gathering some additional information that families are seeing at home. Um many families named subtraction as an area of still um having a big need and measurement which we haven't taught yet. So we were like that makes sense. Um families said that they are likely to read the math letters. Um they there was really no preference for parent square or a paper copy digital or paper. Um, but the biggest time constraint that families named for barriers in reading and then applying strategies was just not having enough time at

131home. Um, I'm happy to send over more data along as with uh along with our summitive data if you're interested in that in those family responses as well. >> That'd be great. >> Okay. Reflections and questions. Um, I don't know if you this was deliberate, but I loved how you referenced the tools within the curriculum that you're utilizing. um because we do it's it's it's a huge investment uh for the district with new curriculum or >> I don't know how long you've been using Eureka >> but to hear that there letters that can go home in two different languages >> supporting um additional learning at home or or even um you know these exit tickets and just I I love that you are taking a tool that's been provided to you and really diving in

132to use what's available getting the most out of that resource. So nicely done. >> Sick of family connection. This piece is nice because I've sat down with my kids before and be like, "Hey, this is how you do this problem." And they're like, "That's not how my teacher told me. I learned it. We had the same answer." So >> yeah, >> having the way you guys are teaching it is is is super helpful. So >> I think it's a great example and if it's all right, >> I'd like Mr. Dawkins to speak about such great success around literacy and then moving to math. Eureka we adopted last year. Correct. Was our first year. >> Yes. >> Um actually there's some national recognition for the great work that's happening at Irene Ryther. Can you speak just

133briefly? >> Yes. >> Thank you for the briefly part. Get get on a roll when I'm talking about math. But um yeah so Eureka we adopted last year in partnership with Adrien Samra director of teaching and learning. So I would be remiss if I didn't shout her out. um and and a team of teachers and we adopted a curriculum that's considered one of the top in the country um based on ed reports and um in most in most schools when you adopt a new curriculum you see this thing called the implementation gap which means that the achievement kind of dips and we had the opposite happen our achievement increased by 5% um and so and that's in their first year of using it so um that was kind of not the norm and so Eureka

134after our representative asked like how's it going? They're like we want to feature you in a national story. So Meridian's name is out there across the country and all the the ed kind of geek sites about how we've implemented a new curriculum and achieved results in the first year. So just really proud of everyone's work and and all the teachers and people that have put it to >> well well if we don't get picked up the national level I'd love to see it on our own newsletter exactly what you just said about the increase in 5% utilizing a top curriculum out of the country. I I think our community base would love to hear some really positive information like that. >> Great for providing great resources. >> Excellent work. Thank you so much. >> All

135right, last but not least, we have world history, ninth grader social studies, >> Mr. Webster and Kaitlin. Hello there. Hi. >> Very familiar face. >> You are so low. >> Oh, yeah. Well, thank you. Um, we um I guess you first. I'm Steve Lawrence. I teach AT Gov as you can see and um law society and civics and this is second time teaching freshman for world history. >> Been a lot of years. >> How many? >> 33. >> So um Webster Kurs I teach this year I teach juniors in US history and I teach a class of world history with freshmen. I'm Caitlyn Olsson and I teach two classs of world history and then I also teach English language arts which I've seen you guys that before. >> Um so this is our you know

136a wraparound um subject this year. Um and when we kind of went up the this is our time to do um our PLT this year. We just finished last year's presentation and so to go back to last year go oh this is what we're doing is kind of like redundant to me. So, we're kind of in the middle of this one. So, not everything is is finished like the elementary. They're still kind of finishing up their um their topic um or their cycle. Um so, our overarching standards hasn't changed. I don't think it'll ever I don't think it'll change too much in the next few years. Um they are changing the SLA standard. So, it might be a different number coming up. But um our our f our focus is making claims, providing evidence for

137those claims and then um using reliable sources and then eventually um using explanations to you know say this is how that evidence supports my claim. So a lot of it is just kind of going trying to find sources reliable sources and so on. Um, and so the f you can kind of say the focus there is, you know, we start the year focusing on our claim and evidence. Now we're really focusing on the evidence and then as we go to the rest of the year, we're going to focus on explanations for the evidence. So for the unit of unit four, this is revolutions um and we just started unit five um this week and we we combined those two together. Um our central question for unit four was how people transform political systems under which

138they lived and where the changes where these changes fell equally around the world within the communities. Um not much is changing for industrialization but instead of political it's industrialization change societies. Um so how how we know they learned it um in the program I use is called OAR. It's a um free open open education resource. Um and it's um and we adopted it a couple years ago. Um this must be our fourth year or third year. >> What? >> Third year because yeah, because the juniors um are you know the first year and so um they just revamped it but the idea um of it is really thematic. So we've kind of started with global tapestry. Last year we talked about um the Columbian exchange or trans oceanianic and so now we're kind of you

139know in this portion revolutions and so this year they revamped it and they came with this program called quilt. Um I know a couple English teachers have used it um but it's kind of they use it um it's on the computer and basically they use kind of an AI type thing to get kids to rewrite their stuff. So the questions that we did for our our um our data was using evidence, finding evidence. So three questions were, you know, revolutions that erupted the Atlantic world because and then but and so so what they had to do was for each of those questions they had to write a prompt or answer the prompt using an article that they had already and then they would kind of go say, "This is good." Or they go, "Oh, you

140need to revamp it this way. you need to revamp it this way and so on. And so it was kind of an interesting way for them to kind of look at evidence both pro and con, you know, like second one is supposed to be the opposing idea. So a pro view and then an opposing view. So the next slide, oh no, this is kind of the scores we had. Um this is it's again this is the first time we used it. So we didn't know that you had to make a teacher account to get access to all the um all the resources. Um, and so since I was the last one to do it, I had um I I made account go, "Oh, yeah. Oh, I was able to get the sources." >> My first

141period kids all did it and no one knows there's >> that we don't have their data because >> I go back in to look at their scores and there's like nothing there. And so, and the kids were going in to try to >> revamp their own and other students stuff was appearing. So yeah, it the program's pretty interesting because you have to >> I mean when you write something it's going to come back to you, well try this or look for the it gives them a prompt. So it doesn't just say you need more, right? It it guides them. you need more evidence from the article or which countries are you talking about that came about and so it's it's good but like web says you have to have an account so you can see

142what they did and um it's a little um >> uh what would you call like it's a little particular restrictive it it it has a response it wants >> and that doesn't always align with what we want them to learn. And so I think we'll we're going to keep working with it as it kind of goes forward and see how it works with other >> like add on to what they're saying. What I love about it is obviously if there's like 31 kids in my class, I can't sit there with each child and and tell them like oh you're missing this piece of this. So I love that it's like oo not enough. Come back. Cuz you know kids, they're going to try and do like the bare minimum a lot of the time. So

143I like that they're like you need another source like more more. I like that. Um because I can always like sit there and push every kid to do that. But I don't love that it's so restricted that it limits their creativity and their thinking a lot. Um I'm not a teacher. You know, there are certain things where it's like what year did this happen? Like you either get it or you don't get it. But there are a lot of things that I want to hear their perspective and I like it when it challenges me to do what I thought about something or like expands on something that we've talked about in class. So I don't love um that it limits them. But I think like when used properly, it can be a really cool tool

144moving forward. And I think you know we're obviously all learning how to use it and we'll get better at it too. So >> yeah. So for our kind of the data um I like Mr. Lawrence did have one class and so um if you look at kind of the scoring three out of three basically gave him five chances to get it right and so we had 25 um kids total get three out of three out of um 43 that completed it. So that's pretty good pretty good average but they get like five props. Um we had nine we had 14 get two out of three and then we had just four get one out of three. So, you know, for the first time going through it, it wasn't bad. It was interesting because like of

145my two kids that didn't get it right, I probably would have gave him two out of three because like you'll see in the next slide. This is kind of the feedback page. And so, like the first one says the question was um because and so they wrote their answer and then this is our first response. You know the revolutions erupted through the you know from because access prop to property resources and materials conditions were terrible. So the economics and government were poor. So their feedback was materials did not play or did play a role in the radic revolutions. Add more information about the impact and conditions what was there. So they didn't give them a point. And then if you go down here to the third one it's almost like they got the answer right

146but it was a runon sent runon sentence. So you have to redo it again. And then oh you know you write a single sentence and then last one they didn't get this one right because it said they didn't have a run they said run on sentence. So it's like well they answered the question right but now they're doing a grammar thing which again that's important but it's like for us we're going information is good. They they expanded they went from you know the they answered the question you know said you know economic and property they go expand on that and so they did but they still marked it wrong eventually at the very end. So that's kind of one of the things that you know as we go through is you know we're having an

147accountant so you can see the kids answers is important >> so that we can kind of regrade and go oh yeah they're they're they're on the right track. It's just not it's a runoff sentence and the grammar gram grammatical part we can work on and they can work on in other classes too. So um so how do we find they don't work it? Um the basically use a lot of T3s that's you know the high school level that time is valuable and it's you know you know I I know like um we have kids sign up all the time a lot of times we have open sessions um we have closed sessions it's hard for Mrs. Olson um cuz she's also teaching you know her English classes too and so um doing hard so sometimes

148those kids will come into Mr. Lawrence's class also that T3 and having three teachers all at the same point, you know, that is nice. >> So, um, we use accommodations, bulleted information, you know, you know, kind of like help with bulleted, you know, graphic organizers. Um, and then help after school if we can get it. Some kids do, um, I have a couple kids that come in after school quite a bit and then, you know, some will come in, um, you know, at other times, too. Just to add something here, um, something I love about our alignment, we do formatives like every Monday to just sort of like a quick quiz. It's open note for kids just to see where they're at and what they learned the previous week. And I find it to be

149really good check-in for myself to like, oh, everybody kind of missed this, which means I missed this. And so, like, that's something that I can retach. You know, maybe at the start of class I touch on something and like, hey, seems like a lot of you didn't get this. Like, let's quickly go over it. or if it's like one kid in particular, then I know I need to assign that student to my T3 and like we need to have a more of a one-on-one conversation or maybe it's three kids or whatever that is. Um, and it's really really helpful like they were saying like if I have to maybe I have to help kids with essays for English, then I can say, "Oh, Steve, like these kids need help with this particular thing that we

150learned last week. Can you help them with that?" Um, and it's just it's really really helpful. That time is like so valuable for us for sure. >> And this curriculum helps that a lot because it's it's pretty I mean we we can sit down on our PLC's and figure out exactly what you know what we're doing that whole week and and making sure that it's aligned and it's all online so we can access it. Kids can access if somebody's absent it's it's right there in Google Classroom it's attached and it's all the videos we show are all attached to it. So it's it's really helpful especially for I don't know a kid gets sick for a week. Yeah. >> Like they can access everything even from their house and and it's a it's a pretty

151good curriculum in that way. >> Yeah. That's great. >> Alignment >> how they respond. They they already know it. Um I a couple ways we do it is one is help other students. Um and then the other k things you do is just you know like I always do it for like essays going you you want to do the you want to do this argument this evidence do the other side you know stretch yourself and go I got to find evidence this way. And so those are a lot of things that we kind of do. Um, we try to give them, you know, a lot of our projects, you know, give them choices on what they want to do, essays, presentations, posters, and that they like that. And then, um, the PLT is it really

152helps us stay on track, especially because like, you know, again, the OAR just changed the whole curriculum again this year. Um, I think it's better, you know, as they go on. Um, one of the things that we we haven't used as good as we can is we every beginning of every unit they have like a a problem question. So almost like a pre-EST and so you know you need to kind of use that a little bit more the beginning of the unit and they have the end of the same question but they how do you change your learn? So you kind of continue to use that a little bit more as we go forward and as we go into the the next years and stuff. Okay. Thank you. Are we allowed questions now? >> Yeah,

153sure. Yeah. >> So, I need a little bit of clarification here. Um, the OEER is your curriculum. >> Yeah. >> Now, you say one of these services was complimentary. What did I miss there? >> Yeah. The the quill >> quill is complimentary. >> Yeah. And I I don't know if it's just this year or how that's going to work. So, >> okay. And with the AI prompts, um, yeah, how you wish to teach with AI and all that, >> at what point will have we solicited for student feedback on how they're engaging with it? >> You say you love it. Do do our students love it? >> We don't know. We're going to we're I mean, we just have like anecdotal evidence on that. We didn't like do any survey or thing, >> right? But

154keep the most information out of >> Yeah. And and I I had kids really like it and I had a several really dislike it. And and what was interesting was the the more creative the kid was, the more they disliked it. And the more just sort of I don't know basic like I need to just get this. It was they liked it. And I think the lower kids I had liked it even more. But my high-end kids did not >> felt it was a little hard. It it was >> Yeah. It basically like one of the things we were trying to get them to see is how people's lives changed. So at the beginning before all these revolutions occur in the long 19th century that people's lives they weren't in control right an emperor controlled

155them or they had very little life as political life especially right no say then we had these revolutions here in France and Haiti and all that and people gained a lot more control over their political life in their countries and that changes to now demands for I want to be in control of my life always right in all different ways and I mean we see that playing out today right so this this whole thing it's a really important unit in terms of people understanding that shift in political freedom of sovereignty and when if a kid just responded back like well the most important thing is because they gained political sovereignty they would get it wrong they'd have to rewrite it and I would go wow that was like you understood the whole thing better than

156anybody else. You really got it, but you didn't. That quote wasn't in the reading. >> Oh, >> you translated to a really awesome higher level concept of sovereignty, but because that word wasn't in the reading, it wouldn't count your score. >> Interesting. >> You know, that interesting. That's because as AI, it wanted to see you pull something from the reading and put it there. And for some that's really good skill, but for others it's pretty limiting. >> And we don't know like there we have it's only one we've done. >> Yeah. >> So we'll I'm I'm assuming there's going to be more of these in the other units and I don't know. We'll try it out. We'll see. and maybe we'll end up like using it for some students and not others or we'll go

157back in and and recorrect the other ones and say you're >> not something we're committed to or invested. >> No, it's it's a part of this whole curriculum like it was just one lesson within this larger curriculum. Yeah. >> The AI applies to I thought the quil applied to >> Oh, no. Just this one lesson. >> Yeah. It's just like a program built into our curriculum and like probably like once a unit there's an option that you can do this activity and if you choose and so we were like this is like new like this is fresh we'll try this and we obviously hit some bumps in the road but um it was a good experience and something I just think is really neat about the way that we teach this class. I think there's

158a lot of variety and like today we did a simulation that was like you know kids had huge poster boards they're working with their teams and it's simulating industrialization and so they're they're building this town and as new factories come in then they're like oh no like there's trees and I need to draw a factory here and they're having to redo and like really like city plan right and all the kids are like laughing and it was super interactive and that's great and I think using AI I think it's very topical I think it's current and I think it's important that kids are getting exposed to different types of learning learning and I think it showcases how different students learn in different ways and I think the more ways you can offer um it's great

159because everyone accesses learning at a different point. Um and it's really neat to see as a teacher like oh this really works for these kids whereas like these kids are thriving in this creative environment that we're providing. Um and so I think it's just to to me I think it's about offering multiple ways um to learn and access these materials. >> And I think for the kids that struggle having those questions going expand here, expand there, you know, especially because I'm not an English teacher and I look at, you know, oh yeah, you have all the points there, so you're fine. But they go, no, you need to elaborate on that. I think that's important to to, you know, expand the writing. >> Yeah. The coaching there is like really nice for kids. Yeah. >>

160And it's nice thing about is it's done right away instead of like, you know, like, oh well, you had to turn that in for me to grade it and give it back to you the next day. >> Intense. Instant. >> It's instantaneous. And some of the kids did in three prompts did 15 different sentences. >> Some kids did like 10. It just depends on how till you get to the answer they want. So that part was kind like the kids that struggle with writing. It's like oh I need to do this. I need to do this and they always had feedback. They might even at the very end they had feedback. So >> I appreciate the example of dipping your toe into something. And I think you know when we look at what OSPI has

161professed in terms of examining AI it's the human input AI and then the human output like you don't just take what you get or if you have a prescribed program and it it's prompting there's a value but if your purpose is to understand what the reason is that >> revolution made an impact in society >> then you're not talking about wrong sentences right that's the work you do is like you do that transfer with your students to >> navigate that. >> Yeah. And I did find a couple of my high-end students had it was a fun conversation of them explaining why they thought they were right and the AI was the was pushing them to this and they're like, but this is really what you wanted to know, isn't it? And so, I don't know,

162that was that was pretty cool to see them kind of almost fight with the AI response and stuff. >> Yeah. I kind of loved being like, oh, see how AI is wrong. I'm like, "Oh, interesting." Yeah. >> Yes, please. Have to have a great >> Thank you for sharing. >> Thank you so much. >> Um, on to new business. We have a review and approval for the Aldrich consultant agreement. >> So, this is an expedited request. We have a student that um we have a need to have support from Aldrich uh educational therapeutic consulting. We've contracted with them before. Um this this student has needs beyond what we can provide in the district and has some disqualifying characteristics for placements in quite a few places. And so this consultant is to help identify a placement

163and then also to help navigate placement once that's identified. So this this happened yesterday. So the urgency behind it is helping us make that placement sooner than later. >> So even yeah for sure we were so asked to >> any questions. Okay, we get a motion. >> Yep. Okay, I'll make a motion to approve the Aldridge Aldridge consulting agreement uh and expedited approval as detailed in the attachment. >> I'll second. >> Okay. All those in favor? I I All right. On to old business. Second review approval. Wacom ELC architect. >> I'm sorry. >> No, no, it's okay because guess what? I'm going to have you guys sign me because you guys have been so patient and it is something I want to make sure. I'm even working on it myself. I want to make sure

164it is uh no 6:29. Let's just call it 6:30. And when it is 8 minutes or up, Jasmine, you just raise your hand. Give me the one minute cuz that's what we do with our students. Okay. >> I'm very sorry. >> No, do not be. This is going to be fun. All right. I'm Michelle Sidell. I'm the principal at MP3 and I'm so excited to be sharing our annual board report. Um we were established in 2006 and pretty exciting you guys. We just had our 20 year uh anniversary and so here's a sticker just to you know >> your water bottle whatever wherever you might know and I'll make sure I get some to Logan and Eden and if anybody out there would ever like a sticker we have lots of them um on our

165campus. Um speaking of campus we have a campus and a remote program. We serve students kindergarten through 8th grade throughout the state of Washington. Um we're an alternative learning experience. So you'll see that term AL. Um but we also have access our students to a variety of district approved curriculum, strong parental um involvement and really highly effective certified teachers and we're also very highly accountable to OSPI which we do audits every year usually and so um but really proud to say that we pass our audits and that is a great thing. So happy um to continue with that tradition. Tonight I want to just talk a little bit about finance curriculum, teaching and learning, assessments, and some celebrations. Um, speaking of finance, MD3 um does not access any of our levy funds. We're fully operate

166on the running start rate and it's just a little over $10,000 per student. And so that's how um we're self- sustaining program. If you ever have questions about budget, I love talking budget. So um I would love to share with you how we um operate. I mean, we even have line items for everything from garbage services, electrical, staffing. Um, it's a it's a great model. We're able to serve students, but we're also we're at zero cost to our taxpayers and um we really do operate under that running start. We're also an asset to our Meridian school district because not only financially a lot of that revenue comes back to our district, but also it just provides other options for students and we know that that is crucial um for student learning. We're like I said

167earlier, we're in the kid business. Let's serve students, right? And let's find out creative ways to meet their needs. Um we also make sure that we are um contributing indirect as well as revenue funds to our general funds. And then as far as curriculum instructional support, that is really important. Even though it's alternative learning and we do serve students in that home school, it's still under that public school umbrella. And so we want to make sure that students at MP3 have access to viable curriculum. Um, and then when we do that, we use what's called purchase orders. And so when you see on those board docs, when you see all those purchase line items, they're not huge amounts. When you do a full grade level curriculum adoption, you're talking hundreds of thousands of dollars, right?

168A lot of times these are small amounts. They're like $80, a couple hundred dollars. And so, we're really good stewards of state funds. Um, if you were to see our library, we have a great system. We've been around for 20 years. So, you can create good systems when you've been around that long. Um, but the purchase orders, it really is a way of we only purchase what we need. We're a tiny campus, so we really can't have a bunch of surplus, right, of items sitting around. So, we only purchase what we need for each family. And then we think about that individual needs versus like schoolwide grade level curriculums. Um, and so that is a great model. And here's a picture of what our library looks like. Um, we're very organized people also, which is

169important when you're in a tiny living environment. And so we have our section of here's our um math section, our ELA, our social studies, our science. Um and so we have the curriculum. When families need instructional materials, they have that teacher guide and when they're done with it, they return it and then another family gets to check it out. And so we have a great resource in our library, but then there's those consumables, workbooks, just like any traditional student would have. Um we're able to provide that for families. But we also use um the instructional materials committee. It's board policy 2020. And so we go through that same we have an IMC committee and we follow that same protocol when we're reviewing curriculum. And so it follows that same guideline um of district approved. It's

170just we don't have just one because we know there's not just one style of teaching and learning for families. So I always encourage new families find a curriculum that's on our approved list that's going to meet your teaching style but also meet your students learning style. And then so that's nice for families to have that option. And then as far as teaching and learning, all of our students have a student learning plan. And that's just that well-rounded plan. It has your social studies, science and ELA, um, uh, uh, his or science, and also PE. And so those are in every student's student learning plan. And then we have those essential learning standards. So, it's pretty elaborate what their student learning plans look like, but they also, and it's also what we get audited on is

171making sure we have a district approved curriculum for each one of those content areas. And then we do weekly contact with students either in person if they come on campus or if families are like, "Hey, I'd like to meet you on my SLPC on a non-campus day." That's great, too. Um, Zoom has worked really well for families, phone and email. And then we do every month a monthly review of progress. And so again, like I said, highly accountable. And so that's where um families are reporting how students are doing with their progress learning at home and then it's reviewed by a certified teacher because that's how families are able to operate under that public school umbrella. >> Take a minute talk about something you didn't touch on this in presentation with your students, but it

172was around belonging and asking about their learning environment. It's unique because you have you have on campus. Yeah. >> Yeah. So, can you speak to that? >> Yeah. So, we ask students too like we want to make sure they have a good learning schedule and routine at home. And it's actually you'll be hearing later this year around our school improvement plan is connecting that making sure students um have a good tier one instruction. Just like we talk about tier one instruction in the classroom, want to make sure it's also happening at home and it and how we can support families. And we want just like we want our teachers to be successful. We want our parents to be successful because when you're when you're feeling successful, feels good, right? And if you're struggling, I always

173tell families, it's like parenting. You have highs and lows, just like teachers do. You know, when you think everything's going well, then something happens. You're like, am I doing the right thing? Right? And so, we want to make sure that we have that support because our parents need that just as much as our teachers do. So, we're all in this together. And so does that answer your question? Yeah. >> Um >> can I have a clarify? >> Yes, please do. >> So you are having weekly contact with 100 in company. >> Well 220 students right now. >> Weekly contact for 220 students. >> Yeah. >> And then >> but it also counts when they come on campus and that's about 170 students. So by being in your campus class that counts as your weekly contact.

174So then those other 50 students we have our SLPC team and then they connect with them because that's also what we get audited on too is making sure we have that direct studentto student contact and then monthly we need that parentto parent contact. >> Okay. So weekly is with student. Yeah. >> Monthly is with parent. >> Yeah. And many times it's more than just monthly with parent but that's the requirement. >> And another clarifying. So when we heard today >> you guys are going to blow my time. You know that's right. >> Just kidding. >> You may say we have 16 to 20. >> Did Janet and Rachel also have SLPC? >> So they were or SLPC, excuse me. So So they were speaking about in class only. >> Yeah. >> So they have other

175students. >> Oh, they have 47 on their case load, >> right? So it's those days that they're because they're only in class on Wednesday, but they're full-time. So they're doing that other contact >> Tuesday. They're actually over a little bit on their capacity, >> but we but we love kids, so you know, we just squeeze them in, right? >> Yeah. >> But but there's it's nuanced, right? I mean, it's unless Yeah. So, >> and then about assessment, um, we do our district assessment, which we just had our eye ready, oral reading, fluency. That's with all of our second graders. And then right now we're in the middle of, it's called RAN rapid auto naming, and that's just the dyslexia screener. Um, and we do that for our kinder and first graders and some second graders.

176Um, and we can't diagnose for dyslexia, but we can see if there's indicators of that at an early learning. And so that is something that people do across the state. And then W Kids, um, we also have all of our students that are screened for that and that's at birth five. Um, and then WEDA, super exciting. We have some students that are exiting out of which is really um a great celebration to see that success. Um we have students that are multilingual learners but also Native American students also get screened for that too. So it's great to see that success. And then we're going to be gearing up for state assessment. And MP3 is a little bit unique in the sense that we have our campus students. Then we have our local remote. And then

177we're going to be doing interdist agreements across the state with um that's what we do so that we can connect our students that live in Yakama or in Vancouver um with their local district so they can partake in that because it's a hardship for them to drive all the way to NP3. Now, I will tell you, we have students that drive from Vancouver, Washington all the way to MP3 campus because we can provide such a great learning environment and they make it a vacation. We have families last year that ended up staying in Blaine and made it a family vacation for the week and they came for testing and I'm like, please take them to Etelene Dairy after this or somewhere, you know, fun. So, um I really appreciate though our families, but they also

178appreciate knowing that they have a campus to come to and our campus is pretty special. So, it it works, but we will be growing up for it's it's a lot of a little. And then this is kind of interesting because it's our um school report card that's on OSPI. Um and so they pulled data from this year and it just got released actually just a couple weeks ago, that top part for 2526 says we have 218 students actually as of Monday was count day. The first we have 222. So, um but you would think, oh, you just got a couple more students. No, we have like seven students who left, four who come. So, we have a high mobility rate, but that's also the nature of AL. And I'm glad we're here for students. When

179you need us, we're here. And each year is different. And sometimes families have one kid in our program, some in a traditional. That's okay. We're here to serve students and families. And so, um, sometimes they come to us and then they leave and they come back, but they know the doors need to open. So, I do appreciate having that for kids. Um, but one thing that's interesting is that our low income rate is growing for MP3. I can't guarantee I believe that this information on OSPI is accurate. Um, but it has to be. Um, so I do feel like I'd like to dig a little bit more into that. Um, but I do believe that that number is growing because um, things are expensive right now. And so I think that people's salaries aren't keeping

180up with the cost of living. So it could be true. Um, and then there isn't any data for English language learners because if the numbers under 10, you could identify students. So, the state won't post that. So, our numbers for um ELLL are actually very small. So, just know it's under 10 students. Um, and then finance, that's that running start rate 10,291. And then attendance. Thing is with this one though, we're on seatbased. So, you're not seatbased. So, we do the weekly contact and when we're at 98.6% 6%. Sometimes that's when families have missed um weekly contact. Um and then if it becomes a pattern two weeks in a row, then you go into intervention. So we have protocols in place for that. So that's why our attendance rate is so high because when you're

181non seatbased, it it's a higher percentage. And then as far as assessment, um that first section there, that's for students who um are getting a level two. So that's knowing your foundational ELA's um and math and science. Um and then when you look at the scores to the right, that's at proficiency and above a level three or four. Um and so that's where our school improvement plan comes into play where we're really focusing on tier one instruction and making sure students are still making growth. And then some fun celebrations. We just had we talked earlier about our MP3 literacy day. um famous um faces in history. Glenda Elgresma does the Wax Museum. It's an incredible if you're on social media, Lisa Gilchrist does some amazing posts about what's happening. So, I encourage you to look

182at those. Um again, Glenda Elgma does an amazing job in her communities and social studies class bringing in the fire department. And then we're so lucky we have the sheriff portable there. So, they always go over to visit them and they appreciate that because they need some positive things in their life. And so it was really awesome to let them know we appreciate you and thank you for your presence. And then our MP3 share fair and we got to couple that with our 20th anniversary. Um our student advisory committee, we met them earlier tonight. They're doing incredible work. And our PLC teams are just doing an outstanding job and I appreciate them all so much. um just their collaboration and just willing to try new things and like Janet and Sarah shared and our other

183teams just those vapor days that we had in October are phenomenal. Um it's learning from other teachers. We're learning from our own people. That's awesome. So I think Meridian is hitting the mark right now. So kudos to everybody in our district for that. And then kind of a fun picture here. You might recognize that little girl there. That's her in kindergarten, Isla, who was here tonight with the dark curly hair. She's been here since kindergarten and now is an eighth grader. And actually, kind of fun story, three out of these students go to MP3 still and they'll be graduating. And I actually see Ava in the middle. She goes to Lynden, but I see her at sporting events. They're very active. And then Miles is also attending Middle School. So, kind of fun to see

184our students. So, thank you so much. Okay. What was my tie? >> 14 was so distracting. >> That's a true number. >> Nicely done. >> Did you minus the minute of the questions? >> Thank you, Michelle. I >> feel like you might have set me up for that. >> You think so? >> Uhhuh. >> Well, it's always saying it's a very special place. So, thank you for >> Well, thank you. I appreciate your guys' support a lot. So, thank you. >> Michelle, how do students uh transition from eighth grade to high school? Oh, that's fun. Sorry, more fun. >> No, start the clock again, Robert. Um, you know, it's different each year. I can't quite find a trend. So, like this year, many of our students went to their traditional um local districts. Um, the

185year before that, almost every single one of our eighth graders went to Meridian High School across the parking lot. And so, um, you know, when you have siblings still at MP3, it's kind of nice. Um, Meridian's a great place. And I think families, I know, they know it's a great place. And when they find out how awesome our high school is, um I think they think I mean there's opportunities. It's a small school, great kids. You have opportunity and sports and multiple sports and activities. Um we have a good culture in Meridian and we have a great reputation. And so I do encourage them to explore all your options, but many times, you know, they say, "Oh, we wish MP3 went longer." But then when they get to 8th grade, I think parents are like,

186it's a lot when you've been homeschooling since kindergarten to 8th grade um and they've done an incredible job. And I always think you prepared them. They are ready for these next steps. And so when they go to high school, they're successful. Logan, she went to MP3. It's a success story. Many of our students that you see at our high school that are involved in clubs and activities, they're writing. And so it's pretty cool to see that. And for the younger students to see older because they knew them when they were in first grade and they were older, you look up to them and so they do well with that. >> The other options though is that there's online high school >> and then eventually they just transition over to WOM or some other >> opportunities

187for high school. >> Yep. >> Yeah. Thanks so much. >> New business. Good on. Okay. We will go to old business. Second review approval. Welcome ELC architect contract. Um any questions? I have a motion to approve the ALA the sorry ELC architect. >> I'll second. >> All those in favor? >> I passed. >> Last thing on the agenda, Dr. James Ever. >> Am I good, Joe? >> Thank you. Checking. >> Okay, so couple of fun things. We have our girls uh bowling team is going to state um first time ever. Bryant's pretty excited about that. And then we also have our cheer team heading to Battleground on Friday to compete on Saturday. So kids are still doing really well, right? And uh we were in our 30-day ahead meeting and and Bryant was explaining about

188how getting to get to state is probably more of a burden for our cheer team than when they get to state. Is that accurate? >> So there's some good excitement about what may occur. Um I think I've shared before um in some capacity about the high turnover of superintendent in the state and I've been involved with some mentoring and um WA was typically really focused on superintendent but it actually serves um business office professionals um uh personnel officials uh communication and so um they're actually are more individuals in the business office and in the personnel in the state of in WASA than superintendent. But when you talk about advocacy, um it typically rests on superintendent and systems. And what we're finding is with the high turnover um and with all of the turmoil that's in

189systems now um there's a real need to try and help everyone within administrative roles across the state be more successful and some outreach and so there were 50 WASA individuals that were brought together in Reton to really develop some skills around facilitation to create teams and help folks who are in these leadership roles across the state be able to weather difficult circumstances. And so that was a that was a training that extended the mentoring piece that I've been involved in. And the basic premise is if we don't take care of the folks that are leading systems now, we're going to be in worse shape when we have all the external pressures that occurring whether it be political, financial, or you fill in the blank. And so, um, it's it's a moment in time I haven't

190seen with WASA to say if we don't take some steps to help butress up the leadership that exists, then then we're going to have some difficulty. So, I spent a little bit of time and as I learn these things, I also am able to bring them back into our system and share the things that I'm learning. Um, and so it's been it's been a good experience. It was the initial experience with that. So that was that was a two-day in rent. And then on the 29th, Director Gray, Logan, and Angie and I went down and spent time meeting with the 43rd representatives um and really was able to advocate um and it's a little bit of a game because they're all saying, "Oh, we don't have any money." But the reality is there is more

191revenue in the state budget now than there ever has been. It's just where it's being spent and um education is not being prioritized. And so um really working to try and reinforce the concepts around the big three that we've talked about. Also preserving early learning and then making sure that in a time when they say there's no money for education and we would like them to stop putting unfunded mandates on districts. So, those were the main messages that we sent when we were there. Um, last week on Friday, um, you'll see in the right there in the nice bright orange vest, it's uh, Dr. Harbble. So, we participated in a safety summit. So I had um uh we had Michelle Ellis and we had um Robert Kretzik and we had um Dr. Harwell and myself

192and Mr. Beanie from Ivor Ryder. They are all participants in the safety committee and this was a safety summit that the ESD puts on and they support our system and other ESD systems with um safety structures. Uh if you remember last gosh two years ago, >> yeah, >> two years ago we um under Kurt's direction and work working with um the ESD and with the W County Sheriff's Office hosted a um reunification exercise that involved other districts around the county. It's countywide and so this was I think one of the first ones since that was more than just Watcom County. So there were representatives from other districts that were there. Um so spent some time morning talking about some changes that had happened and then in the afternoon people took on roles and moved tables

193back and and had um a reunification sit you know there's a gas leak and so what what do you do and take on different roles and so um just like any other skill if you don't practice it then you don't have it. Um, and it doesn't really matter what the situation is. There are going to be some things that you're going to have to mitigate. And so, um, hats off to our safety team. And then, um, I don't know the gentleman, Kurt, you might, but, I, you know, there was a gentleman that's a a retired police chief that was also wearing a ESD badge and he was there doing some facilitating. And I just I pulled him aside and I said, "Okay, superintendent here. I recognize my role when something happens that requires your assistance

194is that I defer to you. I become a contact for you. I'm I'm in command and I'm not really outdoing some of the work that Kurt and others are doing have roles. What's the best thing I can do to ensure that I'm providing the support that they need? and his comment was, "And you find the person you trust the most and have them run the show right now because you'll be engaged in whatever's happening." And so that's Kurt and that's the team that he's put together. And so it was fun to to be there and watch the different pieces take place. And um you know, Meridian was elevated a little bit. Lori um has done a phenomenal job. You see the box on the left there? It's a rock box. Can you explain? I mean,

195I know, but you do better job. >> So, rock box is um it's basically a box that contains everything you need to reunify a school. So, it has it has notebooks for it's based off the incident command and it's based off of the I love you guys training and and program, but it has the notebook for the incident commander. It has the operation managers notebook. It has everything that you need to reunify the situation down to wristbands to make sure that everybody's marked. It has pencils, radios, um the forms that the parents are going to fill out when they come in. All of that information is in this one one rock box. Um Lori has done an amazing job of putting it together and then when we actually used it for the event two years

196ago for the practice, it got torn apart and then she'd put it back together. Um, and even at this event at the ESD, because I've seen her do it, I felt bad about pulling another one apart, but it wasn't ours. Um, it was somebody else's. So, it it contains everything we need. Um, we've added additional um we have the signage um for parking when we go to the site that we can parents go here, parking's here. So, we have those things added to it as well. So >> is rock an acronym for something? >> It is. It's the reunification operations kit or something like that. >> The um the next iteration is because you can you can sit with your team in meetings and talk about what do we need to do but until you

197actually do it you don't really know what those pieces are. So the next iteration this year is that um when I go back to you Dr. Carville has facilitated actually having students leave a campus and then come back and get directed to a reunification location, but can you have a quick >> Yes. So, I was correct on the rock box acronym feels good. Um, and then we we took this from we're also a member of the county safety team. So it's all the schools in the dish in the county watcom emer man e emergency management on occasion there's a sheriff there or a ferail police officer uh but we get together monthly and nutsack did this and so we borrowed it from nuac but we have we have done the evacuations we've done the shelters

198we've done all of those things we can get out of the school but what we haven't done is get on get the whole school onto buses and then transport them to the reformation site. And so what we're going to do, I believe it's February 23rd, is the middle school is going to start us off um and they're going to go into a a shelter. They're going to brief the students and then they're going to evacuate the buildings to their normal spots. And then they're going to the entire school has got a bus assigned to them. They're going to get on the buses. The buses are going to leave. They're going to drive around our district. We're thinking 20 minutes. And 20 minutes, you can see a lot of our district. Um, and then we'll bring

199them back to the middle school. We'll unload them as if we were at our reunification site. And then the sixth graders will all go, this is not exact, but the sixth graders will all go to the small gym, line up in class. Um, attendance will be taken. Seventh graders and eighth graders will be in the in the bigger gym take attendance and then once that process is done they will be released back to school. >> So a million questions running to bring them number one how far in band and are we going to be communicating with parents that this is happening? >> So Robert has already communicated with the middle school middle school staff. >> Okay. Lisa um has a progression of communications that are going to be going out um I believe starting next

200week community when they see all of our buses day circling for 20 minutes. >> I've notified the sheriff already that this is what we're doing. >> Um but >> because I know that we'll be blown out. We'll be like our phones will get blown out. >> The goal is that you don't. >> Um and then the plan is we're going to start with the middle school. We're going to do the high schooler and MP3 next and then we'll do Irene because it's the largest we do that every day. >> And then lastly, a lot of moving parts. Yep. >> So, who are going to be your observers to kind of give feedback on what went well and what needs improvement? >> For this first one, we're just trying to make sure that we get students

201from A to B. Um, we've had the goal would be the next one we invite the sheriffs in. >> Okay. Um, I've already had a request from Lee Lynon School District for an interper to come in and watch. And so it's the nice thing about the county team is it's very supportive of um because we realize we all have to do this. Hopefully none of us have to actually go through it. >> Um, but it's been very good at problem solving and how would you do this, how would you do that. So they'll be observed and then we'll do a one thing that we didn't do soon enough after the event we did two years ago was debrief. So we've already shared with our safety team that hey we're going to spend 30 minutes 40

202minutes debriefing and then when we come back the rock box will be there at the middle school in the gym and we'll have the signage up. So it'll be a chance for our reunification team to kind of set up the the >> So we're excited about that. >> That's great work. >> I like it. >> Yeah. >> It's necessary. >> Yeah, it really is. >> Does our risk management help us with any invest? >> I think they're available. Yeah. Yeah. >> Most of that's been for the safety. >> Yeah. most of it's been. And if you haven't been to the I love you guys.org website, it the nice thing about it is it is all laid out for you. They have the they update the manuals, the standard response protocol. They update that yearly or

203every other year. Um and it's always the best, the new and the best. Um they put the rock box together for you. They have videos to kind of help you along. Um, we attended a training out in Ferndale from the I Love You guys trainers with all of Wat County. Um, three years ago. Yeah. So, it's a nice, if you haven't taken a look at it, I'd encourage you to take a look. >> And all our schools are using the same standard language um, and the same drills as is the sheriff's department. Thank you for that. Should have warned you a little bit. >> Um and then uh we have uh spoken before about being able to sustain mental health supports, financial support. And so um I will say that um the federal government is

204not in shutdown anymore. And one of the good things about that um is that the federal title funding that was threatened has been funded to the same level as last year. So that's positive. And um there was action made by the ESD to preserve the funds for our mental health counselors and we should get an update on that Friday. So um but at the same time Friday we have all the districts are meeting for a lunch in Bellingham. It's it's a collective effort um and we have people from each of the districts and board members that are coming. So Marty Grey is going to go either chair or vice chair. I think you're in the air at the time. >> Yeah. So um that will be on Friday and then um Dr. Harle and I

205will be heading to the National Education Conference in Nashville um next week. Uh I think it's 26 degrees there right now. And you were just in Cincinnati, right? It's four degrees. >> So um >> my counterpart in Tennessee said they still don't have power in that whole area. >> Fantastic. Okay. >> So seeing what happens. Uh then we have mid winter break coming up uh and then president's holiday and then our next board meeting is the 25th. We have had contact with WASDA uh about uh training around um just work. We have a new board member. We have a new board essentially and so we've done training before with them. And so um probably Jared and I need to talk about potential dates and then we'll we'll fill out a survey and get it back

206to them and find out what's possible. Other than that, that's all I have. Thank you. Um, our board representatives are not here. Um, any information from board directors. >> Well, Dr. Ever shared about our kids going to state, but I don't know if anyone saw on um social media, it was announced that our unified team will have their senior night on February 11th. >> Oh, nice. >> And I don't recall that happening in the past, but I'm super excited about that. Yeah, I don't either. That's great. Right. Well, we will return and sign official documents. Thank you. So,