The Key Notes

Schoolwide Game-Guess Who

It’s almost time to kick off our schoolwide game: Guess Who!

Please complete this questionnaire by 4 PM on Monday to share some fun details about yourself. Your answers will help me select our mystery staff member and create the clues everyone will use to ‘guess who’. I need every staff member to complete the form to ensure fairness.

ABCDE Goal-Behavior

Compared to this time last year, our total behavior events have increased by 87—Level 5 behaviors by 32, and suspensions by 15. While these are not the trends we want to see, they give us an opportunity to reflect, strengthen our practices, and recommit to the systems we have built over the past two years.

Our goal is to prevent misbehavior whenever possible, not simply respond to it. Let’s refocus on these key practices that we agreed upon as a team:

Reinforce our social contracts and Keystone values through explicit teaching, modeling, and consistent reminders.
Use proximity, quiet reminders, and nonverbal signals. Avoid power struggles and offer appropriate choices when students struggle to comply.
Use Classroom Rewards coupons and specific positive feedback to celebrate students meeting expectations and making progress toward their goals.
Look for patterns, identify underlying needs, and adjust support when students are not making progress (ABCD form).
Maintain predictable expectations across the building while responding to individual student needs.

Moving Forward

We cannot change the numbers already recorded, but we can influence the trends ahead. Every interaction is an opportunity to build relationships, reinforce expectations, and help students succeed.

As you head into next week, consider: What is one proactive strategy you can use more consistently to prevent misbehavior and reinforce positive choices?

Please take a few minutes to review the Top 3 Misbehavior Support Document for specific strategies you can use before you give a student a Level 2 behavior report.

We have invested time in building these practices together. Let’s recommit to using them consistently and holding ourselves accountable. Small, consistent actions can lead to meaningful change. Let’s make our next chapter a better one!

Core Values-BWC

One of our Core Values is Behave With Care. As we approach the holiday season, I wanted to remind you of our expectations. As we show respect and care for all our students and families, please refrain from having Halloween and/or Christmas themed activities/décor/parties. These are probably the two holidays that cause the most discomfort for families who do not celebrate.

Instead, focus on the seasons by having fall and winter themed activities. I follow this guidance when I decorate the front office. I’m very conscience about only using pumpkins that aren’t jack ‘o lanterns and trees that don’t contain ornaments. When we do recognize these holidays with “trunk or treat” or decorate a tree ornament, it is always optional and not completed during school hours.

Please let me know if you have any questions as we respect our diverse population of students.

Affirmations

Taliyah for sharing valuable information with our team about foster care and homelessness during our staff meeting. Thank you for bringing awareness to the unique challenges some of our students and families experience, as this helps us to better understand their needs and reminds us of the importance of leading with compassion and ensuring every student feels supported.

Cayla for sharing a best practice for increasing parental involvement. Inviting parents to join their child’s classroom on Spirit Days and participate in activities across each of the third-grade classrooms is a creative way to strengthen family connections and create meaningful opportunities for parents to be involved in their child’s school experience. Thank you for sharing an idea that others can learn from and adapt.

Robyn for all the time, thought, and preparation you put into getting our staff ready for the reunification PD! Your behind-the-scenes work and attention to detail helped everything run smoothly and efficiently, allowing our team to focus on learning and preparing for an important safety procedure. Your organization and preparation made a difference.

Stacey Reed for the tremendous amount of time and effort you have dedicated to preparing for the MDR. Your organization, attention to detail, and commitment to ensuring everything is in place do not go unnoticed. Thank you for taking such care with this process and helping ensure we are prepared to navigate it thoughtfully and effectively.

Yasmeen, Amanda, Heidi and Cindy for stepping in to supervise all 8th graders while their teachers attended a parent meeting. When the meeting ran over, you didn’t hesitate to jump in and help. Thank you for being flexible and supportive.

Andria, Lynne, and Mark for stopping by for no other reason than to encourage me and remind me that I’m cared for. You truly have no idea how much that means to me. As leaders, we often spend so much time pouring into others that we forget how much we need that same encouragement ourselves.

Robyn, Sally, Tameka, and Stacey for the excessive number of parent emails and phone calls you have had to manage over the past two weeks. I know these conversations require time, patience, and emotional energy, often on top of everything else on your plates. Thank you for continuing to show up, navigate difficult conversations, and support our families while balancing the many other responsibilities of your roles. I see your efforts and don’t take them for granted.

Lynne for creating an additional social media post! I appreciate you showcasing the wonderful things happening in your classroom and giving our families and school community a glimpse into Keystone.

Monique for returning kindness with kindness. Your thoughtfulness and willingness to pay kindness forward are a beautiful reminder that even small gestures can make someone’s day.

Cindy for taking the time to review and edit my communications. I appreciate your extra set of eyes and your willingness to help me ensure my message is clear. Thank you for having my back.