Hello Falcon Families!
It was good to see families out at our Trunk of Treat this past Wednesday - our student clubs had a ton of fun decorating their trunks and passing out candy to our future Falcons and Falcon families! Plus, the rain paused for Trunk or Treat, making it even more magical. I hope everyone who made it out had a wonderful time celebrating with us!
I wanted to share some data with you that shows the impact of our Bell to bell No cell policy this year. There are several positive benefits for students, mainly improving engagement and participation in their classes. Another reason we decided to enact and enforce a school-wide no cellphone/headphone policy during class time is to reduce the amount of communication between students for the purpose of getting together to engage in vaping and/or drug use. When we compared the number of referrals for substance use last year by 11/01 there were 32 referrals. This year we have had 10 referrals. This is a significant decrease, largely attributed to students having limited ability to use their devices to meet up during class time in bathrooms.
Additionally, we have seen an increase in the number of teacher-managed referrals (minors) from last year, and a correlating decrease in admin managed referrals (majors). The significance of this is that we are increasing the type of discipline that keeps students in their classes, focusing on reteaching the classroom and school-wide expectations so students learn positive behaviors as well as the classes’ contents.
Our belief is that all discipline is a form of learning, not simply punishment. Balancing that with ensuring the safety of our students, staff, and the school is our ongoing top priority.
We hope to see many of our families at the Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences next week. See below for all details regarding the times our teachers will be available for families to drop in to talk. You can also email any teacher to set up a phone call, a meeting for a different day/time, or to ask any questions if you aren’t able to make it in during our Conferences.
Have a great weekend!
GO FALCONS!
– Mrs. Woehr
