October 22, 2021 – Minutes

Members In Attendance:

Principal:
Nicole Svee Magann

Teachers:
Joyce Park
Michelle Erb, Vice-Chair

Parents:
Hollie Parry, Chair Kimberly Tillotson
Mindi Nielsen
Rochelle Grin, Secretary Ryan Romero

Agenda

1. Check In
2. Approve September Minutes
3. PTA News
   • ●  Red Ribbon Week next week
   • ●  Wednesday is Spirit Night

Members Absent:

None

Non-members In Attendance:

Stephanie Glover, Instructional Coach Bethany Foster, Social Worker

Altara SCC Meeting Minutes October 22, 2021

4. Principal News

• ●  Digital Citizenship week
• ●  Halloween Parade will be outside due to COVID numbers

○ Volunteers limited to about 4 per classroom for parties
● Six digital learning Fridays will occur, once each month, through

the remainder of the year
○ last 5 days will be adjusted for A/B schedule, then

communicated

5. ApproveCellTowerFunds
● Principal Svee Magann asked for approval for use of these funds

($2,500) to pay for teacher meals

○ SCC members expressed support of expenditures that boost teacher morale / show appreciation for our teachers

6. School Safety Plan
   • ●  Last year, improving social/emotional support was identified as a major area for building school safety. Last year’s plan included the following:
     • ○  Second Step curriculum provided to every teacher
       > including professional development on Second Step
     • ○  A second behavioral assistant was hired to help students who show internalizing behaviors
     • ○  Teachers implemented morning meetings
     • ○  Money was budgeted for deescalation/wellness corners in classrooms
     • ○  State-mandated trauma training completed
     • ○  Professional development in trauma was done
     • ○  Zoom meetings with parents
     • ○  Positive topics for communities
   • ●  Principal Svee Magann asked what concerns we’ve been hearing about from parents
     • ○  Social emotional concerns this year are big, especially in the wake of COVID> The school is seeing an increase in anxiety> The school is seeing an increase in other behaviors
     • ○  Hollie, as a substitute teacher, sees high value in the wellness corners
   • ●  With the first half of our plan being Second Step, which is now in hiatus, we need to determine a focus for our school safety plan inour next meeting.
   • ●  A concern was raised over the safety of the annual HalloweenParade.
     • ○  Mindi and the P.T.A. will seek to get extra Watch D.O.G.S.
     • ○  Mindi and the P.T.A. will seek parents who are on duty policemen/firemen.
7. Digital Citizenship

● Last year’s digital plan included:

• ○  Building technology coordinator presenting digital safety plan to faculty
• ○  All students get digital citizenship training

• ○  Community outreach
• ○  Education pieces in newsletter

• ●  School is certified for having taught all students safe digital practices
• ●  LanSchool allows teachers to monitor everything students are doing on their Chromebooks
• ●  District has server protections to ban inappropriate sites. All apps vetted by district.
• ●  Principal gets automatic notifications for any in appropriate attempts so that parents can be notified
• ●  Principal Svee Magann asked what concerns parents have about digital citizenship and protections

○ A concern was raised: How can parents make devices within

the home as safe as the devices kids encounter at school? > We can include a parent education piece in our

newsletter
> Possible parent outreach at February parent/teacher

conferences

8. SEL(SocialEmotionalLearning)Update
● State wants schools to have SEL education

○ 4th graders get it through Botvin Life Skills training

• ●  Second Step on elementary level teaches:
  • ○  Listening skills
  • ○  Empathy
  • ○  How to recognize when agitated and then calm down
  • ○  Problem solving skills
  • ○  How to play fairly
  • ○  How to invite people in (inclusivity)
• ●  District has suspended use of Second Step
  • ○  Survey will be going out to get a feel for community support
  • ○  Any parent is welcome to come in and examine the curriculum
• ●  Various members observed that for many in the community, SELand Second Step were being conflated
  • ○  SEL is the broad umbrella term for social and emotional learning and education
  • ○  Second Step is a specific, scripted SEL curriculum
• ●  In the meantime, our principal and social worker identify that SEL is still needed while Second Step is in hiatus. In preparation, Bethany Foster, our social worker, is prepping to teach kids to self-regulate through Zones of Regulation.

○ This will be in full transparency. Newsletter will notify parents and give them the option to opt out.

• ○  The focus of Zones of Regulation is in identifying and regulating our emotions, assessing the ideal emotional zone for the environment we are in
  • >  Blue Zone (motor is slow): sad, low energy, tired
  • >  Green Zone (motor is going just right): happy, focused, ready to learn
  • >  Yellow Zone (motor is going a little faster): worried, excited, silly, frustrated
  • >  Red Zone (motor is going really really fast): angry a. Red means stop; be very aware of our environment. Take a break. Reset.
• ○  Zones of Regulation is different than Second Step in that it’s not scripted, but more of a framework
• ○  Hollie can vouch for effectiveness of zones of regulation in helping her son on autism spectrum
• ○  Bethany is hopeful to teach intro to each class during library brain boosters, then furthering the education through videos, hopefully making them available to teachers as well as parents.9. Budget

● Everything is on track