Kirby Middle School – Green Dot Public Schools

Transcription

Green Dot Public Schools Tennessee
Application for School Transformation
Kirby Middle School
October 2015
Kirby Middle School
1
I.
Operator Research
A.
Green Dot was excited to learn of the opportunity to partner with the Kirby community given its
proximity to Green Dot’s second school in Tennessee, Wooddale Middle School. Over the
past three years, Green Dot has been building relationships across Memphis and has seen
great academic gains at our first Tennessee campus, Fairley High School. The freshman class
from Fairley has thrived in the Green Dot academic framework and has achieved unparalleled
success and Green Dot aspires to bring the same degree of excellence to Kirby Middle
School.
B.
Through our existing community relationships, we are working to engage the Kirby community.
Our efforts include meeting with alumni to answer questions they have about Green Dot and
hear their concerns for the school. We have attended community meetings to get to know the
history of the school and build relationships and support for Green Dot Public Schools with
former students of Kirby Middle. We have met with pastors of churches who serve students
from the Kirby community, forming partnerships with them to mentor students from Kirby
Middle and Wooddale Middle. Pastor Leo Patton of Freedom Baptist Church attended a
community breakfast and provided us the opportunity, October 4, 2015, to attend his church
and speak with the congregation about Green Dot and the work we hope to do at Kirby.
We are working to continue the engagement process with the Kirby Middle families, students
and community. Pastor Donald Walker Jr. of The Rock Church Memphis is working with Green
Dot to bring members of his congregation to a community forum and dinner at the church
October 29, 2015, from 6-8 PM. We will partner with them to canvass the community,
Saturday, October 24 2015 to invite everyone out to the event. We will also join The Rock
Church October 30, 2015 for their annual Fall Festival, providing families the opportunity to
learn more about the conversion process. Green Dot will host a community clean-up and BBQ
for the Kirby community where we will invite community members and current Green Dot staff
members to connect and create lasting partnerships. We are building a partnership with the
Hickory Hill Boys and Girls Club, where volunteers from Green Dot will provide a day of
Kirby Middle School
2
community service December 4, 2015. All of our engagement efforts are opportunities for the
public to get information, ask questions, and voice concerns for the school and strengthen our
knowledge of the needs of the school.
C.
Green Dot has extensive experience working with similar student populations. Green Dot
currently operates two schools in Memphis, Fairley High School and Wooddale Middle School.
In addition, Green Dot operates over 20 schools nationwide serving low income and minority
students, with an Economically Disadvantaged rate of 93% and a Special Education
population of 12%.
Green Dot Public Schools is a leader in school turnarounds. In 2008, Green Dot took on the
transformation of a historically underperforming campus in Los Angeles, Alain LeRoy Locke
College Preparatory Academy. In 2012, results published from a three-year evaluation
conducted by UCLA’s National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards & Student
Testing (“CRESST”) found that four years into the turnaround, Green Dot students were 1.5x
more likely to graduate and 3.7x times more likely to have completed coursework that
prepares them for college. At Locke, we’ve doubled the four year cohort retention rate and
Green Dot Locke students are now 12x more likely to go to college.
The progress of the Locke turnaround led to subsequent transformations by Green Dot of
Henry Clay Middle School (Ánimo Phillis Wheatley and Ánimo Western) and David Starr
Jordan Senior High School (Ánimo College Prep Academy) in 2011. The lessons learned from
Locke allowed administrators and teachers to greatly accelerate turnaround at Henry Clay and
Jordan. After only two years, Academic Performance Index, a state framework for measuring
academic performance and growth of schools on a variety of academic measures, has risen
122 points (from 516 to 638) at Jordan and 109 points (from 553 to 662) at the Clay schools,
with Jordan being cited by the California Department of Education as the most improved public
high school in the state.
Kirby Middle School
3
Green Dot is continuing the same level of excellence as it addresses the unique needs of
school transformation in Memphis. In the past year, Fairley High School experienced great
gains on the End of Course (EOC) tests, outpacing growth in Shelby County and the state of
Tennessee. Please see Appendix Section I for a chart outlining the student growth.
Additionally, 90% of seniors graduated from Fairley last year. As a result of this progress, we
began working with Wooddale Middle School in 2015. Green Dot’s success can be attributed
to hiring and developing highly effective teachers, restarting a high-performing and safe
culture, putting interventions in place to support academic acceleration, honoring the rich
history and traditions of schools, developing systems to address the transiency of students,
and linking students to community supports to help address social and emotional barriers to
learning.
Kirby Middle School
4
II.
Academic Intervention and Support
A.
Green Dot Academic Model
Green Dot’s academic model has four pillars designed to put students on the path to college:
Cultivating a College-Going Culture, Ensuring Quality Teaching and Instruction, Eliminating
Barriers to Instruction and Promoting Leadership and Life Skills.
Master Schedule Designed to Support all Students
Based on Kirby’s current academic performance with almost 80% of students scoring basic or
below on TCAP Math and English assessments, and a decline in Science proficiency, the
master schedule will be designed to meet differentiated needs of all students.
Academic Intervention: Our master schedule includes specific courses designed to target
growth in English and Math for students who need additional support in building key academic
skills required to access a college preparatory curriculum. Within our daily schedule, in
addition to taking a core course in English and Math, students may also be dual-enrolled in
intervention courses aimed to accelerate their growth and mastery.
○
Read180/System 44: Students enrolled in this course engage with and evaluate texts
through participating in three signature rotations: Instructional Technology, Small
Group Instruction, and Modeled & Independent Reading.
Kirby Middle School
5
○
Math Foundations: Students struggling in math receive intervention through small
group and personalized attention from their math teacher. Utilizing a group tutorial
structure, students pose questions in a small group setting to support their classmates
in solving math problems.
Science Courses Designed to Promote Critical Thinking: Kirby students have
demonstrated a decline in overall proficiency in Science courses. At Green Dot we adopt an
inquiry-based approach to learning science content. Students grapple with real-world
applications of rigorous science concepts as they work to apply critical thinking and integrate
literacy to deepen their understandings.
College Preparatory Courses: Part of our mission at Green Dot is to prepare all students for
college. This is accomplished in the master schedule through offering courses which are
designed to prepare students for mastery and achievement in the new TN Ready standards.
These courses are structured to build students’ key cognitive strategies: intellectual openness,
analysis, reasoning, accuracy and precision, and interpretation. Support is provided to build
key behaviors necessary for success in college, such as self-monitoring, persistence,
independent preparation abilities, and college-level study skills.
Summer Learning Opportunities: For students who are in need of extensive supports in
developing critical academic skills we offer opportunities during the summer to bridge gaps in
learning. Students are able to fast-track their progress toward achieving grade level targets
through direct instruction in Math and English.
Commitment to Reaching all Students
At Kirby, Green Dot is committed to preparing ALL students for success in college, leadership,
and life. We are a charter organization that does not handpick, screen, or seek out specific
students. Our student recruitment efforts are broad as we canvass all families in the
community. We customize our support services based on student academic and behavioral
data.
Kirby Middle School
6
Response to Intervention: Each school in Green Dot Tennessee has a Student Success
Team (SST) and utilizes the Multi-Tier System of Supports (MTSS) - formerly known as
Response to Intervention or RtI approach - to improve academic success through data
analysis, targeted instruction, interventions and progress monitoring to ensure that all students
can learn and be prepared for college, leadership and life. Green Dot’s MTSS process builds
on extensive intervention programs that involve monitoring the progress of the students who
are receiving targeted interventions to identify how they are responding so that additional
interventions can be provided if necessary. Academic, behavioral and social-emotional
interventions are provided across three tiers as follows:
○
Tier I Intervention –addresses the needs of all students through classroom-wide or
school-wide supports (e.g. Advisory, Safe & Civil strategies, office hours). Students
not showing adequate progress are placed in Tier II
○
Tier II Intervention –addresses the needs of students who require attention beyond
school-wide or classroom-wide supports through small group support. (e.g. group
counseling, math/literacy intervention courses). Students who do not respond to Tier II
intervention are placed in Tier III
○
Tier III Intervention –addresses the needs of students requiring intensive,
individualized support.(e.g. behavior plans, individualized counseling). When
objectives are achieved, they are moved back into Tier II or Tier I settings. Students
who do not achieve the desired level of progress in response to these targeted
interventions are then referred for a comprehensive evaluation and considered for
eligibility for special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004). The data collected during Tiers 1, 2, and 3 are
included and used to make the eligibility decision.
○
Bi-weekly, teachers and admin review data in Grade-Level meetings and discuss the
intervention effectiveness. For students requiring more targeted attention, either a
Student Success Team will be assembled or a more focused Grade-Level meeting will
be held to assign interventions, monitor and track the student’s progress.
Kirby Middle School
7
Eliminating Barriers to Instruction: Kirby students come to Green Dot from a variety of
backgrounds. Academically, many are far behind grade-level. Socially and emotionally,
students may require emotional guidance in order to be able to succeed academically. Green
Dot strives to provide the academic intervention, counseling and clinical services necessary to
breakdown these barriers to learning. Green Dot schools offer an Advisory program during the
school day that offers and promotes academic guidance, school culture and safety; college
and career preparation; and personal development. Additionally, each school provides a menu
of wrap-around services: mental health supports and psychological services; counseling
groups; mentoring programs; and links to community partners for health and wellness
programs.
Support for English Learners: Our goal is to help close the achievement gap that separates
English Learners from their native speaking peers. One of our targets is to increase speaking
opportunities within the classroom for all English Learners. Students are scheduled with two
English courses to help build their English language proficiency and fluency. Teachers are
provided instruction on research-based instructional strategies that help provide our English
Learners access to all content areas.
Support for Special Education: At Kirby, we will provide inclusion support in mathematics
and English to all students with IEPs. Our case managers provide individualized support to
students through academic and behavioral interventions. Part of this intervention includes an
Academic Success course which is designed to specifically support middle school special
education students by providing multiple opportunities for mastery, developing and
strengthening study skills, and allowing targeted coursework intervention. Case managers are
in regular communication with parents and teachers to ensure students are able to
demonstrate mastery and meet their individual academic goals.
Kirby Middle School
8
For our students who need additional supports, we have a Functional Skills program which
provides students an exposure to rigorous, tailored, academic programming while also
practicing life skills such as cooking, cleaning, job training, and effective communication.
Through our partnership with LeBonheur and Life Enhancement Services, we will provide
Kirby students with psychological testing, hearing, speech, and adaptive physical education as
needed to ensure that all students are prepared for college, leadership, and life.
Ensuring Quality Teaching & Instruction:
Dedicated, effective teachers with a passion for their work and their students are at the core of
the Green Dot model. Green Dot ensures high quality teaching and instruction in every
classroom through its research-based methods of instruction, teacher effectiveness initiatives
and robust PD and supports. Teachers receive on-site professional development twice a
week.
Kirby Middle School
9
III.
A.
Extracurricular Activities
Green Dot students take several trips to college campuses throughout the school year as a
part of the efforts to prepare them for college, leadership, and life. For the past two years,
every student attending Fairley High school took part in the “Everyone Goes to College” Day,
where students are sent to several area colleges, including the University of Memphis,
Rhodes, Lane College, and University of Mississippi (see Appendix Section III for photos from
Everybody Goes to College Day). At Kirby, college trips will be arranged during both Summer
Bridge for our incoming 6th grade students as well as regular college speakers and guests
throughout the school year.
Green Dot partners with arc, an award winning, nationally recognized after school program
and hands on-education provider. During enrollment, every student will complete an interest
survey. From this survey, arc will create specific programs for Kirby and seek to find adult
sponsors in both the school and community networks. They have offered cosmetology,
computer programming, culinary arts, and screenwriting as well as an array of fitness
opportunities after school, partnering with coaches from team sports and volunteers in the
community.
Kirby students would also continue participation in all sports currently offered, such as:
football, basketball, soccer, volleyball, and track. If there is a student interest for band,
majorettes, and cheerleading, these will be offered, similar to our programs at both Fairley and
Wooddale (see Appendix Section III on the Fairley Power Source Band).
Student Ambassadors (SAs) are representatives selected through an application process.
Students must meet certain criteria and participate in a training program. SAs offer leadership
to other students in the building through mentoring and tutoring, provide tours to community
stakeholders, and represent the school in other social events. These SAs will be a valuable
asset to building the student leadership opportunities for Kirby students.
Kirby Middle School
10
For additional student leadership opportunities, Student Council is responsible for promoting
student voice and ownership in an effort to create a college-going culture. Honor Society
acknowledges students for their academic achievements.
B.
Green Dot partners with ALSAC, the fundraising arm of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
There are 30 volunteers who are on the Fairley campus weekly, working with students to
provide mentoring and career development support. This mentoring support led to the creation
of a running club for girls after school culminating in the running of a 5K. They have been
supporters of the Grind House boxing gym at Fairley, a gym created by a teacher, with
volunteers from ALSAC coming out to paint and assist with building the boxing ring. We look
forward to continuing the partnership with ALSAC at Kirby and building on the passions and
interests of teachers and students to increase extracurricular opportunities. We will also
actively engage existing partnerships at Kirby to provide opportunities for students to enhance
their academic skills while strengthening their leadership and life skills.
Leadership Memphis is another valuable partner. They spend time weekly with students,
providing mentoring and scholarships to students participating in the program (see Appendix
Section III).
We also partner with LeBonheur Children’s Hospital and Life Enhancement Services to work
with students who are experiencing behavioral challenges and need counselling supports.
These supports will continue with Kirby as we seek to meet the needs of all students.
S.A.F.E is an organization that empowers students with insight and skills to recognize and
resist gang influence. Select students and their families receive mentoring and counseling
support on an on-going basis.
Kirby Middle School
11
Communities in Schools offers students assistance with counseling resources and personal
needs, such as food, shelter and clothing. Their goal is to support students by empowering
them to stay in school and achieve personal success. We believe this partnership will be a
particular strength for Kirby students as an extra avenue to navigate the social-emotional
challenges of middle school.
Academic Counselors, two on each campus, offer students ongoing support for college and
career exploration, course selection, peer mediation, grief counseling and development of
social skills, through community service. Two counselors at Kirby will allow students to receive
individualized support in selecting courses, foster communication skills, and address any
needs that may arise in a student’s life.
A parent coordinator at Kirby will offer assistance to students and parents through outside
services, including Agape Child & Family Services, parent workshops, and community
meetings. The Kirby parent coordinator will be instrumental in providing an initial point of
contact for parents and community members both as they enter the school and encouraging
them to enter and engage with the school.
Kirby Middle School
12
IV.
Parent Engagement
A.
i. Governance – All of our schools have a School Advisory Council which is a partnership
between parents, teachers, students and administrators. Council members work together to
review and approve budget needs for the school each year. They serve on the panels to select
incoming principals and assistant principals. They work closely with the parent coordinator to
review student data and assist with campus-level events.
ii. Sharing student progress information – Kirby parents will have access to PowerSchool,
which houses student information related to grades, attendance and course information.
Teachers are expected to update grades on a weekly basis. Schools also have Student Led
Conferences, SLCs. During these conferences, students take ownership in communicating
academic and behavioral goals through a portfolio of student work, including daily
assignments, formative assessments and summative assessments. Formal progress reports
are sent home quarterly with regular phone calls home and progress monitoring. Students also
have opportunities to understand and analyze grades through Advisory, which provides
opportunities to achieve mastery of standards and skills.
iii. Parent school and classroom visit policies – Green Dot welcomes parents to visit the
schools and observe classrooms. They are asked to sign in at the main office and escorted
during the visit by a school administrator. Green Dot adheres to an open door policy to parents
and community stakeholders and believes strongly in the idea that transformation work
necessitates family and community involvement.
iv. School performance information – All school performance data is made public through the
school’s webpage and Facebook page. Performance information is also shared with individual
students through the main office and academic counselors. All Green Dot schools in Memphis
are held accountable to the ASD’s School Performance Framework for growth targets.
v. Parent grievance protocol – Green Dot values the opinions and concerns of all
stakeholders. Prior to filing a formal complaint or making an official grievance, Green Dot
encourages the early, informal resolution of complaints at the school site level whenever
Kirby Middle School
13
possible. Complaints are to be submitted, in writing, to the principal at the school at which the
alleged violation occurred. Green Dot shall maintain confidentiality of the involved parties to
the maximum extent practicable without obstructing the investigation. Green Dot prohibits any
form of retaliation against any complainant in the process. Green Dot shall complete an
investigation and provide a written final response within 60 calendar days from the date of
receipt of the complaint by the school principal unless the complainant agrees, in writing, to an
extension of the timeline. Similar to Fairley and Wooddale, Green Dot seeks to build a robust
parental communication plan at Kirby to minimize grievances and complaints by proactively
addressing needs and seeking and valuing feedback throughout the transformation process.
vi. Parent – Board communications - The Green Dot Tennessee Board holds board meetings
regularly (every 2 months at a minimum). Meetings begin with public comment. Parents and
community members are encouraged to attend and share concerns and insights.
vii. General communication practices – Green Dot has several modes of communicating to
students, parents, and the community. Parents receive regular communication from teachers
via phone and email regarding student progress. There is an automated calling system to
inform parents about school events, schedule changes, holidays and all other important
announcements. Flyers are sent home to advertise upcoming events. Social media is utilized
to reach a wide range of parents, alumni, students and parties interested in Green Dot Public
Schools. Each school hosts an open house and several events throughout the year, like
Coffee with the Principal, to invite parents in and communicate. Parents are surveyed
throughout the year as it relates to student performance, academics, school culture and
student behavior.
Kirby Middle School
14
V.
Community Engagement
A.
Green Dot will form the Kirby Transition Advisory Team or KTAT. The transition team will be
made up of parents, alumni, students, and community members. They will be responsible for
making the transition as smooth as possible for students and the Kirby community. Similar
teams were created for both Fairley and Wooddale Middle (please see Appendix Section V for
examples from Fairley and Wooddale transition teams).
They will help make decisions regarding school uniforms, logo for the school, approval of the
bell schedule and will assist in canvassing the neighborhoods to help the community learn
more about the transition taking place at the school. They are also instrumental in planning a
community day of service to help prepare the Kirby for the first days of school (please see the
Appendix for examples from past community days of service). It is important to note that the
school name and mascot will not change. The KTAT will help maintain all of the strong aspects
of Kirby’s rich Cougar history while helping drive improvements in student achievement.
Green Dot will continue working with BAEO and Memphis Lift, inviting parents, teachers and
students to have active voices in the process. The goal is to have as many parents as possible
visit existing Green Dot Schools. Our goal is to show students, parents, and community
members what a Green Dot school looks like while dispelling any rumors or misconceptions.
B.
i. Anticipated community partnerships – Green Dot Public Schools will continue the rich
relationship Kirby already has established with Agape Child & Family Services. We will also
extend relationships with ALSAC, S.A.F.E., Leadership Memphis, LeBonheur, and
Communities in Schools. Kirby will have a parent coordinator who will work with parents and
students to connect them with support organizations. We also continue to connect with Kirby
alumni to continue the rich Cougar pride as well as build new traditions for the school
community through mentoring, volunteering, and internship opportunities for students.
ii. Community resources that will be available to students and families – We will continue
working with student and parent advocacy groups, such as BAEO, Memphis Lift and Parent
Leadership and Advocacy Institute. We will work through LeBonheur to help students meet
health and wellness goals. LeBonheur provides athletic physicals for students participating in
Kirby Middle School
15
sports while also providing follow-up treatment as needed. A nurse is also available on site for
any student health needs. Communities in Schools will be available to parents and students
who are experiencing difficulties obtaining basic necessities, such as uniforms, housing and
food. A parent coordinator will be available to address parent concerns. The parent
coordinator will create a parent work room, enabling parents to use computers for employment
purposes, research high school options, and begin the college research and preparation
process.
We believe in regularly receiving feedback and making adjustments to our community’s needs.
To do this, we survey parents multiple times throughout the year, inviting them to offer
feedback on programs and procedures at the school. We determine success according to the
data compiled from these survey opportunities. We also look at trends including how often
parents attend school-sponsored events such as athletic events, Back to School nights, parent
workshops, field trips, and Open Houses. Additionally, the parent coordinator at Kirby will set
goals specific to the needs and demands of the school. He/she will work along with school
administrators and regional office to implement the goals and create a welcoming environment
at Kirby. Completion of surveys and feedback from parents will be the determining factor of
success around the engagement goals.
Kirby Middle School
16
VI.
Staffing
A.
Teacher and Administrator Hiring
Green Dot seeks a team of passionate, mission-driven teachers and administrators at Kirby
who believe all students can learn at high levels and want to help students realize their full
potential. Our staff is committed to continuing their own learning and refining their practice to
stay current in the field ensuring a quality education for all. To that end, teachers at Kirby will
attend professional development twice a week at their school site and receive regular
coaching from both a content expert in their field as well as an administrator. Additionally, all
Kirby teachers will attend 12 days of professional development prior to the start of the school
year. Administrators receive weekly coaching from the Executive Director and access to a
wealth of information through the Green Dot network.
All teachers and administrators at Kirby are encouraged to apply for a position. Applications for
staff seeking to return that are received by January 2016 are guaranteed an initial interview.
Historically, at Fairley, 66 percent of teachers who applied to transition to Green Dot were
hired and at Wooddale, 60 percent of teachers who applied were re-hired.
Green Dot values experiences of all candidates and seeks to create a robust team at Kirby.
Across our Memphis campuses, the average years of experience for our teachers is 6.1 years.
The following chart breaks down the experience by subject.
Kirby Middle School
17
The teacher hiring process is a multi-step process that includes an online application, a phone
interview, an in-person interview including a feedback-coaching session on a lesson plan, a
demo lesson at a school site with school leaders, and reference checks. We seek to ensure
we have qualified and mission-aligned teachers to take on the most challenging and rewarding
work.
The administrator hiring process is also a multi-step process that includes an online
application, an in-person interview with a demo professional development session, scenarios
and a writing prompt, a campus observation and debrief, and reference checks. We seek
transformational leaders who can create the right instructional environment and school culture
to enable teachers and students to reach their full potential.
Non-Classroom Staff Hiring
Green Dot also seeks non-classroom staff who share in our mission and exemplify our core
values. Kirby will have a need for a range of non-classroom staff including: academic
counselors, front office operations staff, a parent coordinator, campus security officers, and
instructional aides. Hiring processes are multi-step and include performance tasks that
resembles the type of work that employees can expect to experience. All of our non-classroom
staff who work full-time are eligible for full benefits including very affordable medical, vision,
and dental plans, accrual of paid time off, and regular professional development and feedback.
Kirby Middle School
18
Approach to Staff Diversity and Cultural Competence
Green Dot believes strongly in having a diverse staff. As an organization, we are 3.5 times
more diverse than the national public school average.
Additionally, we use a rubric to outline the practices of effective teachers and one domain of
the rubric is focused on a teacher’s ability to develop partnerships with family and community.
We work with our teachers to develop two-way communication with families about student
learning and achievement and help students leverage resources in their community that
support their success in college and beyond.
Lastly, Green Dot has worked with FuelEd and the National Equity Project to help our teams
create culturally relevant and competent classroom environments, as well as use an equity
lens to uncover policies, practices and behaviors that sustain unequal outcomes. We believe
deeply in educational equity and that guides our vision across campuses, including Kirby.
Kirby Middle School
19
VII.
Safety and Culture
A.
Green Dot’s school culture emphasizes high care, high structure, and high expectations. To do
this, we first establish a new culture of safety, structure and routines that promote a classgoing culture. Once attitudes, behaviors and expectations about learning and school begin to
change, then we move to creating a culture of college readiness. To create a different climate
from day one, Green Dot establishes a culture of success, ensures a safe and secure campus,
and provides robust student programs and supports.
Visual Signs of Change
We work to ensure visual signs of change to the campus such as clean and orderly facilities
and hallways, zero tolerance for graffiti, and banners and signs promoting new school images.
During the summer of 2016, if selected to partner with Kirby, facilities work will take place to
update the campus in anticipation of the first day of school (see Appendix Section VII for
pictures from both the Fairley and Wooddale summer facilities transformation).
Safe and Civil Program
Green Dot uses a program called “Safe and Civil” to build a safe and orderly environment at all
of its schools. Safe & Civil emphasizes effective communication and conflict resolution for
students and describes how adults provide non-contingent attention (versus attention tied to
discipline). The Safe and Civil course is taught over three years. The principal, assistant
principals and dean at Kirby will provide ongoing professional development to support the Safe
and Civil philosophy around school culture and classroom norms. Safe and Civil training is
built into initial training for teachers and administrators and taught at Summer Bridge for
incoming 6th grade students. For students who enroll mid-year, the Advisory class serves to
integrate them into the Green Dot culture.
Shared School-Level Expectations
At Kirby, the principal will tailor the Green Dot practices listed below to his/her specific school
community in order to set shared school-level expectations across teachers and students on
day one.
Kirby Middle School
20
•
Required School Uniforms: Uniforms establish a common identity and new culture. School
staff will maintain strict enforcement.
•
Strict Attendance Policies: A Student Attendance Review Team (SART) will be assembled
at the start of the year to manage attendance. The principal and school staff will ensure
strict enforcement of attendance policies and create an environment where students want
to come to school.
•
Extensive College Exposure: The school will have regular assemblies to reinforce college
expectations with college tours beginning in the 6th grade.
All Green Dot Tennessee Principals also administer Stakeholder Surveys to assess cultural
success by asking students whether they feel the school is effectively preparing them for
college, leadership and life and whether they understand the importance of school and feel it is
a safe place to learn.
The combination of Summer Bridge, Save & Civil, Advisory and a rigorous college-preparatory
program ensures student alignment around high expectations for student learning and
behavior. A component of Summer Professional Development will be solely focused on
creating a culture of high expectations as well as reviewing Kirby’s strategic plan to align
around school-wide goals.
After School Program
Green Dot schools provide a multifaceted after school program through arc. As mentioned in a
previous section, arc bridges the opportunity gap by creating transformational learning
opportunities that empower students to realize their full potential. All students are eligible to
participate in the after school programs that are provided through arc. These programs include
art, sports, drama, music, and public speaking. It is our expectation that arc will be offered
every school day from dismissal until 6pm at Kirby.
School Security
Campus Security Officers
Green Dot schools employees Campus Security Officers to ensure the safety and well-being
of all students and staff at each school site. Campus Security Officers are responsible for
Kirby Middle School
21
maintaining an orderly atmosphere. They provide visibility and assistance to all staff, students,
faculty and guests by assisting with minor discipline, by developing positive relationships
within the school community, and serving as a positive role model. In addition, Campus
Security Officers conduct home visits to connect with needs and challenges of individual
students.
Campus Security Officers are often the first level of contact for our students and our
communities. Therefore, they are often made up of alumni, pastors and community members
for each school. By having a personalized and consistent approach, Green Dot Campus
Security Officers provide an unmatched level of safety for our students and on our campuses.
Men in Blue
As an added level of security, all Green Dot schools in Tennessee are served by Men in Blue.
Men in Blue is a security and safety company that provides on-campus officers at each Green
Dot school site. Each officer at a Green Dot site is either a current or former city or county
police officer, some of whom served the community in which the school is located. This instills
a greater familiarity with the students’ needs, as the officers work inside Green Dot schools on
a daily basis. Additionally, Men in Blue officers work a consistent daily schedule from 7:30 am
to 7:00 pm to help identify patterns of behavior and develop rapport with the students. Each
Men in Blue officer is required to take an additional 16 hours of training above the state
requirements. Men in Blue also has a proven track record working in SCS and as the primary
provider of security services for the ASD. The consistent and specialized ability that Men in
Blue provides will allow an increased sense of security and safety at Kirby Middle School.
Hours of Operation
For Fairley, the school day runs from 8:30am-3:30pm. At Wooddale, the school day runs from
8:00am-3:00pm. See Appendix Section VII for a copy of both bell schedules.
Kirby Middle School
22
Uniforms
All Green Dot students wear uniforms similar to and following the guidelines found in the
picture below.
Transportation
Busing at Kirby will be provided by Durham School Services to all students, in coordination
with the ASD and SCS. Students with individualized needs will have transportation
accommodations made for them. All city, county, and state requirements will be maintained by
Durham throughout their services.
Kirby Middle School
23
VIII. Demonstration of Community Outreach
A. The following events were organized and facilitated to strengthen relationships with the
community. Please see the Appendix for flyers, sign-in sheets and photographs of events,
meetings, neighborhood canvassing. Included in the Appendix are materials geared toward
informing parents and community members about both the conversion process and Green Dot
Public Schools.
September 17, 2015
BAEO Community Meeting for Sheffield/Kirby
September 19, 2015
BAEO Community Meeting for Hillcrest High
School
September 24, 2015
Teacher Meeting at Wooddale MS
September 26, 2015
Neighborhood Canvassing Hillcrest
September 29, 2015
Community Breakfast at Wooddale MS
September 30, 2015
Community Breakfast at Fairley HS
October 1, 2015
Hillcrest Alumni Tailgating
October 4, 2015
Freedom Baptist Church Community Day
October 7, 2015
Community Forum at Christ United Baptist
Church
October 21, 2015
Memphis Lift & Kirby Families
Kirby Middle School
24
October 22, 2015
Memphis Lift & Hillcrest Families
October 24, 2015
Neighborhood Canvassing Kirby
October 29, 2015
Community Forum at The Rock Church
Memphis
October 30, 2015
Fall Festival @ The Rock Church Memphis
November 5, 2015
Student Shadow Day
November 12, 2015
Student Shadow Day
November 14, 2015
Neighborhood Cleanup & BBQ Kirby
November 19, 2015
Student Shadow Day
November 21, 2015
Neighborhood Cleanup & BBQ Hillcrest
(Whitehaven Christmas Parade)
December 4, 2015
Green Dot Day @ The Hickory Hill Girls &
Boys Club
December 10, 2015
Hillcrest Community Night @ The Wiz!
Kirby Middle School
25

Kirby Middle School – Green Dot Public Schools

Transcription

Similar documents

$6,300 - Zwolle Tamale Fiesta

i Page 1 of 2 Textilease Medique 900 Lively Blvd Wood Dale, IL

ODACS Brochure

here - WA AIDS Council

Summer 2015 - Heritage Federal Credit Union

Anchor Blue

PennDOT Maintenance-IQ System - GIS-T

04-09-14 - First Presbyterian Church

MSrpK#MFX/` - Kirby Marine Fabrication