IRE Weekly Update – Oct. 7th

The Trojan Trot, Disability History & Awareness Month, and Entry Plan Reflections

Hey IRE Families!

Today was the Trojan Trot, and our PTA deserves a huge thank you and congratulations for putting on such a strong event. Thank you to all of the families and volunteers that made it happen. Kids had a great deal of fun and there was a lot of Trojan Spirit around our building and fields today. Thank you a million times over!

Secondly, October is Disability History and Awareness month in Washington. This is particularly special for me, because I grew up with a brother who has a disability (Fragile X Syndrome).  My brother and family was fortunate to see opportunities increase over time for kids with disabilities, and while we still have work to do, we have seen the power of communities committed to increase access and prioritizing inclusion. Here are some ways to have family conversations around the topic and some suggestions from Baylor University‘s article “How To Teach Children about Disabilities and Inclusion” :

• Consider reading a book together
• For kids ages 5-9:
  • Focus on concrete thinking: Young children internalize most information literally, so build concrete thinking skills by focusing on facts, not imaginations or implicit biases.
  • Identify differences and similarities: Just as children may be able to see visible differences, they can point out traits they share with others.
  • Humanize others: When a child takes notice of a person who is different from them, encourage the child introduce themselves and ask the other person’s name.
  • Balance curiosity with respect: Remind them that it’s OK to ask questions, but they should be thoughtful and respectful.
• For kids that are 10-11 years old:
  • Focus on emotional thinking: Older children are beginning to associate feelings with specific experiences. Ask them to unpack how they feel after an interaction with someone new.
  • Address conflicted feelings: Some students may feel they are being watched or judged by their peers when they choose to be inclusive of others. Talk about these tendencies to care more about social perceptions than the social good.
  • Normalize confusion: Let children know that it’s understandable to feel confused about how to best include others, but emphasize the importance of overcoming that fear and not singling others out.
  • Discuss social structures: Around this stage of development, children may form social groups or cliques. Talk candidly about the harm in excluding others because of perceived differences.

Lastly, a part of my entry plan, my focus has been to ask a series of questions with a singular goal in these first few months – establish strong relationships to build a foundation of trust. Questions I have asked include:

• What’s your story?
• How did you come to the IRE school community?
• Who are the most important people to you?
• What do you do exceptionally well?
• When are you having the most fun at school?

Between meeting with staff members at our school and within the district, engaging in home visits with families, or making phone calls home – it is abundantly clear that Irene Reither Elementary is a magical place. I’ve learned about rich traditions, I’ve learned about folks coming to our schools from around the county because of the sense of community, and I have learned about the special relationships that the staff, families, and kids have created. We have teachers who were students here. We have retired folks who continually come back to sub or support. We have families who are new to our community and have been welcomed with open arms. Thank you for letting me a part of this community. Thank you for letting me learn about you and your family. I’m looking forward to sharing more about what I learn in the future.

Go Trojans!

Best,
Tyler Dockins, Principal

This past week, I was observing in Attosa Balas’ 2nd grade classroom and had the opportunity to watch a lesson where students were working on a personal narrative. During that time, I observed strategic and efficient writing conferences where students had an opportunity for individualized attention that resulted in kids smiling, proud of their work, and a clear next step for improving their writing.

After a quick mini-lesson, students were released to their desks to work on their writing and Attosa called students up one at a time. Before, I’ve heard folks talk about the challenge of conferences and getting in opportunities for all students, and by watching Attosa, it is clear how she effectively sees every one of her students each week. The duration of each conference is only a few minutes where Attosa warmly affirms and congratulates students on their work, asking them about their work and reflecting their strengths back on them. She then coaches them on a skill within their learning edge and then quickly sends them back to their table to work on the next skill. It’s like her conferences move in a rhythm.

Additionally, what is most impressive to me, is how Attosa coaches students to use tools, like a miniaturized Sound Wall tool for students to use during their drafting process to build independence. Without too much support, students were able to use this tool to dramatically improve their spelling. I witnessed one student who struggled to even start, and then once prompted to use the tool, they were able to spell a word phonetically. After this moment, you could see a wave of self-confidence rush through their body and then they gave Attosa an excited high five.

Lastly, Attosa gets it and uses it. She collects qualitative notes about her kids strengths in a spreadsheet she created for writing conferences and then documents the next steps that she will drive to in the next upcoming conference. There is some awesome writing instruction happening in her classroom, and the kids are falling in love with their writing.

Two claps and some love for Attosa and her kids! 👏👏💖

• School lunch payments with cash and check are now going to Secretary Debi Johnson in the Building B main office. You can also pay electronically using MealTime online.
• Arrival and Dropoff continues to go well.  To maintain our consistency and a safe process, please:
  • Pull cars as forward as possible for optimal traffic flow when dropping off.
  • Drop off or pickup kids curbside, not traffic-side
  • Please arrive no earlier than 3:25 in the afternoon, this will ensure that fire lanes are clear in case of an emergency. Our parent pickup continues to have nearly all cars gone by around 3:45 p.m.

The IRE PTA is hosting an outdoor movie night! This will be held in outdoor field A (west side of campus) on Thursday October 20th. This is not a school night, it is a teacher work day the next day. The event will start at 6:15 or so to mingle and listen to music/get comfortable in the field. The movie itself will start closer to 6:45 when it gets dark enough. This will be a free event! We are currently polling students and faculty to find a family friendly movie that is popular to show. We will send out more information in children’s folders soon! This event will be rain or shine— and if the weather does not cooperate, we will be moving into the cafeteria as we did in the spring for the movie instead. Again, this will be a free event put on by the PTA, with concessions available for purchase.

Can’t wait to see all of these families come together to support good causes and celebrate the beginning of the year. Go Trojans!

If you are interested in becoming an emergency substitute, we would love to start that conversation. Feel free to visit our application process on our website https://www.meridian.wednet.edu/departments/human-resources/substitutes/

You can also email me directly at tdockins@meridian.wednet.edu if you have any questions.