Alternative Learning Experiences
Lewis River Academy and TEAM High School students, families, and staff have done a wonderful job completing the first semester and transitioning into the second semester, all while in nearly 100% remote learning! In fact, they have done such a fabulous job that our Alternative Learning secretary, Brandy, is now inputting hundreds of grades per individualized Written Student Learning Plans (WSLPs); this is a huge task and a great indicator of student success.
We usually have an uptick in transfers to and from our regular schools at the semester break. This year there were even more transfers as we have been able to accommodate families who would like for their children to remain in a remote learning model.
In our Alternative Learning model, students are beginning to meet all graduation requirements! We have had two individual graduations, one for Dakota Spencer, who has since left for the military, and another for Manuel Massey, who Jillian said was a “ROCK STAR student” during the pandemic, one of the hardest working students during the spring of 2020. We have two more students who are close to finishing as well; they are choosing to wait for the group graduation to celebrate their success. Mary says it well: “It is amazing the determination and resilience we have seen in our students. As usual, they continue to teach us lessons about fighting through tough times.”
Family and Community Resource Center
As students come back to in-person learning, we are experiencing an increase in identification of Unaccompanied Youth, students staying with someone other than a parent or legal guardian. In the past six weeks (January 28th through March 2nd), we’ve identified 12 Unaccompanied Youth, 67% of our total Unaccompanied Youth population for the 2020-21 school year so far.
We currently have 111 students identified as “homeless” so far this school year. We are preparing for an increase as Governor Inslee’s Eviction Moratorium is set to expire at the end of this month on March 31st.
Whatever the challenge, obstacle, or need, the school district and the Woodland community consistently show up to contribute to solutions. Our Family and Community Resource Center is so grateful! Here are two recent examples:
K-12 Attendance
OSPI has extended the emergency rule about not filing truancy petitions for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year for any absences from remote learning. However, the focus of the Woodland School District continues to be engagement. This is being accomplished by phone calls, emails, texts, and home visits as needed some on a weekly basis.
Most of the students and parents Stacy Mouat has been working with this school year have been expressing a deep desire for schools to open back up to in-person learning. The biggest concern relayed to Stacy by families she is working with has been that students are struggling with depression and finding it difficult to stay motivated. With the schools being safe to open up for more in-person time, the families and students have shared their encouragement and excitement about the future of this school year!
K-12 Health Services
Taylor Huddleston, our newest nurse, has accepted a nurse position at The Vancouver Clinic. We do not have any current applicants for that position, so we are looking to add two Health Room Assistants (HRAs), one at North Fork Elementary and one at Columbia Elementary. As we are reopening schools, our health staff have been busy communicating and documenting regarding student medications, immunizations, COVID-19 screenings and attestations, and keeping us up to date with the latest guidance.
LAP Program
Using Acadience and iReady data, we redistributed support for qualifying students, ensuring the most appropriate programs and groupings. A Spanish-speaking paraeducator was hired at CES to help our Spanish-speaking students strengthen their home language while building their English literacy skills. Student progress continues to be monitored bi-monthly, verifying the effectiveness of the intervention.
The LAP team has continued to provide reading interventions to students and monitor their progress bi-weekly. We are also continuing to closely communicate with families, classroom teachers, and support staff to ensure each of our students is fully supported. We are anxiously anticipating academic growth in the full return of students to the building and will adjust schedules and groups as needed moving forward with in-person learning.
Special Services
This month we have 362 students on Individual Education Programs (IEPs), an increase of 32 students since September 2020. This is remarkable considering the challenges of assessing students and meeting with families and staff remotely for initial evaluations and IEP updates for students with disabilities. I am amazed at the educational service, communication, teamwork, and documentation of our entire special services department.
Title Program
We are excited at WMS to be back in person in the hybrid model! Title classes are typically smaller than CORE classes and even smaller with the hybrid split. This helps teachers to give individual attention and instruction to address learning losses or misunderstandings for students during this challenging school year. We are grateful to have the opportunity to give immediate students in-person attention, clarification, and feedback. Title paras are working with students in-person for some classes as well as virtual sessions via Google Meet to support students during their at-home days, reading together, and helping with Reading, ELA, or Math assignments.