-
Right. Let's share what you know.
-
I think many of you, probably all of you
-
probably know students who have attended
-
or do attend or may attend in the future
-
at Dakota Ridge.
-
And um, no two students as you know,
-
have are nothing, nothing
-
is just textbook or fits in a box. Right?
-
So that's what we really pride ourselves on
-
here at Dakota Ridge is when I meet
-
families for the first time and we're
-
trying to help them understand what this
-
might do for them or how help their
-
child, we are an intervention.
-
And in the world of federal setting for sites,
-
we are unique in that we are part
-
of this large District.
-
We are not an Intermediate.
-
We aren't somewhere you send your kids
-
to that do their own thing,
-
but we are aligned to district 196
-
in everything we do and our goal
-
is to be an intervention,
-
to be that step in between
-
to help students figure out what
-
is getting in the way for them
-
of being successful, intervene, teach skills
-
and for many students that means move on
-
to your next goal.
-
Whether that's back to your home school,
-
whether that's out in the community,
-
whether it's just making
-
your world a little broader.
-
Um, I think we're we're fortunately
-
pretty successful at that.
-
So um, I'll just talk a little bit
-
and like oh that's not my screen. Yours.
-
Um, so I'll just share kind of just
-
where we've been, how we got here
-
who I am and then I think I'll ask those
-
of you who have lived in this world
-
to kind of fill in where I, cuz I don't live
-
your role every day.
-
I live the right, the perspective
-
of outside of it.
-
Um, so I prior to my position here I was
-
I've had many hats in the district.
-
I was a Center-Based Autism Teacher
-
at Dakota Hills for many years.
-
Um, I was an Autism Specialist
-
and then I came over here
-
as a Lead Teacher
-
and then when I left here,
-
I was an Elementary Coordinator
-
and came back because once I was here,
-
I knew this is where I belonged
-
and I couldn't wait to come back
-
and I get the opportunity
-
to lead this building.
-
And one of the first things we did
-
when I came back
-
was we created a shared vision
-
mission statement as a building.
-
So this is a statement co-constructed
-
by staff and what we believe we do here
-
at Dakota Ridge.
-
And it's a community engaged
-
in developing the unique skills
-
of individual students through creative
-
programming and collaboration.
-
And to take that a step further,
-
what we truly believe is these starred items
-
and every student who walks in our door,
-
school has failed them.
-
And I don't mean a person
-
has failed them, I just our system
-
and the way we've gone about things
-
has not met their needs
-
and we get this unique opportunity
-
to rewrite their story.
-
And so we walk in this door,
-
I truly believe those of us who we have
-
very low staff turnover in our building
-
because this is a place that it it calls to you.
-
It speaks to you.
-
Um, and we get
-
this opportunity to take students who
-
have no joy at school and to find their joy.
-
To find school is a place - I'll never forget
-
Matthew and I went out to Gideon Pond
-
when he was at Gideon and observed him
-
and was part of meetings, and all he said
-
that first day when he came for a tour,
-
I don't know if any of you were with that day,
-
he walked through the hallway
-
and kept saying, "Friends. I'm going to have friends".
-
That is all he cared and to this day
-
that is probably what brings him to school every day.
-
He gets excited.
-
He never, the kid has impeccable attendance.
-
He is never gone.
-
We have behaviors when he has to leave early.
-
Yes.
-
Truthfully, because school has never been
-
an experience like that before.
-
So for Matthew for you know,
-
that's a child you can all identify with
-
because you work with,
-
but every student here,
-
no matter how they show us
-
things aren't going well and how they
-
communicate that to us um,
-
we get the opportunity
-
to figure out how school
-
can be a place for them to be successful
-
and there's nothing more rewarding than that.
-
And it's it's tough in between there.
-
Right? There's some things to work through.
-
Um, high quality, effective instruction
-
we believe that in order to do that
-
and help school be a successful place,
-
we have to believe they can
-
and classrooms are set up to teach.
-
They are classrooms we are school first.
-
You can hear a pin drop
-
in our hallway most days.
-
Um and when you walk in classrooms,
-
they're learning.
-
They're engaged.
-
They're using all the same curriculum
-
they're using throughout the district.
-
The same tools, the same textbooks,
-
the same everything
-
and we might modify and adjust,
-
but I would say we probably
-
modify and adjust less than
-
a Setting Three classroom
-
in a Traditional School.
-
What age kids are here?
-
Everybody.
-
Kindergarten through age 22
-
down our main hallway.
-
Everybody - and we do not, go ahead.
-
The word can, that is that word means so much.
-
It's such a small word word but,
-
that word even Martha, Martha is the one
-
who brought it to Matthew's plate.
-
I'm going to give you credit for this one
-
because she said you know what we should
-
start using the word before when he's
-
having a behavior to cut it off.
-
You can do that, you can, you can
-
and it changed.
-
You could see it in his head this change.
-
So I just want to that word can, can.
-
And to your question, we serve all disability categories.
-
Um, our building is laid out
-
in, I think, probably the next slide.
-
Um, I'll I'll get so this will stack on that.
-
This doesn't probably mean
-
a whole lot just the way it's laid out,
-
but, and this was a snapshot taken months ago
-
but, we have a total of 22 classrooms
-
in the building and eight of them are
-
classrooms that we serve four students
-
in that classroom environment.
-
So that the max we put in there is four
-
and then the others
-
are what we call large group
-
is six to eight students.
-
Um, and within that environment,
-
there are paraprofessionals supporting.
-
Um, in small group our goal
-
we start at for that one teacher
-
there's usually
-
two paraprofessionals ideally
-
and um, those four students.
-
Sometimes it takes up to five
-
because right, the reality of just we
-
have to serve everybody.
-
Um, and Lorna is part of one
-
of those small group environments.
-
So we, that factors in.
-
So it's um in that classroom there are
-
actually two paraprofessionals assigned
-
in addition to Lorna.
-
One is out on leave right now.
-
Um, but just not always.
-
So like the room Matthew's in, it is one other
-
paraprofessional with Charlotte.
-
So we we adjust based on what the needs
-
of that environment is.
-
Um, we don't necessarily just group
-
students by age.
-
So I don't, one we don't
-
have a full classroom of fourth graders.
-
Right? We don't have a full classroom
-
of fifth graders, but we also know
-
that students learn best with certain
-
peers and not with others.
-
So we spend a lot
-
of time building those class lists
-
and we create classrooms that we believe
-
will learn together best, not based
-
on their age, grade, all those things.
-
So we might have a eighth grader mixed
-
in with 10th and 11th graders
-
because they need some role models.
-
They need, they need
-
something different.
-
Um, we don't always get it right
-
and we sometimes have to adjust,
-
but that is just what we do here.
-
We we reflect and we figure it out and
-
we adjust.
-
Um, so we we we joke that we're
-
a big family here and it really you have to
-
kind of have that mentality to be here.
-
We're all in this together.
-
Um, if you if
-
everybody carries a radio and if you
-
say on that radio I need help,
-
like more than you wished.
-
I usually follow behind like I think we're good.
-
I think we're good.
-
Um, and not because it's so big scary.
-
I mean we we have evolved in the,
-
I think what Dakota Ridge was maybe 15 years ago,
-
our population has evolved and changed.
-
One because I believe
-
our setting two and three
-
within our Traditional School settings has
-
grown in their capacity to serve students.
-
So they may have been sent
-
to Dakota Ridge years ago,
-
but we don't need to serve
-
that population anymore.
-
We also have growing needs
-
of individuals who maybe just
-
weren't served in schools before because
-
they were so extreme.
-
Um, there are fewer facilities
-
for them to go to.
-
Just so many reasons why
-
that the complexity of learners
-
has changed here
-
and we have bad days
-
just like every school in the district.
-
I would say it's
-
not every day and it's not every week.
-
Um, and the support that one big family
-
we're in together, you just
-
there we had we had a major incident
-
last week, oh this week, it was Tuesday.
-
Um, but the reality is 90% of the school
-
had no idea what was going on
-
because we have systems and routines and
-
people trained to support those situations
-
so that we have a practice we follow
-
and usually it's a hold.
-
That particular day we went on a secure
-
and so people just knew.
-
We got to stay in the building.
-
We know that the staff
-
are call the leadership is calling this
-
because it's going to keep us safe.
-
We can go about our business and again,
-
to this day, 90% of people
-
probably don't know what happened.
-
And we just went on with our day.
-
You go on with your day,
-
You trust and you know
-
that people have got your back
-
and we're in this together and
-
we do everything we can
-
to keep people safe.
-
I mean I'm sure if you're at the DSC,
-
you see things. Right?
-
You see police cars, you see ambulances.
-
90% of those situations
-
are mental health issues
-
and we are responding
-
to a student and getting them help.
-
It is not a risk.
-
Sometimes the the behavior
-
that leads up to them meeting
-
that level of intervention
-
looks scary, but it looks
-
more scary because it's not typical to see.
-
It's not because we're in danger.
-
It's because we're scared how are we
-
going to keep you safe?
-
How are we going to meet your needs?
-
And we take that responsibility
-
really seriously.
-
Um, every two class so, in our small group
-
environments we got a redesign
-
of those spaces last year.
-
So those spaces all have
-
three break spaces in them because
-
that population of students just need
-
less noise, they need some time alone,
-
some sometimes isolation.
-
We have swings in every one of those.
-
Every one of those classrooms
-
has one room with a swing mount.
-
And then down the main hallway
-
as we get into what we call large group,
-
in between every two classrooms we have
-
a break space.
-
And within that break space we,
-
our hope, is that students learn use
-
that space proactively so that they can
-
request a break, because when they think
-
about going back to a home school and
-
their environment grows drastically,
-
they need to know when to say
-
I need to break,
-
where to take that break,
-
what tools they need to take that break.
-
Um, and then
-
there are times when students don't have
-
that skill yet, that as adults we help them
-
to learn that by supporting them
-
and getting to that break space and
-
we baby steps to grow into where they can
-
do that independently.
-
Um, like I said, all support,
-
all staff carry radios.
-
We have a building leadership team
-
that's made up of myself,
-
Mr. Wilson is the assistant administrator
-
and then there are six additional people
-
that make up our
-
our school psychologist,
-
our we have a full-time School social worker.
-
We have a lead interventionist,
-
so academic interventions
-
who is a behavior also has
-
deep background of behavior.
-
We have a curriculum interventionist or
-
core interventionist
-
who has a strong background in behavior
-
and then we have a behavior lead interventionist.
-
Um, all who have been teachers
-
in the building and believe in this.
-
Um, we have a float staff which is
-
made up primarily of paraprofessionals
-
who work really hard.
-
We back when Staffing was a different
-
story right, they were two or three
-
individuals who truly their job all day
-
was just float and be in places.
-
Now they are individuals we have identified
-
who they are part of teams but they they
-
have flexibility.
-
Um, and they build
-
relationships throughout the building.
-
So they're our go-to when we have uh
-
a couple of Staff down here in small group,
-
who they have we have
-
a new Elementary learner,
-
who is really struggling um and they are
-
the right people they have built
-
a relationship with him and so we just
-
have flexibility that that float staff
-
are the people that come down
-
and intervene.
-
Sometimes they just need a new face.
-
Sometimes they just need somebody
-
they know they can trust who wasn't
-
in that moment with them.
-
Um, and we have
-
a deep shared understanding of students.
-
We do a lot to communicate
-
with each other
-
um based on a need to know. Right?
-
There's that fine line between
-
confidentiality um but we do a lot.
-
We send out emails, hey just a heads up
-
this student's plan is this or we have
-
An all staff meeting once a month and
-
we might bring a picture of a student.
-
If you see this person in the hallway,
-
please don't say this.
-
We have a young lady right now
-
who is exploring work.
-
She's a transition age learner
-
um and what we have learned
-
is when she wears her sweatshirt that
-
announces her employer, that is probably
-
something went wrong today at her job.
-
And what's your go-to if you see her
-
walking through the building that says
-
Kane's across it?
-
It's like oh, how was work today? Right?
-
Well we have figured out as a team
-
that we have to coach everybody
-
not to engage about her job because that
-
is her like way of letting us know.
-
I can't talk about my job today.
-
Um but not what our first reaction
-
as adults is.
-
So we do a lot of working with each other
-
just sending building wide emails like
-
hey, if you see so and so in the hallway,
-
heads up don't ask her.
-
So um, yeah.
-
So this is more information that when we
-
met with um staff here in the building,
-
just to talk about what does it feel
-
like to work here and what are supports
-
are in place?
-
So [inaudible] yeah. Perfect.
-
And can I just name Martha was
-
involved in this too, I didn't say
-
your name earlier, but Martha spends
-
a sizeable amount of time here and help
-
plan just from the float perspective too,
-
around maybe not um kind of coming and
-
going too so, thank you.
-
So I would just I guess I would
-
wonder what things are you wondering
-
about and what things do you hear that
-
make you um, uncertain?
-
That's the question I that's
-
one of the first questions I've
-
always wanted to know is, what are your
-
concerns of why you don't want
-
to come here? You know?
-
I find it a wonderful to work,
-
but other people don't see that and
-
I'm like, I don't I don't understand.
-
I mean you're so well supported.
-
Um, it is like a family here.
-
You have a ton of information and
-
it's always being given to you
-
in many different ways.
-
So I just yeah, that's
-
a hard one for me to...
-
And I would say I think
-
we've worked together a long time, right?
-
And there are times that there are
-
decisions Dan and I might make or that
-
as a building and Charlotte will say
-
I don't get this.
-
Why are we doing this?
-
And we want that.
-
That is how we that's how we can
-
only do better.
-
So if people come in and they're
-
like this makes no sense.
-
Why is someone doing this?
-
Maybe we're going to learn a better way.
-
So we welcome those questions.
-
Or whoa, there's so many layers here.
-
Nobody shared with you.
-
Let me share with you
-
so you understand why we do.
-
Um, and that's really how we operate.
-
I spend a lot of my day
-
just talking about what we do.
-
I think the other thing to know is
-
that um it's a big decision
-
when a student ends up coming here.
-
Right?
-
So um, it is a significant decision
-
when an IEP team is considering
-
a setting change for a student
-
for a lot of reasons.
-
Right? Like statute wise,
-
but also we are making
-
a decision that that student should be
-
leaving their home building,
-
for a period of time,
-
always our goal is to have them
-
come back.
-
Um, and sometimes we find
-
this is the right setting for them.
-
Um, so I think think sometimes
-
we hear questions
-
in buildings around how those decisions
-
are made and why.
-
Um, and I think just know
-
that they're not taken light and this is
-
like the very,
-
you have what 120 students right now,
-
in a district of 29,000.
-
Um, so it is truly like a small number
-
of students who truly need
-
this setting and that's also why it's effective.
-
Right? Um, so if you hear questions
-
In the buildings always know
-
that that is the case and we can help
-
with those conversations, because
-
if people don't spend time here, I don't
-
I don't think they always understand.
-
And they, the students who do move here,
-
are at their worst when they come here.
-
So what the perception
-
of that individual child when they leave
-
somewhere else is much different than
-
the perception we get to have because we
-
get a fresh start.
-
We get to take that worst
-
and it's we truly believe as a building
-
we there's nowhere else for them to go.
-
We're not we're not intervening
-
to figure out where else
-
we're going to send you.
-
We're intervening to get in it with you.
-
We're intervening to figure out what's
-
in the way and how are we going to fix it.
-
Not fix it, we can't fix anything.
-
That's the wrong word.
-
Just to help you grow and do better.
-
And so I think a lot of times people think
-
of the kids they have seen come here
-
and the story they have is the story
-
of that child at their worst and we're really
-
lucky because we get to celebrate
-
those small wins and change that story.
-
Um. So.
-
When kids come here you almost see
-
them Blossom. Right?
-
For some kids like,
-
the environment is the right environment
-
for them with the structures and
-
routines that are in place and
-
the supports and just the connections
-
with staff and some kids just absolutely,
-
I would say, lots of kids not some,
-
absolutely just blossom in this setting.
-
And I would imagine that people have
-
some hesitation about like supporting here
-
and I don't know that that's
-
necessarily any of you, but it is a fear
-
of like maybe I don't have the skills
-
to support that particular student
-
or I don't I don't know
-
that I'm capable of that
-
and I think the realization of the team
-
right, like you're not alone,
-
but I would say that that's a lot of times
-
more of a fear then of the unknown.
-
And to be that, off of that,
-
like that's I have [inaudible]
-
I been here um, I know that um,
-
in chatting with coworkers you know I talk
-
[inaudible]
-
Um you're going to giggle.
-
You're going to laugh and you're
-
going to leave with a smile usually.
-
I mean that's my experience.
-
You know I think a lot of the times
-
that I've been in communication
-
with some coworkers is and I'm not trying
-
to over step it's or anything, like they have
-
that uncomfortable feeling.
-
That like you know,
-
the unknown or the big,
-
the PCM training piece and
-
the part that I like
-
to say much what you guys have always
-
just said here too is that you have that
-
support in the room that will always
-
be there right away for you if you need it
-
you know.
-
And that's even a culture thing
-
we hear of staff here when people are
-
on their back wheels or just having a bad
-
day of nobody in my room is PCM trained.
-
Well the reality is we don't use PCM
-
everyday.
-
Like, I mean, it's not this magic wand. Right?
-
We don't use it that often, but it is that
-
something when people are feeling...
-
Right, we all go to what do I not have?
-
How am I not equipped to do this?
-
Um, but really it's
-
about coming here and helping kids
-
be successful and we got we've got
-
a lot of ways to get creative to do that
-
in interventions we try and tools we use.
-
We are resource rich.
-
Yeah I feel it's ndless.
-
It's endless.
-
You just have to identify
-
what you need or what they need.
-
And then and we'll try it.
-
And we'll try it.
-
Let's give it a whirl.
-
can't work yeah try
-
something else right so it's thinking
-
that lens and all fa all behavior is a
-
form of communication so behavior isn't
-
personal it's a child trying to
-
communicate something and they don't
-
have the skills to tell you what that is
-
in that moment so thinking through all
-
the tools that you have here at Dakota
-
Rich to support kids and there is no
-
tool here we use that we don't have in
-
other buildings or that we can't get in
-
other buildings so I think that's the
-
other layer to know it's not like we're
-
tool Rich because we've got it at all
-
here it's out there it's using a rocking
-
chair instead of a regular chair it's
-
putting a roller ball at their feet it's
-
giving them a fidget in their class room
-
it's using a body stck those aren't
-
magic wands those are things we have
-
everywhere we might have more of
-
them um but we are very very aware to
-
make sure it's a functional tool that
-
can go somewhere like that so and there
-
he is there's
-
MJ
-
you
-
big good good
-
job
-
and there is
-
my and he has
-
relationships with everybody he's like
-
Royal to you when he walks in in the
-
morning might take him five to 10
-
minutes to get to the classroom because
-
everyone's got to stop and chat myself
-
included um and he's got things with
-
each person we have subar who's here two
-
days a week who I got watch their
-
interaction yesterday and I
-
just and he has grown so much because
-
when when he first started here he was
-
in a room by himself so to see him do
-
that of that oh so so awesome like I
-
said I watched him sign 20 some words
-
last night and I was just amazed that he
-
just kept going I'm
-
like wow and then he'll tell the story
-
again and he know add a word to his
-
story and I'm like yes yes just keep
-
adding and adding and
-
add what was on the screen um it was
-
actually Shelby was teaching ASL class
-
and there were
-
chips
-
and he just thought it was the funniest
-
thing and then he would describe
-
the do you guys want to take over this
-
part these are just all the things you
-
shared and I kind of captured them on a
-
slide when we met of thinking of like
-
what is it like to support hair subing
-
and stepping
-
in
-
um okay
-
so just in this just in this now in this
-
week um we have our safe spaces for them
-
I have watched Matthew on his own walk
-
in just walk in instead of taking us
-
seven years y y but we got
-
there
-
just keep going try something different
-
um
-
so a positive happy demeanor when I walk
-
into that break room