Minnehaha Parents & Families,
What a wonderful Friday evening at Minnehaha last week! Over 350 students and family members showed up to our Choice Family Fair event. To those of you who came – thank you for coming and spend-ing the evening with many of us at Minnehaha. Special thanks to Lee Gunter and Aiko Chappell – this event is possible only through their energy and commitment! During Monday morning’s February PRIDE assem-bly, we drew names for the bikes and prize baskets that students entered to win. What a fun way to start the week!
We have been working hard at Minnehaha over the past few years in several areas. One of those areas is an intentional investment in relationships – both among students and with staff and students. We recognize that in order to create an environment where students can learn to their full potential, they need to feel loved, sup-ported, heard, and involved. Our work around Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS) and Restora-tive Practices has led to dramatic decreases in the amount of major referrals that students are receiving at Minnehaha each month. Our staff are listening to students share and explain conflicts, involving them in the problem-solving and solutions process, and bringing students together to work collaboratively and accept responsibility. As an example – in February of the 2014-15 school year there were 38 major referrals due to student behaviors. This past month – February of 2017 – there were 19!
I am so proud of the work and efforts at Minnehaha to support students and learning, and am excited for con-tinued growth and success to come!
Happy March, Troy