A few months ago, I closed a superintendent's newsletter with some thoughts on how our students are on a Hero's Journey - that their journey through adolescence, with all its obstacles, triumphs, challenges and aid from likely and unlikely sources, helps form them into the people they are destined to become.

It seems to me that, similarly, our school district is on its own journey.  And as we confront weaknesses and enjoy successes, it's crucial that we adapt and improve to provide more fully the experiences and instruction our students need.  Some of our challenges are enduring -- how to provide experiences that meet the unique needs of each learner in our school within large high schools, for example.  But it's important that we struggle to become better every single day. 

This newsletter attempts to describe some of the many ways we are working to make our schools better. 

On we go!

Kevin Skelly, Ph.D.
Superintendent

In 2015-2016, SMUHSD's Joint Committee on Evaluations and Peer Review (PAR) and the Instructional Services Department launched a pilot system that emphasizes our teacher's creation of a professional learning goal that is reflective of the California Standards of the Teaching Profession (CSTPs). The goal was to be focused on student growth and achievement through a refinement of classroom instructional practices.

A key component of the pilot teacher evaluation system is the role of the instructional coach. Currently, 21 instructional coaches are building partnerships with more than 160 District teachers who are on full evaluation. Our instructional coaches receive ongoing training and support from the New Teacher Center as they learn "how" to be an instructional coach and support teacher growth. At the heart of the program is the belief that we can improve student learning through trusting relationships and collaborative feedback on our instructional practices.

The goals of the instructional coaching program are all aimed at advancing teaching practice and student learning. They are:

• Facilitate and advance the professional learning of teachers as individuals and in groups.
• Create and maintain collaborative and professional partnerships.
• Utilize knowledge of standards, pedagogy, and research.
• Facilitate professional learning.
• Use assessment data.
• Develop as a professional leader through a culture of collaboration.

The SMUHSD believes that the growth of staff is inherently social; it takes place collaboratively with colleagues in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs).   This work is often through instructional observation cycles with instructional coaches and administrators supporting their colleagues. And this guidance and support of teachers are transferred onto the student through stronger curricula, refined teaching styles and strengthened strategies to connect with every student.  In short, when our staff members are committed to improvement, students' experiences are enhanced.

The Power of Restorative Justice Circles on Healthy Relationships

 

If you have ever felt down after a disagreement with someone, you know that sadness and conflict can impact your life negatively. You simply don't feel well when you cannot maintain healthy relationships. This is where Restorative Justice comes in for our students. This powerful program helps our students understand healthy interactions and relationships.

The fundamental premise of Restorative Justice Practices (RJP) is that "human beings are happier, more cooperative and productive, and more likely to make positive changes in their behavior when people in positions of authority do things with them, rather than to them or for them."

There are two RJP tiers - "The Circle" which is the first step intervention piece and "The Conference" which is a non-punitive philosophical approach to discipline which repairs harm done, teaches accountability for offenses and how to move forward without shame.

The restorative circle structure conveys: Equality, Safety, Trust, Responsibility, Facilitation, Ownership and Community Connections. The circle establishes a strong and supportive relationship among students and teachers in the classroom, and promotes connectedness and facilitates the development of character which improves academic performance. The circle builds community, trust, respect for individual opinions, empathy, active listening and encourages problem solving. The circle also reduces bullying, conflict, and isolation, building strong peer-to-peer and student-adult relationships. It gives students a chance to tell their stories and to participate in the classroom setting in a way that is very different from the traditional classroom structure. 

The circle integrates Common Core through Explicit Language Instruction. This includes attention to:

SMUHSD integrated RJP circles into our classes in 2013-2014. The District team is seeing incredibly powerful results. The District believes this is a program that has the power to change the lives of our students. To learn more about how RFP circles were integrated into our classrooms and to access a sample circle, click here.

NOT Your Parents' PE Class!

I don't know about you, but when I was a kid, I did some pretty "standard" stuff in my Physical Education (PE) class. You know...jogging, dodge ball, etc. Those traditional PE activities are still relevant and fun, but PE in the SMUHSD is SO much more!

At Aragon High, 9th graders are being introduced to an ethnic dance called Tinikling, a quick paced Filipino dance that really gets students' hearts pumping as they try to step in and out of the tinikling poles without getting caught. At Capuchino High, PE students have been recording and reflecting on their improvement in various learning targets through the use of a portfolio. Students set goals and reflect on performance using academic vocabulary to describe a variety of activities including swimming, volleyball, tennis, weight training, basketball, badminton, soccer, football, hip hop dance and more. At Burlingame High, students are building cardiovascular and aerobic strength through conditioning and running; learning the proper moves of tennis; learning new offensive and defensive moves and plays in basketball and soccer. And through all these activities, they learn about how to respect each other in a competitive environment.  At Hillsdale High, 10th graders are taking part in three different forms of fitness, and then reflecting on those experiences using PE academic language such as progression, overload, and training effect.  At Mills High, 9th graders are learning yoga, giving them time to focus on themselves as individuals and their bodies.  Along with this, they are learning academic langua

Square Dancing at SMHS

ge in weight training and conditioning, learning to build a workout program, working on overall conditioning for the Physical Fitness Spring Testing and aerobic conditioning.   At San Mateo High, freshmen started off the semester Square Dancing!  This traditional American Dance has many intricate steps that challenge students' agility and listening skills.  Students take their heart rate after class and are surprised that it is the same rate as when they run a mile! It is a fun way to exercise and learn teamwork along the way. 

One change from what we all remember is that kids nowadays don't shower after class.  While this is, on balance, a great positive step in the social-emotional health of students, we hope you are making sure they shower at home!

SMUHSD Fields Are Our Community's Fields

 

If you happen to be at Aragon High School early on a Sunday morning, you'll find a group of gentlemen of a certain age involved in a spirited game of soccer. They've been challenging each other in pick-up games for the last 15 years. They are followed, typically, by another group of newer neighborhood dads who also have a standing reservation for soccer.  In fact, on any given day, you'll find many of our campuses a hub of activity as neighbors go about their daily exercise.  Ladies meet up to walk the track, families toss a ball when the fields are open, youngsters practice their latest soccer moves, and the hardiest take on the bleacher steps as part of their personal training.  The story is much the same at our tennis courts, where friends, neighbors and families meet to get in a set or two.

The district has a department dedicated to scheduling and staffing reservations to use our facilities (fields, gyms, pools, courts) for organized activities. These types of events do require a permit.  The range of sports represented for both youth and adult activities is impressive -- soccer, flag football, basketball, boot-camps, rugby, Irish football, shinty, ultimate frisbee, lacrosse, softball and volleyball and more.  For more information, click here.

Stadium Lights in 2017!

It's been awhile coming, but if all goes as planned, five SMUHSD high schools - Aragon, Capuchino, Hillsdale, Mills and San Mateo high schools - will have permanent stadium lights that athletic families and schools can enjoy before the calendar year is out. After several board meeting discussions, three community workshops, and meetings with individual neighbors, the Board unanimously voted to move forward with Board Policy and Administrative Regulation 7325 for the Stadium Lights and Public Address Systems Project at its January 14th Board meeting.

At present, the SMUHSD is the only district in the county without permanent lights or in the process of planning for their installation. Schools used the equivalent of "highway construction lighting" to illuminate fields. This temporary solution was noisy, ineffective in providing focused light, and not very environmentally friendly. With the latest technology in lighting systems, our students can gain more academic time and families can come together to watch their students in contests in the evening. In addition, community groups that struggle to find space in the dearth of our county's accessible playing fields now will have some options on the nights our students do not need the space. Finally, stadium lights will allow us to begin the conversation on implementing a later start time, so our students can get the extra sleep research tells us they so desperately need.

Important to the implementation of this project is demonstrating we can be respectful and responsive neighbors. Because of the advanced technology of today's lighting and PA systems, many neighbor concerns voiced during the community process focused on litter, parking and crowd noise. To address those legitimate concerns that are mostly applicable to seasonal football games that draw larger crowds, the District team will be installing new parking signage, adding litter receptacles, formulating traffic plans with local police departments, and honoring the time limits set forth in the adopted administrative regulation. 

The next step is the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) report.  The public comment period that is part of the CEQA process is estimated to commence mid to late March. The District team will send another note to all who participated in the community process when that public comment period begins. Thank you again to everyone who took the time to participate in the public input process for this project!

Health Aides - Vital Staff Members Who Ensure Your Child's Wellness

 

I would guess that many people aren't aware of the many potentially life-saving skills Health Aides bring to each campus.

SMUHSD Health Aides at Aragon, Burlingame, Capuchino, Hillsdale, Mills, Peninsula and San Mateo high schools are on-site and readily available to assist in a variety of health-related necessities.  They support the District Nurse in preparation and organization of school nursing tasks and manage daily student health needs under her direction.  Health Aides are certified in First Aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) administration and have received other disease specific trainings to assist students' health needs that may arise while they are at school.  If a student has a medical emergency at school, the Health Aides provide supportive care until emergency personnel arrive. If a student requires medication during the school day, Health Aides are trained in Medication Administration to assist, including emergency medication such as an EpiPen® to treat potentially life-threatening allergic reactions. If a student becomes ill or injured at school, parents or guardians are notified by the Health Aide.  The Health Office is stocked with basic First Aid supplies for use, as needed.  Health Aides prepare packages of gloves and antiseptic wipes at the beginning of the year for all staff members and ensure that each classroom has an emergency disaster bag. 

But that's not all.  See the complete profile.

Wellness Facilitators: Making Sure Staff Start or Stay on a Path of Healthy Living

 

As you are all aware, we take great pride in our work and how we treat our employees. In fact, our employee Wellness Program is well known among other school districts that ask the SMUHSD how we are able to do what we do. Without question, the main ingredient in the program's success is our team of outstanding Wellness Facilitators.  They work tirelessly to inspire others to lead healthier lives and to keep well-being the primary focus on their individual school sites.

The primary goals of our employee Wellness Program are to reduce and prevent health risks, increase on-the-job productivity, improve employee satisfaction and retention, decrease absenteeism, help the recruitment of the best talent, promote a positive image of our District, reduce health care premiums and/or rate increases, all while supporting collaboration and teamwork. These goals are intended to solidify our stance that the well-being of our employees is a District hallmark.

The following programs and events are just some of the ways we have been addressing our District's wellness needs as of late:

• Biometric Screenings: We provide annual biometric screenings to all interested employees at no cost. The screenings include: Lipid Profile, Total Cholesterol, High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL), Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL), Triglycerides, Glucose (Sugar), Blood Pressure, Body Composition/BMI, and Nurse Consultation.
• Wellness Program: The Wellness Program facilitates FREE on-site exercise classes for employees. The classes offered range from yoga to boot-camp style workouts and are taught by highly trained instructors.  All fitness levels are welcome.
• Weight Watchers: Our Spring Weight Watchers @ Work program is offered at little cost to the employee. Employees who attend at least 10 of the 12 meetings only pay a total cost of $6.00! Members receive group support and learn about healthy eating patterns, behavior modification and physical activity, amongst a host of other tools.
• A District Fitness Club: Fitness Club is where employees meet and train with a Strength & Conditioning coach once a week. The program focuses on building a deep understanding of functional movement, and developing mobility and strength in a safe and controlled environment.
• FloWater High Quality Drinking Water: The District has increased access to high quality drinking water for both students and employees by placing FloWater refill stations throughout the school sites. This encourages and reminds employees, as well as students, to drink water throughout the day. The use of reusable canteens has decreased single use plastic bottles, which is helping to create a more sustainable, green learning environment. Finally, not every family can afford the cost of purchased water bottles, so this program helps those who are on a budget.

Taking care of our employees is important. The healthier our employees are, the better able we can serve your student with the care and attention he or she deserves. We will continue to encourage all employees to prioritize healthy living.

On January 26th, I had the inspiring pleasure of attending the 2016 Game Changers Award presentation by Coaching Corps, a national organization based in the Bay Area that trains and places coaches in underserved communities.  You may have seen the event broadcast on Comcast Bay Area Sports.  This event honored the coaches of Steph Curry and other professional sports stars in the Bay Area.  Each great athlete spoke about how they would not be who they were or have accomplished what they have without the influence of their coach.

While it was fun to see some of the biggest stars of our professional teams, the heroes of the night were the humble coaches who had helped these great athletes develop their talents when professional sports was a dream away.  The seven honorees included some recognized coaches, but also included folks like those working for our students -- people motivated by an interest in making a difference in the lives of high school students.

One of the speakers said "coaches (and teachers) introduce us to a better version of ourselves."  I hope your student is having those introductions as they journey through high school.  And that you take the time to thank their coaches and teachers for what they do.

Sincerely,

Kevin Skelly, Ph.D.
Superintendent