Kent School District
May 10, 2019
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We partner with several community-based organizations to provide behavioral health services for our students. Kent Youth and Family Services (KYFS), shown above, and Valley Cities Behavioral Health are two of the providers that serve in several of our schools. The district also has agreements with other agencies that allow agencies to support students on school grounds.
Kent Youth and Family Services, has been supporting students through drug and alcohol prevention and intervention programs. Their counselors deliver the GAINS assessment to students, so they can assess their areas of need and provide targeted support. Counselors provide education around drugs and alcohol for health classes, small group intervention, and one on one counseling. KYFS also provides mental health counseling in the remaining middle school and another high school.
Valley Cities provides mental health counseling in four elementary schools, five middle schools and three high schools. Valley Cities often works as a collaborative partner with Kent when students need wrap around services. Wrap around service is a team-based planning process for youth with complex needs and their families to collaboratively develop and implement a plan of care for the youth. This is an intensive process to provide a plan for the youth at school and out in the community.
Thank you to our incredible KSD community for helping support our students!
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Starting Memorial
Day
, teen crash fatalities historically rise over the next
100 days
. There have been more car crash fatalities involving teen drivers during these 100 days than at any other time of the year.
Safety tips for Your Teen Driver
- Encourage your teen to be vigilant while driving.
- Urge your teen to restrict the number of passengers that may cause distracted driving.
- Tell your teen to always turn off the cell phone.
- Urge your teen to always drive sober.
- Give your teen permission to call you if they are in a potentially bad driving situation. Let them know you will pick them up without recriminations.
- Empower your teen to show courage and decline to ride with anyone who is not sober or who does not turn off their cell phone. Saying "no thanks" may mean the difference between life and death.
- Encourage your teen to sign the Courage to Intervene promise.
- Encourage your teen to follow the speed limit and basic highway safety laws.
- Show your teen how to change a flat tire or how to handle mechanical issues.
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Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS):
What Does MTSS Support Look Like?
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Multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) is used to describe the framework in schools that provides both academic and behavioral support for students. One of the benefits of multi-tiered systems of support is being able to support the unique needs of our many students in the Kent School District.
In the implementation of MTSS, coaches were assigned to schools to support staff in leading effective MTSS meetings, reviewing data, and supporting professional growth of school staff.
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School administrators, teachers, staff with behavioral expertise, office staff, district coaches, and parents have meetings to focus on strategies to support schoolwide implementation of MTSS.
Having families included in these meetings is important, please let your principal know if you would be interested in being on an MTSS team.
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During these meetings, they look at school-level data to focus on schoolwide interventions and take a proactive approach to problem solving. This increases the positive working relationship students have with their teachers and decreases the need for office referrals.
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Schoolwide Information System
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Elementary and middle schools are utilizing SWIS to track all office or principal referrals. This system graphs the location, time of day, grade level, demographics, problem behavior, and perceived motivation of each referral.
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*This is an illustration, it does not reflect data from Kent School District.
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Each school has an MTSS coach who supports in the structure of the meetings, problem solving, utilizing data, action planning, and training. School data and staff input are important in driving the work of the MTSS coach.
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For example, an MTSS team realizes their data is showing a certain segment of students seem to be having more suspensions than others. The MTSS coach works with the team to come up with strategies to create more equitable discipline practices. This may include leading bias trainings with staff or a greater focus on using restorative approaches.
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New Traffic Cameras in School Zones
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Have you noticed new traffic cameras near Springbrook and Meadow Ridge elementary schools? These new cameras are part of the Kent Police Department's
School Zone Safety Photo Enforcement Program
, which aims to reduce traffic speeds and increase safety for children, pedestrians, and cyclists in school zones.
Utilizing technology, like traffic cameras, allows law enforcement to focus on promoting traffic safety while managing resources.
"Speeding is a deadly and costly problem in school zones," according to the
Kent Police Department website
. "A national survey found two-thirds of drivers exceed the posted speed limit in school zones during the 30-minute periods before and after classes. School zone speed safety cameras provide ongoing enforcement presence that changes driver behavior for improved community road safety."
Please help keep our students safe by obeying all traffic laws, especially in school zones.
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All school guests and volunteers are required to register in the office and
wear a nametag. This is necessary to promote safe and secure school environments. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.
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Planning to Volunteer Next Year?
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For safety concerns, our district requires an individual background check each year. Volunteers who have created an online profile and want to continue volunteering in 2019-20, must renew their profile online before the next school year.
The system will reset in July and all
returning volunteers
are encouraged to renew their profile during the month of August.
If you don't remember your user ID or password, school offices are open after mid-August, or use the reset password/user ID feature in the system.
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This is the last edition of Safety First this year, summer will be here soon!
- Have fun in the sun, but remember to stay hydrated and protect yourself with sunscreen, sunglasses, clothing, and by hanging out in the shade.
- Have travel plans? Make sure your child's car seat is properly fitted, the back seat is the safest place for children to ride, and in Washington children under age 13 must ride in the back seat when it is practical to do so.
- Never leave children alone near water and check their life jackets to make sure they fit and are comfortable.
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