Priority 2

Strategic Priority Two	Establish Safe and Healthy Learning Environments
Why is this important?	2a. The Kit Carson School district just completed a brand new school building in the fall of 2020. Attention to both the physical structures and culture (the intellectual and moral ability) of our school is essential to ensuring the health and success of our students.   2b. A positive culture within the district will be maintained and stressed.  Preventative measures to address issues like bullying, suicide, and other risky adolescent behaviors are critical.  Attention to both the physical environment and culture of our district is essential to ensuring the health and success of our students.
Action steps related to the priority	2A -​Planning – Update the school with safety and health enhancements. -Legal – Refine and align a district emergency operations plan to statutory requirements of SB 213-12. -Partnerships – Establish partnerships with law enforcement and emergency management to create safe spaces. -Kit Carson received the BEST grant in 2018 to construct a new building. 2B -Social- Preventative lessons will address social issues and risky behaviors. -Partnerships- Partnerships with local and state agencies will provide guidance around bullying, suicide, and risky behaviors. Received a planning Colorado Health Foundation grant to focus on whole child. Ethics and Health classes have been implemented. -Applied for an implementation Colorado Health Foundation Grant. June 2019.
Evidence of Implementation	-New school will address safety concerns  – SB 213-124 -SEL programs have started (eg. PBIS, Sources of Strength) in all grades  -Advisory started in 6th-12th grade with a primary focus of SEL  -Have completed a SEL survey to understand what risky behaviors are and how to address them  -Counselor time for just male and female  -Suicide prevention work   -Big brother and big sister program  -JC Pohl True Truth program -Wellness grants funds – students, staff and community  -VB Tragedy Group – includes the surrounding community   -Adding students to groups to discuss how the community can grow and thrive in future years  -Student voice – regarding aspects of the school culture   -Go Guardian  – monitoring student behavior and sites viewed
Evidence of Impact	-Teachers indicated that they are getting more time  -We have had an increase in students’ special needs  -Student surveys showed growth in their perceptions of belonging and being respected    -The new building has demonstrated improved survey results  -The survey shows that parents feel that their students are challenged -Mental health is a priority in all aspects of the school

Documents:
Advisory/Social Emotional Learning
PAWS
PBIS
Wellness Plan
Health Grant

Advisory-SEL
Social-emotional learning (SEL) is the process of developing the self-awareness, self-control, and interpersonal skills that are vital for school, work, and life success. People with strong social-emotional skills are better able to cope with everyday challenges and benefit academically, professionally, and socially.
– Twice a month community/surrounding community members come in to share with students about their career and opportunities available in rural Colorado.

 

Sources of Strength
​
Sources of Strength is one of the first suicide prevention programs that uses Peer Leaders to enhance protective factors associated
with reducing suicide at the school population level. A best practice youth suicide prevention project designed to harness the power of peer social networks to change unhealthy norms and culture, ultimately preventing suicide, bullying, and substance abuse. The mission of Sources of Strength is to prevent suicide by increasing help seeking behaviors and promoting connections between peers and caring adults. Sources of Strength moves beyond a singular focus on risk factors by utilizing an upstream approach for youth suicide prevention. This upstream model strengthens multiple sources of support (protective factors) around young individuals so that when times get hard they have strengths to rely on. Sources of Strength has been shown to:

• Increase youth-adult connectedness
• Increase in Peer Leader’s school engagement
• Peer Leaders in larger schools were four times more likely to refer a suicidal friend to an adult
• Increase positive perceptions of adult support for suicidal youth and the acceptability of seeking help.
• Promote Healthy Choices

​Kit Carson students participated in a Color Walk to learn about the Sources of Strength Wheel.

Big Brother- Big Sister Day

The best place to help a child realize their potential is at school. Each year we pair an elementary student with a high school student. The elementary students enjoy having their ‘bigs’ help with homework, build a mentor relationship, eat lunch, and play on the playground. At the end of the day, it’s really all about starting a friendship, providing guidance, and inspiring them to reach their potential.

​PBIS

In 2017, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) was implemented. PBIS is an

evidence-based framework for developing positive behavior and is used to create a positive climate for learning. Students are rewarded for following the “PAWS” Matrix.

PAWS-House Points

As students do good things such as: give great answers in class discussions, 100% on tests, show kindness, and help clean-up; they can earn their house a point. However, they can also lose their team a point by being disrespectful or irresponsible.  Each student is assigned to one of four teams. Each team will consist of 13-14 students from  6th grade- 12th grade. The team names are: Herodotus, Einstein, Fibonacci, and Poe. The purpose is to build camaraderie amongst our students and support the positive learning environment in our school. 

Kindness Week

Took a Field Trip to the Nursing Home to color fun pictures on the windows.