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To the Davis School families:
I am pleased to report that we have enjoyed an excellent first two months of school. Within a matter of days, classroom routines were established, children made or renewed their acquaintances with classmates and staff, and the instructional program was in place. All of the children recently participated in our annual Author’s Week events and for the past several days we have hosted a calendar of activities to celebrate American Education Week.
Since each year a number of new families join our Davis School community, I would like to take this opportunity to offer information on several of our school’s policies and practices. A number of inquiries have been made to my office about them and I felt it important to share this information with everyone.
A particularly enjoyable part of the day for our students is lunch and recess daily. During this time, students are supervised by a fully trained monitor staff in accordance with our district policy. This policy provides schools with a two-hour monitor for every 35 students enrolled. It is left to the school administration how to schedule and deploy these monitors. Special Education classes are assigned an additional teaching assistant or teacher’s aide to provide support in supervising children in accordance with their Individual Educational Plans. Our Assistant Principal Ms. Cohen, our new school nurse Mrs. Pritz, and our magnet facilitator Mrs. Kelly meet regularly with our lunch/recess staff to provide them with continuous training related to medical procedures and furnish them with updates about our school’s Peer Mediation program. Our Peer Mediation program, which was first introduced ten years ago, allows selected fifth grade students the opportunity to act as trained arbitrators for minor disputes between students during the lunch/recess period. Ms. Cohen and I, along with the monitor staff, make ourselves available to students who do not feel satisfied with their outcome during their peer mediator session or who are involved in more significant infractions. Children who have difficulty adhering to the expectations for good behavior established in our Code of Conduct are first given a verbal warning, and then a ‘time out’ if they are still unable to comply. Our next course of action is to reach out to a parent(s) via phone or letter at the same time that we design a temporary alternative recess plan for the student.
As we make every effort to curtail unacceptable behavior through daily announcements and assembly programs, this school year we will also incorporate the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program into our prevention efforts. Through a grant received by the City School District, we will re-enforce an anti-bullying message, allow students to fell empowered over classmates who display bullying behavior, and give students, parents, teachers, and staff a common language in which to discuss such undesirable behaviors. Ms. Cohen and I believe that it is imperative to insure for all Davis students a welcoming and secure environment, which will allow our students to feel at ease and encourage them to approach any adult member of our school community with a concern.
When students enter the main office with a concern and would like to call their parent(s), our office staff has been instructed to assist children in doing so. Prior to making the phone call, however, the person will inquire about the reason for the call and try to assist the students in resolving the problem, if possible. If our staff cannot adequately address the problem mentioned by the student, then the child will be given the opportunity to call their parent(s).
The Health Office is a safe haven where children can go for medical care. Here at Davis, we are fortunate to have Nurse Pritz, who is with us on a full-time capacity, and Nurse Seltzer, who is available part-time. Students are allowed to visit the health office, with the permission of an adult, throughout the day as necessary. Upon entering the nurse’s office, students are promptly seen, diagnosed and given the appropriate medical attention. If the situation is deemed to be other than routine, then the nurse will contact the parent(s) to discuss the recommended course of action.
At Davis School, we believe that “Academics is the cornerstone of education, but character is the building block of life.” – Dale Frederick. Since 1997, our school has implemented and continues to support an extensive character education. This curriculum is based on six pillars of character development; trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. During the program’s fourteen years, it has influenced the norms, values and traditions of the entire school, from individual classroom lessons to school-wide assemblies. Our continued effort has allowed us to form meaningful partnerships with many organizations, i.e. Southern Law and Poverty Center, TV Connect with Kids, Marsh Media, Human Relations Media, Nickelodeon, Rachel’s Challenge, and Motivational Productions. Over the years our character education program has also expanded to include peer mediation, conflict resolution, peer teaching, peer counseling, buddy systems, and particular classroom management techniques. In addition, we consistently emphasize to our students the importance of empathy for others. School-wide service projects throughout the year allow even the youngest member of our community to feel as if their effort and contribution can make the difference in the lives of others. Through our food and clothing drives, military donations, support of Amy’s Greenhouse, Hurricane Katrina relief project, and Jump Rope for Heart, we at Davis make every effort to raise awareness for others in our community and around the world.
We are clearly on target for another productive and exciting school year. I would like to extend my best wishes to everyone and look forward to our continued partnership to advance both the academic and social development of our children.
Sincerely,
William E. Harrell
Principal
