Goals & Activities:

Decreasing the achievement gap, increasing student success.

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Staff Book Club

This school year a group of Awbrey Park teachers has participated with the principal, Laurie Moses, in picking four books to read and discuss. The books have been chosen on the basis of helping them understand a wider diversity of students, and how to help them be successful in school. Below are pictures and discussion points made at the Staff Book Club meeting May, 2003:

• Ghosts in the Nursery: Tracing the Roots of Violence, by Robin Karr-Morse & Meredith S. Wiley (local authors)

"For some of our kids, we are their only hope...they're counting on us to make a difference." - Laurie Moses, current Awbrey Park principal

	Variables which contribute to creating violent children: • early abuse at home (including during pregnancy) • not valuing our children in our society • changes in our society with work pressures and perceived norms • pressures on kids (too many sports, body starts to shut down) • inability to get help until an incident occurs (with social fallout due to non-intervention) • intact but unhappy homes are more devastating to children than broken but non-violent happy homes
How does it apply to our students? • need for physical safety (concern for students who flinch if you get near them, reach out to touch) • avoid violence on news/media (don't let 5 year olds watch!) • nurturing deprived children enter classrooms currently set up for nurtured children • gangs meet belonging needs for deprived children • the book makes you scared for our children
	What do children need? • single most supportive thing parents can do for schools is to have a close loving relationship with their baby • parents need to be affectionate and consistent • parenting skills should be learned before becoming parents • close reciprocal attachment of child to adult makes a difference - "someone paid attention to me" • we need to take care of each other in our society - "it takes a village to raise a child" concept, because it affects all of society
What system things could make a significant difference? • contact agencies and legislators to support needs of children, including Healthy Start and Head Start programs • have school make home connection to encourage and offer support, including home visits • outreach to new families, new babies in neighborhood (Awbrey Park "onesies") • include our concerns about doing something in our interview questions for our new principal • ask Bonnie Benesh what we can to to set up classrooms to address needs, provide nurturing (incorporate in First Step program?) • "looping" (staying with children more than one year) makes a difference - don't give it up!
	What can we do personally to make a difference? • importance of community building - set classroom up into small groups ("tribes," etc.) where each child is known and recognized (concern for pull-out programs effect on this) • create a safe place for children (note fear of holidays) • make daily connections with each child - stand in the hallway door and greet each one • there's power in attention and praise - doesn't take that much (take 5 positives to 1 negative to change behavior); just need to get into the habit of it and not just focus on the lesson - "People who believe they have a future act differently," Pedro • change focus from paying attention to off task behavior to rewarding progress and incremental improvement