Carson City School Board hears update on support programming, kindergarten readiness and more
On Tuesday, the Carson City School Board of Trustees held their monthly meeting, during which they discussed support programming for students, kindergarten readiness, critical staffing shortages and more.
Project AWARE and Support Programs
Trustees heard an update on the AWARE project from the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) Coordinator Michelle Cleveland, who detailed how the project works to support students within the district.
MTSS provides support systems, evidence-based teaching practices, and the monitoring of student progress, as well as interventions for students who require targeted assistance, according to Cleveland.
Project AWARE, which stands for Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education, is a federal grant program aimed specifically at improving mental health services in schools.
According to Cleveland, MTSS and Project AWARE are “complementary initiatives” that work together to create a comprehensive system of support for students’ academic, behavioral, and mental health needs.
This year, Fremont Elementary, Carson Middle School, Eagle Valley Middle School and Carson High School joined the ranks as Tier I schools, while Bordewich, Fritsch, and Mark Twain elementariness were able to continue onto Tier II schools, which allow for more targeted interventions for students.
Next year, the plan is to onboard Pioneer, Empire and Seeliger into the Tier I levels as well.
Ready to Rock Kinder
Families were invited to six Ready to Rock Kinder nights at six elementary schools, which were attended by over 50 families.
The goal for Ready to Rock Kinder is to help incoming kindergarteners prepare for school by providing resources, information, and specialized summer programming, according to Family Engagement Coordinator Merri Pray.
Instructional materials included books with practice pages, learning to cut with scissors, playing with play-dough, the importance of reading, and more.
Materials were offered in both English and Spanish for families.
Summer school is currently happening, which takes place for nine half-days. Currently, 125 students are enrolled at three sites, working with nine teachers and paraprofessionals.
The purpose of summer school is to focus on Kinder Readiness, which allows for assessment of each child due to low class sizes.
“I am really happy about this program,” Trustee Richard Varner said. “I think this will help both parents and students.”
For families who would like access to the instructional materials, please contact your students school.
“I think this is so important for the littles,” Board President Laurel Crossman said. “Particularly for this year, these are children who maybe did not have access to Pre-K due to the circumstances of the last few years.”
Critical Shortages for Bus Drivers and Paraprofessionals
Currently, both bus drivers and special education paraprofessionals are listed under a critical labor shortages category, but both categories will be expiring this year.
In order for the district to hire retired district staff to fill such roles, a critical labor shortage designation must be accepted to prove there is a need to seek employment from retired employees.
Staff is requesting for the designations to be reaffirmed.
“Clearly with these positions there is a need,” Dan Sadler, Associate Superintendent of Human Resources, said.
Currently there are nine vacant bus driver positions, a 25 percent vacancy rate.
There are 18 vacancies for special education paraprofessionals, which is a 19 percent vacancy rate.
You can watch the full meeting here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok-oA1cdjR8