Briarwood

Dear Families:

I hope you and your family had a terrific Thanksgiving Break! As we approach winter, we notice that our students start to make tremendous gains in their academic and social skills. Teachers have strong routines in place that allow for monitoring student progress toward grade-level standards, and these practices ensure we can drive instruction accordingly in both whole- and small-group instruction.

We also are thankful for the different holiday traditions in our school and community. Our Winter Singalong is one way we celebrate them! This year it’s on Tuesday, December 20th. We are again happy to welcome you into our buildings to watch and will soon provide more details about that! Your children have been working very hard on the songs and are excited to share them. I look forward to seeing you!

There can be such wonder in a child’s eyes, and we are thankful to play our role in helping students one day realize their potential. Maybe they will become a veterinarian, a teacher, a nurse – or maybe all three! Anything is possible and we find joy in our collaborative commitment to nurture children’s dreams.

Thank YOU for preparing your children each day to learn. I am continually thankful for the relationships our school community holds with each other. I wish you and your family a very happy holiday season and a healthy New Year!

Sincerely,

Brenna Farrell

Principal: Brenna Farrell | brenna_farrell@westiron.monroe.edu

Secretary: Amber Kash | Amber_Kash@westiron.monroe.edu

Main office: 585-336-1610

Fax: 585-336-1611

Website: westirondequoit.org/briarwood_school

Health Office: 585-336-1618

· Nurse: Lisa Marrapese

Transportation: 585-336-2992

District Office: 585-342-5500 | District website: westirondequoit.org

DECEMBER

• 12/16: PTSA Family Breakfast- 8:00 am
• 12/20: Winter Singalong
• 12/26-1/2/2023: NO SCHOOL- Holiday Recess

JANUARY

• 1/16: NO SCHOOL- Martin Luther King Jr. Day

FULL CALENDAR: westirondequoit.org/briarwood_school

Using ongoing feedback from staff and in alignment with the Restorative Practices implementation guide, our district has focused on building a common vision of RP and our Social-Emotional work. We have developed the following definition:

“Restorative Practices are a set of skills and processes for building community and healthy relationships, as well as responding to challenging behaviors in schools.”

In addition to providing professional development for all staff, we also worked to address how Restorative Discipline is similar and different from the typical definition of discipline, addressing misconceptions, and provided an overview of next steps for implementation. More recently, Grades 5-12 staff was able to engage in a two-hour training during Superintendent’s Conference Day on Nov. 10th, with different cohorts offered based on level of interest and understanding. The cohorts were as follows...

Community Building: Circle Overview – Review

· This two-hour workshop reviewed and reinforced elements of a community-building circle (shared values and guidelines, talking pieces, center pieces, rounds, role of facilitator). Participants also experienced a community-building circle and shared their experience.

Cohort 2: Tier-2 Strategies (Active Listening, Affective Language and De-Escalation)

· This workshop demonstrated how these strategies are used with students to teach self-expression, address conflict and engage students who are emotionally escalated. It also integrated our existing work with Therapeutic Crisis Intervention.

Cohort 3: Understanding Restorative Discipline

· This workshop demonstrated how Restorative Discipline is similar and different from traditional discipline, providing an example of how it can be used to repair harm, and encourage participants to proactively build relationships to create a Restorative classroom environment.

We will continue to gather feedback from students, staff and the community, as well as collaborate with Partners in Restorative Initiatives (PIRI) and our RP Leadership Team to complete the following objectives and more:

· Enhance professional development with community building and discipline

· Leverage our teams to research and develop aligned expectations by grade-level band that can be embedded within School-Based Plans

· K-12 implementation of common expectations and practices; as well as clearly defining and communicating them to students, staff and community members

· Consistent use of data-inquiry and RP to build relationships and resolve conflict.

Please watch the video above by clicking on it there or via this link. If you have questions or concerns, reach out to Joe Jackson, Assistant Director of Counseling, Student Equity and Wellness at joseph_jackson@westiron.monroe.edu

K-3 Librarian Juli Westrich is well into her yearlong role as Iditarod Teacher on the Trail! Last March she was selected as the educational ambassador for the famous dog sled race and she has been posting journal entries and lesson plans for teachers around the world to integrate Iditarod into their curriculum. In February, she'll return to Alaska for the start of the 2023 Iditarod and travel along the Iditarod Trail (by plane, not by dog sled) reporting on the race to West Irondequoit classrooms and educators everywhere! Here is the link to her Teacher on the Trail journal!

Please click this link to read Helmer Nature Center’s latest newsletter and learn more about its upcoming winter events. Stay up to date on events at HNC, our school district's "outdoor classroom," via Facebook at facebook.com/HelmerNatureCenter or the district website.

The West Irondequoit Central PTSA serves all 10 schools in our district. By its mission statement it unites home, school and community as advocates for the health, education and well-being of all children so that they may become productive citizens in tomorrow’s world. To find out about fundraising and events that benefit our community (see graphic above), see what’s going on in our schools or learn how to become a member, read the WICPTSA newsletter at this link.

Parents/guardians,

Do you:

· Have a new cell phone number or email address?

· Have a new work phone number?

· Need to update your emergency contacts?

Be sure to keep your child's school informed of any changes to your phone numbers or emergency contact information. Update info directly on the Parent Portal, or send in a note with your child.

Thank you!