The ILT Minute

On October 8, select STAR Team members and support staff met with Raquel McCommon and Gregory Winship from the Center for Conflict Resolution Kansas City (CCRKC) for the first of four training sessions focused on building adults’ capacity to facilitate restorative dialogue when students experience conflict.

During this initial session, team members explored their personal understanding of conflict, individual conflict and personality styles, and the cycle of conflict. They were also introduced to restorative practices in schools, with an emphasis on pairing disciplinary actions and consequences with restorative dialogue to help students understand the impact of their actions, repair harm, and strengthen conflict management skills.

This work is informed by our DESSA screening data, which identified a clear need to strengthen students’ self-regulation and conflict management skills. Throughout the remainder of the semester, the team will continue developing these skills and will receive five additional hours of consultation from CCRKC during the second semester.

This partnership is an exciting opportunity to strengthen our capacity to support students in navigating conflict, repairing relationships, and developing the social-emotional skills they need to thrive!

Our second graders are taking learning beyond the classroom with a pathway-aligned field trip to the Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center! Through the Outdoor Sensations experience, students are exploring the natural world, making observations, and building connections to the science concepts they're learning in class.

This experience is part of our Academies of Raytown work to introduce students to career pathways long before they reach high school. By connecting elementary learning to the Environmental Science Pathway within our Health & Human Services Academy, we're helping students see how what they learn today connects to opportunities in their future. Career-connected learning doesn't start in high school. It starts now!

RQS High Schools are in their second year of Academies. One goal of the academy experience is to ensure students receive “Guaranteed Career Experiences” at each grade level. One freshman academy opportunity is the Career Expo. The Career Expo gives freshmen exposure to professionals from the eight pathway options students will choose to study during high school. This year, 44 different partners (81 spokespersons) representing the eight career pathways were on hand to talk with students about their profession. RHS hosted the event, and RQS's two Academy Coaches (Leslie Aguilar (RHS), Christina Hocker (SHS) organized it, with support from RHS FA staff, RSECC staff, and Dr. Reichert from Herndon Career Center. Ninth-grade students from both high schools and RSA participated. Students were prepped during their advisory classes on the process, expectations, and the right types of questions to ask the representatives. Students spoke with the industry partners to get a stamp in their passports showing they interacted with all 8 pathways. The participating partners were impressed by the depth of the students' questions and the interest they showed. This event is one of the ways RQS Freshmen are being prepared to make informed decisions as they choose their academy and pathway later this school year.

My goal for this school year is to visit classrooms to observe how technology is being utilized. Specifically, when technology is used, is it purposeful? And when it is not used, is that intentional as well? Across all our middle schools, teachers are thoughtfully integrating technology to enhance learning, streamline daily routines, and create engaging, supportive classroom environments. From employing secure testing tools in Pear Assessment to facilitating interactive inquiry with Amplify, it has been inspiring to see how seamlessly our educators combine dynamic digital platforms with strong print routines and hands-on learning to support student growth.

During my visits, I observed extensive use of Amplify workbooks alongside teacher-projected slides, class simulations, and teacher-led instructions. Teachers effectively incorporated student responses in Amplify Desmos to guide their in-class instruction—a powerful instructional strategy. I also observed small groups working with Math180, teachers modeling their thinking using document cameras, and students staying organized with notes in Pear Deck.

In Ms. Stockstill’s class, students individually submitted answers on their Chromebooks, then came to the SMARTboard to drag their responses to the correct locations and discuss them as a group. It was encouraging to see students defend their answers and listen thoughtfully to their classmates’ feedback. Although Ms. Schmit’s class was offline during my visit, the instruction was clearly purposeful. Students were reading and annotating an article in their workbooks, then sharing their annotations and explaining their significance during a class discussion. When Ms. Schmit announced the annotation activity, students immediately prepared by getting out highlighters. The routines were well-established, and student engagement was evident.

These examples represent just a few of the many positive practices I observed during my classroom visits. I am proud of the dedication and skill our teachers demonstrate daily. Thank you for your continued commitment to supporting our students and loving them well!

This is the second year our district has used Belonging Surveys to measure Student and Staff Belonging at every school. Overall - the district has shown growth in both Student and Staff Belonging!

Creating a sense of belonging for students in RQS is essential to creating a school environment where every student feels valued, accepted and supported. When students know they belong, they are more likely to engage in learning, build positive relationships, take academic risks and develop confidence in their abilities. As educators, we play a critical role in fostering inclusive classrooms where every student feels seen, heard and respected. Most importantly, when students feel they belong, they are better positioned to thrive academically, socially and emotionally.

Thank you for helping create a sense of belonging for our students!

The district site for the Strategic Planning Overview is linked here. The Strategic Planning Dashboard linked here provides an overview of the 20 Strategic Planning Projects that will occur during the 26-27 school year. Each project is aligned to a Board of Education Goal.

Each January/February, ELD students take WIDA ACCESS, their English language proficiency test. The writing portion of the test asks students to respond to 3 or 4 prompts in one sitting lasting up to 90 minutes. Students must draw on both their language skills and writing stamina to perform well! This year, each ELD student has a Language Goal in their Individualized Language Plan (ILP), based on their most recent WIDA score. Students at level 1 focus on words and phrases; students at level 2 focus on sentences; and students at level 3 and higher focus on connected sentences and organized ideas.

Through a new district-wide ELD Progress Monitoring process, ELD specialists collect independent writing samples, or “cold writes,” five times a year. Students at the same grade and proficiency level receive a common prompt. Specialists use these samples to check progress and coach students on how to continue improving their writing to meet the criteria for their Language Goal. Ask your ELD specialist to see what students in your building can do!