September Newsletter: Happy Back to School Season!
Happy back to school season to all of our scholars, families, educators, and school communities!
This month’s newsletter includes:
Back to school! A peek into our school partnerships and programming this school year!
ICYMI: Joy Manual: Free Community Building Resource!
Community Events and Resources
As a team of creatives and educators, we are grateful that each school year brings new opportunities to both deepen our work and try new things! We are excited that this September brings us returning school partners going deeper in their restorative school journeys and also the start of several new exciting school partnerships! Our team of restorative practitioners will be supporting 6 schools this school year (!!) while also continuing to support district-level implementation of restorative practices via district-wide trainings, policy and advocacy efforts, curriculum and educational resource development and more.
For WA-BLOC, whole-school Restorative Practices is much more complex than facilitating a turn-key program curriculum with all the educational buzzwords. Whole-school implementation of Restorative Practices is a gradual process of working to shift school culture and climate on the continuum from retributive to restorative. It is a multi-year effort that requires working collectively with building leaders, staff, students, and families to build an environment in which everyone feels significant, safe, and like they belong. (hint hint, it takes time and is unique to each school community!)
And now… introducing our school partners (and their on-site Restorative Justice Practitioners) for the 2024-25 school year!
Wing Luke Elementary School: We are entering our second year of partnership with Wing Luke Elementary School! Go Dragons! Our on-site Restorative Justice Coordinator, Keisha (she/her), will be working closely with staff, scholars, and administration to support a strong foundation of Tier 1 restorative practices including regular staff circles, professional development trainings, and launching our student circle keeper program The Zone.
Madrona Elementary School: Restorative Justice Practitioner, Mari (He/Him/El), is excited to continue supporting Madrona Elementary for year 2 of our partnership! Last year, Madrona staff expressed an appreciation for important staff conversations about topics like safety vs. control (regarding school-wide expectations) and also receiving coaching support from Mari to implement weekly community building circles and Tier 1 restorative practices in classroom settings. He says, “This year is an exciting year at Madrona! We're coming up from last year's setting the foundation for Restorative Practices through Professional Development trainings, circle coaching, and lots of restorative conversations. I am so excited to keep building on this foundation- specifically, through student leadership by starting The Zone at Madrona, and building up student peacekeepers and circle keepers.
Lowell Elementary School: This year, Mari is also going to be supporting our friends at Lowell Elementary School through teacher coaching and restorative practices student leadership programming! Last school year, we supported Lowell through monthly community building circles for all staff and we are excited to continue supporting their school community again this year! Mari says, “I really appreciate the community Lowell has. They make time to connect with one another, and are always open to trying and experimenting with new things to deepen and enrich their community connections and work in education!”
John Muir Elementary School: Restorative Justice Practitioner, Lena (she/her), will be supporting John Muir Elementary and Franklin High School this year! Last year, Lena supported John Muir Elementary (feeder school to Franklin!), launch their Restorative Practices initiatives. By the end of the school year, 100% classrooms were holding weekly community building circles! This year, John Muir will continue Tier 1 practices while receiving training and support for Tier 2 (conflict and harm repair, restorative problem solving) systems and supports. Lena says, “John Muir is a special place to be because of how much staff and students celebrate each other with openness and joy. Through this, the commitment to maintaining Restorative Practices at Muir has started blooming into the exploration of authentic student leadership spaces this year. I am excited for us to support them with creating genuine spaces that center student voices and intergenerational leadership this year and moving forward!”
Franklin High School: Lena, who is pursuing her Master’s Degree in School Counseling from Seattle University, will also be supporting students at Franklin High School and helping establish student-led approaches to youth mental health and wellness. She says, “Franklin is already starting off as a special place, since many of the students there have ties to John Muir or have siblings that go there right now. One of the budding opportunities that I would love to grow and support this year is growing the impact and connections that Circle Keeper Academy (our high school student restorative justice leadership program) has within the Franklin community, and possibly directly connecting to student leadership at John Muir community. South Seattle schools have incredibly outspoken, fierce student-advocates - nurturing the spaces for them to grow their skills is a new opportunity for us to explore and expand intergenerational leadership within the high school realm. :)
Want to support all of this amazing work in schools? Help us continue meeting the needs of our school partners this school year by making a one time donation to WA-BLOC or consider becoming a monthly donor!
DONOR SURVEY!
We want to hear from you!
We have crafted a short survey to learn more about you and your preferences for engagement with us! If you have donated to WA-BLOC, even once, you should participate! Let us know a little more about you, how you came to be part of our WA-BLOC community, which programs you are most passionate about, what your communication preferences are, and finally, whether we can give you a public shout out!
Please take a moment to participate in our first ever Donor Survey. This survey will take no more than 10 minutes to complete!
If you want to go the extra mile there are also open ended questions where you can give us feedback around your donor experience. Please let us know how we are doing or if there is anything we can improve on. Your input is a critical aspect of how we create meaningful opportunities for joy and connection for donors like you, rooted in our goals and shared values.
Thanks to each of you for your time and participation, but especially for co-conspiring along us to nurture the leaders of tomorrow. We look forward to hearing from you!
ICYMI!
We are excited to introduce our new digital workbook designed to help K-12 educators infuse joy into their classrooms and curriculum just in time for the upcoming school year. Sourcing games from various students, educators, organizations, and websites, this workbook emphasizes the importance of Community Building. It offers a variety of student-approved games that foster strong relationships, team building, and collective problem-solving. K-12 students and adults alike will benefit from these fun challenges in their learning spaces.
Partner Events & Educational Resources
SPS School Closure Information
Walk the Block | WA NA WARI’s Annual Fundraiser
DAY ONE: Institute | Friday, September 27, 12pm - 8:30pm
DAY TWO: Art Festival | Saturday, September 28, 1pm-6pm
Event is free, registration is encouraged. Register: HERE.
Community De-escalation & Defense Series | Lavender Rights Project
October 5th, 12th & 19th, 2024 | 3pm- 6pm |
425 Harvard Ave E, Seattle WA [ Capitol Hill]
Register HERE
Self Care Sundays Workshop Series | Alphabet Alliance of Color
