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Marisa Renee Brown

High School Experience: Hinkley High School

Setting & Context

Community Information & Culture

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Home Information:

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Home Value 

National Average: $184,700

Laredo Highline: $156,772

Demographic Characteristics:

Hinkley High School has one the largest middle school student body size in Aurora Public Schools. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (68%), Black (16%), White(9%).

Of Hinkley High School's 2,168 students,

68% are eligible for free lunch

8% are eligible for reduced-price lunch.

Classroom Environment:

The photography room is a large open space with a darkroom, film loading closets, an office, and additional storage closets. The room is illuminated with overhead florescent lights and there is a bulletin board on one side with its own dedicated light. Underneath these bulletin boards are cubbies for student storage. There are six long tables with approximately 40 chairs dispersed among them. There is a long green sink with multiple faucets and storage cabinets on the opposite of the cubbies. Every student has a space in their cubbies or portfolios (for art students) to store their supplies and artwork. There is a projector, screen, white board, and document camera in the front of the classroom. There are seven iMacs available for student use - four on the counter by the sink and three in the front of the room by the white board. Emergency resources are located near the hall door.

 

At the beginning of each class students are greeted and welcomed in to the classroom. Class often begins with time for students and the teacher to catch up and build relationships. At the end of class, there is often a closing activity followed by goodbyes and well wishes. Students feel like a part of a community because they are often encouraged to collaborate. Student opinion is valued and often taken into consideration. Students are encouraged to self-advocate and speak up for their needs.

School-wide Policies for Management:

Students should not be referred to the Dean’s Office without going through the steps below unless:

  1. Students are exhibiting behavior that endangers the safety of other students or the teacher.

Restorative Justice Practices:

  • RJ Conference Situation: Classroom Management (no materials, refusal to work, sleeping, talking, etc.)

  • Referrable Situations: Physical Threat, Drugs, Weapons, Abusive Profanity to Staff or other Students, Fighting or Persistent Defiance

Step 1:

Talk to the student individually and reinforce building expectations and/or classroom norms.

  • Address the behavior in a non-threatening manner in an attempt to redirect behavior.

  • Give students options so they can choose an acceptable behavior to enact in class.

Step 2:

Teacher has an informal RJ with student in the hallway to discuss possible interventions/solutions. Conversations may be documented in Infinite Campus.

Step 3:

Teachers will request a facilitator for an RJ conference or a talking circle via email, phone call, or some other means from another teacher, a dean, or an administrator. Parent contact must be made and documentation in IC must be made.

Utilize a Buddy Teacher –

Can be utilized during Step 2 or 3 Liaison administrators will ensure that all teachers have a buddy teacher within the first week of school to work with throughout the school year. The arranged buddy teacher may be used after other interventions have been tried, and the student is still behaving inappropriately.

  1. Give the student class work to be done in buddy teacher’s classroom.

  2. The receiving buddy teacher places the student in a quiet area to complete his assignment.

  3. The teacher will have a restorative interaction during the next class period. The deans will assess all referrals to determine if an RJ with a student is more appropriate than traditional disciplinary action. (The teacher will be contacted to make sure that RJ was not already attempted with the student.) Both the teacher and the student have to agree to the RJ process in order for this process to be effective.

School-wide Policies for Students with Special Needs:

 At Hinkley High School, we believe our “Culture of Care” is our philosophical foundation. This is evident through establishing relationships, the use of restorative practices, and through collaboration. The purpose of MTSS is to ensure the needs of all students are addressed through stakeholder collaboration and individualized interventions or supports.

  • MTSS team(s) meet weekly at established times

  • MTSS team(s) are typically comprised of a dean/administrator, counselor, teacher, special education representative, and mental health provider

  • MTSS team(s) often include other “prominent adults” such parents or community members

  • MTSS team(s) review available data and establish a plan, if needed

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Referrals – Each year, a plan for how to submit a referral to the MTSS team is provided. The referral form, flow chart, and Tier 1 Menu of Supports have been stored on both the V: Drive and in Google Docs. Please contact your applicable MTSS team for more information or support.

  • MTSS referrals are divided between three categories: Academic, Social/Emotional, or Attendance

  • Prior to MTSS referrals, Tier 1 Supports such as Classroom Norms, must be in place (Refer to MTSS Menu of supports located on the V: Drive and shared through Google Docs)

  • MTSS referrals are to be submitted through Google Docs (Link to be provided annually)

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