Levy dollars focus: Behavioral Intervention Specialists

Kate Hood, the Behavioral Intervention Specialist at Glacier Park Elementary, works with a small group of students recently.



Editor’s note: Tahoma uses levy dollars to help pay for positions and programs that the state and federal government do not fully fund. This article is the first in an ongoing, occasional series about the ways that levy dollars are spent in the district and how they contribute to the excellent education, safety and well-being of our students.

At the heart of each Tahoma school’s culture and success is a key position that many parents and community members may not know much about: the Behavioral Intervention Specialist (BIS).

The full breadth of what a successful BIS offers a school’s culture is nearly impossible to describe, says Kyle Hood, Dean of Students at Glacier Park and the husband of GPES BIS Kate Hood. He also worked as a BIS before moving into a dean position.

“A good BIS is not a classroom or a place. It is a person who has lasting impacts on their students and the classrooms of those students,” Kyle Hood said. “The culture, climate, and morale of a building rests on the BIS. Our kids’ long-term success lies in the hands of the BIS.” 

Tahoma's principals and administrators consider this position so vital to each building’s success that they have devoted funds to pay for nine full-time equivalent BIS staff members, one at each building. This year, that cost is about $604,480 including benefits. Some of this money comes from Special Education funding; however, the district as a whole is underfunded in Special Education so Tahoma supplements with levy dollars.

A successful BIS is more than a special education teacher, general education teacher, and even more than the sum of the two, Hood explained.

“I find it difficult to put into words exactly what a BIS does or contributes to our school. Not because I don’t know what they do or how they do it,” he said. “I find it difficult because it is so emotional. Our BIS teachers historically have worked with the most behaviorally impacted students in the district. It takes massive amounts of patience, kindness, understanding, teaching, reinforcing, communication, hope, love, passion, the ability to forget the bad, the ability to memorialize the good, and tears.”

“We know that our students struggle, we want so badly to just find that ‘thing’ that helps them to not struggle and to feel and be seen as just another kid. We want to teach them the things that come naturally to others. To fit in. To just be," Hood added. "When our kids are successful in working with the BIS, this helps them to feel successful. When they are successful the general education environment, the class and teacher can function as it/they are intended. The BIS helps all kids be ‘OUR KIDS.’ They will not be known as ‘those kids.’” 

Having a specific staff member trained in intervention methods is a central strategy to help students who repeatedly disrupt class, struggle with social skills or show aggression toward others. They learn to replace problem behaviors with more positive ones. What the help looks like varies from student to student – sometimes the student physically goes to the BIS classroom, while in other cases, the BIS teacher goes to the student’s classroom to check in with the student and teacher.

“They’re super important to our schools. … I couldn’t do my job without the BIS because she’s a dedicated support for our students who have individual education plans surrounding behavior,” said Tina McDaniel, dean of students at Cedar River Elementary School. “It’s a partnership between our teachers, BIS and administrators. (Behavior intervention) provides an opportunity for us to be proactive and not reactive.”

At CRES, BIS Kristina Zack designs lessons around social-emotional skills and serves as an advocate for students, McDaniel said. While some students work directly with Zack, others don’t qualify for services – but that doesn’t mean they don’t benefit from her expertise. If any teacher or staff member needs help coming up with a different procedure, method or intervention, Zack is there to provide support.

“This isn’t just a special education issue. This is a kid issue, and what can we do to best support them?” McDaniel added.

In many Tahoma buildings, the BIS also is a integral factor in the the PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) plan, which in general helps students know expectations, increase positive choices and reduce poor choices. Schools that utilize PBIS strategies see fewer discipline issues and improved school climate. Examples of Tahoma PBIS efforts that parents may recognize include Voice Levels, L.I.N.E.S. behavior and awards such as Otter Paws or Eagle Feathers.

While many of the main roles of the BIS staff members are similar from building to building, there are also some differences depending on that student population’s exact needs and other factors, such as whether the building has a SAILS (Successful Academic and Independent Living Skills) program. At Maple View Middle School, which does have SAILS, Dean of Students Pam McKinney said that BIS Melinda Gray is essential to their team for many reasons including her ability to help students connect relationally.

“It often has the desired impact of giving students the individualized supports as well as an advocate for their needs, both at home and at school,” said McKinney, who was a BIS for 14 years. “Melinda serves on our PBIS team and has been a part of our trainings for staff about how to work with the ever-growing population of students that have been impacted by disabilities as well as early childhood experiences that manifest themselves behaviorally with social and emotional deficits. Students have a classroom where they specifically learn how to ‘be a student,’ how to utilize coping strategies, and utilize an alternative environment for learning when not successful in the classroom environment temporarily.”

Just as the BIS program may look different from building to building, so does the assistance that each child needs, said Shadow Lake Elementary Principal Mike Hanson and Dean of Students Scott Mitchell.

“Our students’ needs run across a wide spectrum. We are fortunate in our systems to have highly trained individuals that are able to provide support to students that are specific to their behavioral needs,” Hanson said. “In some systems it is up to a non-specialized staff member to support students with these needs. The targeted support in Tahoma schools offers our kids specific skills and strategies that support their long-term development.”

Some of the students who work with the BIS staff members at each school have one-on-one paraeducator support, while others do not. For those who do, the paras and the BIS coordinate their approach and methods.

“The role of the BIS teacher in our school is key to the success for our students that need extra support in order to achieve their best in school,” Shadow Lake Dean of Students Scott Mitchell said. “The BIS works with our students to form trusting relationships in an effort to build up their social and emotional skills so they can reach their academic potential.”

Tahoma Elementary Principal Jerry Gaston agreed that the position is important not only to the students who work directly with the BIS, but for the rest of the school as well.

“At TES it is impossible to say there is a member of our staff that is not critical to the work of serving our students well. We are fortunate to have a Behavior Intervention Specialist that does so much to positively impact our school’s environment,” Gaston said. “She meets regularly to provide intensive, small group and individualized instruction in the areas of social and emotional growth that also includes building strategies for self-regulating and making the best personal choices.  

“This facilitation of student growth allows each child we serve to then be better prepared to achieve the highest academic standards,” he added. “The program also promotes a larger school culture of positive school behaviors that allows each and every student to maximally access all the learning opportunities we provide without distraction.”

In Kate Hood’s classroom at Glacier Park one recent morning, a small group of students played a game with a para at one table in the center of the group. Called “Mad Dragons,” the game is similar to “Uno,” but encourages the players to talk about their feelings, and strategies that they use to help manage those feelings when they begin to be overwhelming. Within the scope of the game, the students talked about what facial expressions can communicate to others, what compromises look like, how to use “whole body listening,” taking turns, and other social-emotional topics.

Early in each school year, Hood helps students learn about the “Zones of Regulation,” which is essentially a way for students to think about, gauge and name their feelings. The method comes from a book of the same name by Leah M. Kuypers. If students are in the green zone, they’re feeling pretty good; if they’re in the red zone, they’re feeling extremely frustrated or upset. Then, they learn coping strategies such as breathing and other methods that can help them move down from red toward green.

Hood designs some lessons around stories that she reads aloud to small groups of students. For example, they might read part of “Baditude,” by Julia Cook, or “My Day is Ruined,” by Bryan Smith, and then participate in a related activity. On this day, at a second table, another student-para duo worked on a math assignment, completing chunks of work and alternating with a fun computer activity. Later that morning, yet another student who has been working with Kate Hood came to the class to celebrate a “win” – after making a good choice in his homeroom class, he was awarded a Polar Bear Paw Print award. Some of those who work with Hood earn choice time by making good decisions. In this case, he picked a game of Jenga as his reward for earning choice time. Describing what he had done to earn the Paw Print, the boy was smiling and enthusiastic. 

“High-five!” Hood exclaimed, holding out her hand to the student. “It sounds like that was really kind of you!”

Backpack Buddies announces summer program

Backpack Buddies of Maple Valley will expand to serve students with a new summer program, the nonprofit recently announced. The summer service will be available on an opt-in basis for families in need.

“We’ve known that not having the program over the summer was leaving a gap,” said Mindy Gamble, president of Backpack Buddies. “It was good timing for us to take this next step.”

The nonprofit program is funded solely through donations, and organized and operated by volunteers. Each week, bags are packed with primarily shelf-stable and easy-to-prepare food such as macaroni and cheese, instant oatmeal, granola bars, juice, soup, milk; as well as two pieces of fresh fruit. The bags are delivered to each school in the district, then distributed to students whose parents have signed up for the program. During the school year, students bring the bags home on Friday each week so that they will have food to eat over the weekend. 

The new summer program calls for families who opt in to travel to the Maple Valley Church to pick up their bags. The church has given Backpack Buddies a space for packing food.

Backpack Buddies provides bags to students who are food insecure, such as families who qualify for free and reduced price meals.

“Time after time, when kids who volunteer ask me ‘What do you do for the kids over the summer?’ it breaks my heart to say: ‘Nothing.’ I’m very proud to say that we’ve bridged that gap for these kids in need during the summer. It warms my heart to know that we’re able to,” Gamble said. “It makes me proud of how far the program has come.”

The summer program will increase costs for Backpack Buddies. To cover the cost of an estimated 50 bags per week at about $5 per bag, Backpack Buddies will need approximately $2,750. Bags in the summer will include similar food items to the school year, with the exception of the fresh fruit. Gamble said they are working with Foley’s Produce to arrange a coupon for fresh fruit so that it won’t be sitting in the bags in the heat of summer.

By comparison, during school this year, the program has packed an average of 150 bags each week and a total of 4,615 bags so far this year.

For families who are interested in participating, click here for the form in English or click here for the form in Spanish. The forms also will be sent home via district email to parents and guardians.

To learn more about the program or to sign up to volunteer, click here to check out the organization’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BackpackBuddiesofMV/

Those who are interested in donating to the program may make a direct donation through the Venmo App on mobile devices by searching “Backpack Buddies of Maple Valley.”

District receives clean audit for 2017-2018

Board recognizes staff member; conducts other business

In a report to the Tahoma School Board Tuesday evening, board members learned that the most recent audit of Tahoma School District’s financial statements and its compliance with federal laws and regulations found no deficiencies or material weaknesses.

Each year, the school district’s finances and federal programs are examined by the Washington State Auditor’s office. The audit reviews the district’s financial procedures to ensure they meet state law and accepted practices. The audit found no areas of concern.

School Board Director Valerie Paganelli participated in the post-audit report with the state auditor. She explained to the board that she has been involved in numerous financial audits during her professional career and noted that her goal was always to have a successful audit.

“One of the things I always focused on was having a 'successful audit.' And successful never necessarily meant it was clean. But successful meant a couple of things: one, that it was cooperative. We got accolades for the cooperative nature of the staff,” Paganelli said, offering praise to Finance Director Lori Cloud and her staff. “That’s really important. Success also means, in my mind, that it’s OK that things are found. What you don’t want to have happen are significant or material deficiencies. While we didn’t have any of those, from a standpoint of what was audited, it doesn’t mean that they didn’t present us with ideas for improvement to consider.”

Also at its regular meeting on May 14, the School Board:

Spring sports charge into post-season play

Tahoma athletes are charging into post-season competition as spring sports move into district and state contests. Here’s a summary of the hard work our Bears have put in, and where you can cheer them on next:

Baseball

The Tahoma High School baseball team will take on the Monroe Bearcats in their first state game at 10 a.m. Saturday. The championships will be played in Vancouver, Wash. You can follow along here on the WIAA website or cheer them on at the team’s Twitter here.

Beating South Kitsap 3-2 on May 7, the Bears clinched their state berth. In that game, Parker Goin threw a solid five innings before handing the ball to James Joss, who picked up the win in relief. Issac Olson walked with the bases loaded in the seventh inning for the win, the team’s Twitter account reported. On April 26, the Bears beat Kentlake 7-3 to take the NPSL Cascade Division title.

"After graduating 17 seniors last season, most teams thought this would be a rebuilding year for Tahoma baseball," coach Russ Hayden said. "Instead, the Bears reloaded and took first in league, followed by a fourth-place finish in the district tournament."

Hayden noted that the Bears are led offensively by senior shortstop Mason Fritsch, who is currently hitting 0.520, with five home runs, seven triples, six doubles, 39 hits and 28 RBI.

In regular season play, the Bears were 16-8.

For all-league recognition, see related item below in "District Kudos."

Fastpitch

The Tahoma Fastpitch team is headed into the district playoffs, after winning the North Puget Sound League Cascade Division in two games on May 10 against Federal Way and Auburn, 6-1 and 10-2, respectively.

“Post-season is always an environment where teams are put to the test. The players are excited to compete and are driven to progress as deep into the post-season as possible with the overall goal of bringing home the state title,” coach Rob McMartin said. “This is a special group of players that possesses the tenacity, drive and determination to be competitive in the district and state tournaments alike. Stay tuned and follow along our journey! Go Bears!”

In regular season play, the team was 18-2. Freshman Kaiea Higa set a new single-season home run record of 12 (so far, with more games to play).

The Bears will play their first district game against Curtis at 4:30 p.m. Friday at the Kent Service Club ballfields. Check out the district brackets here or follow their Twitter here.

Golf

Both the girls and boys golf teams are sending athletes to next week’s 4A Washington State Championship. The girls competition will be at Hangman Valley Golf Course in Spokane; the boys tournament will be at the Creek at Qualchan Golf Course in Spokane. Both competitions take place on May 21 and 22.

Sophomore Kendahl Lyons will represent the girls team, after qualifying for the 16th spot as an individual. She shot a 94-86 over the two-day qualifier, coach Tracy Krause said. Senior Abby Goodell, a three-time state qualifier, had to withdraw due to a knee injury that prevented her from competing. Junior Anjeliese Hampton competed in the qualifying match, but came up just short.

For the boys team, five golfers will compete next week: Colby Watkins, Luke Sherrell, Marvin Tommervik, Austin McCalib and Morgan Taylor.

Soccer

The Bears boys soccer team lost their first state playoff game to Issaquah 4-1 Tuesday night at Tahoma High School, ending their season.

During regular season play, the team’s record was 13-2-3, and they won the top spot in the North Puget Sound League in a 4-1 game against Federal Way on May 4. In a state seeding game on May 11, Tahoma came out ahead 1-0 against Rogers of Puyallup.

Tennis

Tahoma’s girls tennis team league standings were 9-6 this season.

Proceeding to the district playoffs are senior Catherine Dennis and junior Mallika Sansgiri; they’ll play at 7:30 a.m. Friday at the Boeing Tennis Center. 

Track and field

The Tahoma High School Bears track and field team got off to a quick start this season, and has had athletes breaking school records at every turn. A few recent record-breakers include Alaina Brady, with a 13.96 in the 100m hurdles; Brian Martinez, who ran the mile in 4:13.38; Zackary Klobutcher, who improved his school record in the pole vault to 16-9. For all the team’s records, click here.

The Bears are the North Puget Sound League champions, and will compete at districts today and Saturday at Sunset Stadium in Sumner. 

 

“There have been some great performances by so many kids,” said Jeff Brady, who coaches the girls team. “The conditioning that these athletes put in during the off season is really starting to show. We have a few more dual meets before going into the post-season and we are all really excited to see the hard work pay off.”

 

To follow the team, visit their website here or their Twitter page here.

DISTRICT KUDOS

THS athletes sign letters of intent

Families, coaches, friends and staff members gathered at Tahoma High School yesterday to watch as 23 athletes celebrated signing letters of intent to play for colleges across the country after graduation. For additional photos, click here or, visit our Facebook page.

Athletes included Savannah-Ryann Acpal, Whitworth College, soccer; Alyse Bell, Pierce College, basketball; Sadie Byrd, Southern Oregon University, volleyball; Ryan Clarin, Simon Fraser University, football; Kyla Damerow, Bemidji University, fastpitch; Robert Guyer, Pacific Lutheran University, soccer; Daniel Hunsaker, Azusa Pacific, track and field; Rock Hunter Jenkins, Tacoma Community College, baseball; Erin Kim, California Polytechnic State University, swim and dive; Zachary Klobutcher, Eastern Washington University, track and field; Gabe Kvam, Pacific Lutheran University, football; Kaileahna McCollum, Bellevue College, volleyball; Chandler Nill, University of Montana, track and field and cross country; Laura Pierson, University of Idaho, soccer; Mareena Ramirez, Central Washington University, fastpitch; Briana Rogers, Washington State University, track and field; Laena Tieng, MIT, track and field; Carter Warm, Mount St. Mary's, lacrosse; Nickolaus Webster, Utica College, soccer; Aliya (Nami) Wilson, Kentucky, track and field; Alisha (Miya) Wilson, Oregon University, track and field; Moira Woods, Green River College, track and field; Donavan Yelle, Tacoma Community College, baseball; Katherine Zielinski, Green River College, track and field and cross country; Cameron Bentley, Whittier College, lacrosse; Paige Anthony, Bellevue College, volleyball; Mason Fritsch, Tacoma Community College, baseball.

Baseball players, coach recognized

Tahoma High School baseball players selected for all-league recognition include: Mason Fritsch, League MVP; Hunter Jenkins (catcher), Riley Oswald (designated hitter), and Matt Lewis (pitcher) were selected for first team all-league; Richard Reding (outfield) was selected as second team; Kyle Spencer (second base), Connor Dodge (third base), and James Joss (pitcher) were selected for honorable mention.

Coach Russ Hayden was also selected the 2019 NPSL "Cascade" coach of the year.

Spotlight on STMS: Nature Mapping

Summit Trail Middle School students in Katrina Alegado’s “Nature Mapping” STRETCH class have had the chance to examine the nearby forest and environment during weekly walking field trips.

“Today students made their own ecosystem using natural materials to demonstrate non-living matter, producers, consumers, and decomposers,” Alegado said. “ These students are also a great example of our Future Ready Skills (Community Contributor, Collaborative Teammate, Self-Directed Learner). We are having a blast learning about our local forests!”

In the photos, students pause during a recent walk through the forest.



NEWS BRIEFS

“Talk with Tony” at Summit Trail Middle School

Parents and community members are invited to stop by and chat with Superintendent Tony Giurado at 7:50 a.m. on Thursday, May 23 at Summit Trail Middle School. The one-hour meeting will take place in the small commons room. Visitors can check in at the main office.

The informal get-together is another way the superintendent is trying to connect with the community and have conversations to promote better understanding and communication.

This is the second "Talk with Tony" meeting. Giurado plans to hold similar meetings at other schools in the district in the coming months.

New eFlyer system through Peachjar to begin next week

The district will soon begin using a tool called Peachjar to help streamline the distribution of school and community information via digital flyers. This service is free to the district and will also help save paper (and trees). More than 14,000 schools in 600 other districts utilize this service.

The digital flyers will be delivered via email, and parents can opt in for whichever buildings they would like to receive information about. As an example, if a parent manages their preferences to include information about Shadow Lake Elementary and Tahoma High School, they might receive a flyer about open house night and a flyer about the PTA-hosted Grad Night; another week, it might be a flyer about the Father-Daughter Ball and a flyer about ACT testing. Parents may also choose the frequency of emails, or opt out entirely if they don’t want the information.

Outside, nonprofit organizations may also post flyers in the notification system; Peachjar does assess fees for some flyers. Outside flyers would have to comply with School Board Policy 4060, Distribution of Materials.

Peachjar suggests that families add [email protected] to their email contacts and click “always display images” when they receive the first email. Families will receive a welcome email from Peachjar that includes a username and password. This is provided to give families the opportunity to manage their account and flyer delivery preferences. There is no need to login to receive or view school digital flyers.

Families’ email addresses will not be shared or used for any other purpose. 

The eFlyers will also be available via the district and building websites.

District Safety Committee meets 

Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority officers gave a presentation about classroom and building fire safety at the most recent meeting of the District Safety and Emergency Preparedness Committee last week.

The committee also heard updates about reunification; “Run, Hide, Fight” training; safety containers and more.

Included on the committee are representatives from each building and department, district administration, School Board, PTA/PTO, Puget Sound Risk Management Pool, and local police and fire representatives.

Families, community invited to participate in 5K run/walk

The 36th Annual Maple Valley Bear Run/Walk 5K is coming soon!

It will be held at Lake Wilderness Park during Maple Valley Days at 9 a.m. on Sunday, June 9.

This fun community event promotes health and fitness, and also raises money for the Tahoma Cross Country team.

Children ages 12 and younger may participate for only a $2.50 handling fee. Those ages 8 and younger must be accompanied by an adult or participant who is 13 or older. For teens and adults, the fee is $28 through May 31, and those who register by that date will also receive a T-shirt.

The Tahoma school with the most participants will have bragging rights and a big Bear Run stuffed bear to display through the next year (it's currently at Cedar River Elementary). Sign up, get moving and have fun!

For details or tickets, visit http://www.maplevalleybearrun.com/

Tahoma Lady Bears camp will be June 24-27

Students entering grades 1-8 are invited to attend a summer basketball camp with the Tahoma Lady Bears from June 24-27. The camp instructors will include head coach Pete Smith, other THS coaches and members of the varsity team.

The camps are:

Grades 6-8, 9 a.m.-11:30 a.m. at Tahoma High School

Grades 1-5, 12:30 p.m.-3 p.m. at Maple View Middle School.

The cost is $80 and includes a T-shirt. To register, visit https://go.teamsnap.com/forms/200132