IMPACT Volume 5 Issue 2 Winter 2019

IMPACT A magazine for IDEA students, families, and supporters.

VOLUME 5 ISSUE 2 | WINTER 2019

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Earlier this year I was touring one of our schools when the incredible receptionist stopped me and asked for my I.D. I felt a bit inconvenienced at the time and thought to myself, “Really? I’ve worked here since 2011.” It was one of those “me” moments I’m not too proud of. I complied, of course.

It didn’t dawn on me in that moment that she and I didn’t have a relationship despite my long-standing tenure with IDEA and she was following one of the many protocols we have in place to keep our students as safe as possible. Protocols I am so proud of as an IDEA employee and as a mother. Once I passed the Raptor test, I proudly donned my visitor nametag while on campus.

WHILE THIS IS JUST ONE EXAMPLE, I am sure you too may have had similar thoughts when waiting to be buzzed in at the main gate or having to present your I.D. when picking up your child, but these actions, protocols, and protections are keeping our 45,000 students safe as they learn each and every day in our buildings from the Rio Grande Valley to Austin and El Paso to Baton Rouge.

As you read this issue of IMPACT by IDEA, you will learn about the many ways we work to keep our students safe from the time buildings are designed to when students are sitting in our classrooms. We also explore how to keep students safe while on their devices and what emotional safety looks like, too.

Thank you for trusting IDEA with the safety, well-being, and academic foundation for your children.

We hope you enjoy the Winter issue of IMPACT magazine.

Sincerely,

VANESSA BARRY Vice President of Marketing, Communications, and Enrollment IDEA Public Schools

TABLE OF CONTENTS

IMPACT | CONTRIBUTORS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Vanessa Barry EDITOR-AT-LARGE Irma Muñoz COPYWRITERS Marco Carbajal Cavett Thorne

Safety Edition 04

Letter from our Chief Operating Officer

06

Message from our CEO & Founder

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Organizational Update

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Safe Schools From the Ground Up

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Someone to Know: Carvetta Bohannon

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The Road to Safe to Safety Starts Here

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jennifer Stevenson

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Fit and Fun: Physical Education and Student Success

DESIGNER Jennifer Stevenson

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Safe Schools, Successful Students: A Culture of Caring

LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER Mitch Idol

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CALM: Coping with Conflict

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Power of Prevention

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Online Safety: 3 Ways Parents Can Help Prevent Cyberbullying

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Effective, Convenient, Safe: IDEA’s Remind App

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Student Safety Patrol

COPYEDITORS Marco Carbajal Cavett Thorne Tripti Thomas-Travers TRANSLATORS Luis Macotela Karina Macotela

PHOTOGRAPHERS Johnny Quiroz Angel Rodriguez ON THE COVER IDEA Brackenridge 7th graders Cloey Chaves and Catalina Peña prepare for morning safety patrol duty.

COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? Email marketing@ideapublicschools.org IMPACT is produced for IDEA students, families, employees, and supporters by the Marketing, Communications and Enrollment team at IDEA Public Schools.

CONTENTS © 2019 BY IDEA PUBLIC SCHOOLS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Team & Family 40

The Johnson Family

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Passion, Perseverance, and Progress: An IDEA Mother and Board Member’s Story

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It Takes a Village

En Español

Para leer la edición de IMPACT en español, favor de revisar la contraportada de esta revista.

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LETTER FROM OUR CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

As a mom, and an IDEA parent, safety is extremely important to me.

LETTER FROM OUR CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

WHEN I AM AWAY FROM MY KIDS, I want to rest assured that they’re safe and cared for. When they board the bus to go to school every morning, I believe I’m making a choice for them to attend a place that will not only prepare them to get to and through college, but also protect them along the way. It’s this personal connection to the educational quality of our schools and the safe keeping of our kids—my kids—that informs my work to ensure that all IDEA schools are safe.

Our approach to safety starts from the outside in. With rare exception, each of our campuses has reinforced perimeter fencing that is only accessible with a code or granted permissions to help safeguard students. In addition, each front office requires every visitor to sign-in, present an ID, receive clearance, and wear a visitor nametag before being allowed to enter the school beyond the lobby.

Of the utmost importance is who our students spend hours with a day. As an organization, we employ the most upstanding professionals. We look for a proven track record of success in their field, and an openness to feedback and continual growth. And, once they pass that test, complete background checks are required of all employees before hire. Once results come in, they are evaluated, checked against both state and federal law enforcement databases before a hire can be made. Furthermore, these records are subscribed to the duration of a staff member’s employment and reviewed twice a year.

The emotional safety of our students also plays a critical role in what makes IDEA Public Schools the safest school network for your child and mine. Starting in Pre-K, students are taught to talk about their feelings by using tools like the mood meter (Try It: Ask your child what color they are today. If they’re green or yellow—that’s great! If they’re blue or red—ask them why.) In addition to teaching students how to talk about and manage their emotions, if something happens in their classroom, school community, or in the community at large, IDEA ensures that students, staff, and families have the support they need to help cope with a range of issues from cyberbullying to tragic shootings in neighboring Texas communities. In fact, IDEA’s counseling support services offer students a 1 to 30 counselor to student ratio compared to the state-wide average ratio of one counselor per 230 students.

I may be the Chief Operating Officer at IDEA Public Schools, but when it comes to safety, I am an IDEA mother first. I want my kids, each of their classmates, and every parent to feel the same trust and confidence in IDEA that I do.

Student safety is an ongoing effort that our Team & Family works to protect each day. To continually improve these efforts, we welcome your feedback and input to help us become the safest schools possible and elevate the level of care that we extend to each of our students.

Please email your feedback or concerns to safetyfirst@ideapublicschools.org.

Sincerely,

IRMA MUÑOZ Chief Operating Officer IDEA Public Schools

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MESSAGE FROM OUR FOUNDER & CEO

Dear Team & Family, 2018 MARKED ANOTHER DYNAMIC YEAR at IDEA Public Schools. Together we have reached new heights and achieved the following accomplishments:

MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO & FOUNDER

 We launched 18 schools for the 2018-19 school year, the largest launch of any charter school system, which included four schools in Louisiana.  We were one of seven school districts recognized as a Texas Honor Roll school district due to our high achievement and student excellence in academics.  IDEA Mission Academy was designated as a National Blue-Ribbon school for 2018 by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.  For the 10th year in a row, IDEA’s college preparatory schools were ranked among the best performing high schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.  For the 12th consecutive year, 100 percent of IDEA graduates were accepted into college and nearly 100 percent matriculated to college.  Nine IDEA campuses were ranked among “America’s Healthiest Schools” after winning the prestigious National Healthy Schools Award for our Healthy Kids Here initiative  JoAnn and I were inducted into the National Charter School Hall of Fame because of the work you produce at IDEA. The key to our success is simple. It lies in our people. From our hardworking staff to the many families who have entrusted IDEA Public Schools with their child’s education and future, together we will continue to build a legacy of excellence and achievement.

Sincerely,

Tom Torkelson CEO & Founder IDEA Public Schools

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Organizational UPDATE

Our Team & Family sure has been busy this semester.

Take a look at some recent organizational highlights!

Tom Torkelson interviews Kate Harslem of the KLE Foundation, and IDEA Health Professions principals Jarod Hawk and Cameron Cook at the campus groundbreaking in Austin.

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ORGANIZATIONAL UPDATE

IDEA DISTRIBUTES HEALTHY KIDS HERE COOKBOOK FOR FAMILIES

IDEA PHARR CROSS COUNTRY TEAMS PLACE AT STATE IDEA Pharr College Preparatory has plenty to celebrate as several teams placed at the state competition. Gerardo Muñoz took home the gold as varsity boys state champ, while the varsity boys team placed 3rd in state, the varsity girls team placed 2nd in state, middle school girls placed 3rd as a team, and the middle school boys team ranked 5th. Way to go, IDEA Pharr!

SPURS LEGEND DAVID ROBINSON ANNOUNCES $500K GIFT TO IDEA CARVER Spurs legend, David Robinson, and Tom Torkelson, CEO and Founder of IDEA Public Schools, joined forces to formally announce the gifting of more than $500,000 to IDEA Carver to help 10 graduating seniors on the road to and through college. The goal of the fellowship is to foster success and graduation from a Tier I or Tier II college or university within four years.

IDEA’S NEWEST PRINCIPALS REVEALED AT HALFTIME EVENT Eighteen outstanding individuals will become principals of IDEA schools during the 2019-20 school year, serving all of our regions and continuing our mission of college for all children.

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In our never-ending commitment to the health and well being of students, IDEA compiled a collection of delicious recipes for the 2nd Annual Healthy Kids Here Cookbook. With submissions from Team & Family members, this collection is chock full of healthy, kid-friendly dishes the whole family will love.

IDEA PUBLIC SCHOOLS BROKE GROUND ON 5 NEW CAMPUSES IDEA recently broke ground on five new campuses that will be in operation for the 2019-2020 school year including IDEA Rise and IDEA Achieve in Tarrant County, IDEA Robindale in Brownsville, and IDEA Toros in Pharr.

IDEA CLASS OF 2018 ACHIEVES NEARLY 100 PERCENT COLLEGE MATRICULATION RATE In addition to 100 percent of the Class of 2018 gaining admission to college, nearly 100 percent of these students matriculated to college. In total, our Class of 2018 saw nearly 47 percent of students getting into the nation’s top colleges, with 594 students being the first in their family to attend college.

MICHAEL AND LOUISE BURKE DONATE $1.5 MILLION TO IDEA PUBLIC SCHOOLS IDEA Public Schools recently received a $1.5 million donation from Michael and Louise Burke.

The money will support IDEA’s mission to give all students the best college prep. This will continue at IDEA San Antonio’s 11 campuses and start at the newest campus, IDEA Burke in 2019.

IDEA PUBLIC SCHOOLS CELEBRATES 6 YEARS IN AUSTIN AT LUNCHEON

IDEA MISSION ACADEMY DESIGNATED AS NATIONAL BLUE-RIBBON SCHOOL

IDEA Austin’s annual luncheon celebrated many recent accomplishments including now serving 4,500 students, 9,000 parents and employing 600 people. Among the highlights were two new campuses in Kyle and Pflugerville opening this academic year, recent ground breakings for IDEA Parmer Park and IDEA Health Professions opening in August 2019, and celebrating IDEA Montopolis’ first graduating class in 2019.

IDEA Mission Academy has been designated as a National Blue-Ribbon School for 2018 by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. The Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools are among their state’s highest performing schools in closing achievement gaps between a school’s student groups and all students over the past five years.

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aluminium letters

24”

SAFE SCHOOLS from the GROUND UP 8”

Dozens of safety procedures are implemented on IDEA campuses each day to protect our students. From securing building access to monthly training drills, our security measures are built around fostering a healthy and safe academic environment.

YEARS BEFORE one of our campuses opens, IDEA’s Facilities and Construction Department is hard at work planning and developing structures that are safe, sustainable, and scalable.

“Student safety is always at the forefront of design efforts for our schools,” says Arnold Flores, IDEA’s Managing Director of Facilities and Construction. “We want to make sure that our students feel secure, and that parents know that they’re sending them to a place that is safe.”

Flores’ team spends months working with architects and building professionals to ensure that each campus is as safe as possible. The process begins with a site survey in a potential location to rate a potential site based on several factors including site location, size, accessibility, scalability, topography, geology, and even demographics.

The next step involves conducting a fit-test, in which architects compare the size and scale of an existing IDEA campus with the prospective site to ensure that a building will fit. If so, architects move onto the design phase and begin to map the school’s layout and address potential safety issues. Physical features, activity areas and traffic patterns are considered in such a way to maximize visibility and control access to the school and its playgrounds.

“In the design phase, we actually look at many of the safety components of our campuses including how to secure access,” explains Flores. “One of the first things we do is make sure

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back lit

we have perimeter fencing around all of our campuses with automatic gates and security cameras so that we know exactly who is coming in.”

Aside from serving as a place of learning, schools may often double as community centers, meeting halls, or emergency shelters, and its location may require special safety features in the event of inclement weather or other natural disasters. Such is the case for campuses in IDEA’s newest regions situated in an area notorious for tornadoes.

“One of the things we are doing right now that we haven’t done in the past is that we are building reinforced storm shelters for our schools in Tarrant County,” says Flores. “It will not only provide an added layer of protection for our students, but also give parents greater peace of mind during inclement weather.”

Flores also states that it is important for his team to constantly evolve as they learn from other preventable tragedies in schools.

“Things are constantly changing, so it’s important to continually update safety practices when it comes to our facilities,” he says. “We see news about shootings on campuses and want to make sure that we are improving methods and staying at the forefront of the industry’s best practices to help prevent another terrible tragedy.”

Each time a crisis happens on school grounds, it brings a whole new level of awareness for architects and build teams to evaluate the need for elements such as extra secure doors, using strategically placed windows throughout the building for increased transparency. Main lobbies also typically include a holding area in the school’s main entrance where visitors must be buzzed in by office staff.

At the end of the day, Flores says his team’s proudest accomplishment is when students walk into a beautiful, brand new building on first day of school that they’re going to be learning in for the next few years.

“I’m really proud of the effort that our teams put forth to make schools safer while building the positive, nurturing, learning environments we all want for our children.” ♦

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I’m really proud of the effort that our teams put forth to make schools safer while building the positive, nurturing, learning environments we all want for our children.”

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SOMEONE TO KNOW

Carvetta Bohannon A Day in the Life of an IDEA Assistant Principal of Operations

Carvetta Bohannon is a very busy woman, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. As the Assistant Principal of Operations (APO) at IDEA Eastside in San Antonio, she is tasked with overseeing all daily operations at two separate schools, each with its own principal and lead team.

THE KILLEEN NATIVE is is no stranger to navigating diverse operations. Bohannon found her way into education after first embarking on a career in human resources management. After stints with the U.S. Department of Defense and Heart of Texas Goodwill Industries, Inc., Bohannon sought to continue her love of non-profits and public service by joining IDEA Public Schools’ human resources department two years ago—her first role in public education.

“I was searching for a role that would allow me to continue to serve others who may have barriers—not just with employment, but also when it comes to education and their futures,” she says.

Her passion for service soon fueled an even greater desire to make a positive impact as a school administrator, and Bohannon accepted a position as APO at IDEA Eastside in August 2018.

Bohannon says her favorite part of her role is getting to work with students each day.

“Every day when you come in, there’s a new opportunity to help a child and help them be a better person than they were the day before,” she says. “It’s transformational to see parents, educators, scholars working together to make our school a better place,” she says. “The kids know this is their space and they can come and actually learn in a place that is safe and free of distractions.”

From working to ensure that 97.5% of students are attending each day and coordinating school pick-up and drop-off procedures, to liaising with campus teams to keep staff prepared and every student safe, Bohannon’s jam-packed day is a lesson in time management.

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Here’s a look at a typical day in the life of this professional problem-solver on campus, in her own words:

6:30AM

Arrive on campus and go through emails and print out my schedule for the day.

7:00AM

Ensure that all teachers are ready for morning duty and monitor the first 5 to 10 minutes of the morning drop-off process.

7:10AM

Meet with college prep principals and campus lead team to huddle on their priorities for the day, flag anything we need to look out for, and discuss any parent or student concerns.

7:20AM

Make sure that every student has been served breakfast and has had the chance to eat before school starts.

7:45AM

Meet with the academy principals and lead team to discuss priorities for the day and any concerns that we should also be on the lookout for.

8:15AM

Huddle with the campus operations team including the facilities manager, registrar, health aide, student information specialist, and the child nutrition program manager. We talk about our priorities for the day and they give me feedback on specifics that they may need support with.

8:30AM

Follow up on any students who have not shown up for school that day to find out the reason—maybe they need support or are having transportation issues, or just someone to go and pick them up. I resolve any issue as needed.

9:00AM

Depending on the weekday, I will have a one-hour to two-hour check-in with a member of the campus staff to talk about goals, progress, concerns, and offer any support they may need.

10:30am

For the next hour and a half, academy students alternate lunch and recess, so I make sure that lunch monitors are where they need to be and that students are quiet, safe, and on schedule.

11:30AM

Our college prep students are beginning first lunch so a whole new process of ensuring that students are fed begins.

1:30pM

Depending on the day, about two hours are used for tactical meetings with academy, college prep, or operations staff. When no meetings are scheduled, I may join academic counselors on home visits and talk to parents about their needs and how we can improve their experience here.

3:45pM

Dismissal time for our academy students, so we give them snacks and begin to transition to our dismissal procedures.

4:00pM

Making sure everyone is at their duty stations, connect college prep kids with any younger siblings from the academy, making sure the lot is ready for pick-up procedures, and staying observant as well to look for any potential safety hazards.

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In the blink of eye anything can happen. You must be prepared for any challenge that may come along and compromise our students’ safety.”

In addition to following the districtwide crisis and emergency plan, Bohannon also works to ensure that all students and staff work together when it comes to threats or emergencies.

“We have plans for any situation you can imagine—fire, an active shooter, inclement weather…In addition, our monitors and volunteers make sure that any student not in class is always safe and accounted for,” she says. “The key is communication and collaboration. In the blink of eye anything can happen. You must be prepared for any challenge that may come along and compromise our students’ safety,” she says. ♦

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IDEA Alamo bus driver Carmen Avila helps kindergartener Jose Garza scan his fob as he enters the bus.

THE ROAD TO

S A F E T Y STARTS HERE How One Bus App is Making IDEA Transportation Safe and Efficient

As a parent, nothing is more important than a child’s safety. No one wants to think of their child waiting alone to be picked up or getting off at the wrong bus stop. Parents expect to know exactly where their kids are and that they are safe.

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IDEA Alamo bus driver Vicente Rodriguez takes pride in keeping students safe on the way to and from school each day.

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Pre-K students Alissa Lopez and Lindsey Lagos board the bus after school.

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We have the ability to help students look forward to coming to school safe, happy, and ready to learn.”

IDEA’S TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT has found success in both safety and efficiency by using an app for parents called Here Comes the Bus®. Powered by software from Synovia Solutions, parents and students can customize their bus route, and always track the bus’s location as one would on any GPS platform.

Parents can use a single account to track several children’s route activities. From any smartphone, tablet, or computer, they can even see when the bus has entered their neighborhood stop’s proximity and get real-time notifications each time a child enters or exits the bus.

“As soon as you enter the bus, there is a scanner,” says Estevan Bautista, Campus Transportation Manager at IDEA Alamo. “Each student has a sensor attached to their lanyard or backpack and scans themselves in as soon as they board.”

The Here Comes the Bus® website and app are also encrypted and secure to keep all of a student’s scanning activity and data safe.

Bautista says that while the app does offer effective real-time communication with parents and boosts safety and accountability, it is also a useful tool to ensure that transportation routes are as efficient as possible when it comes to tracking gas, route times, mileage, and even the number of students being transported.

The bus app can also come in handy when communicating information to parents regarding delays due to traffic or weather. IDEA Alamo parents Walter and Sayde Vasquez use the app to track their daughter Natalie’s route home from school and say the app’s many useful features help build trust between parents and the school.

“As a parent, you expect to know where your kids are at all times,” Walter says. “We are trusting the school and the bus driver to deliver our loved ones to and from school safely, and this app gives you that piece of mind.”

Vicente Rodriguez, a bus driver at IDEA Alamo, says he drives the same route each day and gets to know students and their parents very well. As a father himself, he says he takes his responsibility for the safety of all students very seriously.

“My own kids ride the bus to school,” says Rodriguez. “And when I am working, I try to always meet the same standards of safety and efficiency for our families that I would expect as a parent myself.”

Rodriguez says he realizes the importance of his role, since each of his passenger’s days begin and end right there on the bus.

“We are the first ones to see our students in the morning, and the last ones to say goodbye at the end of the day,” he continues.

“We have the ability to help students look forward to coming to school safe, happy, and ready to learn.” ♦

THE ROAD TO SAFETY STARTS HERE

HERE COMES THE BUS®

Mobile App

See when the bus enters your neighborhood or track its route in real-time.

View alerts, map settings and route information with these convenient tools.

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HERE COMES THE BUS® AND TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION? VISIT HERECOMESTHEBUS.COM

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FIT AND FUN: PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND

Student Sucess Amie Coleman is on a mission to change the way others think about health and fitness, and she’s making a difference one student at a time.

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A TEXAS TRANSPLANT from California, Coleman moved to Pflugerville with her family at the age of 14. After high school graduation, her interest in health and fitness led her to Texas A&M University-Commerce with plans to study kinesiology and become a personal trainer.

While she recalls loving her work as a personal trainer, it didn’t take long to realize that something was missing.

“Personal training has seasons and there are times of the year when people don’t want training,” she says. “I began tutoring students and loved it and began to wonder if I was in the wrong field.”

Coleman took a leave of absence from her job and accepted a position as a physical education co-teacher at IDEA Rundberg in 2015, where she was able to blend her love of fitness with teaching students how to feel confident and successful. In her current role as a physical education teacher at IDEA Pflugerville, Coleman is determined to create a safe space that empowers every student to grow healthy and strong.

Building a culture of safety and accountability begins with ensuring each student understands class rules and procedures.

Students are shown where class equipment is stored and locked, and time is spent reviewing rules before activities to check for understanding.

Coleman also integrates technology into every class session by using Adidas IHT Spirit System® Heart Rate Monitors to track each student’s physical performance throughout the year, provide personalized information of each student’s health and fitness levels, and measure the effectiveness of IDEA’s physical education program.

“These monitors give students instant feedback on how they’re doing with their workouts, including heart beats per minute and the number of calories burned per class,” explains Coleman.

The IHT monitors feature color-coded heart rate zones that students must work through during class. Students are instructed on the number of minutes to spend in each target

Amie Coleman, physical education teacher at IDEA Pflugerville.

Reading can change a child’s life, and so can health and physical education.”

zone during physical activities to receive grade points for the day. If students spend the required number of minutes in higher impact zones like red or yellow, they earn higher grade points.

“By the end of class, we can track how many calories are burned, how much time is spent in each zone, and use it as a friendly competition among homerooms,” Coleman says.

“Each homeroom tallies up their scores and it creates a healthy competition among classmates to see who has put in the most effort during class.”

Coleman also makes it a point to educate students about how nutrition can help or hurt the body. Instead of focusing on counting calories, she teaches students to read nutrition labels, understand serving sizes, and ultimately identify how their food makes them feel.

“After they’ve left my class and moved on, I want them to always know that food is their medicine, and how they feel is a mirror to what they eat,” she says. “I want them to know that the body is capable of amazing things if you nurture it.”

Coleman recalls once having a student who dreamed of joining a sports team, but their weight caused excess strain on the ankles as well as a lot of pain.

“This student had a huge interest in sports, but it hurt them to run. It was heartbreaking to know that they had all this potential but were limited because of their body,” she says.

She resolved to help in any way she could and taught both the student and their family what healthy meal plans look like and how food should make them feel.

“One of my proudest accomplishments as an educator was when each week this student would check in with me and tell me the foods they had been eating and how those foods made their body feel better and stronger,” she says. “By the end of the year, this student had dropped their body mass index by 5 points, was relieved of ankle pain and was able to play sports.”

Coleman believes that once students are shown what a strong body and mind are capable of, they have the confidence to tackle any obstacle and be successful in other areas of their lives.

“A lot of our confidence is built around knowing what our body can do,” she says. “Students don’t learn in an environment that they don’t feel safe in. These students are building confidence and their physical progress amplifies their success in the classroom.”

She also cautions parents not to underestimate the power that athletics can have on a child’s growth and development.

“Reading can change a child’s life, and so can health and physical education,” she continues. “P.E. is essential to student success.” ♦

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IDEA Pflugerville students take turns engaging in physical activity while monitoring their target heart rates with Adidas IHT monitors.

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SAFE SCHOOLS, SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS:

A Culture of Caring IDEA Mcallen Empowers Students And Staff To Be Proactive About Safety.

On any given day, our school campuses have hundreds of Team & Family members participating in a range of activities and operations. This means that anything can happen. And to ensure safety, each member of the campus community must be empowered to become an advocate for the safety and well-being of others.

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IDEA College Prep McAllen Principal Joán Alvarez oversees one of the campus’s surprise fire drills.

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ONE IDEA SCHOOL is taking campus safety in strides, aiming to build a strong culture of safety through a program called Safe School, Successful Students (SSSS) to help build partnerships between the school and community when it comes to safety.

“It’s an initiative that we launched here to educate students, parents, teachers and the community about the preventative and proactive measures we are taking as a campus to keep our schools safe and our students learning and successful,” says Joán Alvarez, Principal at IDEA College Preparatory McAllen.

The program serves to educate the campus community about a range of potential issues including fire safety, anti-bullying, online safety, personal safety, and even about how and when to report threatening or suspicious activity on campus. School leaders also work to educate and inform parents about these issues and offers tips on how to speak to children regarding such issues.

“We have quarterly parent meetings focusing on preventative safety measures for both home and school where we give parents advice on what to look for and what kinds of questions to ask when having conversations with students, so students won’t isolate themselves,” says Alvarez. “Parents are the first and primary teachers at home and we want to make sure that the safety practices we instill in our students at school are also reinforced at home.”

Travis Lester, Assistant Principal of Instruction (API) at IDEA McAllen says the campus takes extra measures to push safety and accountability in classroom settings, particularly in school science labs.

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After each fire or safety drill, Alvarez debriefs with the campus lead team.

We aim to continually improve our safety practices and teach students that we all play an important role when it comes to keeping our campus safe.”

As the campus’ new API, Lester himself has added extra safety precautions to boost accountability in labs and prevent accidents. The campus uses Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), which contain information on potential health, fire, reactivity and environmental hazards in the science labs and how to maintain safety around them.

“It’s changed our accountability procedures,” he explains.

“Now, if science teacher is doing a demonstration or a lab, I have created a form that must be filled out in addition to their lesson plan, and the activity must be approved by an administrator.”

Lester says the most important thing is continually striving to do whatever it takes to protect the safety of students and staff.

“We’re constantly re-evaluating our systems and procedures, even when they’re working great,” he says. “We aim to continually improve our safety practices and teach students that we all play an important role when it comes to keeping our campus safe.” ♦

Reasons why

CLASSROOM SAFETY IS IMPORTANT 1

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IT CAN PREVENT INJURY OR SAVE A LIFE. When class rules and procedures are not followed, it can lead to serious injuries or even death. Unsafe environments can lead to accidents.

IT CAN KEEP CLASSROOMS SAFE. Science labs are used for advanced study and experimentation, and accidents can lead to significant property damage.

Storing chemicals safely and using extra caution when handling and storing flammable materials can keep classrooms safe and damage-free.

IT PROTECTS SAFETY EQUIPMENT YEAR AFTER YEAR. It is important to remember to clean, maintain, and protect all safety equipment to ensure that equipment will continues to work properly year after year while keeping the campus as safe as possible.

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Coping with Conflict CALM:

T RY THE C A LM ME THOD If

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Denise Alvarez, Academic Counselor at IDEA Rio Vista in El Paso, helps students deal with emotions in a healthy and positive way. | IMPACT WINTER 2019

someone tr ies to start to stay calm a fight, your : child can be the one CALM DOW N: Encourag e your child from the ot her person to keep a sa and take slow fe distance around or ta breaths. Th lk to someo ey may wal ne anything th else, k ey can do to remain calm .

AVOID: Be sure to avoi d taunting, will only se nam rve to hurt fe elings and ke e-calling, or insults. It also wise to ep the fight avoid other going. It is kids who m ay want to pi ck a fight.

LISTEN: Te ach your ch ild to try to person may understand be why the othe person need upset and ask themse r lves “what do or want?” es this MOVE ON: Find ways to resolve the further upse problem with t or fighting, out any or simply w alk away.

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IDEA strongly emphasizes the importance of creating high-quality learning environments for students. Social and emotional learning is one of the key components in a child’s ability to successfully communicate, resolve conflict, interact with others, and manage emotional responses.

THE BENEFITS OF SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING include helping students find an outlet for their feelings so that they are more able to focus on learning. It can also help them deal with conflict among classmates and ultimately feel a stronger sense of community and belonging at school.

Denise Alvarez, Academic Counselor at IDEA Rio Vista spends most of her time working with students to hone these skills and have better relationships in school and at home. Alvarez, a native of El Paso, first found her passion for counseling working as a special education teacher at a nearby school district.

“I was working as a teacher at the high school level and found myself doing a lot of counseling for students. Many of my kids struggled with day-to-day situations,” she says. “And if your students aren’t in the right mental state, there is no way they are going to learn.”

When IDEA Rio Vista had an opening for an academic counselor, Alvarez jumped at the chance to work with students in a way that could bring even greater impact to their lives.

“I have an open-door policy,” she says. “Students are able to come into my office at any time and tell me anything. Sometimes it’s just about being there; they just want to be heard.”

In her role, Alvarez helps coach students for social emotional wellness and addresses topics such as identifying feelings and appropriate expression, social skills, teamwork, empathy, compassion, anti-bullying, and respect.

“It’s important to try and have students put themselves in others’ shoes,” says Alvarez. “We ask them what they would have felt from a different perspective and talk about what would have been a better response to a situation.”

Alvarez says many students report that they never would have considered a situation from a different perspective before.

Staff also engage students in roleplaying activities to help them become better listeners and learn how to express an apology—something that can be useful as students transition to young adults.

When asked about the two most important requirements for helping students improve their social-emotional awareness, Alvarez says the answer is simple: “I think the first thing is that kids need to feel safe. If they don’t feel safe, they are not going to be comfortable enough to speak up,” she says.

“They must also be appreciated and hear a lot of positive feedback that helps validate their experiences.”

As she strives to give kids a safe environment in which to explore their feelings and emotions, she hopes that working through the many feelings adolescents experience will serve to make students and their families think twice when they are upset. The key is having a little patience.

“There is a saying in Spanish that goes, ‘Quien se enoja, pierde,’ and it means, who gets angry loses,” she explains. “Many things can go wrong when you’re upset. Patience and empathy are the most important things we can use to diffuse any situation.” ♦

Alvarez talks 6th graders Angie Hinojosa and Jocelyn Guzman through a roleplaying exercise.

Did You Know?

70.6% of young people say they have seen bullying in their schools. However, when bystanders intervene, bullying stops within 10 seconds 57% of the time.

Bullying is not just a simple interaction between a student who bullies and a student who is bullied. It can often involve groups of students who support each other in bullying others. Bullying can include making threats, spreading rumors, physical or verbal attacks, or excluding someone from a group or activity on purpose.

IF YOUR CHILD IS BEING BULLIED OR YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS, CONTACT THE ANONYMOUS IDEA HOTLINE AT 1-855-428-3561.

Prevention THE POWER OF

How One Campus Uses Education To Stay Proactive.

As much as we work, as families, schools, and communities to keep our children safe, sometimes who may be confronted with situations that have the potential to be harmful. At IDEA, we strive to implement trainings and workshops designed to teach staff, students, and even families how to navigate a range of issues.

ONE IDEA SCHOOL is making it a mission to use education and awareness to help prevent and mitigate harmful situations, while also providing students and families with the tools necessary to improve student safety.

Alban Benavides, Assistant Principal of Operations at IDEA South Flores, says safety topics for trainings are decided by the campus lead team when the need arises.

Benavides himself works to continually train and prepare staff for any crisis long before any student enters the classroom.

“We spent a good amount of time in our beginning-of-year professional development to train staff in lock down and emergency response procedures,” he says. “I attended an ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) training and the biggest takeaway was that we are in charge and we must be ready to make a decision at a moment’s notice in order to save student lives.”

Benavides trains his teachers to think quickly and make informed decisions in response to an emergency. Teachers in turn trained their students on how to respond to crisis situations as well with some scenario-based roleplay that calls for drill responses including lock down, shelter in place, and emergency response procedures.

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IDEA South Flores Assistant Principal of Operations Alban Benavides leads a practice safety drill with Master Teacher Alejandra Ronquillo and kindergarten teacher Rhonda Gonzales.

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POWER OF PREVENTION

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Kinder scholars Jeremiah Canamar, Destiney Torres and Kaylaa Tambunga practice sheltering in place with classmates during a drill.

Top Photo: Alban Benavides, Assistant Principal of Operations, IDEA South Flores Middle Photo: Karla Salas, IDEA South Flores Social Worker, reviews safety topics with 9th grader Adamaris Guardado and 7th grader Sophia Morales.

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IDEA South Flores also offers training workshops for both students and parents in a range of topics including social media and cyberbullying, depression, suicide, self-harm, and even sexual harassment. Many of the workshops are led by campus social worker Karla Salas, who tries to develop at least one new training each month. One of the campus’s largest turnouts was a presentation for families on the dangers of cyberbullying.

“Our cyberbullying presentation had over 80 people show up and trained two college prep student speakers who have experienced bullying online to present to their peers,” says Salas. “I am most proud of scholars like these who display resiliency as they overcome obstacles and advocate for themselves and others.”

Salas, whose role was created specifically to address students’ social-emotional awareness, says the trainings help foster a culture where students look out for each other and feel comfortable speaking to the administration with concerns they may have about themselves or their fellow classmates.

She also opened a referral program to anyone who may need help. Students can refer themselves or others. Teachers can refer students, and even parents can refer their child if they are concerned about his or her well-being.

“It’s important that all students know that we are here for them as a campus, and our number one priority is their personal safety,” she continues.

When it comes to campus security, Benavides says that it is important for campuses to continually learn the latest and most effective safety practices and look to real-life events and situations that could have been handled differently. He believes that all training methods combined could ultimately save lives someday.

“At this campus, we take prevention very seriously,” he says.

“We study and train, we are receptive to feedback, and we live with the fact that someday we may need to make some very hard choices. Parents should know that we will always do what is in the best interest of our students.” ♦

Did You Know?

To address campus safety issues and concerns in a timely manner, IDEA has recently launched an anonymous hotline to protect all IDEA students and Team & Family members from abuse and harassment. When calling, an automated message will play, and callers will have the ability to leave detailed information and provide contact information, if desired.

IDEA will continue to do whatever it takes to ensure that our campuses and offices are safe spaces to grow and learn.

TO SUBMIT AN ANONYMOUS TIP, PLEASE CALL THE IDEA HOTLINE AT 1-855-428-3561.

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Online Safety 3 WAYS PARENTS CAN HELP PREVENT CYBERBULLYING

The internet and social media platforms provide an opportunity for young people to learn, explore their world, and connect with friends. However, they can also be a platform for cyberbullying and other inappropriate communication.

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ACCORDING TO STOPBULLYING.GOV, the official anti-bullying website of the U.S. Government, cyberbullying is defined as bullying that takes place over digital devices like cell phones, computers, and tablets. Cyberbullying can occur through text, apps, or online in social media, forums, or gaming where people can view, participate in, or share content.

The term cyberbullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else.

It can include sharing personal or private information about someone else with the intent to cause embarrassment or humiliation. A cyberbully can range from a single person like a friend, acquaintance, or even a stranger on the internet to an entire group of people.

For a young person, being the target of cyberbullying can lead to a host of negative consequences such as reduced academic focus, depression, isolation, and, in extreme cases, even self-harming behavior.

An IDEA 8th grade student, who wishes to remain anonymous, says her cyberbullying experience began online before the in-person physical threats began.

“She would call me horrible names, make up lies about me, and try to harass me in any way that she could,” recalls the student. “She would get her sister involved, who would try to start physical fights with me. I felt scared and embarrassed and I didn’t know what to do.”

The student says she eventually felt so overwhelmed she told her parents and decided to report the incident to her campus.

“I want to talk about my experience because not many kids want to report cyberbullying because they are afraid of what might happen, or that things might get even worse with the bully,” says the student. “It’s important to speak up and realize that you are not alone. No one should ever have to go through this. Everyone should go to school and come home feeling safe.”

The student’s mother seconds that sentiment and says parents need to be receptive and keep an open dialogue with their child to address any negative issues.

“As a mother, it just hurts me that my child had to suffer in silence alone,” she says. “As parents, we want to protect our children from anything, but we have to be available and receptive to know what is happening in their lives.”

To combat cyberbullying, IDEA seeks to empower parents to be proactive in helping students to identify, understand, prevent, and deal with cyberbullying. As parents, you are a critical line of defense in combating this problem.

If you believe your child is being cyberbullied or receiving inappropriate communication, you should report the incident immediately. In brief, here are the recommended next steps and points of contact: DISCUSS THE SITUATION: Have a thorough discussion about the situation with your child. Gather the details needed to make a report, including: name of the person harassing, username, age, duration, and nature of the harassment.

SAVE THE EVIDENCE: Capture and save any inappropriate online communication (using the screenshot feature, for example). Next, block the person. Whether the harassment is in an app, texting, comments, or tagged photos, most technology services allow you to block the person.

MAKE THE REPORT: Once you have gathered your information and evidence, it is time to make the report. The circumstances of the situation will help determine who you reach out to.

• Website/App: A report should always be made to the website/app. You can typically make reports using the Help section on the main page.

• School: During the school year, you should reach out to the Academic Counselor at your child’s campus so that they may provide social-emotional support for your child. If the harasser is an IDEA student or employee, the Academic Counselor will work with lead team members to address/escalate appropriately.

• Law Enforcement: If your child is receiving threats of physical harm or inappropriate communication from an adult, you should contact local law enforcement immediately. They will be able to quickly inform you of your legal rights and what they will do to investigate and further pursue the situation.

As parents, it can be easy to assume that you understand everything that your children are experiencing and doing online and the impact it may have on their life. But threats like cyberbullying are a reality online. Together, educators and parents must acknowledge these risks, educate ourselves, and equip our children, so that they may have safe and healthy online experiences. ♦

SIGNS OF CYBERBULLYING

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There is no single indicator to know for certain that your child is being cyberbullied, but signs to watch out for include:     

Being Nervous, Losing Confidence, Or Becoming Distressed And Withdrawn Being Afraid To Go To School, Being Mysteriously ‘Ill’ Each Morning, Or Skipping School Not Doing As Well At School, Or A Sudden Drop In Grades Problems With Eating Or Sleeping Frustrated Or Aggressive Behavior National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children

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Effective, Convenient, Safe: IDEA’S REMIND APP

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Melaney Russell, Academic Counselor at IDEA Bluff Springs, checks out updates on Remind App with 8th graders Kamiko Smith and Massiah Marshall.

REMIND APP IS CONVENIENT, EASY TO USE MESSAGING PLATFORM to boost communication and support student success.

“We know that successful parent communication contributes to success in the long run, so it’s something that we definitely prioritize,” says Melaney Russell, Academic Counselor at IDEA Bluff Springs.

Prior to utilizing the app, staff had to use their cell phones to make individual calls or send messages, and then enter any communication with parents manually on other platforms to keep records. This process was both tedious and inefficient.

“We would ask the teachers to touch base with parents to see how their experience is going, how their student is doing in class, or talk about behavior or academics,” says Russell.

“Teachers would have five or six things to speak to parents about and would then need to log each topic separately in the system.”

Remind App allows information to be shared instantly with individuals or groups and can be connected on any phone.

This means that sharing and storing any photos, videos, or documents can be done with just a few clicks, and IDEA Bluff Springs parents like Elizabeth Mayo love the app’s immediacy.

“The app is effective and offers instant feedback and communication,” says Mayo, mother to 1st grader Caleb Mayo and 8th grader Emily Mayo. “It keeps us all connected and lets me know what’s going on with every class my children are in.

All the information you need is right there at your fingertips.”

Gone are the days when schools only contact parents if there is a problem. In fact, Russell says one of her favorite parts of the app is that staff can share all of the real-time joy—giving parents the opportunity to see all the great things their child is doing at school.

“Typically, staff call home a lot when there is a concern, so parents weren’t necessarily hearing about the amazing things that their students were doing in class that day,” she says.

“We can use the app to share photos and videos with parents, showing what their child has accomplished that day.”

With the ability to create groups, the school can also send blasts to parents reminding them of activities or field trips, or even if an unforeseen event occurs such as early release due to inclement weather or an emergency.

In a crisis, sharing accurate information becomes paramount.

False information can spread quickly on social media, but schools can use the app’s messaging feature to share accurate information directly with parents in a timely manner.

As the name implies, the service can also be used as a powerful tool to send scholars and their families reminders regarding homework and projects. In fact, it has become common to hear many students say they would have forgotten to turn in a project or complete an assignment if they had not received a message on the Remind App. Perhaps the most appealing aspect for all involved is that all conversations and messages are automatically logged and can be easily referred to as needed. This level of accountability is why Russell believes the Remind App is most valuable.

“We have a core value at IDEA called ‘no excuses,’ and we not only hold ourselves and our students to that expectation, but also the parents as well,” Russell says emphatically. “We want to make sure that we are all working as a community to get each child to and through college.”

In fact, Russell believes the app has since fostered stronger relationships between the campus and its families because of how the platform boosts communication, content, and convenience, making it a win-win for both sides.

“The great part about Remind App is that it has simplified the steps for the teachers and any time we can give a teacher’s time back to them, that’s valuable. Time is their currency,” she says.

“This app allows us to maintain and build relationships with our scholars and their families, while streamlining how many steps we have to take to do it.” ♦

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When it comes to partnering with students and families for student success, communication is key. Like many schools, IDEA continually seeks to improve communication between staff and families. One such way our campuses convey important student information is the Remind App.

Remind App is a convenient way for teachers and administrators to share important reminders and information with parents throughout the school year.

Parents can receive important updates from campus staff regarding upcoming events, assignments, meetings and more.

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Student SAFETY PATROL

Student Volunteers Shorten Drop-Off Times While Getting Scholars Safely To Class

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IDEA Brackenridge 7th graders Cloey Chaves and Catalina Peña enjoy making academy students smile each day before walking them safely to class

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The parking lot is one of the busiest areas at any school. Twice a day, five days a week, cars line up past the school gates as busy parents pick up and drop off their scholars in a carefully coordinated process. Here, in the crowded school parking lot, student safety is always a concern, especially when patience wears thin and minor distractions can lead to major accidents.

WHEN IDEA BRACKENRIDGE was experiencing delays during pick-ups and drop-offs during its first year of operation last fall, the solution was to recruit 6th grade college prep students to volunteer as part of a campus student safety patrol.

Jerica Salinas, SIS Coordinator and manager of the student safety patrol volunteers says she is most proud of the students’ commitment to their role in keeping the campus safe and being leaders when it comes to teaching everyone about student safety.

“Our student volunteers are out there, committed every single day, and they never tire of it,” Salinas says with a laugh. “I never get a complaint from them. They are always willing to help, especially with our youngest students.”

Safety patrol volunteers help expedite morning and afternoon pick-up and drop-off processes by ensuring that both cars and students are where they should always be. In addition, they assist pedestrians and help students to and from vehicles to prevent accidents.

The reaction from parents has been overwhelmingly positive for several reasons.

“The student safety patrol really helps offer convenience for parents while helping to get our children to school safely,” says Roberta Pietrick. “An added bonus is also that my son Gavin gets to interact with an older scholar who he sees as a positive role model.”

IDEA Brackenridge’s Safety Patrol volunteers go the extra mile to ensure younger scholars get to class on-time.

Some students, like IDEA Brackenridge 7th grader Cloey Chaves, joined the patrol to make a positive impact on campus and meet new people.

“I transferred here in the middle of last year and wanted to find a way to socialize and also help people, so I joined the safety patrol,” she says. “A lot of things can happen out there at any time, and I just want to make sure all students are safe, especially our youngest scholars” says Chaves.

Salinas recalls one such time during the second week of school when a nervous new kindergarten student suddenly bolted from his parents’ vehicle and down the sidewalk, dangerously close to traffic.

“He ran off, and a group of kids walking to school weren’t paying attention,” explains Salinas. “So, the safety patrol hurried to pick him up and move him away from the street, so he wouldn’t injure himself or cause an accident. It was an intense moment, but everybody did what they were supposed to and learned from it.”

Chaves, along with 7th grade classmate Catalina Peña are well into their second year with the safety patrol and are proud of being there for younger students as in the example mentioned above. In fact, Peña says being there to comfort students who are anxious about going to school for the first time is her favorite part of the safety patrol.

“There are kids who don’t want to get out of the car sometimes,” says Peña. “So, I will help them by talking to them or offering a hug, and it will brighten their day.”

The most common occurrence in the parking lot is when a child is emotional when the parent is in a hurry. During these moments, Magallanes, Peña, and the rest of the safety patrol volunteers do their best to empathize with each student and help them feel safe and comfortable.

Though the safety patrol student volunteers are proud of their work on campus, they say their only goal is to help everyone stay safe and think about the consequences of their actions each day in the busy school parking lot. ♦

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IDEA Brackenridge’s Student Safety Patrol consists of 6th and 7th grade students who help man the busy parking lot during pick-up and drop off to keep younger students safe.

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#Teamand Family This section of the magazine highlights Team & Family members who are helping drive success at IDEA for years to come.

  Mrs. Johnson reviewing the day’s homework with Jillian.

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Jeremy and Veniayetta Johnson with twins Jacob and Jillian, 1st graders at IDEA Innovation in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

 Mr. Johnson congratulates Jacob on acing his math assignment.

The Johnson Family When IDEA parents Veniayetta and Jeremy Johnson talk about their own childhood experiences at school, they remember a supportive learning community and specific teachers who recognized them as individuals and went the extra mile to spark their enthusiasm for learning.

“THE TEACHERS WERE ALWAYS ENCOURAGING ME, even long after I left their class,” recalls Jeremy, who grew up in Vicksburg, Mississippi. He remembers when his name appeared in the town newspaper for his participation in an engineering camp around junior high; his 1st grade teacher immediately wrote him a letter telling him that she remembered him and how proud she was of him.

Veniayetta, who grew up in Baton Rouge, particularly remembers Ms. Ritchie, her 6th grade teacher: “She’s the one who really lit the fire dealing with current events. She was the one who got me interested in paying attention to the news and things that are going on in politics. And since then, I’ve been that type of person.”

So, when looking for a school to educate their own children—Jillian and Jacob, 1st graders at IDEA Innovation—Veniayetta and Jeremy were clear on what they wanted.

“The biggest thing to me is engagement from the teachers,” says Jeremy. “I’ve heard of a lot of friends whose kids’ teachers just kind of come into the class, do their work, and then leave. One of the things that we were looking for was a school that actually had teachers who were enjoying their job, and enjoying the kids, and enjoying what they did and that shows in the way the kids actually learn and want to go to school and talk about school. So my top priority was ensuring that we found a place where the kids were around teachers who were engaged and enthusiastic about what they were doing every day.”

The family learned about IDEA when they came across an IDEA information booth at the YMCA. Recalls Jeremy about his subsequent research and interactions with IDEA staff: “They just had this attitude that shows that they were really about the students and really eager to do something great in the area. So, we went ahead and registered the kids and started them at IDEA Innovation.”

While it is still early days since the new school launched and the school year began, Veniayetta and Jeremy are happy with their children’s experiences at IDEA Innovation so far. In Jacob, they see a steady increase in studiousness: “We’ve seen that progression in him and in his excitement for reading,” says Veniayetta. He’s especially diligent about his required daily reading and if his parents happen to forget, he is quick to remind them. “He’ll say ‘Mommy, I have to do my 15 minutes of reading,’ and he goes and gets his book, and we do the reading,” says Veniayetta. Jillian, who has always been a reader and a writer, brings home at least a book a week from the school Accelerated Reader Zone and keeps building good learning habits.

While working hard at their academics at school, these 1st graders are also having fun. They particularly enjoyed a recent teacher-versus-student basketball game, speculating for hours about the game in the lead-up, and recounting all the details to their parents afterwards. Something else they enjoyed was discovering that their Accelerated Reading teacher, Mr. Young, shared their birthday. “I remember them coming home and saying, ‘Mr. Young is our birthday twin!’ They were just excited to find that out about their teacher and he was excited with them,” recounts Jeremy.

When Jillian and Jacob look back on their education one day, we hope they remember an experience filled with fun, with rigor, with deep personal connections to teachers who sparked their curiosity to learn and achieve their dreams. The hopes and aspirations of families like the Johnsons lie at the heart of what we do at IDEA Innovation Academy and our 78 other schools every day. ♦ IMPACT WINTER 2019

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PASSION, PERSEVERANCE, AND PROGRESS: AN IDEA MOTHER AND BOARD MEMBER’S STORY

Yolanda Davila As a third-grade student in El Paso, Texas, Yolanda “Yoly” Davila decided she wanted to go to Harvard. Though she admits to not knowing exactly what Harvard was at that age, she understood intuitively that it was the key to more.

THE YOUNGEST CHILD OF MEXICAN IMMIGRANTS, Yoly was a bright, ambitious student determined to become a first-generation college student. By high school, she ranked fifth in a class of 450 students, received straight A’s and was an active member of the National Honor Society. However, when it came time to apply to colleges, Davila was shocked to discover she had been rejected from her top college picks.

“I thought my academic record enough to get me into Harvard and Columbia, and it wasn’t,” she says. “My entire life I lived on a plan. I was going to go to this university, I was going to be in law school…so when it didn’t work out, I was devastated.”

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Yolanda Davila with son Fabian, who will become part of IDEA Montopolis’ first graduating class in May.

An admissions offer referred Davila to an attorney in El Paso who completed a gap year of intensive study before attending college. After recommending she look into a gap year of her own, Davila was urged to apply to Northfield Mount Herman, a co-educational college-preparatory school in Massachusetts for grades 9–12. The school is highly selective, with only handful post-secondary graduates gaining acceptance each year.

“They accept about 15 postgraduate students who do a gap-year of rigorous study before applying to college. They said, ‘With us, you’ll get accepted into any school you want to,’ and that’s exactly what happened,” she says.

In the Fall of 1994, Davila accepted a scholarship to Northfield Mount Herman where she challenged herself to improve in her studies. A year later, Davila was accepted to Williams College, a small liberal arts school in Massachusetts whose offer came with a generous scholarship. Known for being the #1 liberal arts school in the country, Williams College boasts several notable alumni including Stephen Sondheim, Mika Brzezinski, and Dominick Dunne. Though she loved the small class size, Davila says she experienced culture shock that forced her to look for her own place to belong.

“Williams College is rich and white, and I am neither,” she says. “It’s in the middle of nowhere and freezing. You become really close to the other people of color. To this day, we survived it because of our bond.”

While most college freshman adjust to new schedules and residences, Yoly found herself with an even greater challenge: during her first semester at Williams, Davila discovered she was pregnant and no one else knew. Surprised, but more determined than ever to accomplish each of her goals, she informed the school of her decision to take the spring semester off to have the baby and plans to return the following fall—with a newborn.

Christian was born in March 1996, and as promised, Davila came back to school that fall with her son to finish the second half of her freshman year.

“They gave me a senior dorm and my son was my roommate. I was the only student in college who had a baby living with her in her dorm,” she recalls. “Baby or not, I was always driven. When I discovered I was pregnant, I never considered not finishing school. I just thought, ‘Well, I will do everything I want do, but with Christian.’”

Some young mothers would find the prospect of taking care of a baby and attending college daunting, but Yoly says being a mother gave her routine and structure. In hindsight, says she didn’t think about it much, and just did what needed to be done.

Davila graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and thought about pursuing a master’s degree in Public Policy due to her interest in social issues and desire to eradicate barriers for low income populations. After deferring her acceptance to the University of Texas’s LBJ School of Public Affairs for one year to have her second son Fabian, she eventually completed graduate school and remained in Austin.

Davila was invited to lunch by friends who were also IDEA Board Members. She had also seen a flyer for IDEA’s newest venture in Austin but had a negative perception of charter schools. After their meeting however, she not only agreed to serve as a member of the regional board, but also wanted her son to be a student at the first campus in Austin.

“From the moment we applied and visited IDEA, you could just tell that everything was different about this school,” she says. “IDEA’s reputation precedes itself. When you see photographs of children of color who are enjoying 100% college acceptance year after year, it does make you excited. It makes you wonder what they are doing differently.”

IDEA’s stellar record of 100% college acceptance and mission to provide equity among all scholars further fueled Davila’s passion for social justice and belief that students always rise to the challenge when held to high expectations.

A belief that is especially important regarding underserved student populations.

As a long-time IDEA College Signing Day attendee, Davila says she is counting the days until Austin’s own event this May where she will watch Fabian and his friends announce the next steps on their academic journey as the first graduating class of IDEA Montopolis.

As a mother and regional board member, she is grateful for the rigorous curriculum and opportunities that matriculating at IDEA has brought her son, and says she is most proud of Fabian’s long commitment to putting in the work needed to someday secure acceptance to any college of his choice.

“I did not have to send Fabian to the neighborhood school that was graduating a portion of its incoming freshman class four years later,” she says. “Because of IDEA, we have a choice.

We have options. We have what every student deserves.” ♦

Its reputation precedes itself. When you see photographs of children of color who are enjoying 100% college acceptance year after year, it makes you excited. It makes you wonder what IDEA is doing differently.”

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IT TAKES A

When IDEA Bridge and IDEA Innovation opened in Baton Rouge on August 8, 2018, it was the culmination of a three-year-long process that involved the extraordinary efforts of many entities who partnered with IDEA. It has taken a village to make these two schools a reality and to deliver on a promise that resulted in 900 children walking through the campus doors in IDEA uniforms on the first day of school.

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IT TAKES A VILLAGE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROCESS, two facts came into focus: the compelling need for better education options for students in Baton Rouge and IDEA’s proven track record of achieving results for its students in Texas. Chris Meyer, CEO of New Schools for Baton Rouge; John White, Louisiana State Superintendent of Education; and John Spain, Executive Vice President of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, among others, made a convincing case to IDEA to establish a presence in Louisiana, and paved the way to move from exploratory conversations to commitment.

“It became clear to IDEA that we could make a difference for students,” says Sam Goessling, IDEA’s Chief Advancement Officer, who was involved in the process from the earliest stages.

As plans coalesced, projects got underway, and challenges arose and had to be dealt with, these partnerships deepened, expanded, and showed their mettle. Kenneth Campbell, Executive Director of IDEA Southern Louisiana, who has led this expansion, highlights some of the key players: At the top of the list is New Schools for Baton Rouge (NSBR), a community-partnership organization that is committed to educational equity and excellence. “Like a lot of organizations that are city-based, they are looking forward to making a difference for kids and their community. But the folks at New Schools for Baton Rouge take it to a whole different level,” says Campbell. “Chris Meyer and his team have just been super-partners, not just providing resources, but also the moral support, and moving huge rocks out of the way so that we could get in and work.” In addition to supporting IDEA with an $8 million grant to support the expansion, NSBR acquired the land for IDEA Innovation, secured the financing, managed the construction, and helped with outreach to local media and elected officials to mobilize local publicity and support.

Another key partner has been the East Baton Rouge Parish School District. Because IDEA Bridge and IDEA Innovation are Type 1 Charter Schools, they are a part of the local school district, making this partnership particularly important. “Our relationship has been strong,” says Campbell. “They have been super helpful, nothing but supportive, and we’re hopeful that our work with the district will not only mean that our schools are great, but that we have an impact above and beyond the kids who walk through our doors.”

Campbell also praises the two IDEA Boards of Directors, one each for Baton Rouge and New Orleans: “They are just a dynamic group of people, a very diverse group of people in

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terms of skill set who are really committed to this work and committed to the kids of Baton Rouge and New Orleans, and we’re super excited to be able to work with them. They provide great advice and have their finger on the pulse of the community.”

At the grassroots level, he highlights community organizations, such as the Gardere Initiative, that have proactively reached out to partner. IDEA has eagerly responded to their requests in turn, for example to use IDEA Innovation as a much-needed polling place for the Gardere community. Elected leaders at the state and local levels, including elected school board members and city council members, have also provided support. “They come to our events, they give us advice, they open doors for us. We feel super welcomed and proud to be part of the community,” reiterates Campbell.

In fact, there has been no shortage of generous outreach from the community. The Director of Athletics for the local school district reached out to express support for adding the two new schools to the middle school athletic leagues next year, and local entities such as tutoring organizations and the Emerge Center (which adjoins IDEA Innovation and provides services to children on the autism spectrum) have reached out to help.

At the foundation of these partnerships, notes Campbell, is one important factor: Sincerity. “There’s been a sincere desire to partner. And for me, the sincerity is the most important thing. I think partnerships require two sides to actually go in with eyes wide open and be willing to work together.

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

People haven’t come in and tried to dictate what we could or should do in order to be a part of the partnership. They’ve come forward with that openness and that sincerity and that transparency to say ‘This is what we have. This is what we do.

We would love to partner with you.’”

As for the significance of this expansion for IDEA, Campbell notes that it is huge. In Texas, where policies, regulations and politics are now familiar, IDEA has a proven model and been able to serve the needs of many children. “But across the country there a lot of kids with needs.” he says. “To be able to go to another state and be able to demonstrate success is important.

And we’re happy to be on the leading edge of that for IDEA.” With the support of committed partners, who are now all members of our Southern Louisiana Founding Family, IDEA looks forward to ensuring the success of its beautiful, new Baton Rouge schools and to expanding its presence in this and other communities in the region. IDEA is working to raise $15 million by 2020 to achieve that vision. ♦

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