Dear Frank Wagner families,

As you may recall, we surveyed our students earlier this fall to better understand their views of the climate and culture in our school. Now that we have the results and have taken time to review them, we want to share them with you and outline our goals for improving our students’ sense of belonging at our school this year.

This past Fall, 220 of our students in grades 3-5 completed the survey during school. You can view our school-specific survey results in their entirety HERE (click on the “11 schools” icon to select our school’s name to view our results).

This year, all schools in the Monroe School District have set goals for improving our students’ sense of belonging at school. Sense of belonging is “the extent to which students feel that they are valued members of their school’s community.” Belonging includes feelings related to acceptance, respect, value, and connectedness, which we know impacts engagement, behavior, and academic performance. 

We are proud that 90% of students surveyed this fall felt that they have supportive relationships at Frank Wagner. This is a testament to the positive and nurturing environment we strive to create. We are hoping to leverage these relationships as we work to increase the percentage of students who feel a sense of belonging.

At Frank Wagner Elementary, our “sense of belonging” goal for the 2024-25 school year is:

• 81% (180 students) of students in grades 3-5 will positively report a sense of belonging as measured by the 2025 spring survey, up from 54% (120 students) on the 2024 fall survey. 
  • Within this goal, we have also identified peer to peer respect as an area of focus. As a sub-goal, we will work on increasing the percentage of total students in grades 3-5 who answer favorably in the subcategory of feeling respected by their peers from 48% (95 students) to 65% (144 students).

As we work toward achieving this goal, we are implementing the following strategies at our school:

• Morning Meetings or Circle Time: Daily meetings where students can share, listen, and build community. Incorporate structured prompts about respect, inclusion, and kindness.
• Peer Mentorship Programs: Pair older students with younger peers or within the same grade to foster connection and accountability.
• Collaborative Learning Activities: Use cooperative learning strategies (like jigsaw or think-pair-share) to encourage teamwork and interdependence among peers.
• Class Agreements: Co-create classroom norms or charters with students about how to treat each other.
• "Kindness Week" Campaign: Host events or challenges focused on acts of kindness. Recognize and celebrate these acts publicly.
• Cultural Awareness Days: Create opportunities for students to share and celebrate their cultures, helping build mutual respect and understanding.
• Buddy Classrooms: Partner classrooms across grades to engage in shared projects or reading activities, fostering connections beyond individual classes.
• Student-Led Assemblies: Let students take the lead in sharing what respect and belonging mean to them.
• Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS): Build on your existing system with targeted rewards for demonstrating respect (e.g., “Caught Being Kind” tickets).
• Classroom Jobs or Leadership Roles: Empower students to take responsibility and feel valued in the school community such as ASB, Safety Patrol, Assemblies, etc…
• Friendship Benches: Designate spots where students can sit when they’re looking for a friend or someone to talk to during recess.
• Calming Corners: Continue utilizing calming and ROAR rooms while integrating peer support for students who need help regulating emotions.

Our students will take the survey again this spring to help us measure our progress toward our goal. In addition, we will be asking families and staff to take the survey so that we can better understand their views of the climate and culture in our schools - be on the lookout for the survey this spring!

We're dedicated to creating a welcoming environment that helps our students succeed both academically and personally. We look forward to the positive impact our teamwork will have on making everyone at Frank Wagner Elementary feel that they belong.

Sincerely,

Hugo Molina, Principal

Deborah Henderson, Assistant Principal