Dear Maltby 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.

100% of our students in grades 3rd-5th completed the survey during school this fall. 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).

All schools in the Monroe School District have set goals for improving our students’ sense of belonging at school this year. 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. 

At Maltby, our “sense of belonging” goal for the 2024-25 school year is 75% of 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students will report a positive sense of belonging as measured by the Panorama survey by the end of the 24-25 school year, up from 66% in the 23-24 school year.

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

• All classrooms will continue to use Positive Greeting at the door daily, PAX Good Behavior Program, and community circles in their classrooms. 
• Teachers will use and follow pacing guides for all Second Step Social-Emotional Learning lessons and Bullying Prevention lessons. Students will begin to identify feelings and emotions using the Zones of Regulation.
• Provide intentional opportunities for students to connect with other students outside of their class and grade level through the launch of Mustang Families and Classroom Buddies. 
• Staff to participate in various book studies to learn more about inclusion and belonging.
• Increase opportunities for student voice through student clubs, ASB, and student voting on school wide activities and events.

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 Maltby feel that they belong.

In Partnership, 

Christine Hillestad
Principal – Maltby Elementary School
360-804-3500
hillestadc@monroe.wednet.edu

It's a GREAT day to be a Maltby Mustang!