Dear Salem Woods Elementary 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.

99% 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 Salem Woods Elementary, our “sense of belonging” goal for the 2024-25 school year is 85% of students will report a positive sense of belonging as measured by the Panorama survey by the end of the 2024-2025 school year, up from 75% in the 2023-2024 school year.

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

• Increased inclusion for students with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) in the general education classroom, with access to grade-level content in the least restrictive environment
• Second Step (Social Emotional) lessons aligned and reinforced building wide and PAX (Good Behavior program) relaunch
• Proactive classroom management strategies and Timberbeast STAR (Positive Behavioral Interventions & Support)
• School staff and families engaging in two-way conversations around student progress, academic supports, and ways to be involved within the school

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 Salem Woods Elementary feel that they belong.

Sincerely,

Melanie Gray, Principal

AJ Adamski, Assistant Principal