Summer Family Updates – July 20, 2018

July 21, 2018

Summer Updates_prior to start of school

Dear CLA-EAST families,

It’s hard to believe that it is already halfway through July and the school year will be starting in just four weeks!  Enrollment is going well this summer – we have very few openings in seventh grade; we are completely full in sixth grade – if you have any family or friends who are interested, please have them stop by the building or call me for enrollment information! Our new teachers start next week and our returning teachers will be joining them on August 1st. I can’t wait to dive into the CLA-EAST culture and EL Education trainings and overview with everyone.

Throughout the summer, we have reflected on the culture of CLA-EAST and have revised our Student and Family Handbook to ensure we are doing what is best for students. With that, we will be transitioning to a culture of restorative practices.  We will continue to have the progressive discipline structure that offers consistency, but we will shift from focusing on what rules were broken and what the punishment will be, to what harm was caused to the community and how to repair that harm.  So, for example, instead of sitting in detention in silence, we will have afterschool Restorative Circles where students and deans and at times teachers and parents talk about what logical consequence will best repair the harm; making sure the student is invested in making the repair. EL Education has provided us with a guideline for implementing restorative practices and we’ve spoken with two local schools – Facing History New Tech and Urban Community School – who have successfully implemented this discipline system.

We are excited to review the restorative practices process during our Before-School Meet & Greets on Wednesday, August 8 and Thursday, August 9 (see times below) with you, your student and your crew leader. These visits will be structured similarly to student-led conferences, as you will be able to meet with your student’s crew leader to review the updated handbook, set goals for the upcoming year, and most importantly begin building relationships! During this time, you will also be able to meet the new leaders and teachers and see the returning leaders and teachers of the building.

It is essential to attend the Before-School Meet & Greet. The time frames are: 

  •  Wednesday, August 8 from 11-7 p.m.
  •  Thursday, August 9 from 7:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

 Lastly, just a few quick reminders:

  • Remind your scholar to complete his or her summer reading assignment and math stretch packet — copies of the assignments are on our website! If you have questions about this, please reach out to Mr. Franklin or Mrs. Bailey by phone or email.
  • If your scholar is entering seventh grade, be sure to get the needed immunization booster and return that paperwork to the main office.
  • As always, the school supply list is incredibly short!! This is the case this year, we are asking all students to bring the following items:
    • 2 boxes of tissue
    • 2 bottles of hand sanitizer
    • 1 box of pencils and pens
    • 1 set of earphone buds (only buds are permitted to be worn) – students will be responsible for their set of these on a daily basis.

As mentioned above, I am incredibly excited for the start of the upcoming year, and I am eager to share the exciting changes with you and your scholar. The final CLA-EAST calendar is included, posted on our website and can be found here. As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to give me a call. I am excited to share the introduction of our new staff in just a few short weeks with you!

Sincerely,

Ricardo Franklin Sr.

Founding Principal