At Cory, we believe the student, teacher and parent culture is crucial for academic success. We can define consistent practices across our school that support students’ growth and development as learners and people. We work on staff culture through practices that encourage collaboration and are grounded in our vision and mission to ultimately serve our students better. We build authentic and lasting relationships within the school community through a focus on social-emotional learning and mindfulness practices to support respectful, caring and responsible actions.
Each teacher has a Classroom Management Plan in place to guide and support students academically and behaviorally. The following are preventative measures we have in place to ensure student safety.
Cory is committed to providing a safe and secure school environment for all students. We believe students should be able to learn in an environment that is free from threats, harassment and any type of bullying behavior, including cyber-bullying. Students who engage in any act of bullying are subject to disciplinary action, which may include suspension or expulsion, and referral to law enforcement.
Bullying is the use of coercion or intimidation to obtain control over another person or to cause physical, mental or emotional harm to another person. Bullying can occur through written, verbal or electronic means or by a physical act or gesture.
To protect students, Cory and DPS have several procedures and policies in place.
If, at any time, your child feels unsafe at school, please contact their teacher and/or the principal right away. It is difficult for the school to intervene if we are unaware of situations occurring. If your child feels uncomfortable telling someone at school, they can contact Safe2Tell, a way in which students or parents can make an anonymous report.
We believe in educating the whole child and paying attention to the social/emotional needs of all students. By integrating an evidence-based Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Program with our Bullying Prevention and Child Protection Units, we have formed a cohesive foundation for a safe and supportive learning environment. Students gain the skills they need to become caring, confident, and capable learners and problem-solvers. Together, we can achieve real and lasting results. At Cory, we want to build the whole child through:
During Homeroom Community Time, teachers use the 2nd Step Curriculum. Each grade level features developmentally appropriate ways to teach core social-emotional skills such as empathy, emotion management, problem-solving, self-regulation, and executive function skills. We believe that this program will give students the skills to know how to be an up-stander for themselves and other students as well as prevent bullying.
Second Step provides instruction in social and emotional learning with units on skills for learning, empathy, emotion management, friendship skills, and problem-solving. The Second Step program teaches skills in the following four areas:
Mindfulness is the ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us. While mindfulness is something we all naturally possess, it’s more readily available to us when we practice on a daily basis. Whenever you bring awareness to what you’re directly experiencing via your senses, or to your state of mind via your thoughts and emotions, you’re being mindful.
First Fridays happen on the first Friday of every month. We focus on Mindfulness, Personal Success Factors, Problem-solving, student shout-outs, and building school-wide common language to support social learning. Primary will begin at 12:20 pm and intermediate will be at 1:10 pm. Each assembly will last about 20 minutes. First Fridays will support and build upon morning meeting topics.
Responsive Classroom Meetings is an engaging way to set the tone each day, build a strong sense of community, and set children up for success socially and academically. Students and teachers gather in a circle for 10-15 minutes and interact with one another to support Mindfulness, Personal Success Factors, and Cory expectations.
Riding the Waves is a suicide prevention curriculum for 5th-grade students that focuses on strong social, coping, and emotional skills. It addresses emotional development as well as depression and anxiety. One of the key concepts in Riding the Waves is that everyone experiences levels of stress, and that we can use coping skills to combat stress and depression. Riding the Waves also teaches students how to recognize the need for additional support and how to seek help when needed for themselves or for a friend.