Chandler, Arizona Chandler's Latest, 16 Aug 2022

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From YouTube: Power Conversations with Councilmember Harris: Back to School

Description

In this episode of Power Conversations, Councilman OD Harris discusses back-to-school safety and talks to experts from Chandler Unified School District and Salvation Army for tips and resources to help all students thrive this year.

A

Welcome to power conversation with councilman od harris. We have a fantastic show, a line for you. Today we have guests from chandler, unified school district. That's going to be talking to us about how to prepare your student for class and then also we have the honorable captain, jeff williams, who's going to be talking about our resources for your student, but before we get going on the show, let's talk about safety.

B

Hi, we are out here in washington dc and we're asking teenagers if they've ever texted, while they've crossed the street. Yes, most.

C

Definitely all the.

B

Time actually yeah.

C

Yes, I have teenagers, do it all the time and.

B

Do you think you're ever going to text while you're walking? No it's dangerous, I mean, I know it's dangerous, but I can't help it. What percentage of your friends would you say, texas when they cross the street 95 good.

C

B

The 90, when is it important enough to text when you're crossing the street? If I'm texting my mom or my girlfriend, what would you be texting your girlfriend that would make it okay to text while you're crossing the street? Well, I usually have to answer pretty fast or she's, probably gonna get mad. Would you prefer that your boyfriend texts you back right away or gets hit by a car.

B

What would you think would happen to you if a car hit you oh I'll, be dead, you think so yeah is there anything? I can say that would get you to stop texting while you're crossing the street I'd say: I'd have to go through the experience. um Take away my phone, making it an obvious thing that so people like take the time to think about it. If only I knew it was like really dangerous.

B

You're really gonna stop just based on this single conversation.

C

Yeah, I'm never gonna text again. I mean it just hit me how bad it actually is.

B

To learn more visit safekids.org so from now on the rule is you? Can you don't have to text her when you're crossing the street? Do we all agree on that yeah? We do. I do. This is on camera too.

A

Sharing the road with your bicycle, listen I need to make sure that you guys understand that when you are using a bike lane, it's not for you you're, not the king of the bike lane, but we want you to respect other people who are trying to get to the same destination with their same vehicle of choice, which is their bike. Listen make sure that you are going the same direction as traffic when you're in the bike lane.

A

That is very important and making sure that you keep your head on the swivel and making sure that you are a defensive bike rider as you are riding. As you know, when you decide to get in the street, it becomes a very dangerous place. So please make sure you be a safe bike rider, while you're rolling down the street.

A

A

Welcome back to power conversation with councilman harris today I have two special guests from channel unified school district, dr jessica egger, the executive director of curriculum and instruction and stephanie howell director of community education. Welcome, ladies hello,.

C

How are you I'm great.

A

I'm grace so listen we're going back to school. Everyone knows that this happens every year and we are trying to make sure our students are ready to go, and so I want to just start out with uh with you stephanie. uh What do? Students ne and parents need to talk about before they start their day, getting ready to go back to school.

D

I think for me it's just about being prepared for the for the day right. Are you? um Did you get a good night's sleep? Did you get breakfast we were talking in the morning and uh this morning in the car on the way here, have you had your school shopping done, got your new backpack?

D

Are you prepared and know what's going to be happening over the course of the you know the the day now how much.

A

Sleep is they supposed to get, because my kids are always up all night long on tic-toc they're on every single social media. There is how many hours of sleep should they be getting.

C

That will give you the exact amount, but.

E

We just say a good amount of sleep so that your students can function the next day in school and function is really engage cognitively in the tasks that they're doing and and receive the learning. So, okay.

A

I want to give again.

E

An exact amount, but.

A

Well: okay, that's fine! Because you know my kids. uh I have a 16 year old who's in school, she's learning how to drive she's getting ready to get going and I'm always concerned that she's up all night long, and I just you know I can't be possible for the work I mean. Don't you guys have students that fall asleep in class? How do you guys handle that so.

E

Yes, there are, students, sometimes have fall asleep in class, but we we handle them with lots of care, because you know what we have a very diverse group of students in chandler unified school district, and you know you never know why a child is going to fall asleep, whether it's tick tick-tock, possibly or it's, because they're working, two jobs or they're caring for siblings or parents.

E

So we just make sure that we handle all of our students with love and care and recognize that their body needs some sleep but also make sure that they're ready and prepared to receive that that learning too. So we, we gently, just you know, say hey, let's. Let's.

A

E

Happens occasionally.

A

Okay, well, you know, since we're talking about social media, this is a big question. How should parents monitor their children? Social media is such a big thing in class out of class? Can you can you all talk to us about how they should engage the social media platform.

E

So I think, um as far as engaging in a social media platform, that's that's a parental choice. When it's outside the school day, I just I can speak only to channel unified about the different things we do have available. We use google classroom and some different pieces in chandler, unified school district, allow them opportunities to use technology in education and there are different firewalls and things that protect them, while they're in the classroom um receiving that learning. So that's about as much as we get into social media. There's.

C

Not a lot of social media, obviously.

E

That we use during the school day because we do have some different uh pieces as an education uh entity that we have to abide by when students are in the classroom. So.

A

All right, well stephanie asks you something. So a student gets ready, they get. You know they get off to school. They're there they're learning after school. What happens after school talk to us about after school programming? What should parents be talking to their students about.

D

Well, so I can tell you this so chandler unified. We have the opportunity. We have a couple different programs, so we have before and after school programming available with our kids express program, that's available on the majority of our elementary sites. Parents can drop off any time between 6 30 in the morning and the start of the school day, and they can pick up any time until 6 pm.

D

So we have that again the majority of our elementary campuses, and then we also have the opportunity for our our littlest learners, zero to five. We have a day care programming available at uh three of our campuses um and we have about 120 students in that where anybody from our community, you don't have to be a cusd employee, but any any children can can attend that programming.

A

Oh wow: well, I don't have any young ones anymore.

C

Otherwise I'll be.

D

Sitting in cusd.

A

You go you're going there, but let me just ask you guys academically inside the classroom, a student's struggling. You know they need resources, uh the teachers. I know that the teachers are trained to really. um You know, go in there immediately and say: hey. How can I help you, the student, the teacher they're, having a disconnect it's academics, the student is frustrated, don't want the help from the teacher. How do we, how do cusd engaged? How do how do? Actually, let me talk from a parent perspective.

A

How do we re-engage that with our student to get them back engaged? What type of conversation is that.

E

That's a great question, so we service in the channel unified school district pre-k through 12th grade so any different developmental stage. It's going to look a little bit different, but you're right. We have students that don't engage because, possibly there is that disconnect, like you say, on tick tock, maybe.

E

A relationship that needs to be mended uh between the classroom, teacher and the students, so what we try to do is we like to encourage all of our students, pre-k 12 and even the earliest learners to self-advocate, I mean the easiest way that we have taught our children as we move forward is just raising your hand, and we know, though, that doesn't work for every child, because not every child wants to be out there and put their hand up and possibly not to get the answer correct or just you know, um so what we do is we try to promote self-advocation in that way and then also with the great relationships that the teachers create with the students.

E

Hopefully there is that time where they can talk to a student individually. I feel that our teachers at chandler, unified school district, are so in tune with our students, um and they just know when there's that extra piece that's needed, you know, and but you know what sometimes we can't as a as a former classroom educator. You don't always see that right.

E

So as a parent, if you're seeing that there's a disconnect and just that social emotional piece, if there's a disconnect, please contact the classroom teacher directly because they're the direct conduit to the child and always best intentions to create that relationship and help them with self-advocacy or, if there's, a skill or concept that they're having struggles with. We do have offer several different opportunities to re-engage students, whether that is just you know: assistance during the school day during some tiered intervention pieces or if there's after-school tutoring, it's very specified to each campus.

E

So that is something that you would want to as a parent really reach out to that. Classroom teacher create that relationship to foster a relationship and talk about your child. Talk about what some of the obstacles are, so that we can really partner in making sure that the child gets what they need when they're in the in the school setting all day, because you give us our you, I'm a parent too. We are able to pro to give our children to chandler unified school district and we want to take the best care of them possible.

E

So, there's something that you are seeing as a parent that we're not saying please reach out to the teacher.

A

I like that um cusd has always been a great partner with parents and students, and I know that you guys have to deal with a wide range of personalities. If I could say.

C

That wide range.

A

Of personalities, but you know when you care about something there's this passion that happens, that you know parents have and they're advocating, but I like what you said: self-advocate parents, it's important for you to go to the school, get to know the teachers, the principals and self-advocate, because sometimes there could be a disconnect that child may actually know the information, but because of the disconnect you know is causing them to go blank or maybe not able to really um communicate what they've learned back to the teacher through form of a test or a quiz, or something like that.

A

So that's that's really good. So let me ask you something: if a student is struggling and they need tutoring and they need that type of functionality to happen in their life regularly does cusd have a plan for that? Is that something that is a part of your regular curriculum or your regular offerings to students.

E

I can take piece of that and then I think stephanie hall may have something to add, but we do offer tutoring at specific sites. It does depend on the amount of teachers and individuals that we have on site to tutor. Some is targeted tutoring, where it's an invite only and others is more of an enrichment tutoring opportunity, so I would definitely say to parents.

E

Talk to your teacher. Your child's teacher talk to the site. If your child's in 7-12 there's multiple teachers talk with those individual teachers, because we also recognize that tutoring before and after school is not something that every child can get to so often times too, as we we move through our district, we like to look at the different resources that we have available, including tutoring online tutoring pieces like that or how do we do virtual tutoring? So there's several different ways. We can provide.

A

They got virtual tutoring. Please tell us more about virtual tutoring.

E

Perfect, so we do some tutoring in chandler unified school district. It could be in person or targeted, but we do have in this current 2223 school year. We actually uh implemented this resource in the spring of 2021 and it's called net tutor, so net tutor is a 24 7 virtual tutoring component, where any of our students can go through their account and they can access the tutoring.

E

So it's pretty neat that there's a virtual piece and there's that flexibility for students that may be athletes or they may be in the band or have a job or different things like like that that would preclude them from having the traditional tutoring before and after school. So it's it's something that we look at this particular resource is grant funded. So we look every year at the usage reports and really say: okay is this working for our students?

E

Are students accessing this because that's something that we want to do as chandler unified school district, just be fiscal, fiscally aware and uh make sure that we are being good stewards of our funding as well. Yeah.

A

Man I wish I had virtual tutoring when I was coming up. I mean that is amazing, and that is really forward. Thinking we're in 3.0 society virtual is the way to go. So parents make sure you connect with your students, say: hey, there's virtual tutoring. You can get the help that you need with cusd virtual tutoring program. That's that's amazing! Fantastic! Yes,.

E

It's definitely something that we saw as a need that our students don't always have that opportunity before and after school. So we have purchased this program so net tutor, 24, 7, tutoring, virtual.

A

You know that 24 7 virtual training parents make sure you hashtag virtual tutoring.

B

Hashtag it dr edgar, said it hashtag.

A

It now stephanie what which, what also do they offer so.

D

I think for us in the community education department, where we can support, it, is a little bit more enrichment based. So we offer enrichment programming kindergarten through sixth grade, where it can be either teacher-led enrichment or vendor-led enrichment. Where we bring in vendors to come in, and people can sign up through our programming.

D

They pay a fee for that and kids can go through coding or robotics or science type things art whatever that child is interested in and then we also have the opportunity for our teachers if they have something that they're passionate about that they want to stay after and have the opportunity to make some extra money. They can teach any any of those same things. It could be science, it could be coding, it could be um math type things dramatic. We have a cupcake class that kids go crazy.

D

A

Go crazy for a cupcake okay, what type of cupcakes y'all make when y'all make that cupcake? When is the cupcake class.

D

I'll, send you the schedule I'll, send you the schedule, we'll bring you some series. I need a.

C

Cupcake in my life come on. Oh my god that just got me hungry y'all just had a moment right. There.

A

Okay, so this is my last question: I'm gonna ask you guys unless I got some more time left all right. What do you think uh so we have so you guys deal with a wide range of student population. You have at risk, you have those that are doing well. How do you handle at-risk students in the classroom? How do you handle at-risk students outside the classroom before and after school? So, dr edgar, would you like to speak to the absolutely speaking about the.

E

Academic side, so, once what we do is we first always look at the student as the whole student there's a lot of um facets to a student where there are always ask we asset-based think we think about what are the fantastic things that these students bring to us. So always, if there is an academic need, there's also an area that they really shine. So we make sure we focus on the area that shines but make sure that we also focus on that academic perspective.

E

So what we do is initially we will test students um during the beginning of the year. I'm sure a lot of kids come home and say: oh, I took a test. I took a test and.

D

C

His parents were like oh.

E

Yes, they took another test, but the reason we do that is to assess the skill that they're coming in with and identifying at their learning gaps and what we need to do. So, what we do is we have uh tier one, which is uh what we teach all the students, but sometimes when we realize that there are deficits, we go ahead and we provide tier 2 intervention to those students for a specific skill and a specific duration of time during the school day too.

E

So it's just that extra dose that students are getting when they need, and then you know, we also have students that have tier three needs and when I say uh needs, that's not just academic like core, like, I think individuals feel. Sometimes you know we just focus on or think it's just math english science and social studies or social sciences. But we also have that emotional piece too. That.

C

E

Emotional piece, um so we look at those pieces too, but we have different, definitely interventions built within the school day to assist our at-risk population and we also have departments within our district um that can assist our families too. If there's the need for family assistance, uh so that's also something to look at as well.

E

So I encourage any family who has a child that they feel may be at risk, or even as a family if you're struggling as a family, please contact the teacher, uh the students, teacher or even the principal at the site that can help. If there's maybe some family pieces too, because we do want to make sure that students are really working towards the goals and the goals in chandler unified school district, that our students leave our system to be either enlisted employed entrepreneurial or there's. Another e.

A

E

What I I don't know, the other e enroll.

C

E

Enrolled, so those are the four e's we want to make sure in chandler, unified, unified school district, that our students come out.

A

Again: okay, ready, I'm ready.

C

Okay, all right, oh god,.

A

Do you know one of the four enrolled entrepreneurs you almost said um enlist enlist? Okay, what's the other one, can I buy it? Can I can I phone in a friend, okay, yeah employees.

C

Employees yeah: that's how we do it around cusd.

A

You know- and I love the fact that cusd has always been great partners with their students and their parents, and I think that that is something that we've always had is a good partnership. And I appreciate how cusd and the city of chandler work collaboratively together to make sure we put forth the best resources we can. It takes a whole community to make these students thrive and get to the next level, and I know that sometimes in our community we get known as being the sports community, but we.

C

Know that cusd.

A

Is excelling every aspect always being one of the top ranked schools in the nation and people actually come and move to chandler? So that way they can be a benefactor of the cusd teachings in curriculum. So I know you guys got it down to a science.

D

A

How about you, uh stephanie.

D

A

After how do we.

D

I think for um before and after when we're talking about all cusd students, I think we work to try to make opportunities for all whether it's a person that can enroll in a tuition-based class or if we have a student that potentially doesn't have the capability to be able to do that. We want to find the avenue that we have to support that, whether we find some grant funding or some scholarship funding something we can do so they can be a part of those extracurricular activities as well.

D

We don't wanna the parents, don't have the ability to support that. We figure out a way to help support that with them. That way, everybody has the same opportunities within our department. Community education.

A

Well, we just brought a whole list of resources. We just unveiled it. We unlocked the chest. We pulled everything you guys had out. We put it on the table. We put it on. This, show: listen parents, it's important for you to have the conversation. It's a three-way conversation, not just you and your student, but you, your student and your school, it's important for us to come together so that we can be the best advocate for our student and today, dr egger and stephanie.

A

Thank you so much for coming on and helping us go a little bit further on what we need to do as we get prepared to go back to school. So, thank you so much thank.

E

You, council, member.

A

Thank you for having us hey, you guys make sure you guys stay tuned and we have more with power conversation with councilman harris coming up next.

A

Welcome back to power conversations with councilman od harris. Today we have captain jeff williams from the salvation army who's going to talk to us about resources. How you doing today, sir I'm doing well. Thank you for having me you're looking well, it's always good to see you. As always. I always see you doing the work in the community, and I know that you have been working with schools and bring in resources to families and students for a very long time.

A

But recently you have been rallying multiple organizations to come together to help bring resources to communities to help at-risk students with back-to-school supplies. Can you talk to us today about how does a community work together to provide such a large function that I've seen you work together in partnership with to make happen in your city.

F

Yeah councilman harris it's been a long journey. We've been doing this for years now, and we've set up a network of different non-profits corporate partners and uh other faith-based organizations. We all come together to find out what's a greater good for our community and out of that, we've been able to develop multiple programs and outreaches and giveaways and really look into what the need is of our youth and our families that are in our community.

A

So how does communities come together as as a leader in the community? How do lead? How do communities come together in order to bring such uh such an important resource to the community.

F

I think that it goes back to the leadership of the city. The city has really empowered the non-profit community to be able to step up and do these things and provide these services and the collaboration and communication that uh goes back and forth. It's a constant we're, always communicating, and I think that's the biggest key to it. Yeah.

A

So how this is the big question? How do you find the partners? How do you find the people, that's gonna, step up and say: I'm down, I'm gonna give a backpack I'm going to do this for the community. How do you find those partners.

F

I think it's it's something that, um like your drive and my drive, we believe in what we're doing. We believe that uh what we're doing is right and it's positive for the community, and so it's not as hard to find people who also believe in these same purposes a child uh getting a something that makes them successful in life is important. And if we're going to advocate for our kids to be successful, we need to equip them. And so I don't think that it's necessarily as hard we'd get a lot of no's.

A

Ain't gonna lie yeah, you know not this year.

C

B

Maybe on the next one or something like.

F

That but for the most part, we have some really good people in our community: good residents, good citizens, good uh partners in the community, good faith-based organizations that really believe in what we're trying to accomplish.

A

Yeah and so how do you? How do you make determinations of who's going to get it? Because recently, you were part of a big drive over 2600 families uh were able to get supplies for their children, and I know because I went to it. It was all the way around the block. I seen a whole line. How do you make this happen?.

F

Well, a lot of really early mornings and late nights. um No it. This was the most successful year. We've had and we did hand out more backpacks than we ever have um this year and supplies, and I think that um there's there's a lot of pieces to it and it all comes together when um I don't know how to really explain it, I mean, like everybody, did their part. They got to be on one accord exactly.

A

With one with one mind that we're going to make this happen,.

F

Right exactly, everybody was determined to to make it a success, and, and therefore it was it was a success. Yeah well.

A

You have the police, you have to fire right, you have various not-for-profit organizations. Obviously, mayor council was out there. Other elected officials were out there that really takes tenacity. That really takes a certain type of drive. Now I gotta ask you the tough question: how do you find the resource? Because every community in america wants to know? Where is the money? How did you get the money conversation.

F

Oh conversations.

A

F

You know again, it just goes back to reaching out to those who believe in the mission believe in the vision of what we're trying to accomplish cold calling. You know, there's a lot of new companies that have come into our community, and this year we had a new company, come out and be a title sponsor, which is the first time we ever had that wow and um so, and we look forward to working with all these groups and it's relationships and it's the ongoing throughout the year.

F

The work that we do throughout the year leads to the ability to ask for these big asks when it comes time to do a big project. So.

A

This the last question, I'm gonna, ask you, give me the one two, three of how to set up a successful school drive in my community. You.

F

Know if you're interested in being a part of a drive, it's just simply getting connected, putting out a bin collecting the supplies knowing what's needed and uh being able to collect those if you're in an hoa or in a small community or you're with a small business or something you can do an office drive, you can invite your customers give a discount to a customer to bring in a supply working with uh your community or your apartment, complex whatever everybody can do something to help.

F

If you want to be a big monetary sponsor and that's something that your company can do or you're a retired person, you can do you know getting connected, we use for our city chandler. That is our avenue to connect and link all of these uh organizations together and it's a great opportunity to get connected yeah. So you guys.

A

Heard it first right here, if you are seeking to do something like this in your community, you want to make sure you number one connect find out who your community partners are number two, obviously probably number one is have a believe that you can make this happen. That is possible.

A

You can do it, but finding people who who's willing to connect to your vision and then get out there and just do the work and that's what you've been doing all this time, I'm just I'm very I'm very proud and I'm very honored to be next to you, because I see you consistently doing the work and helping the community out, and I thank you for your time. I.

F

Appreciate your support. Yes,.

A

Sir, thank you, sir. Hey. Listen you guys. This is what it's all about. Coming together, bringing resources together and you got to have the passion you got to drive. You got to make it happen and listen more. We have coming up next.

C

A

A

Hey welcome back today we had a fantastic show. We want to thank dr eggers and we want to thank stephanie from channel unified school district for being a part of the show, and we also want to thank captain williams for being a part of the show. What a lot of great tips that we got today and the most important thing is the triangular conversation between the student, the parent and the school resource, because that has to happen and speaking of resources. It's important that this year our students are going to be faced with different challenges.

A

But we want you to know that there is a hotline, the mental health, not hotline 988 is available. If you are having thoughts, if you're confused, if you're, not for sure, if you want to continue on in this life, there's someone on the other end of that resource to help you get through this. Listen, we all struggle, and we want to make sure that your struggle is heard, and we want to make sure that you have resources.

A

So please make sure you call 988 if you know someone that is struggling or thinking about. You know dying by suicide. We want you to call the 988 number, it's a great resource. Thank you. So much for tuning in councilman harris.

F