Feel like: Once they come in the door, feel like they belong.  Comfortable to go to anyone on the staff if they have any issues/problems.  It should feel like school.  So often students jump to Noble feels like prison.  We want to make it feel like school instead of something that's too controlling.

Look like: Diversity - representative of our students in order to make them feel more welcome/comfortable and able to connect.  It's been tough trying to get more staff members that represent the community - basically it's the support staff that the students connect with.  It can be overwhelming for those staff members that have students gravitate towards them.

Now that the policies are changed, we're going to have a different scope to look through and that will help us support students in all three ways.  Celebrating students as students first and learners second.  It's been harmful to celebrate the best grades, SAT score, etc.  It causes harm to our students with depression/anxiety or others that may have given their best but it's not being acknowledged.  My hope is that we will find ways to celebrate all students.

This time is a critical part of a student's identity development.  Working on this with both staff and students.  We need to think about how we have to interact with the world to take on the new things we're about to embark on.  We can talk about it, but we need to incorporate it into our systems/schools so it doesn't get pushed to the side.

Important 1. we change our common perception of what success is.  It's not a destination, but it's the journey.  We get focused on end goals instead of where we are from where we started. 2. we reflect and change our natural response.  We talk about a lot of things that we are changing/want to do, but there needs to be a space where staff can practice these things.  We don't want staff to revert back to what they used to do/what feels comfortable once they find themselves in a situation.

We need to become culturally competent.  It gives you a baseline on how to support students and how to understand them.  Relationship building and cultural awareness is key.  This can help us to be proactive and avoid exclusionary practices for students.  Teaching moments instead of punitive measures.

Partnering with families.  They are already supporting their students at home.  We need to partner with them to make sure we are on the same page and can layer our support.  Prioritize having 1-2 people that communicate with parents to make sure that we are building relationships on trust and don't overwhelm them.  Trying to set up a system that identifies who those points of contact are.

Connected to the idea that students are people first and sometimes we get lost in all the things. the ARC isn't just about anti-racism it's about treating out students as human beings too. Make sure that students know we care about their whole selves, not just their grades.

Group 6
It acknowledged our students and families are human beings and giving them what they need to be their full selves.  Asset based with our students. Acknowledging our humanity and that of our families.

Make sure this is a share of power- build equity between staff and students 

A different focus on responsible decision making- this is a change from our old practice of using punishments. This is a big opportunity to teach these skills. It helps us talk to students about what they want to achieve and how they can get there.

Empower students to be able to fully and authentically own who they are. HS comes with a lot of pressure to conform and this can be a building block to help students really own who they are in a safe space. 

This can also help make sure families feel like they have a voice and feel heard and part of the conversations.