DENS

Our KESA action plan states that we will be implementing cross-grade families to create a culture of cohesiveness and ownership as a way to improve engagement and relationships at school

What are cross-Grade Families?  

-Small groups of multi-age students in grades Kindergarten through 6th grade
-Each group of students has two or more adult leaders
-Groups stay constant year-to-year; with 6th graders aging out and new Kindergarten students joining each year

Research has shown that a culture of belonging helps create and develop closer bonds between students and improve their educational experience

-The habitat with the most tickets at the end of each quarter will earn a reward.
-Tickets are counted weekly and a running total will be displayed outside the Title room.
-When a student earns a ticket, they put it in their Habitat’s box. This will also earn them a Bear Pride award at the end of that week.
-Adults can award tickets to students who show one of the 6 Pillars of Character.
-Each Habitat will represent one of the 6 character pillars

A Habitat is a group of 5 Bear Dens

Bear Dens
-30 small groups with 1-2 students from each grade level K-6
-Each Den has at least 2 adult leaders
-Dens have a specified meeting place