Principals report new music, inclusion expansion and grants; district awarded opioid settlement funding for counseling
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Summary
School principals and early-learning staff highlighted community partnerships, new programs and events across Phoenix-Talent schools. District staff announced an opioid-settlement grant of about $500,000 over three years for short-term substance-use counseling and family care coordination.
Multiple school principals and community early-learning staff presented opening-year updates to the Phoenix-Talent School District 4 board, reporting staff recognition, new programs and community events.
Phoenix Elementary principal Shawna Schleich thanked volunteers and a Walmart donation coordinator, noting the school is providing basic supplies for families and sharing excess with other schools. Schleich also praised instructional staff for leading beginning-of-year diagnostics and thanked librarian Christy Dixon for making the building available to community groups.
Orchard Hill principal Kent described an expanded model for professional learning communities (PLCs) that brings grade-level teachers from district elementary schools together, praised special education paraprofessionals and highlighted a new school song written by the newly hired music teacher, Tyler Sonti.
Talent Elementary principal Heather Lowe (read by another speaker) reported the school's move toward full inclusion, a fall family barbecue and teachers' efforts on family engagement and assessment.
Casey, principal at Talent Middle School, reported the school won a Community 101 grant of up to $7,500 to let students design and manage a community grant process as part of leadership class. Casey said students will be trained to identify needs and evaluate nonprofit proposals and that the donor will work with student teams.
Early-learning representative Kelly Soter announced the district was awarded a grant from the public schools opioid recovery trust (opioid settlement funds). Kelly said the award is "just under $500,000 for 3 years" and will fund part-time substance-use counseling at Talent Middle School and Phoenix High School, an expanded screening tool for brief interventions, and care coordination.
District staff also described districtwide suicide-prevention training that has been completed at the elementary level and is scheduled for middle and high schools.
Board members thanked principals for the reports and noted strong community engagement in open houses and early-year events.