Franklin Elementary and TEACH present arts-based instruction, student supports to school board

Principal Greg Harrison of Franklin Elementary and the TEACH program presented to the school board about enrollment, staffing, arts-integrated instruction and community partnerships during the "school connection" portion of the meeting.

Harrison told trustees Franklin Elementary currently enrolls 297 students and that the building has roughly 30–35 certified staff and 23 classified staff. "It's an incredibly special place," Harrison said, adding that the foundation of the school's work is its people and its focus on children.

Harrison said TEACH — an arts-focused program serving early literacy through third grade — had 71 students at the time of the presentation and is capped at 76. TEACH provides two additional specialist offerings through in-school "spark artists," including daily dance and visual-arts instruction that staff integrate into classroom lessons.

Harrison described schoolwide efforts to build culture and student leadership. The schools use a "Leader in Me" approach and four universal expectations — Positive, Respectful, Responsible, Safe — and operate three action teams focused on academics, culture and leadership. Harrison said those teams and distributed leadership opportunities allow students and staff to set goals and mentor younger students.

On student supports, Harrison described universal interventions such as "check-in/check-out" for students who need additional behavior monitoring and a "sparkling moments" practice to highlight one positive event each day. He also described partnerships that place services on campus: Partnership Health provides an on-site outpatient therapist, Brock Bellegarde, who sees students during the school day; HSS supports through Aware offer additional behavioral and therapeutic services for students.

Harrison listed family- and community-facing programs tied to Franklin. Volunteer reading with kindergarteners runs weekly and recently began after required background checks were completed; Parks and Recreation provides after-school care with about 70 slots for Franklin and additional slots added for TEACH. The school's weekly food pantry, run by community liaison Christina Sonovich on Tuesdays, served roughly 118 families in the last month, Harrison said. He also said the Montana Realtors Organization donated funds that allowed the school to double the size of its school garden, and the school partners with Garden City Harvest for outdoor classroom work.

Trustee Davy asked whether non-TEACH students feel left out because TEACH students receive the extra specials. Harrison replied the district does not publicize separations, that arts-integration professional development (led monthly by Karen Bartles) supports strategies used across classrooms, and that teachers who previously worked at TEACH help spread those practices buildingwide.

Harrison closed by inviting trustees to visit Franklin and TEACH. Trustees thanked Harrison for the presentation; no board action was taken on the presentation.