Mr. Morris's Message

Stratford Landing's Responses to Student Behaviors 

Our school days at Stratford Landing are calm, productive, fun, and engaging for our students. Our teachers use resources, routines, and procedures to provide a respectful, positive, safe, student-centered environment that is conducive to learning. Our teachers establish clear expectations for classroom rules and procedures. They establish a climate of trust and teamwork by being fair, caring, respectful, and enthusiastic. Our teachers work to create and maintain a positive and safe environment to maximize student learning and promote students’ social development.

During the school week, the Stratford Landing administration, staff, and non-school-based support staff respond to student behaviors. Some examples include students in crisis, students demonstrating unsafe behaviors, and students demonstrating actions that are not conducive to learning nor align with our Dolphin Decree and our CARES approach (Cooperation, Assertion, Responsibility, Empathy and Self-Control). There are many actions the SLES administration team takes to support our learning environment. Sometimes we can share these actions with families, and we can be transparent in our approaches to student behavior. To honor student confidentiality, we are not always able to fully explain the steps we take to support students and staff at Stratford Landing. Families should always reach out to the SLES administration team with any questions about student behaviors and supports we provide our students and staff.

Here are some proactive and responsive steps we take at Stratford Landing to support student behaviors and our teachers with their management of the learning environment and student safety:

• We utilize the Responsive Classroom approach to teaching and learning at Stratford Landing. For some students, additional supports (referred to as Tier 2 and Tier 3 behavior supports) are needed to ensure student success. This may look like a token board, goal sheet, or incentive chart for a student. Sometimes more intensive supports are needed. Typically speaking, these supports are confidential and meant for the student, teacher, and family of the student.  

• We create individual action plans and crisis plans for students demonstrating escalated behaviors.

• Our teachers participate in professional development during the school day and work with outside specialists to better manage student behavior, especially escalated behaviors.

• Our Multi-tiered Systems of Support Team (MTSS) provides strategies and support for our teachers and students. Our team uses student data to help make decisions on how to best support our students and teachers.

• Our teachers address behavioral concerns and focus on social emotional learning (SEL) during morning meetings.

• We adjust schedules and support from staff members to provide additional assistance to students that frequently demonstrate unsafe or escalated behaviors.  

• We’ve used allocations from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) and hired three additional hourly staff members to support students in small group and one-on-one meetings. These staff members are used strategically throughout our building to support some of our students with the greatest needs.

• We collaborate with additional FCPS resources to support student learning and behaviors including a Behavior Intervention Teacher (BIT), a Responsive Classroom (RC) specialist, and Special Education Teacher Support (SETS) staff.

• We provide explicit instruction, teaching and interactive modeling for students to help promote positive behaviors.

• We implement restorative practices with students.
• Our school counselors work with our students in a variety of ways, including whole group lessons, small group lessons and one on one support sessions
• We deploy social skill programming for some students, such as Zones of Regulation.

• We adhere to the FCPS Students Rights and Responsibilities, appropriately document behaviors that occur at SLES and communicate with necessary entities within the division to monitor and respond to student behaviors. Pages 61-71 outline progressive consequences we provided to students.

• We communicate frequently with families and partner with families to promote student success in school.  Many of our staff members develop one on one mentor-type relationships with some of our students to help them succeed.
• We make physical adjustments for safety when possible. Our cafeteria reflects a design for seating that promotes positive behaviors. Just recently we updated our school grounds and removed two sheds that created visibility issues during recess.

At Stratford Landing, we are committed to maintaining a safe and positive learning environment for our students and teachers. We are ready and available to partner with families to support student success. Please reach out directly to the SLES administration with any questions, concerns or feedback you may have about our school days.  

Until next time, 

Kevin Morris, Principal   

Rising 7th Grade Curriculum Night at Sandburg Middle School

During the Sandburg Middle School Rising 7th Grade Curriculum Night, you will receive an introduction to Sandburg Middle School and learn about the course offerings during the General Information Session. We ask that all families choose to attend the 6:00 PM or 7:00 PM session.

During the Curriculum Fair, you will have the opportunity to ask questions and get course information from the teachers.

If you have a student in the Advanced Academic Program, a student receiving Special Education services or a student receiving ESOL services, there are  additional sessions that you can attend.

Below you will find session times and locations. 

Save the Date: Young Author's Night at Stratford Landing

Mark your calendars for A Celebration of Young Authors, February 9. This Open House event will showcase Stratford Landing student writing.

• 5:30 - 6:30 pm - Walk around the school reading and enjoying your child's writing and other fun activities. End the night with a sweet treat in the cafeteria. 

More details to come in the next edition of SLES News You Choose!

Strategic Planning Community Forums Scheduled

Beginning January 30, FCPS will host a series of community forums as part of our Strategic Plan development process. The schedule and locations for the sessions are posted on FCPS' Strategic Planning webpage.

Planning teams, which include a diverse range of voices from the FCPS community, are continuing to review student achievement, access, and survey data;and crafting a collective vision for the school division. Key communicators will soon receive strategic planning materials to share with their groups and networks. Preparations for divisionwide student focus groups are underway, and there will be opportunities for employees to engage in a survey and “reality check” sessions in the upcoming months.

For the latest information, please visit the Strategic Planning web page and check it often. 

Calendar Reminders

MLK Day (Holiday)

As a reminder, schools and offices will be closed on Monday, January 16, for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. Learn more about Martin Luther King Jr.

National Mentoring Month

Imagine a world where young people feel empowered, encouraged, and understood. Mentors can make that world a reality by helping young people find and follow their passions, excel in school, and thrive wherever they are. Learn more about Mentoring Month. 

Three Kings Day/Epiphany (O-Day)

Three Kings Day (January 6), also known as the Epiphany, is a Christian celebration that commemorates the Biblical story of the three kings who followed the star of Bethlehem to bring gifts to the Christ child. This marks the official 12th day of Christmas. Learn more at National Geographic Kids. 

FCPS has designated Three Kings Day/Epiphany as a religious and cultural observance day (O day). There is school on these days, however, the School Board has directed that specific events that cannot be made up will not be held on these observance days.

See the complete 2022-23 school year calendar.

Mark Your Calendar!

January 16: Holiday (Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday) - NO SCHOOL

January 18: BINGO Night & SLES Art Exhibit

January 25: End of Second Quarter (2-Hour Early Release)

January 26: Student Holiday (Professional Workday) - NO SCHOOL

January 27: Student Holiday (Professional Workday) - NO SCHOOL

February 9: Young Author's Night at SLES