A recent winning Family Group is shown at Greenfield Middle School. Pictured (l-r) are Riley Lanning, Danica Dettwiler, Gabe Quincel, Brianna Oiler, Harley O’Connor, teacher Mike Noszka, Kylee Waulk, Gavin Anderson and Kyle Holt. Not pictured are Cason Comer, Maci Dennis, Isaac Lee, Ross Roman and Emma Wright.
Submitted photo
The Greenfield Middle School this year has implemented a support system for students called Family Group.
According to GMS Principal Jason Potts, the idea for the program came from reflecting over the last three years of his time in the middle school where the need for social-emotional support has become imperative, especially with the pandemic and the negative impact possible with social media.
While the last couple of years have seen a tremendous increase in the counseling support available to students in the Greenfield Exempted Village School District, Potts said that doesn’t always reach all students. Many students struggle with anxiety, he said, and helping them learn to cope with the daily stressors of life as well as to communicate face-to-face instead of hiding behind their phone screens is important. This program is meant to focus on those things and appropriate social interactions.
Another “driving force” behind the creation of Family Group, Potts said, is the need for a child to have a trusted, go-to person.
All students in the middle school, grades 6-8, are assigned to a Family Group that consists of all three grade levels. Students remain with the same family group, headed up by the same adult, throughout their time in the middle school.
Groups consist of three or four students from each grade level and an adult, which can be a teacher, aide or monitor.
Potts said the family groups currently are meeting four times a quarter. Two meetings focus on attendance, grades and behavior. The other two meetings focus on social-emotional learning and are designed by school counselor Melissa Murdock.
There are Family Group challenges, too, where the groups with the best attendance, grades and behavior win rewards — things like a pizza party. During the challenges, Potts said banners are placed above the doors of the top three groups announcing their place in the challenge.
Even though the program is fairly new, Potts said the positive changes are already apparent.
“The biggest positive I have seen to date is how much the staff members have embraced the Family Group ideas,” Potts said. “They are meeting with kids outside of Family Group time checking in on the students, not only on their grades, attendance and behavior, but also their mental well being.”
Angela Shepherd is a correspondent for the Greenfield Exempted Village School District.
