UDSD - Where EVERYONE Belongs!
Belonging can include feelings of understanding, respect, connectedness, membership, or mattering. A sense of belonging is influenced by the classroom, school culture, and individual actions taken by adults in the school. Students who don’t feel a sense of belonging, however, often struggle to devote their full cognitive resources to tasks and experience issues with emotional wellness. These feelings could manifest in frequent visits to the nurse’s office or even truancy, as students look for a way to avoid environments where they feel as though they do not belong.
We will foster a sense of belonging for every student in the following ways:
- Encourage positive relationships with teachers and school staff - A focus at the beginning of the year will be to help our students and staff get to know one another. Focusing on building relationships at the start of the year will help our students and staff know how to work together for the entire school year.
- Create positive peer cultures of belonging - Often schools spend a lot of time focused on school rules but do not spend time helping students get to know one another and helping them learn to communicate. We will spend time demonstrating and modeling communication between and among peers so that our students develop positive and productive peer to peer relationships
- Value Learning - It is important that we all strive for our personal best each day. We will hold high expectations, meeting each student where they are academically to design new learning. These high expectations will come with the requisite support students need to be successful.
- Take proactive steps toward mental wellness - In addition to our school counseling staff, we are engaging with several other resources to provide students (and their families) the emotional and social supports that may be needed. We will share additional details at the start of the school year.
- Engage families - We will continue frequently communicating with families. We must always foster home and school collaboration!
We look forward to an outstanding 2022-2023 school year!
Dr. Steve Yanni
Superintendent
Important Documents and Resources for Families
Communication Resource
- Pathways of Communication - This document provides direction as to who to contact when you have questions or concerns. By contacting the appropriate District staff members, questions can be answered and concerns can be alleviated in a timely manner.
Crisis Intervention Resources
- Crisis Intervention Resources - This document shares a number of crisis intervention resources that families can access as needed.
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Line - This resource can assist students and families if they find themselves in crisis.
Health and Safety Information
- Health and Safety Plan Overview - This one-page document shares the main points of our HSP.
- Health and Safety Full Plan - This document contains our entire HSP.
Important Dates - Mark Your Calendars!
Parents/guardians and families will soon have access to their students' school information. Below are some dates that you will want to mark on your calendar. Parents/guardians and families will receive notifications when the information is available.
- Transportation Schedules - August 16, 2022, at 9:00 AM
- Schedules (Secondary Students) and Homerooms (Elementary Students) - August 26, 2022, at 12:00 PM
- Jitters Away (Elementary Only) - September 1, 2022, at 2:00 PM
Contact Information
Email: syanni@udsd.org
Website: www.udsd.org
Location: 1580 Fort Washington Avenue, Maple Glen, PA, USA
Phone: (215) 643-8800
Twitter: @UpperDubSuper
