KEYS Academy - Culpeper

The first semester of the 2022-2023 school year has come to an end. I don’t know about you, but I feel as though time is going by fast! Our students, staff and families continue to help KEYS Academy-Culpeper grow. We can’t say thank you enough for all your support.

During Social Thinking as a whole group, we the students and staff focused on our 7 KEYS for a Big Life. Ms. Kate’s theme for this year’s high school students’ is “Power of the Group” and they are learning skills related to having mind and body within the group and the importance of doing so as they work on their academic skills towards graduation. Students have participated in a variety of activities including making life rings, connecting-up and making W.I.S.H. stars as methods in which to seek help and support during challenging situations. Students have been reviewing the SAFETY areas of the Big Life Needs Arrow intensively and having group discussions about the relevancy of each area of need. Students have participated in the W.I.T.S Activity (Wisdom Is Trying Strengths) where students are able to identify and practice different skills concerning a specific area of need that they would like to strengthen.

Ms. Jen’s Middle school and Ms. Kaitlin’s Junior High students are currently identifying and practicing strategies incorporating their Behavior Intervention Key (BIK)and naming where they are periodically during the academic day, while incorporating Wise Tries if they find themselves rising higher on their BIK (a 4-5) in effort to return at a state of well-being (1) by incorporating different Wise Tries as a method of building their individual skills sets. As the nine weeks progressed, we began to work on Safety Dignity and Opportunity with a focus on safety and the well-being of others. We discussed bullying and how bullying can affect those around us. The students were presented with ways to respond to bullying.

Students are transitioning well to new changes to the elementary classroom. Mr. C has adjusted to KEYS Academy and has started building positive and meaningful relationships with all his students with the support of his wonderful team. Throughout the semester the elementary staff and students have focused on introducing and building relationships with new staff. They have also placed emphasis on setting expectations and routines. We introduced students to the people of the classroom, school community, school environment, and to the expectations we hold about learning. We also introduced and established expectations for behavior, the limits we will set, and the ways we will enforce those limits. We introduced the routines that help students learn while taking care of each other and the environment. We laid the foundation for a productive and cooperative year of learning. We are learning to work in an atmosphere of support and collaboration.

We hope to continue building a village that is safe, nurturing, and always in the motion of progress.

Sincerely,

Shauna Mojaddidi (Ms. Mo), MEd.

Director

New Regional Director Position for KEYS Academy

Congratulations to Mr. Stefan Orange who is moving into our new Regional Director position!! Mr. Orange has worked with KEYS Academy-Culpeper for the past 10 years, first as a teacher, then as a Director. Mr. Orange will be supporting all four of our KEYS Academy locations in Virginia, and will still have an office located within KEYS Academy-Culpeper where he will be a weekly presence. We know he will be a strong support for our new teachers and directors as they support all of our students throughout our KEYS Academy organization.