Enders-Salk cross grade level groups build school community

Last month Enders-Salk Elementary School buzzed with words of encouragement as students worked together to complete cup-stacking challenges.

"Let's make ours taller!" one student suggested.

"One group thought that maybe if we built it in a circle it would be stronger. Do you want to try that?" a staff member asked another group.

The cup-stacking activity was the focal point of the March meeting of the school's Tribes, groups of students from various grades. The purpose of Tribes is to give students an opportunity to connect with another adult in the building who may not be their teacher, to build relationships across grade levels and to give students a sense of belonging, Principal Michael Henry said.

At the beginning of the year the School Leadership Team developed a series of activities for the Tribes that would allow students to problem-solve, move around and work collaboratively.

Each month the groups complete a team-building activity and sometimes participate in a service project such as creating Valentine's Day cards for seniors or writing letters to veterans. Students stay in the same Tribes throughout their time at Enders-Salk, and are joined each year by the new kindergarteners.

"It builds school community," said second-grade teacher Jessica White, who is part of the School Leadership Team.