Harley Avenue principal outlines literacy curriculum, restorative practices and new supports for primary students

Harley Avenue Principal Jennifer Bello (identified in the meeting) presented highlights from the start of the school year at the Oct. 20 Elwood Board of Education meeting, describing curriculum changes, social-emotional supports and community events.

Bello said Harley Avenue adopted Magnetic Literacy as the new K–2 literacy curriculum; a parent-academy session to explain the program is scheduled Oct. 29 at Boyd Intermediate. The school expanded its Instructional Support Team (IST) to include voluntary rotating classroom teachers; IST members meet weekly to develop targeted academic and behavioral interventions.

The principal described several classroom- and school-level supports: positive office referrals to celebrate individual student milestones, lunch-bunch social-skills groups led by mental-health staff, push-in social-skills lessons with special-education staff, and use of a new platform called Ella to create personalized social stories for students.

Other highlights included a sensory-space update in partnership with SEPTA, a forthcoming PTA-donated book vending machine with books for every student by year's end, and a winter visit from Good Samaritan Hospital for a kindergarten "teddy bear clinic" focused on helmet and seat-belt safety. Harley Avenue also participated in homecoming activities for the first time and held family events such as a kindergarten meetup and family fun night.

Bello said staff are piloting restorative practices through community circles and plan to form a restorative-practices committee for deeper professional learning and school-wide implementation.

The principal closed by thanking the board for its support; a short student video showcasing Harley Avenue's year-to-date activities was shown as part of board appreciation night.