Terra Nova principal describes ‘distraction-free’ Yonder rollout, co-teaching and RTI supports

Principal Meaghan Carey presented the board with Terra Nova High School’s updated mission, schoolwide goals and several instructional initiatives, and described how a semester of the school’s distraction-free learning initiative has been implemented and evaluated.

Carey said Terra Nova adopted a Yonder pouch system and issued district Chromebooks as the only permitted personal device after months of staff, family and student engagement. She described a phased rollout that included parent meetings, student grade-level meetings, distribution of Yonder pouches and unlocking bases in classrooms and central locations. Carey said staff conducted a “take-a-stand” exercise and voted unanimously to adopt Yonder because they believed it would support student learning; after the first week she told the board the campus “felt different” and that teachers reported more focus, higher work completion and longer attention spans.

The presentation also covered other schoolwide efforts meant to bolster outcomes: expanded co-taught sections in English and math to allow students with disabilities to access standards-based courses, a biweekly RTI (response to intervention) team that triages ninth- and tenth-grade students using grades, attendance and behavior indicators, and student and staff equity teams addressing hate speech and microaggressions. Carey said co-teaching showed higher passing rates for students with disabilities in the prior year and that the RTI team is used to identify follow-up supports (counselor check-ins, attendance conferences or case-manager interventions).

In the Q&A, student trustees and trustees pressed on disciplinary consequences and technology limits. A student trustee asked whether Yonder’s established consequence ladder (detention series) would be extended to other behavioral issues; Carey said the administrative team has not decided to model other consequences on Yonder’s sequence but agreed it was a “worthwhile conversation.” Students also raised Chromebook performance and Wi‑Fi compatibility problems; Carey said the district is purchasing new Chromebooks and offered to gather a brief Google‑form-style survey to document common technical issues so staff can prioritize fixes.

Trustees praised Terra Nova’s Link Crew, student e-team projects (zine, assemblies and classroom presentations) and the school’s equity work. Carey said student e-team membership is demographically representative and that staff and student teams are currently independent with plans for future collaboration. She closed by saying the school will continue collecting classroom-level data and tracking the ninth- and tenth-grade cohorts to measure the long-term impact of the interventions.

The presentation ended with trustees inviting Terra Nova staff to return with follow-up data and to keep the board informed as student e-team work and co-teaching metrics are developed.