Greetings wonderful MVHS staff,

This is your friendly Dog Squad with a weekly update.  First update, we are ICU no more!  We have listened to your feedback on ICU, both the data management system and the name, and we heard you, so ICU is gone.  We are pleased to introduce Mt. Vernon Bulldog Care Squad or the Dog Squad for short!

Second update, in effort to build routine and be transparent here are the current programs under the Dog Squad and umbrella and a little bit about each:

  • Catch Up: supplemental academic assistance.  Students are identified through the data management system Homeroom and counselor, teacher and parent referral.  These students are our highest tier 1 priority and are identified through Homeroom by the following criteria: current D/F, missing assignments, not an attendance risk; however, students can be referred by any counselor, teacher or parent regardless of criteria.  Catch up takes place every Tuesday and Thursday in the West Foyer.  Academic interventionists and lifeguards identify and touch base with students on Mondays and Wednesday.  Catch up lists go out to staff on Monday afternoons, at which point should any staff member need to override catch up for a lab / quiz test / critical content, please email us and let us know.  In the near future, students identified for tier 1 catch up will be grouped by grade level on homeroom.  We are hard at work with the district office to make homeroom a one stop central information hub.  Until then, Google sheets will be our mode of communication to staff.  Students on these sheets with the following symbols (*, **, ***) are referrals.  Students without symbols were identified using Homeroom

*counselor referral

**teacher referral

***parent referral

HW Help with Kelly: our wonderful debate team coach and ISS advisor Kelly Kirkpatrick is in charge of point of care student driven HW help before school (7:30), during all lunches (AVID tutors available then too) and throughout the school day.  Students who want to work with Kelly during class time must check in and get approval from their teachers.  Students who show up here without teacher approval will be immediately dismissed. 

Bulldog Edge program - not a formal part of Dog Squad but a resource available to all students and so under the Dog Squad umbrella of care : after school HW help with snacks and after school bus run Rebecca Love.  Tutoring available through Dog Squad (Francisco & Genero), Compass to Campus and Avid.  Ask Rebecca for the Avid / Compass to Campus tutoring schedules. 

Academic Tier 2 Intervention Groups: as the year progresses and the Dog Squad tier 1 catch up program finds success, the Dog Squad will begin branching out to design and implement best practice interventions in reading, writing and math for students identified as tier 2 or at risk for tier 2.  We will be using SBA scores, curriculum based assessments and other data tools to identify and assign students to domain specific tier 2 groups.  

Third update, as we move towards a data based decision making framework to comply with 2025 MTSS state requirements, we will be doing more with Homeroom for all teachers.  Staff training will be provided in the coming future.  Homeroom is very cool.

Wrapping up, we know this whole Dog Squad stuff is new, in progress and at times an inconvenience to you.  Nevertheless, please keep in mind that our primary goal with the Dog Squad is the same as all of you.  We care about our students.  We worry about our students.  We want to help our students both academically and socially emotionally grow and be successful.  And that takes time, real time--and sometimes that takes time away from you.  Unfortunately time is limited, and we have to work within the limited time we have during the school day and school year just like you.  So if our time messes with your time let us know.  And we will accommodate you and our students to do the best job with their time as we can.  Thank you for all you do everyday.  It is a great day to be a Bulldog!

Members include:

  • Dr. Wattawa - admin 

  • Lindsey Crawford - data management, protocols & procedures 

  • Ken Alexander - academic interventionist, covid protocol catch up, catch up support (gr.11)

  • Kodiak Landis - academic interventionist, catch up support (gr.12), public relations 

  • Genaro Sanchez - lifeguard, catch up support (gr.10), community relationships 

  • Francisco Rosalez - lifeguard, catch up support (gr.9( 

  • Kelly Kirkpatrick -lifeguard, ISS, HW assistance (before school / lunch) in the admin building

  • Rebecca Love - Bulldog Edge program (after school support)

- Your Friendly Dog Squad