Hermosa Montessori Charter School

The Governing Board renewed our commitment to teach Social-Emotional Learning concepts by designating a member of the teaching staff to attend the PAX training (The Paxis Institute) and to train other key personnel how to implement the PAX Good Behavior Game curriculum. The Board approved the allocation of two staff members' time to teach this curriculum weekly, and to provide additional "push in" SEL services on various topic areas. The PAX Good Behavior Program will be taught to all students, with additional time given to students with disabilities and students from low-income families.

The Board approved the hiring of one new full-time Intervention Specialist to assess and address the  learning loss that resulted from mandated school closure and distance learning. This loss is evident in the general education population and especially apparent in the population of students with special needs. Hermosa will also pay the partial salary for the Social Emotional Learning designated specialist to provide instruction to help students deal with mental health, particularly students who have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The Governing Board also approved the addition of a School Psychologist who is certified to conduct assessments of students that meet the qualification for assessment, and to conduct reevaluations for students who were not able to be evaluated during school closure and distance learning.

Hermosa has also considered the need to upgrade the use of assisted technology and to purchase new Chromebooks to replace outdated equipment. The Board considered allocating these new devices to the middle school population for the 2022-2023 school year. This will allow the use of additional software as well as enable students to easily transition to distance-learning as the need arises, as we continue to be faced with distance learning during periods of Covid quarantine. Students in low-income families will be allowed to borrow these devices to use at-home in case of Covid quarantine periods.