Welcome to the Restorative Practices Program
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Restorative Practices are ways for a school community to build relationships, problem solve and learn. In this approach, relationships are the most important way we learn about the world and ourselves.
A Restorative Practice school and community believe:
- Everyone in the school community is good, wise and powerful.
- We are all connected to one another.
- All of us want to be in good, healthy relationships with others.
- We all have talents and gifts we bring to school.
- It takes time, habits and support to build and maintain positive relationships.
In addition to the Restorative Practice sites, many schools are seeking to use restorative approaches to create a sense of community and repair harm.
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Fall 2020: Back to School Support from the Legal Rights Center
The Youth:Education Advocacy Restorative Services team (Y:EARS) at the Legal Rights Center is committed to supporting youth, families and school staff by offering restorative support services as youth prepare to transition back to school in the fall. Restorative supports focus on (1) building and repairing harm within relationships and between people and (2) making sure everybody is truly heard. Learn more here.
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Circles of Support
As our St. Paul and larger Minnesota community holds the ongoing harm and complexity of George Floyd's killing, amidst a deeply strained season of COVID-19, the Office of School Support and our Restorative Practices community wish to support in whatever spaces and ways in which we can.
Circle Keepers from the SPPS Restorative Practices community are available to assist schools and district departments in holding Circles of Support for staff or students. If you would like to request the assistance of an experienced circle keeper to offer a Circle of Support for your work site, please complete this FORM. Our team will review and contact you to collaborate on next steps.
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Restorative Practices Applications
View the Restorative Practices Applications for the 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 school years.
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Restorative Practices Steering Committee
Read biographical information about the members of the Restorative Practices Steering Committee.
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3 Schools Selected as New Restorative Practice Pilot Sites in 2018-19
Battle Creek Middle School, Central Senior High School and Nokomis Montessori North Campus have been selected to become restorative practice pilot sites in the 2018-2019 school year.
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Instead of Suspensions, 6 Saint Paul Schools Try Restorative Circles
The grades 5-8 upper campus of Farnsworth Aerospace, in the city’s Payne-Phalen neighborhood, is one of six schools that are a year into a three-year “restorative practices” pilot between St. Paul Public Schools and the St. Paul Federation of Teachers.
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For Saint Paul Students and Educators, Restorative Practice is a Gift that Keeps on Giving
The RP program—which emphasizes shared problem solving, relationship building among the entire school community, and solutions that keep students in the classroom—was launched in the fall of 2016 in response to a statewide call for increased training and resources for educators and students dealing with escalating tensions, serious discipline problems, and high suspension levels, even in elementary schools.
CONTACT RESTORATIVE PRACTICES
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Restorative Practices Program
Becky McCammon, Program CoordinatorKurt RuKim, Project Coordinator
Office of School Support
1780 West 7th Street
Saint Paul, MN, 55102
Cell: 612-322-4386
email: rebecca.mccammon@spps.orgor kurt.rukim@spps.org
Or contact the Office of School Support
12 Restorative Practice Schools
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Central Senior High School
Johnson Senior High School
Maxfield Elementary School
Nokomis Montessori North Campus
Parkway Montessori Middle School