Communities In Schools new video

WWPS staff featured in Communities In Schools new video

As part of its pandemic recovery efforts, Walla Walla Public Schools has teamed with Communities In Schools of the Blue Mountain Region to provide additional support for students. The district invested a portion of its federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds to fund this program.

Communities in Schools Informational Video  

The mission of Communities In Schools of the Blue Mountain Region is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. Communities In Schools of the Blue Mountain Region is part of a national and state network. The CIS Model of Integrated Student Supports is an evidence-based approach, adapted to meet each community's unique needs. Site coordinators are charged with establishing and implementing a process within a school to effectively deliver or broker Integrated Student Supports.

Integrated Student Supports
CIS staff are in schools during the school day. This allows CIS staff to see what’s going on in the students’ lives in and out of the classroom. This collaboration allows CIS to coordinate with community partners to bring outside resources inside schools.

Whole School Supports + Case Management
School-based staff empowers students to stay in school through individualized access to needed resources, and ongoing encouragement and guidance to build confidence to reach their potential and achieve their goals. CIS also provides whole-school support to help bridge gaps in the school.

Partnership Development
Surrounding students with a community of support requires brokering local and state-level partnerships to provide adequate services and resources to help students thrive. CIS brings the community to the school to help support students.

In Walla Walla Public Schools, CIS has 10 staff serving:
• Berney Elementary School
• Edison Elementary School
• Garrison Middle School
• Green Park Elementary School
• Pioneer Middle School
• Prospect Point Elementary School
• Sharpstein Elementary School
• Walla Walla High School

Current initiatives in the district
• Lead and organize Community Engagement Boards to address chronic absenteeism.
• Provide Digital Navigation to students and their families to help address the digital divide. CIS collaborates in ushering students into district-wide digital services such as Paper online tutoring and Hazel Mental Health.
• Organize and act as the point of contact for outside organizations and individuals to serve students in the school.
• At the High School, activities are focused on academic attainment and attendance.
• CIS is currently building a Volunteer Hub to facilitate parent and volunteer engagement in the school.