During a report by Elementary Principal Heather Krystofiak and Assistant Principal Shannon Matson at a recent Silver Creek Board of Education meeting, School Board members and the audience were presented with what Silver Creek Elementary School is doing for its students so far this year.

The 25-minute presentation included main goals of increasing academic achievement, fostering character, and increasing family engagement. However, one of the highlights of the presentation was the #SameHere Scale to measure student emotions. The scale, which shows faces showing emotions ranging from thriving to sinking, has proven to be a valuable tool within the district.

“Teachers use it in a variety of ways, but with the smaller students, they might just point to a face that resonates with them at that moment,” Matson explained. “Sometimes they are very small issues, and sometimes they are bigger issues and you have to call a counselor. … But they get to say it. They get it off their chest, and then they can sit in the classroom and be ready to learn.”

Matson described how the tool can also help teachers identify larger issues as part of a pattern. “We know we fluctuate daily on a scale like this and that’s normal, but if a student every day is coming in to red, that might tell us we need to do a little more investigating on why they are feeling that way,” Matson said.

Silver Creek Elementary School Principal Heather Krystofiak gave a presentation with Assistant Principal Shannon Matson at the most recent Silver Creek Board of Education meeting. OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen.

Krystofiak and Matson are both in their first year in their new roles. Krystofiak is new to the district, while Matson was a teacher for 13 years before becoming an administrator. “I’m new here, let’s just say it,” Krystofiak said with a smile. “During my time here, I’ve spent time researching some of the things that have been inside the district that work in the school that people know about.”

Among one of the focal points Krystofiak listed from her research was an increase in communication and connection with the PTSA.

Later on at the meeting, Superintendent Todd Crandall and Krystofiak shared how impressed they were with the turnout at the district’s Halloween trick or treating event with the PTSA earlier that week.

“I really had no idea what this was going to look like. With how many people came … it looked like there were a thousand people here,” said Krystofiak. “It was a great, huge event in a little amount of time.”

Crandall added, “Just another example of the school and the PTSA working together. … Thank you to them for everything they do.”

Shown is the #SameHere Scale that Silver Creek is using to measure student emotions.