Find Your Focus – Disconnect to Reconnect this School Year

Did you know that according to Common Sense Media, on average, students receive 237 notifications per day on their cell phone, with some students reporting as many as 4,500 daily notifications? 

We know adults and young people alike have felt the impacts of constant digital distractions and their impact on our abilities to focus. This is also true both inside and outside of our classrooms. This year, partner with us in being dedicated to supporting our educational spaces being a place where we disconnect and reconnect to learning, relationships and a positive school community. 

We believe that when we all work together, we can enhance student learning, improve academic outcomes, support social-emotional health and well-being and build a strong sense of community in our schools for all students.  

Cell Phone Restrictions

Over the last several years Salem-Keizer Public Schools policy for all middle and high schools has included restrictions on cell phone use during the school day, which includes many schools using school-based policies such as “no cell, bell-to-bell” or other classroom-based strategies. This remains the expectation for all schools in SKPS, with an intended outcome of supporting student engagement, both academically and socially while at school. 

Use of Yondr Pouches

As part of these engagement efforts, our school will soon have access to an additional tool called Yondr to help reinforce device expectations and foster engaging, welcoming and intentional educational spaces. Our school, in addition to five other SKPS schools will begin to use this tool, with additional secondary schools to potentially begin implementation in the spring and fall of 2025:

• Sprague and McKay high schools

• Whiteaker, Straub, Houck and Stephens middle schools

Learn more about our school's use of Yondr Pouches and efforts to support student engagement on our website.