Dear Parent, Guardian, or Support Person:

Your student is invited to participate in a small pilot coaching program being offered through Edge High School during the 4th quarter of this school year. The purpose of this pilot is to learn how coaching can best support our students, with the goal of expanding the program next fall to include more students and additional volunteer coaches.

The program is informed by the coaching framework developed by Touch Point Connection (www.touchpointconnection.org), which emphasizes supportive relationships, goal setting, and student empowerment.

This service, called coaching, provides additional support for students who want help improving their school experience. Many adults in business as well as athletes in sports have coaches who help them achieve their best performance. With the support of a coach, many teens can improve their grades, attendance, and engagement with school. Edge High School is excited to pilot this opportunity for a small group of students.

During the 4th quarter pilot program, participating students may be matched with a trained volunteer coach and meet with that coach approximately once per week on the Edge High School campus. In these meetings, the coach works with the student to set goals, reflect on progress, and support the student's success in school.

Coaches are trained community volunteers who are committed to supporting students in a positive, respectful, and encouraging way.

Edge High School hopes to expand the coaching program next fall to include more students and more volunteer coaches. As the program grows, we also hope to offer additional opportunities such as drop-in coaching hours where students can seek brief support from available coaches when they need it.

To participate in the coaching program, a student may request a coach, or an Edge High School teacher, counselor, or staff member may invite the student to consider coaching. Students under the age of 18 must have permission from a parent or guardian to participate.

• Students in the pilot program will typically meet with their coach once per week during the remainder of the school year. Meetings will take place on the Edge High School campus.
• Students will usually meet with their coach before school, after school, during lunch, or during a time that minimizes impact on instructional classes. If a meeting must occur during a class period, school staff will help determine a time that minimizes disruption to the student's learning.
• Coaching meetings will only occur during the school year and will not take place during school breaks or the summer.

Coaches will respect student privacy and treat personal conversations with care. In general, information shared during coaching meetings will remain confidential between the student and the coach. However, coaches are required to share information with school staff if a student indicates that they may harm themselves, harm someone else, or if there is information suggesting abuse, neglect, or another safety concern. In these situations, school staff will take appropriate steps to ensure student safety.

Because this is a pilot program, Edge High School would like to learn from the experience and understand the impact coaching may have on students.

• Students who participate may complete a short survey at the end of their coaching experience. Survey questions focus on the student's goals, their experience with coaching, and their attitudes toward school.
• Edge High School may also review information such as grades, attendance, and behavior referrals during the school year in order to understand overall program impact.
• No individual student information will be publicly reported. Information will only be used in summary form to evaluate the effectiveness of the program and guide improvements.

Occasionally, students participating in the coaching program may appear in photographs or videos related to the program. These images or recordings may be used by Edge High School for educational, informational, or promotional purposes. Students may also be invited to share their experiences with the program.

If you permit the student named above to participate in the Edge High School coaching pilot program and agree to the points outlined above, please sign below.

I give permission for my child to participate in the Edge High School coaching pilot program based on the terms described in this document.

I also give permission for Edge High School to review my child's grades, attendance, and behavior information for the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of the coaching program.

I further give consent for the use of my student's photograph, video recording, and/or audio recording by Edge High School for educational, informational, or promotional purposes related to the coaching program.