TOPS Racial Equity Team (RET)

TOPS has an officially recognized SPS RET team as of 2021, although we have informally had an in-house team of educators working on racial equity initiatives at TOPS for many years. 

RET seeks to address TOPS specific issues around family engagement, more inclusive curricular choices and teaching, and restorative practices to build a connected and aware community that evolves to addresses the needs of our students, families, and staff. The RET team is building relationships within the school community and community at large to strengthen these areas.

Many of the initiatives around RET work revolve around:

• family listening sessions and surveys
• identity work across the building and recognizing implicit bias
• diversifying curricular resources across grades and throughout the building
• establishing restorative circle practices
• book studies to frame staff development including Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain by by Zaretta Hammond and This Book is Anti-Racist by Book by Tiffany Jewell.

The district goals around racial equity frame the work of the RET.

The RET meets on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month at 7:25 a.m.

Current Staff Membership:

• Co-Chair, Bea Kenter, 4th grade teacher
• Co-Chair, Amanda Rengli, K-8 Art teacher
• Kristina Stoneberg, Kindergarten Teacher
• Kathy Hanson, Counselor
• Dani Rosenberg, 1st grade Teacher
• Mark Ellis, Math Specialist
• Akiko Yabuki, POCC Liaison and Instructional Assistant
• Debra Salas-Haynes, 4th grade Math and Science Teacher
• Alex LaRosa, Assistant Principal
• Amy Schwentor, Principal