(This message was shared with WJSHS families via ParentSquare on May 17.)

The mission of the Watervliet City School District is to inspire, educate, and challenge every student, every day! With that in mind, we offer many pathways and opportunities for students to learn, succeed and celebrate academic and personal growth.

To ensure the district is delivering on our mission for all students, we will initiate a strategy in September 2023 to become a phone-free space during the school day using a system called Yondr. While we recognize the utility that cell phones provide, we also know that learning and social behavior improve significantly when students are fully engaged with their teachers and classmates.

To learn more about our planned rollout of Yondr, we invite parents/guardians to an informational meeting on Wednesday, May 24 at 5:30 pm in the Watervliet Jr.-Sr. High School auditorium. 

Please visit our new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) web page for additional information about the Yondr pouch and implementation.

Yondr utilizes a simple, secure pouch for storing cell phones. Every student will secure their phone in a personally assigned Yondr pouch when they arrive at school. Students will maintain possession of their phones and will not use them until their pouches are opened at the end of the school day. Yondr recently surveyed over 900 school partners to measure the effects of creating phone-free educational environments. These schools achieved notable progress in multiple areas:

• 65% of schools saw an improvement in academic performance
• 74% of schools saw an improvement in student behavior
• 83% of schools saw an improvement in student engagement in classrooms

We appreciate your support of our efforts to best serve your child with the adoption of the Yondr Program at our school. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school directly at 518-629-3300.

Thank you,
Ms. Jessie Richards
Principal, Watervliet Jr/Sr High School