By Sandra Allen, Principal, Howard M. Phifer Middle School

Starting this September, we will be making Howard M. Phifer Middle School a phone-free space to improve teaching and learning using a system called Yondr. Yondr has been implemented in over 2,000 schools across 16 countries to facilitate an engaged learning environment.

We believe that phones have great utility. We have also found that learning and social behavior improve drastically when students are fully engaged with their teachers and classmates.

The Yondr Program utilizes a simple, secure pouch that stores a phone. 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. Students are responsible for their pouch at all times.

In the case of an emergency, parents and guardians can contact their child by reaching out to the grade level office at Phifer Middle School, (856) 662-8511.

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 percent of schools saw an improvement in academic performance
• 74 percent of schools saw an improvement in student behavior
• 83 percent of schools saw an improvement in student engagement in the classroom

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school directly at (856) 662-8511 or attend one of our upcoming meetings about the adoption of Yondr on Thursday, Aug. 24 at Phifer. There will be two sessions, one from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.; and another from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. There will also be a live stream on the Pennsauken School District’s Facebook page on Wednesday, Aug. 9, at 7:00 p.m.

In an effort to best serve your child, we appreciate your full support in adoption of the Yondr Program at our school.