Bridging to Resilience

In this session we will walk through McPherson Middle School’s journey towards our comprehensive counseling program.  We will explore how we utilize data to develop a tier one SEL program as well as tier two and tier three interventions. We will share different strategies used and obstacles we encountered while implementing our program.

This session delves into how The Resource Man, a comprehensive resource platform from ESSDACK (https://resourceman.essdack.org/), empowers educators, families, and community organizations to champion Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) initiatives.

We'll explore how The Resource Man's vast collection of resources can be harnessed to:

1) Design and implement EDI practices: Discover a wealth of materials to guide the development and implementation of effective EDI practices within your school or organization.
2) Develop programs that meet diverse needs: Unearth resources tailored to address the specific needs of students, families, adults, and community organizations from various backgrounds.
3) Foster inclusive systems: Learn how these resources can support the creation of inclusive systems that celebrate and empower all individuals.
Join us for an interactive session packed with practical strategies and valuable resources to propel your EDI efforts forward. Bring your laptops and be prepared to collaborate in roundtable discussions!

After many years of providing therapy and psychological evaluations to young people and their families, the presenter has first-hand experience of understanding how parents may react to others' concern about their child.  Understanding parents' reaction to these reported concerns using a trauma informed lens can be very helpful.  Utilizing a trauma sensitive approach also assists in helping parents accept that their child may need assistance in school or referral to therapy/other services.  Time will be spent providing some of the reasons parents may have difficulty accepting that their child has challenges.  Relatively simple strategies can assist parents in moving toward acceptance.  Participants will also be encouraged to talk with others about how they might use these strategies to intervene with one of their most challenging situations.

I believed that I was "trauma informed" and "responsive," until I had a child of my own who was trashing the classroom and eloping. Navigating my daughter's diagnosis, the pursuit of outside services, and working with school personnel on her behaviors has completely changed my perspective of struggling students and their families. I want to share the lessons I learned and how they affected my teaching practices so other teachers don't make the same well-meaning mistakes I did. Teachers will learn about the struggle to find outside resources, the feelings parents of struggling students experience, and how they can support families with compassion.

Children are developing in a rapidly changing landscape. Teachers, administrators, and other adults are struggling to meet the challenges. Yet, even as we examine the ways in which adversity can hinder development, we know that resiliency factors can build back stronger. Educational Neuroscience shows that the brain is remarkably plastic. With each experience and each bit of information absorbed, our students’ brains are fundamentally changing. As learners are immersed in rich social, cultural, and academic environments, their brains are rapidly working to remodel themselves, resulting in more efficient integrated neural networks. In this session, learn how students’ brains shape which circuits remain active and which are pruned away, and how forming safe, neuro-affirming connections with adults can improve health and efficiency. This session also examines how learning and identity are formed in the developing brain, and how awareness and language of the nervous system hold the keys to unlocking felt-safety.

Research has shown the importance of engaging families in their child's educational process. Absenteeism drops significantly, grades show dramatic improvement, and discipline referrals decline when the family is more involved. After all, the family is the child's first teacher!
In this presentation, we will discuss the research and tried and true ways to engage ALL families, through the equality lens.

There's no secret that in the U.S., discipline rates for Black students are highest than any other racial group. What does that say about our current discipline practices? During this presentation we will explore the critical intersection of trauma, culture, and advocacy within educational settings, with a focus on addressing the unique needs of Black students and families. Participants will learn how to recognize and address racial trauma, navigate cultural competence and bias, build trust and rapport in with their Black students, and empower these students as advocates for systemic change.