Sarah Barber, MPH
Research Project Coordinator
We are a few months into the new school year, and we are so excited about the continuous momentum of our team and our districts! Read below about a few of our accomplishments this school year as well as what is to come!
What’s been done?
To continue our Virtual Learning Session (VLS) series from last school year (1-9), we have had our first three Virtual Learning Sessions of this school year. Topics and objectives included:
VLS 10 Promoting the Well-Being of All Students
• Understand the meaning and the purpose of promoting student well-being
• Review Tier One frameworks and strategies for promoting student well-being
• Reflect on the strengths and challenges of existing Tier One supports within your district
• State one action that your district can take to help enhance or expand Tier One supports
VLS 11 Trauma Informed, Healing Centered Schools: Building the Foundation
• Understand the difference between a traditional and trauma-informed approach used in schools.
• Identify characteristics of schools along a "trauma-informed" school continuum
• Describe 2-3 tier one strategies for creating a safe environment using NCTSN's Trauma- Informed Schools System Framework
• Identify one whole school strategy that your school/district can build on or implement to better meet the needs of all students.
• Reflect on potential barriers you may encounter and how to determine whether this strategy is working in your school/district.
VLS 12 Supporting All Black, Indigenous, and Students of Color (BIPOC) and Newcomer Youth
• Identify specific professional learning strategies to enhance your ability to support BIPOC and newcomer youth in your districts.
• Identify 3 systems level strategies that promote equity in your districts/schools.
• Apply at least 3 classroom level strategies that enhance safety and belonging for BIPOC and newcomer students.
• Enhance your understanding and application of equity-focused social and emotional learning in schools and districts.
We have also completed our Fall 2022 School Mental Health Clinician Trainings this past month!
We trained over 75 School Mental Health Clinicians across three trainings:
• Bounce Back
• Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS)
• Supporting Transition Resilience of Newcomer Groups (STRONG)
What’s next?
We have launched our Pre-Service Educator Training on our Vector platform! This training is intended for student teachers and educators in training. Objectives of Module 1 include:
• Articulate the importance of understanding impacts of trauma on students
• Define and describe trauma and ACEs
• Describe impacts of trauma exposure on the brain
• Identify manifestations of child trauma exposure in schools
We are preparing for our next upcoming training for School Mental Health Clinicians which will cover, Culturally Responsive, Anti-Racist, and Equitable (CARE) school mental health supports and services. Topics of training include:
• Fostering Clinician Well-Being
• Understanding Inequities & Intersectionality
• Fostering Cultural Humility & Self-Awareness
• Engaging in Culturally Responsive Practices
• Affirming Student Cultures & Identities
• Honoring Cultural-Based Healing Practices
• Promoting Equity through Systems Change
We appreciate the time and commitment from all of our NCS3 team members and from our district and school teams as they engage in another year of our NCS3 Learning Collaborative!