From Sean Reinart
Happy Friday and happy new year special educators!
I know you are busy think and planning for students as we transition back to in-person services. Please reach out to SPO leadership and coaches as needed. We can help you plan and be thought partners as you plan for their return. Moreover, reach out to each other as your colleagues can be your best thought partners as we plan for this transition.
SAVE THE DATE: SPO leadership will host Q and A session on Tuesday 1/12/21 at 2:30. You can access the session HERE. Our plan is to offer a general overview of what we know to date, and answer general question. If you have student specific questions, please direct those question to SPO leadership and coaches anytime so we can help you resolve issues and move forward.
Take care
HDESD Pause program
HDESD is very excited to announce our partnership with Pause and WESD to bring science-backed mindfulness training for calm, stress relief, and resilience program.
Over a six-week period, participants will have the unique opportunity to develop a new set of skills to help reduce stress and find greater ease as we all continue to navigate uncertain times. There will be live, weekly training sessions that explore the science of stress, tools for calming your nervous system, and ways you can cultivate resilience through simple daily practices.
o Core Trainings: Wednesdays 4-5pm
- 1/20, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24
o Practice Sessions: Mondays 4-4:15pm
- 1/25, 2/1, 2/8, 2/15, 2/22, 3/1
You will also gain access to a digital Stress Relief + Resilience Toolkit with guided audio meditations, videos, and learning materials to help you prioritize your mental health and make mindfulness a daily habit as we head into fall.
We will follow up with additional details. Earliest respondents will be considered first as we build a cohort that has representation from all employee groups and departments.
If you are interested in participating in this program, please sign up via Performance Matters
From Colleen Funderberg
Early Childhood Special Education Transitions (ECSE)
We have received our list of incoming kindergarten students for 2021!
Shannon Watters, Krista Baker and your Record Clerks have been working behind the scenes to get this all dialed for everyone. They have already collected and organized all the documentation.
We will be ready to share this documentation, ECSE processes and training opportunity in the new year.
Please pencil in your calendar for the week of Tuesday – Friday, 2/16-2/19/2021.
These are our confirmed dates to hold evaluation planning meetings.
Keep in mind only ONE individual from the school site is required to attend. School teams can determine once you receive your lists of students.
From Behavior Coaches
TAKE A MINUTE TO MAKE SPACE FOR YOURSELF
Looking for a quick way to ground yourself? Relax, and slow things down with the help of the Breathe Bubble. Just take a minute and plug in this video.
CASEL SEL TOOLS – As Students Head Back To School
As we begin to transition from distance learning back to in-person learning, SEL remains as important as ever. This is the perfect time to re-examine our efforts to make needed adjustments and refocus on supportive relationships, equitable environments, and the academic, social, and emotional development and overall well-being of all students and adults.
ODE New Mental Health Resources: Mental health refers to the emotional, social, cognitive, behavioral, physical and relational thriving of individuals and systems. The Oregon Department of Education has recently created 2 valuable resources that are designed to assist school district leaders, administrators, staff, school-based mental health professionals and community partners in promoting the mental health and well-being of school communities.
The first resource, ODE Mental HealthTool Kit addresses six, primary content areas: (1) Leading from Strength to Promote Mental Health; (2) Addressing Traumatic Stress; (3) Elevating Student Voice; (4) Centering Racial Equity and Anti-racism; (5) Promoting Inclusive School Environments; and (6) Delivering Multi-tiered Systems of Support.
The second resource, ODE Mental Health and Well-Being Page includes information about ODE’s current mental health-related activities and initiatives such as Adi’s Act (suicide prevention) and the Strengthening Mental Health in Education initiative with OHA, as well as providing many tools and resources for students, families, school staff and leaders.
”Tier 1 and More” Blog
The Behavior Coaches blog is full of resources for PBIS, Social-Emotional Learning, Trauma-Informed Practices and more.
A newsletter and workshop flyer from Pre-Employment
Transition Services (Pre-ETS).
Pre-ETS Newsletter, January 2021
Pre-ETS Workshops