https://padlet.com/jsynan/uz5nvk5s4gr2 Thoughts???? en-us 2018-11-12 14:44:29 UTC 2019-05-13 17:16:59 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Folder.png https://padlet.com/jsynan/uz5nvk5s4gr2/wish/303548807 I went to the school conference this past week and a majority of the conference was about trauma informed schools. I was intrigued by the many ideas the speakers shared in how to set up classroom corners for those in need and how to get teacher buy in. The Monday morning meeting we had after we returned from the hurricane was discussed in lenghth in regards to having morning meetings routinely for better classroom management and cohesiveness.
Trauma has infiltrated our schools across the country and research is showing that being informed of issues that encapsulate our students, researching programs that we are comfortable with implementing and being an advocate for both the teacher and student are vital for success in reaching those experiencing trauma.

]]> 2018-11-13 02:41:24 UTC https://padlet.com/jsynan/uz5nvk5s4gr2/wish/303548807 https://padlet.com/jsynan/uz5nvk5s4gr2/wish/303553000 I currently have an attendance group that targets students who have high absences. I meet with the student privately before the group starts to see if trauma is a factor for their absences. We meet weekly for 4 weeks using a curriculum I made, discuss strategies to get them reinvested in school and give support and encouragement to one another.
I also have 2 boy book clubs centered around socioal emotional needs. Students are selected due to their behaviors that are causing distractions in the school environment. After the 6 weeks students will participate in a peer mediation program that will enable them to be peer mediators the following school year.
After the conference I attended I hope to inform teachers on the importance in setting their classrooms up to have special designated areas for times when students are in need.]]> 2018-11-13 03:03:40 UTC https://padlet.com/jsynan/uz5nvk5s4gr2/wish/303553000 https://padlet.com/jsynan/uz5nvk5s4gr2/wish/303879848
After reading this article, I find that most schools that I’ve been to in a Scotland County already have implemented some of these strategies. The data dashboard, home visits, and making yourself present in the schools. I’d like to see our community of Wagram more active in our school. As the school counselor, myself and the social worker host grade level lunch buddies groups daily; however I’d love to get some mentors in the community that they don’t see often to come eatlunch  with our high flyers and really use that time to encourage our students. Also, opening our building one Saturday a month for a community outreach or big brother/ sister mentoring program would be something that we could try! 

]]> 2018-11-13 17:05:22 UTC https://padlet.com/jsynan/uz5nvk5s4gr2/wish/303879848 https://padlet.com/jsynan/uz5nvk5s4gr2/wish/303952327 I recently watched a TedMed on childhood trauma. The most profound statement was this...."Adverse Childhood Experiences are the single greatest, unaddressed health threat facing our nation today." For me this spoke volumes in regards to the students who now and will walk in our school buildings. At South Scotland we began last year informing our teachers with great information on childhood trauma and ACE'S scores. This year many of our classrooms have "cool down corners, fidgets, calming jars, soothing music etc. We feel that our teachers are very mindful of strategies to decrease escalating behaviors and increase empathy. Small groups are helping with grief, anxiety and emotional regulation, BUT we can always DO MORE. Questions I currently have involve bridging the gaps of care coordination. Are our local pediatricians utilizing ACE'S screeners, if so, what are they doing with that information and how can WE be privy to it? If we are learning that these ACE'S scores directly impact adult onset diseases, it is imperative to help even at the school level. We can't always depend on parents to comply with outside providers/visits, BUT their children MUST come to school. We need to help them while their in our buildings. So what I took away is how can our community partnerships be more of a partnership where we are collaborating more to reach the whole child which is a framework we all believe in? Im not convinced our system is without flaw or measure, but I do know this....Scotland County Schools are on the forefront of addressing ACE's and I am forever grateful to be part of such a powerful initiative. 

]]> 2018-11-13 18:43:33 UTC https://padlet.com/jsynan/uz5nvk5s4gr2/wish/303952327 csnell7 https://padlet.com/jsynan/uz5nvk5s4gr2/wish/305259062 I found this article to be quite interesting but almost preaching to the choir with regards to what we as counselors do just as part of who we are and who we are within our roles. Years ago, we gave tours of our communities to teachers so that they could get a bigger picture of the lives of our children and their families. I wish that this could happen again. I saw a great deal of eyes being opened and a depth of deeper understanding created when the teachers could physically see and experience the community. I make it a point to go on as many home visits as I can to get this better understanding when working with families and addressing concerns and issues in order to see where we can help and be most effective in providing resources and supports. As a district, I feel we need to help teachers with buy-in to understanding the depth trauma has on our children.  I think more can be done here.  
I talk often about Project P.I.N.K. and what we try to do with and for our girls. Mentoring is a huge part of the program along with building positive self-esteem and self-image which is shown through research to be a significant contribute to school success and educational outcomes. We monitor discipline, attendance, and academic data to decide how to support and help our girls. 
I could probably go on and on, but for the sake of this post I'll cut it short.













]]> 2018-11-16 14:25:08 UTC https://padlet.com/jsynan/uz5nvk5s4gr2/wish/305259062 lfehlman2 https://padlet.com/jsynan/uz5nvk5s4gr2/wish/351256592 I recently started Attendance Lunch Groups at our school. We target those students who may be at high risk of failing due to their many absences whether they are chronic or truant absences.  I believe most of these students have been traumatized by the effects of Hurricane Florence.  Some of these families lost everything and are still displaced.  We have to implement strategies and understand the importance of being there for the students in need.

]]> 2019-04-12 17:43:48 UTC https://padlet.com/jsynan/uz5nvk5s4gr2/wish/351256592 mmenius https://padlet.com/jsynan/uz5nvk5s4gr2/wish/359573792 Following the Ace's study and CRM ( Community Resiliency Model) I am much more aware of the effects of trauma. What we often fail to understand is that trauma may effect people differently. If student's can locate resources within their own resiliency space from internal resources such as personal characteristics as kindness, compassion, or external resources including positive experiences, memories, people, places, hobbies, spiritual guidance that may bring them joy, peace or calm. All of us have these resources and can learn how to use them to find and keep our ok zones. 
Many of our teachers and students are currently using these same skills through using meditation and mindfulness. Bringing CRM into the schools is one of TRI"s main goals. My role is to act as a CRM guide. I am also using the IChill App with students, parents and teachers. I am very excited to have found and shared a research based trauma resource. ]]> 2019-05-13 16:54:35 UTC https://padlet.com/jsynan/uz5nvk5s4gr2/wish/359573792