professional learning communities
COMMUNITY
Supporting the Wellbeing of Immigrant and Refugee Populations
Mondays | March 4, March 11, March 18 | 11am-12pm
Hosted By: EDC
This PLC will offer participants opportunities to explore the ways district and school communities can support the wellbeing of immigrant and refugee learners. In the first session, we will examine who our students and families are, and explore ways of integrating student wellbeing at district, school, and classroom levels within a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS). Next, we will identify effective processes and practices schools can implement to support the wellbeing of immigrant and refugee learners. Lastly, we will identify and share resources and tools that can support students and families. We will reflect on our shared learning and identify one or more actions to bring back to their district and school communities. This PLC is designed for all educators, including teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators, school counselors and other student support professionals.
Understanding and Mitigating the Impact of Social Media on Mental Health: School-Based Strategies for Promoting Digital Wellness
Tuesdays | March 5, March 12, March 19 | 3-4pm
Hosted By: EDC
Research shows that social media can have both positive and negative impacts on youth mental health. Adolescents can benefit from the social connections and supports afforded by online communities, particularly for youth who may be lacking those connections in person. However, there is a substantial body of evidence linking social media use with psychological harms, including negative social comparisons, poor body image, anxiety, depression, and increased risks of cyberbullying. Schools can support students by teaching strategies to promote their digital wellness. Session 1 will focus on understanding the impacts of social media use on mental health, both positive and negative, and introducing the concept of digital wellness in school settings. In session 2, we will discuss school-based strategies for supporting students’ social media literacy and promoting their digital wellness. Session 3 will conclude our PLC with an examination of the elements of a comprehensive school-based digital wellness strategy. This PLC is designed for teachers, administrators, and school counselors.
Promoting a Sense of Belonging through an Equity Lens
Thursdays | April 25, May 9, May 23 | 3-4pm
Hosted By: EDC
Students are ready to learn and make healthy choices when they feel safe, supported, and welcomed in their classrooms and schools. Creating a sense of belonging is particularly important for students from historically marginalized populations—who are most likely to feel isolated and disconnected. Strategies to foster belonging for historically marginalized populations have benefits for the entirety of the school community. Through this PLC, teachers and school administrators will explore practices that increase sense of belonging, with an eye towards culturally responsive and anti-racist practices. These sessions will focus on classroom and systemic strategies to support belonging and will drill down into identity and relationships as two aspects of belonging. This PLC is designed for teachers, administrators, and school counselors.
Parent/Family Engagement Strategies
Tuesdays | April 30, May 7, May 14 | 9-10am
Hosted By: EDC
This PLC will offer participants opportunities to explore and expand authentic and impactful methods for family engagement within a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS). In our initial session, we will review the importance of family engagement and how it is expressed in our school communities. We will discuss your school’s expectations for parent/family involvement in the context of cultural and linguistic responsiveness, district policies for discipline and communication, and the role of (formal or informal) family liaisons as bridge-builders. Next, we will collectively exchange practices that work and thought-partner around those that need work. Lastly, we will collectively generate a parent engagement resource with strategies and tools that can be shared with our district and school communities. This PLC is designed for all educators, including teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators, school counselors and other student support professionals.
Strategies to Support Educator Wellbeing
Tuesdays | May 21, May 28, June 4 | 12-1pm
Hosted By: EDC
Many educators across the Commonwealth are dealing with high levels of anxiety, stress, fear, and worry, and leaders are increasingly navigating issues of low teacher retention and recruitment. This PLC series is designed to create an exchange of effective practices to support educator wellbeing, resulting in higher retention, healthy outcomes for educators, and better role modeling of wellbeing practices for students. The PLC is guided by a framework informed by the socio-ecological model, which stipulates that educator wellbeing requires promoting practices across three levels of care organized in concentric circles: self-care, relational care, and a safe and supportive working environment. In the first session of the series, we will introduce this framework to participants, and share effective practices for each of these three concentric circles. We will then invite participants to share effective practices from their schools and districts, organized around these three levels of care. In addition, throughout the series, facilitators will engage participants in experiences and activities of self-care and relational care. We that participants will walk away with new practices they can implement in their everyday lives. At the end of the series, we will work with participants to develop an individualized, coordinated, and comprehensive approach to educator wellbeing that touches on all three levels of support for themselves as educators. This PLC is designed for all educators, including teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators, school counselors and other student support professionals.