2024 CDE Fall Conference: Creating a Landscape of Wellbeing and Belonging

During this interactive session, participants will gain a better understanding of how to utilize Animal Assisted Interactions (AAI) in schools as a support of creating a positive school climate and culture. The session will walk through what AAI looks like in as a part of a tiered intervention system (MTSS) in order to support student belonging across the school setting. Participants will walk away with ideas for utilizing AAI in their schools, ideas for connecting with Human-Animal partners to travel to their schools, and a chance to experience the benefits of AAI themselves!

Session Objectives:

• Understand the basics of Animal Assisted Interactions in the school setting.
• Discover ways to engage both staff and students in SEL utilizing Animal Assisted Interactions.
• Experience the benefits of Animal Assisted Interactions in session.

Using the PERMA model from the Center for Rural School Health & Education to define wellbeing as Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment, we will look deeper into the ways wellbeing can be supported throughout Rural Communities as it relates to staff, families, and student experiences.

Session Objectives:

• Connect with other rural districts to provide ongoing support
• Examine and review supportive structures of building relationships in your rural community
• Discover new ways empower students in their own wellbeing

As educators, we dedicate our lives to the wellbeing and success of our students. But rarely do we take the time to care for ourselves. This presentation will equip you with skills to fill up your own cup, so that you can support the wellbeing of your students without burning out and be a role model for self-care. You will learn a new definition of resilience and how it helps you respond to life’s challenges, why it’s so important to maintain your energy, and how to work with negative self-talk so that you don’t reach a state of overwhelm.

Session Objectives:

(1) What resilience really is and how it helps you respond to life's challenges
(2) How to work with negative self-talk so that you don't reach a state of overwhelm
(3) The importance of maintaining your own energy and a personalized plan to create resilience

Attendees will gain an understanding of the overarching need for comprehensive sex education (CHSE), and youth disparities as it relates to their sexual health outcomes particularly for LGBTIQA+, BIPOC, disabled youth, youth survivors of sexual violence, and those traditionally left out of sex education. They will also learn the need for anti-racist and anti-oppressive CHSE and strategies for implementing it in the classroom. Lastly, folx will walk away with recognizing CHSE as a multi-prong approach to addressing suicide prevention, substance use, mental health, and sexual violence among other critical factors that impact young people and hence their health outcomes.

Session Objectives:

1. Promote and encourage conversation around the value in promoting work around anti-racist and anti-oppressive sex education in schools and districts in Colorado
2. Speak to and discuss the value in leveraging data collection opportunities and efforts to speak to diverse and critical issues in sex education
3. Discuss CHSE as an approach for addressing suicide prevention, substance use, mental health promotion, sexual violence, etc.

This session encourages dialogue on learning on implementing strategies in schools to create a nurturing and inclusive environment, focusing on new arrivals to the school community. The goal is to establish a sense of belonging and acceptance through empathy, understanding, and encouragement to ensure newcomers feel valued and supported. The message invites collaboration in fostering a culture of warmth and hospitality for all individuals within the educational sphere.

Explore the transformative power of the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) in enhancing student mental health and academic success. This session delves into the integration of mental health supports across MTSS's three tiers, emphasizing strategic use of interconnected systems frameworks.
Participants will discover how to build a culture of care through Tier 1 supports, apply advanced interventions in Tiers 2 and 3, and harness collaboration for holistic student wellbeing.

Session Objectives:

1-Comprehensive Understanding of MTSS: Master the structure and application of the three-tier support system in MTSS, focusing on specific mental health interventions to enhance student outcomes.
2-Strategic Implementation Skills: Learn to implement foundational mental health supports at Tier 1 and effectively apply targeted interventions at Tiers 2 and 3 to address more complex student needs, including crisis management.
3-Collaboration and Systems Integration: Develop the ability to enhance mental health support through the use of an interconnected systems framework, improving collaboration across educational stakeholders and boosting the efficacy of mental health initiatives.

“More Than a Buzzword: Belonging Programming to Live It Out!” delves into practical steps for fostering a culture of inclusion. Presenting a case study of Carmody Middle School's successful belonging programming, attendees gain insight into engaging student participation in belonging activities, peer mentoring, enhancing school identity, intentional calendar planning, and how to collect and disaggregate data that centers around belonging. Attendees will utilize inventories to assess their school's inclusivity and brainstorm programming to bridge gaps. Empowering educators with actionable ideas, this presentation offers a roadmap for creating vibrant, inclusive school environments where every student feels seen, heard, and valued.

Session Objectives:

1)Teachers, counselors, and administrators will develop a comprehensive understanding of strategies to enhance belonging programming across all tiers (Tiers 1-3) within the school day. Drawing insights from the experiences of Carmody Middle School counselors, participants will gain practical ideas and techniques for fostering inclusivity and connection among students, tailored to diverse needs and contexts.

2)Participants will acquire skills in data collection methods specifically designed for evaluating and refining belonging programming initiatives. Educators will learn how to gather meaningful data on student engagement, satisfaction, and sense of belonging, empowering them to make informed decisions and adjustments to their programming.

3)Educators will engage in self-reflective practices to evaluate their school's current level of belonging. Utilizing inventories and assessment frameworks, participants will assess the strengths and areas for growth in their school's culture of inclusivity. By identifying actionable items for improvement, attendees will develop personalized action plans to enhance belonging within their own school communities.

Regional Collaborative Conversations, Family Resource Centers, and the community schools strategy are impactful family, school, and community partnership initiatives that are playing a critical role in addressing the needs of Colorado’s most vulnerable youth. This presentation will provide an overview of multiple entry-points to serving your most vulnerable populations and ways that the Colorado Department of Education can support local implementation. This session will highlight different approaches to effective family engagement across Colorado and participants will identify strategies that are transferable to their local context and the unique populations that they serve.

Session Objectives:

• Learn about the Colorado Department of Education’s work supporting Regional Collaborative Conversations and Transformational Partnerships, Family Resource Centers, and community schools at the local level.
• Consider elements of family, school, and community partnership success stories of addressing the needs of the most vulnerable youth and families in areas of Colorado with high concentrations of poverty and how it might look in your community.
• Discuss how to support the community. family, school, and community partnership initiatives in your community and identify opportunities for growth.

This session will explore current data on LGBTQ students' health and wellbeing, highlighting the crucial role of a supportive school environment. Attendees will learn best practices for fostering true belonging through systemic and academic approaches, ensuring sustainability and buy-in from all school community members. Drawing from History UnErased’s work in over 3,000 schools, real-life examples and testimonials will showcase effective strategies for urban, suburban, and rural settings, minimizing and navigating pushback, and bringing all members of the school community together around student wellbeing and achievement.

Session Objectives:

1- Understand the impact of school environments on LGBTQ students' health, wellbeing, and connectedness.
2- Identify and implement best practices for creating sustainable, inclusive educational environments.
3- Gain insights from successful real-life examples and testimonials to replicate inclusive practices in diverse school settings.

Through an Attorney General’s Justice Innovation Grant, case management was undertaken for 20 justice-engaged youth to support school re-entry and success. With only 20% of adjudicated youth earning a diploma nationwide, the support team assisted stakeholders in moving students toward graduation. Participants will be introduced to the findings from this process that impacted the content and passage of HB24-1216 and understand how those provisions will impact their school or district going forward. Bill provisions can increase belonging for justice-engaged students and their families when implemented in a way that supports educational success.

Session Objectives:

1) Leave with an understanding of how HB24-1216 will impact your school or district.
2) Embrace greater understanding from student and family perspectives of common elements and barriers in the educational trajectory of justice engaged youth,
3) Gain experience analyzing an educational journey map completed by a student and their family member and working collaboratively to identify common themes and experiences that could be better addressed through a school commitment to ensuring belonging.