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

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

Schools can play a powerful role in the prevention and intervention of substance misuse with students. For students to succeed in school, substance use and other risk behaviors should be addressed as they can have a negative impact on future academic and career outcomes.

Per House Bill 23-1009, the Secondary School Student Substance Use Committee developed a report to support secondary schools in building systems that identify students who need substance use treatment and subsequently provide needed interventions, resources and referrals. Join us to learn more about the recommendations in the report and identify how your school can help address and support student needs.

Participants will be able to:
1. Describe the report recommendations to utilize Multi-Tiered Systems and Support (MTSS) and the Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral (SBIRT) models to prevent, identify and address student needs for behavioral health supports.
2. Identify available resources and tools to appropriately address and support student substance misuse needs.
3. Relate the information to what is currently available in their setting to modify or enhance existing systems to meet student substance use needs.

Discover a variety of opportunities in your community to expand the wellness programming for your staff, students, and families. Louie and Jess will share examples on partnering with businesses for free or minimal cost that can impact the physical, social, mental and nutritional health of your school community.

Session Objectives:

• Participants will leave with new ideas for partnership for school and/or district wellness programming. 
• Participants will be able to identify new ideas for partnership for staff, student, and family wellness programming.
• Participants will be able to identify at least one program or event they can implement/promote for free or minimal cost.

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

Educators know that safe learning environments lead to higher student outcomes. However, with the ever changing field of school safety it can be hard to keep up with best practices and legislation. This session will help attendees gain a better understanding of the Office of School Safety and the resources available throughout the state. We will also discuss recent legislation and grant opportunities available to schools.

Session Objectives:

1. Participants will have a better understanding of the Office of School Safety and the resources available.
2. Participants will gain knowledge around recent school safety legislation
3. Participants will gain knowledge around school safety grants and events available to them

Mental health screening can serve as a powerful tool for schools in determining school-wide, classroom, and individual student needs. This presentation will begin with a brief discussion of what mental health screening is and isn’t as well as why it’s important in schools. Resources to support mental health screening will be presented, with the goal of providing participants with a clear understanding of the steps necessary for planning and implementing screening as well as the access to a curated set of tools needed to do so.

Session Objectives:

Participants will be able to:
(1) define mental health screening and its importance in schools
(2) describe the steps necessary to plan for and implement mental health screening
(3) navigate a curated set of resources and tools designed to support schools in carrying out these steps

Discussing Social Emotional Learning (SEL) has encountered various challenges across Colorado and throughout the United States. Unfortunately, it has been subject to misconceptions, including confusion with Critical Race Theory and unfounded associations with certain agendas (including those who advocate for LGBTQ+ rights). Addressing SEL has thus become increasingly complex. However, we aim to offer adaptable approaches endorsed by statewide organizations, tailored to your school community's values.

Session Objectives:

• Participants will receive practical tools to navigate these discussions effectively
• Participants will learn different options when addressing the terms of Social Emotional Learning programming.
• Participants will learn techniques to calm high conflict conversations around Social Emotional Learning.

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.

In this session, participants will learn how to integrate the latest in neuroscience research from Dr. Lori Desautels’ into their school counseling program. Participants will engage in different techniques that can help shift the energy in their classrooms and counseling sessions, as well as walking away with a list of over 100 three to five minute activities. This session will also describe how the Cripple Creek Victor School District utilizes their district level neuroscience educator, and the grants surrounding that position. This session will have a presentation piece as well as hands-on activities to get participants engaged with neuroscience.

Session Objectives:

1. Objective One: Participants will have an understanding of their own brain and nervous system states.
2. Objective Two: Participants will walk away with neuroscience strategies and mindfulness strategies to implement immediately.
3. Objective Three: Participants will understand the importance of coregulation, and strategies around coregulation.

Increasing mental health concerns among young people are reflected nationally in the recent US Surgeon General’s Advisory on Student Mental Health and locally in Healthy Kids Colorado data. Effectively addressing these concerns will require focus not only on mental health treatment, but also prevention efforts. This presentation will make the case for the importance of mental health literacy education to promote positive mental health. Core components of mental health literacy will be delineated as will a variety of reasons why this work in schools is critical. Finally, resources will be shared along with discussion of how to use them intentionally.

Session Objectives:

Participants will be able to:
(1) describe the four core components of mental health literacy
(2) give examples of reasons why mental health literacy is important in schools
(3) locate mental health literacy resources and recognize how to use them intentionally

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.

Join us for a fantastical journey in our breakout session for early education teachers! Discover ideas for teaching social-emotional learning for children (Pre-k - 2nd) from The Elephant’s Gift Program, based on the award-winning children’s book by Amira Valle. Presented by Amira Valle and Lourdes Buck, award-winning author of Sue’s Sky's, this session includes an activity from The Elephant’s Gift Activity book and provides tools to take back to the classroom. Learn about additional training opportunities for more in-depth educational materials. Don't miss this enriching and engaging session! Educators will participate in a hands-on activities from The Elephant’s Gift Activity book, providing them with practical experience and resources to implement in their classrooms immediately.

The learning objectives are as follows:

1. Teaching Attentional Focus: Educators will learn a tool to help children develop attentional focus through an engaging activity and structured routines, enhancing their ability to concentrate and learn effectively.
2. Promoting Emotional Regulation: Participants will learn tools and techniques to support children in recognizing, understanding, and managing their emotions, fostering a more balanced and positive emotional state.
3. Cultivating Kindness: Educators will explore methods to instill kindness and empathy in children, encouraging compassionate interactions and creating a nurturing classroom environment.

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.