Presenting Partners:

Laura Buckner is a Technical Assistance Specialist with WestEd’s Resilient and Healthy Schools and Communities team. She is the author of Calming Spaces in Schools and Classrooms, highlights of which will be shared. Laura’s work centers on sharing information that is timely, relevant, and useful to education leaders as they seek to improve systems to address the whole-person and whole-community needs of their stakeholders. She does this by translating research to practice, supporting implementation of evidence-based practices in education, and designing learning opportunities that help practitioners align their goals with their activities. Prior to joining WestEd, Laura worked with community-based organizations, partnering successfully with schools and school districts to provide mentorship and mental health services to students in grades K–12. She holds a joint MBA/MA in educational leadership from Mills College in Oakland, California. 

Kim Bradley is the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District (TTUSD) Wellness Coordinator, overseeing the school district’s Wellness Program. She is passionate about creating opportunities for youth voice and building connections between community resources and schools. Kim has worked in various roles with Tahoe Truckee social service and educational organizations including the Truckee Parent Co-Op, Tahoe Safe Alliance, and the Community Collaborative of Tahoe Truckee, and she played a key role in the creation of North Tahoe and Truckee Family Resource Centers, Sierra Expeditionary Learning School, and the TTUSD Wellness Program. Kim has a BS in Human Development from U.C. Davis and various professional certifications. She lives with her husband and two children in Truckee, and together, they enjoy spending time in nature, skiing, hiking, and going on family camping adventures. 

The Peer Learning Exchange offers an overview of Camille Creek Community School’s implementation and continuous development of the Family Support Liaison (FSL) roles. In this presentation, learn about the who, what, why, and how of the FSL roles at Camille Creek Community School as supported by the California Community School Partnership Program.

View the highlighted resources:

• CALTRIN calendar
• Family Support Liaisons (FSL) Roles
• Camille Creek Tiered Interventions

Presenting Partner: Alonso Medrano

Mr. Alonso Medrano arrived in the United States at a very young age as an immigrant and very quickly learned the need to adapt to create a new life from nothing. He learned the importance of unity, work ethic, healing, cultural humility, family, and education. He continues to allow these to guide his personal and professional journey. Mr. Medrano is an associate marriage family therapist and holds a master’s degree in psychology from The Wright Institute in Berkeley, California, and a bachelor’s degree in sociology with a minor in psychology from Sacramento State University.

He has served in the mental health field for over 15 years. His natural inclination to work from a strength-based, culturally inclusive, and systems/collective lens has facilitated his ability to adapt to working in different places. In his current role at Camille Creek, he has been developing and implementing the parent liaison roles. These new roles focus on enhancing the school’s working relationship with parents/caregivers by creating a mutual partnership through respect, support, and meeting them where they are at.

He resides in Napa, California, where he and his wife are raising their two children. When not working, Mr. Medrano is in the kitchen cooking up a feast or at the school cafeteria trying to beat his record of preparing 125 quesabirrias for students and staff. He and his wife travel near and far for good food and enjoy getting lost in nature hikes.

This Peer Learning Exchange will provide a space to learn about and consider how to employ restorative practices to center trusting relationships and improve school climate. What are some examples of restorative beliefs? Which do you—or might you want to—prioritize in your community? Hear how our presenter has brought some of these restorative principles to life with specific practice examples, such as using micro-affirmations to lift up students.

Presenting Partner: Timothy Ojetunde

Timothy Ojetunde is a Program Associate at WestEd on the Resilient Healthy Schools and Communities team, focusing on school climate and data use. He supports districts and schools in centering equity and improving educational outcomes for all. Timothy’s expertise is grounded in school culture and climate, restorative practices, SEL, and trauma-informed practices, as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

Timothy comes to WestEd with over a decade of knowledge and experience across multiple spaces and communities, having been a teacher, advisory and school culture specialist, school administrator, and DEI consultant. In his work, he has coached school administrators, presented to leaders, and facilitated sessions for hundreds of educators and learners. He is extremely passionate about creating equitable outcomes and is dedicated to supporting students and adults as they grow, develop, and find success.

Timothy was born and raised in Los Angeles and is a graduate of UCLA with master’s degrees from Arizona State University and California State University, Dominguez Hills.

Highlighted Resources:

• Presentation Slides
• Racial Justice Belief Posters from The California Conference for Equality and Justice (CCEJ)
• Restorative Practices Beyond the Classroom: Integrating Circle Practices Into Existing School Processes (California Center for School Climate, 2022)
• The Toolkit Before the Toolkit: Centering Adaptive and Relational Elements of Restorative Practices for Implementation Success (WestEd, 2022)
• Can Restorative Practices Bridge Racial Disparities in Schools? Evidence from the California Healthy Kids Survey (WestEd, 2022)

Join the California Center for School Climate for a deep dive into an upcoming product, Cultivating Caring Relationships at School: 15 Activities that Promote Staff and Student Connection. Students who have access to caring relationships are more academically engaged, display stronger social skills, and exhibit increased positive behavior. Cultivating trust between adults and students can also heighten students’ motivation. During this Peer Learning Exchange, you’ll get a first look and you’ll hear from the authors and youth contributors to the toolkit. Participants will have the opportunity to gain practical strategies, as well as share their own successes and challenges in supporting relationship building in small and large groups with peers from across the state.

Watch this video to learn about an activity in the toolkit!

View the transcript.

View and download the toolkit.

Marnie Lynch, Senior Director of District and School Support for Solano County Office of Education, will share how her team worked with one school district to conduct empathy interviews with students and school staff to understand root causes of chronic absence within the community. What they learned will help inform the prioritization of tiered supports and improvements in the broader school climate.

Partner: Marnie Lynch, Senior Director of District and School Support, Solano County Office of Education

Highlighted resources:

• Empathy Interviewing (handout reviewed in PLE)
• Empathy Interviews guide and tool
• The Power of Empathy Interviews in Family Engagement
• Attendance Works
• Solano County Office of Education