California Safe and Supportive Schools

Improving Student Wellness With A Multi-Tiered System of Support (Santa Clara County Office of Education)

California Center for School Climate

Improving Student Wellness With A Multi-Tiered System of Support (Santa Clara County Office of Education)

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The Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) recently developed a model to formalize school-based health offerings throughout the 32 LEAs, public charter schools, and early care and education programs it supports countywide. Based on a multi-tiered system of support, the SCCOE wellness center model addresses the root causes of mental, physical, and social health issues within the community through a range of preventative, group, and individual services.

Featured Speakers:

  • Dr. Mary Dewan, County Superintendent of Schools
  • Amanda Dickey, Director, Government Relations
  • Dr. Chaun Powell, Director, Youth Health & Wellness Professional Learning & Instructional Support Division

View the transcript for this audiocast.

Download the Santa Clara County Office of Education brief.

Beyond LCAP Compliance: Disaggregating Your California Healthy Kids Survey Data to Improve School Climate

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You have your California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) results. Now what?

Districts and schools often want to know how to understand their survey results and then translate that knowledge into action. When you see your results what do they actually mean? How do you translate your data to serve your local needs? This webinar will showcase how to explore CHKS results on the three measures that LEAs often use for the LCAP School Climate Priority 6: Caring Adult Relationships, School Connectedness, and School Safety. We will discuss how to disaggregate your survey data to find groups of students who need supports and outline steps to identify strengths and growth opportunities. From this webinar you can expect to take away resources and information on what possible steps you can take to strengthen school climate.

Watch the session recording:

View the recording transcript.

View the slides and resources in this Linktree.

Presenters:

Leslie Poynor

WestEd Research Associate Leslie Poynor is the State Coordinator for the California School Climate, Health, and Learning Survey System, the largest statewide survey of resiliency, protective factors, and risk behaviors in the nation. She provides technical assistance to all levels of education personnel in conducting and using the data from all CalSCHLS surveys in data-driven decision-making, including the California Healthy Kids Survey. She also develops and facilitates professional development and data workshops on creating safe and supportive school climates as well as on the education of the whole child.

 

Participatory Systems Change for Equity: An Inquiry Guide for Child-, Youth- and Family- Serving Agencies

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View the Resource in Spanish

When child-, youth-, and family-serving agencies facilitate systems change efforts without those who experience and are impacted by these systems, they run the risk of perpetuating inequity and causing harm to the very people they intend to serve. Participatory systems change involves community members and system leaders to collectively identify, design, decide, implement, and assess priorities, actions, and investments that work toward eliminating systemic oppression and generating system conditions that promote equity, opportunity, and well-being.

System leaders can use this guide to help facilitate participatory systems change. The guide features elements of participatory systems change that institutions and organizations can apply depending on local context and locally defined goals. With this guide, system leaders will:

  • Understand what participatory systems change is and how it can contribute to transformative change at the systems level that promotes equity, opportunity, and well-being for young people, families, and communities
  • Gain insights into integrating elements of participatory systems change into any initiative at any phase of implementation
  • Consider key questions and resources in order to align change initiatives with elements of participatory systems change

Schools as Centers of Wellness: A Collaborative Approach to School Mental Health 

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This recording highlights the collaborative partnership between the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) and the Sacramento County Department of Health Services (DHS). An innovative collective impact approach, placing a mental health clinician in every school in the county to work within a continuum of care at the school site transforms schools into “Centers of Wellness.” The presenters will address both the why and how to integrate mental health and wellness through an MTSS lens and to build community- and county-wide partnerships to support whole-child development.

Watch the session recording:

View the recording transcript

View the session slides and resources in this Linktree

Presenters:

Christopher Williams, Ed.L.D., MSW, Director, School-Based Mental Health and Wellness, Sacramento County Office of Education

Dr. Christopher Williams is the Director of School-Based Mental Health and Wellness at the Sacramento County Office of Education. He leads a team intent on bringing the health and education systems together as partners to create a continuum of care for mental health and wellness throughout Sacramento County. The team’s mission is to intervene as early as possible to eliminate the school-to-prison pipeline, reduce the number of “system-involved” adults and adolescents, and mitigate the onset and impact of mental health disorders in Sacramento County.

For close to 20 years, Chris has been involved in education, mental health, and youth development. He is currently a member of the California State Student Mental Health Policy Workgroup and the California State Student Attendance Review Board (SARB). Before relocating to the West Coast, Chris was a founder and Executive Director of P2L: Pathways to Leadership as well as the Vice President of Social Emotional Learning for The Leadership Program, both in New York City. Chris’ work there centered on students who were at risk of dropping out, focusing on altering the trajectory of their lives. Chris has taught at Columbia University, NYU, and Harvard, where he was awarded the Excellence in Teaching distinction. He holds a master’s degree in Social Work from New York University and a Doctorate in Education Leadership from Harvard Graduate School of Education. He lives in Roseville, CA, with his wife, two boys, and Lexie, a 70 lb. rescue shepherd-mutt whose goal in life is to be a lap dog.

Marcella Rodriguez, MS, PPSC, APCC

Marcella Rodriguez is a Coordinator of School Based Mental Health and Wellness for Sacramento County Office of Education. Marcella has worked in schools within Sacramento County since 2009 and more specifically in school-based mental health services since 2012. She has supported the creation and development of various programs in the county, integrating behavioral health systems and educational systems to build sustainable systems and services for all community members. Marcella is a bilingual, first-generation Latina-Americana who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Master of Science in Counseling, a Pupil Personnel Service Credential, and an Administrative Credential. She is also a registered Associate Professional Clinical Counselor with the Board of Behavioral Sciences. Marcella lives in Lincoln, CA, alongside her husband, two energetic and heart-filled kids, and Luke, a first-generation labradoodle named after the one and only Luke Skywalker.

The Power of Authentic Collaborative Leadership: The Transformation of Bassett Community School 

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This recording takes you through a journey of understanding how trust and relationships through authentic collaborative leadership transforms schools into a place where educators, local community members, families, and students work together to strengthen conditions for student learning and healthy development. Through a unique model of community schools led by the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE), Bassett High School shares how they have taken elements of the California Community Schools Partnership Program (CCSPP) framework to create an environment where educational partners are empowered and given a voice. Learn about how one community school has moved to authentically engage their school community to improve student outcomes.

Watch the session recording:

View the recording transcript

View the session slides and resources in this Linktree

Presenters:

Hector Vasquez, Principal, Bassett High School, Bassett Unified School District

Hector Vasquez is an experienced, highly dedicated, bilingual (English-Spanish) administrator with a proven track record in effectively leading organizations through continuous improvement, professional training and development programs, and an unwavering focus on the achievement of excellence. He has demonstrated leadership success with diverse, multicultural environments and employs finely developed communication and listening skills to facilitate strong, collaborative relationships with colleagues, internal teams, district office staff, and community partners.

Estela Peregrina-Schubert, LACOE Community Schools Specialist, Bassett High School, Bassett Unified School District

Estela Peregrina-Schubert’s 29 years of experience in education is diverse, with specialization in alternative education and coordinating resources to support students and their families. She spent a decade serving at-promise youth as a counselor and administrator and, in this capacity, supported and inspired young people to overcome daily challenges within the juvenile justice system, with substance abuse, mental health, and staying on track for graduation. As a Community Schools Specialist for the Los Angeles County Office of Education at Bassett High School, her first year in this capacity has taught her that there is so much more impactful work to be done in education.

Estela holds advanced degrees in educational leadership and educational counseling from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and Azusa Pacific University. In addition to her passion for education, Estela is a mother to two amazing daughters.

Dr. Michelle Castelo Alferes, Director, Los Angeles County Office of Education, Community Schools Initiative

Dr. Michelle Castelo Alferes serves as the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) Community Schools Initiative (CSI) Director III. Dr. Castelo Alferes has over 20 years of experience in public education focused on student support services, dropout prevention, child welfare and attendance, and mental health. She has dedicated her career to empowering school communities, leveraging their strengths, and promoting social justice. Dr. Castelo Alferes is a three-time graduate of UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology, master’s in Social Work, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership.

Previously, Dr. Castelo Alferes came from the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), where she served at-promise and historically underserved student populations and school communities as a Pupil Services and Attendance (PSA) Counselor, lead PSA Counselor, Program Coordinator, and Director of Pupil Services. Most recently, Dr. Castelo Alferes served as director with LAUSD’s Student Health and Human Services division, leading the work of Human Relations, Diversity and Equity, Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports/Restorative Practices (PBIS/RP), and data/program evaluation. She is also a part-time Adjunct Professor in the Social Work program for Mount Saint Mary’s University.

Committing to Fostering Transformative Relationships

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Relationships are at the core of any educational environment and can make all the difference in how we create positive school climates. Join us in this recording to ground in transformative relationship practice to engage in throughout the school year. During the recording, you can expect to reflect on relationships, identify your needs, and make a plan to create more transformative relationships with people in your educational community.

By the end of the recording, viewers will be able to:

  • Describe what transformative relationships mean for them individually
  • Identify and have a list of transformative relationships in their lives
  • Identify what they give to and receive from transformative relationships
  • Make a plan to communicate their needs around transformative relationships
  • Engage in mindfulness activities
  • Identify their preferred way of receiving and giving gratitude
  • Make a plan to incorporate gratitude into their day
  • Identify how to use gratitude individually, peer to peer, and as administrators

Watch the session recording:

View the recording transcript 

View the session slides and resources in this Linktree

Presenter:

Yasemin Rodriguez Corzo, Associate Director, Alliance for a Healthier Generation

Bio: Yasemin Rodriguez Corzo, MA is the Associate Director on the Whole Child Health National Advisor team at the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. With a background in education in emergencies, Yasemin has 10+ years in curriculum and content design, educational and workforce programming implementation, and research. In her current role, she oversees and collaborates with a team of National Advisors to create and curate resources, design and deliver high quality professional learnings, and cultivate and maintain national and regional partnerships to bolster practices and policies in whole child health. Yasemin holds a master’s degree from Teachers College, Columbia University in International Educational Development with a focus on Peace and Human Rights Education. In addition to improving practices and systems to ensure equitable education for children across the globe, Yasemin is also passionate about travel, going for long walks, and fish tacos.