SOS to Spring – Social Emotional Intelligence Series for Maine’s Education Workforce

The Maine Department of Education’s Office of School and Student Supports invites ALL educators to SOS to Spring starting Feb. 3rd. Our SOS (Supporting our Staff) Platform was first introduced in November 2021, and if educators have not had the opportunity to explore its modules, we’re here to spring you forward and to reignite your own Adult SEL (Social Emotional Learning) skills. Educators are invited to chart their own course and to choose modules from the Adult, Social Emotional Intelligence site, OR our SEL Specialist Kellie Bailey has selected six high-leverage modules for interested participants. Those selected modules are as follows:

Feb. 3rd – I Wasn’t Trained for This!
Feb. 17th – Up Against the Clock Adult Wellness
March 3rd – De-Stress for Success
March 17th – What is Compassion Fatigue, and Do I Have It?
April 7th – A Mental Balancing Act
April 28th – Choosing to Be Grateful and Optimistic: A Lesson in Mindfulness

SEL Specialist Kellie Bailey will lead the six-part series – focused on reflection of the assigned module and applying the learning. Sessions will run from 4:00-4:45; HOWEVER, if you do not have time to watch the module ahead of time, log onto the zoom at 3:45pm for each session and watch it with our DOE team!

If educators choose to chart their own course, simply track your modules and send your documentation to us – kellie.bailey@maine.gov. We’re all in this together – make the time to tend to YOU!

Registration link

Participants do need to register on the SOS page if educators are not already registered for SEL4ME (takes two seconds!): SOS/SEL4ME Registration

For more information contact Kellie D. Bailey, Maine DOE Social Emotional Behavioral Learning Specialist at Kellie.Bailey@maine.gov.

FORUM: Emotional Well-Being During a Pandemic

Sponsored by Maine Community Action Partnership (MeCAP), this is a forum, open to all and at no charge, to connect and explore coping strategies.

Panelists:

Dr. Nirav Shah, Director of Maine Centers for disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Eric Eisele, E-COVID Project Director, Office of Behavioral Health, Maine Department for Health and Human Services (DHHS)
Arabella Pares, Trauma Informed Certificate Coordinator, University of New England (UNE)
Abigail Young, Junior at Ellsworth High School

Thursday, January 27, 6:00pm – 7:15pm

For more information, contact MeCAP: https://mecap.org

Maine Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) Traffic Safety Programming

Students Against Destructive Decisions in Maine is offering educators across the state free access to mental health, prevention and mobility safety resources through a partnership with the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety.

Schools that become SADD chapters can not only implement any or all of SADD’s programming, they also can take advantage of SADD’s roster of local and national partners, as well as our engaging expert speakers.

SADD chapters offer unique opportunities to your students including attendance at national conferences and webinars; access to scholarship opportunities; new ways to connect with peers across the country; and some great things to put on their college applications.

Becoming a SADD chapter is completely free, and there are no requirements for participation. Your chapter can do as little or as much as works for your school. If you are interested in finding out more, please reach out to Christina Schechtman, Maine SADD State Coordinator, at cschechtman@sadd.org or visit linktr.ee/saddmaine.

Digital Forum on Prevention: Digital Ecosystems for Student Security, Safety, and Well-Being

Co-hosted with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) School Safety Task Force and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology (OET).

When:

Tuesday, January 25: 11:00 a.m. ET to 3:30 p.m. ET and;
Wednesday, January 26: 11:00 a.m. ET to 3:30 p.m. ET.

Where: Zoom

This forum will feature two days of online panels and workshops of experts, researchers, technology experts and practitioners. Attendees will learn about a public health-informed strategy to prevention, online safety, multidisciplinary approaches to student and educator well-being, and learn about solutions that support prevention, including how to improve digital literacy and critical thinking skills and cybersecurity resources to build resilience.

School administrators, educators, school safety stakeholders, prevention practitioners, including threat assessment and management professionals, state and local agencies, law enforcement, mental and behavioral health services, social services, technology companies, civil society organizations, cybersecurity experts, and all federal and international partners that have an interest and benefit in learning more about navigating student safety online are encouraged to register.

Full agenda and link to registration

Register Now: Maine Collaborative Child Abuse Prevention Online Conference February 2-4

This event is co-sponsored by Cumberland County Children’s Advocacy Center, Maine Department of Education’s Office of School and Student Supports, Trauma-informed Prosecutor Project (TiPP), and Portland Pump Company.

Trainings are designed to provide cross disciplinary education, advocacy for systemic legal change, guidance for survivor support and leadership on emerging technologies, education and training around how to recognize and address the intersecting forms of child maltreatment in connection with child sexual abuse is the focus of all.

FEBRUARY 2-4, 2022 – 8:30AM TO 4PM

Day 1:

Essentials of Trauma-Informed Care
Essentials of Adverse Childhood Experiences
Empowering Survivors To Understand The Impact of Childhood Trauma… Getting Through, Not Over
Vicarious Trauma & Self-Care Strategies

Day 2:

Understanding the Impact Of Trauma On Boys
Strategies, Tips, & Activities for The Classroom: Building Connections & Developing Empathy
Personal Safety Building Blocks: Consent, & Empathy for Parents
Personal Safety Building Blocks: Consent, & Empathy for Professionals

Day 3:

Trauma-Informed Approaches to Victims of Technology-Facilitated
Abuse No Perfect Victim: Combating Issues & Overcoming Jury Bias in Cases with Difficult Kids
Smoke & Fire: Trauma, ACEs, How They Impact Child Abuse Investigation & Prosecution
Creating Trauma-Informed Spaces for Victims & Families Throughout the Justice System

REGISTER HERE.

Help promote this event – Download the flyer.

WEBINAR: Resources to Address the Mental Health Impact on Students, Families, and Staff

Please join the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse on January 20 at 3:00 PM EST for an informational webinar on the latest resources to address the mental health impact on students, parents, teachers, and school personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The session will feature guest speakers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network, which is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Presenters will provide an overview of national COVID-19 guidance for K-12 schools and share resources to address the mental health impact on students, parents, teachers, and school personnel.

The discussion will feature additional school safety-related resources available through SchoolSafety.gov, as well as a Q&A session.

When: January 20, 2022, 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM EST
Where: Adobe Connect (access link to be provided one day in advance of the event)
For: K-12 School Superintendents and Principals; School and District Administrators; Teachers and School Staff; School Counselors and School Psychologists; Emergency Management; Parents and Guardians; and Students
Registration: https://schoolsafetycovidandmentalhealthwebinar.eventbrite.com

If you have any questions, please contact the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse School Safety team at SchoolSafety@hq.dhs.gov.

Maine School Safety Center to Offer School Emergency Planning Virtual Office Hours

Melissa Condon, the Emergency Operations Planning Officer for the Maine Department of Education’s Maine School Safety Center will be offering virtual office hours for anyone working in Maine’s education workforce who is interested in talking about School Emergency Planning.

Sessions will be offered Weekly on Mondays & Wednesdays from 8:00am – 10:00am starting on Monday, January 19th and ending on Monday, February 28th

If you are interested in registering to attend any of the Office Hours, email Melissa.A.Condon@maine.gov for a link to join the virtual meeting.

Description:

Available for personalized discussions for School Administrative Units (SAUs) related to various areas of emergency management and planning to include mitigating against, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from various threats and hazards that exist both to the school and surrounding community.

This is an opportunity to ask questions and/or seek technical assistance for topics such as:

The development of a Comprehensive Health and Safety and Emergency Management Plan
Identifying and planning for all hazards and potential hazards that could reasonably be expected to affect a SAU
Forming a collaborative, multi-disciplinary planning team
Developing and enhancing MOUs/MOAs with community partners
Physical site assessments
Emergency management training and education opportunities
Emergency exercises/drills
Continuity of Operations

For further information or questions, contact Melissa Condon at Melissa.A.Condon@maine.gov.

SAVE THE DATE: Maine Collaborative Child Abuse Prevention Conference February 2-4

Save the date for an 3-day free online conference for Social Workers, Law Enforcement, Educators & Prosecutors.

This event is co-sponsored by Cumberland County Children’s Advocacy Center, Maine Department of Education’s Maine School Safety Center, Trauma-informed Prosecutor Project (TiPP), and Portland Pump Company.

FEBRUARY 2-4, 2022 – 8:30AM TO 4PM

Day 1:

Essentials of Trauma-Informed Care
Essentials of Adverse Childhood Experiences
Empowering Survivors To Understand The Impact of Childhood Trauma… Getting Through, Not Over
Vicarious Trauma & Self-Care Strategies

Day 2:

Understanding the Impact Of Trauma On Boys
Strategies, Tips, & Activities for The Classroom: Building Connections & Developing Empathy
Personal Safety Building Blocks: Consent, & Empathy for Parents
Personal Safety Building Blocks: Consent, & Empathy for Professionals

Day 3:

Trauma-Informed Approaches to Victims of Technology-Facilitated
Abuse No Perfect Victim: Combating Issues & Overcoming Jury Bias in Cases with Difficult Kids
Smoke & Fire: Trauma, ACEs, How They Impact Child Abuse Investigation & Prosecution
Creating Trauma-Informed Spaces for Victims & Families Throughout the Justice System

Learn more here.

Help promote this event – Download the flyer.

Tips to Improve How Your Mask Protects You

As we all work together to fight the Omicron variant of COVID-19, effective mask wearing continues to be one of the best strategies.

Find important information, graphics, and translated resources on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website to share with your school community about how individuals can improve how their mask protects them:

Improve How Your Mask Protects You >

Vaccination Promotion Materials for Maine Schools

The Mills Administration is distributing printable 4×6 cards and 8.5×11 posters encouraging Maine people to get vaccinated this season in order to protect their health and the health of their communities. Maine Schools are important partners in this effort, which is why we wanted to provide you with these materials to post in your spaces to help spread the word about the importance of getting vaccinated. Helping reinforce the importance of vaccinations is even more important right now during this sustained surge of COVID-19.