Mental Health Awareness Upcoming Events

This VoiceThread has an instructional focus, about using literature to support students with the Mental Health disorders, others who are living in difficult situations and experience emotional and psychological stressors, and to help the more general student population respond with compassion to their peers and/or family members who are struggling.  There will be a list of helpful texts provided, but there will be no books available from HGRESA for this project.

This VoiceThread  provides formal definitions for Mental Health disorders and explains how Mental Health support is different from Social Emotional Learning.

Mentor texts, including picture books, novels, and biographies can be used to help students understand and deal effectively with the mental health challenges of anger management and anxiety. The books illustrate aspects of Anger and Anxiety, as well as the Character Traits of Resilience, Persistence, and Fostering Relationships. Note: The Mentor Texts are to be used by teachers and coaches working with Mental Health experts.

Mentor texts, including picture books, novels, and biographies can be used to help students understand and deal effectively with the mental health challenges of anger management and anxiety. The books illustrate aspects of Anger and Anxiety, as well as the Character Traits of Resilience, Persistence, and Fostering Relationships. Note: The Mentor Texts are to be used by teachers and coaches working with Mental Health experts.

This Quick Course will teach you about types of trauma, the signs of trauma in children, and how you can design a trauma-informed classroom. You’ll learn a specific approach to the design of your classroom and its culture so that you are maintaining a safe space that supports all children.

TRAUMA-INFORMED TEACHING STRATEGIES FOR GRADES 6-12 - Course will teach you about types of trauma, the signs of trauma in adolescents, and how you can implement strategies to support a trauma-informed classroom. You’ll learn a specific approach to the design of your classroom and its culture so that you are maintaining a safe space that supports all students.

 HGRESA District Members Only.

Audience: All

Age Level: All

Level: Universal

Topic: School climate is a huge concern among educators and the pandemic brought about some changes to the climate. This presentation explores the “whys” and how to intervene to bring your school climate back up.

Time: Nine Hours

 HGRESA District Members Only.

 

• • We will cover an overview of the causes of targeted behaviors and how they can be remediated through simple changes.
  • Research indicates students with Emotional Behavior Disorders (EBD) are educated in an inclusive setting, they have better behaviors. However, little has been done to prepare general education classroom teachers for the types of behaviors that can occur when a child has EBD tendencies.
  • Riffel will share the Three R’s for building a classroom that is conducive to learning for the students with and without EBD. She will share ways to Revise the Environment to set the student up for success. She will share ways to teach Replacement Behaviors that help the student “save face” by not having everyone know what behaviors they are working on in the classroom. Finally, she will share ways to Reframe our Response so we are feeding the replacement behaviors and extinguishing the targeted behaviors.

   

  • Overview: A child is considered for an EBD label in Georgia if they have one or more of the following criteria to the point that it impedes learning:
  • An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and/or teachers. For preschool-age children, this would include other care providers.
  • An inability to learn which cannot be adequately explained by intellectual, sensory or health factors.
  • Consistent or chronic inappropriate type of behavior or feelings under normal conditions.
  • Displayed pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.
  • Displayed tendency to develop physical symptoms, pains or unreasonable fears associated with personal or school problems.
  • Long term implications are that if students with EBD are co-taught in the general education classroom rather than a separate setting they fare better in high school and beyond. There are less reports of behavioral issues when this is done well (https://sophia.stkate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1061&context=maed) .
  • Riffel will share a story of a large school district she consulted in that was housing their students with EBD in separate rooms. The students with EBD had more referrals and lower grades than their peers. After a thorough examination of the behaviors and through field observations her recommendations were to disband all the separate EBD classrooms, put the special education teachers in the classrooms as co-teachers and put the students with EBD in the general education classes. They moved from “being babysat” to actually performing as well as their peers when they were challenged by interesting work and had role models that demonstrated how to self-regulate and use their words to make their point understood. The staff received training on how to teach self-regulation and voicing opinions appropriately to all students.  The staff also received training how to change the set-up of the classroom to help students feel connected to each other.
  • Riffel will also share physiological things that are important considerations when working with students with the EBD Label.

   

• Audience: All Staff and Administrators in General and Special Education

  Age Level: All

  Level: Tier Three

  Topic: This presentation focuses on evidence-based interventions you can use with students who are identified with emotional behavior disorders. This is available in the one day or two day version with more interventions and opportunities for implementation in the two-day version

  Time: Ten Hours

 HGRESA District Members Only.

 

• • We will cover an overview of the causes of targeted behaviors and how they can be remediated through simple changes.
  • Research indicates students with Emotional Behavior Disorders (EBD) are educated in an inclusive setting, they have better behaviors. However, little has been done to prepare general education classroom teachers for the types of behaviors that can occur when a child has EBD tendencies.
  • Riffel will share the Three R’s for building a classroom that is conducive to learning for the students with and without EBD. She will share ways to Revise the Environment to set the student up for success. She will share ways to teach Replacement Behaviors that help the student “save face” by not having everyone know what behaviors they are working on in the classroom. Finally, she will share ways to Reframe our Response so we are feeding the replacement behaviors and extinguishing the targeted behaviors.

   

  • Overview: A child is considered for an EBD label in Georgia if they have one or more of the following criteria to the point that it impedes learning:
  • An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and/or teachers. For preschool-age children, this would include other care providers.
  • An inability to learn which cannot be adequately explained by intellectual, sensory or health factors.
  • Consistent or chronic inappropriate type of behavior or feelings under normal conditions.
  • Displayed pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.
  • Displayed tendency to develop physical symptoms, pains or unreasonable fears associated with personal or school problems.
  • Long term implications are that if students with EBD are co-taught in the general education classroom rather than a separate setting they fare better in high school and beyond. There are less reports of behavioral issues when this is done well (https://sophia.stkate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1061&context=maed) .
  • Riffel will share a story of a large school district she consulted in that was housing their students with EBD in separate rooms. The students with EBD had more referrals and lower grades than their peers. After a thorough examination of the behaviors and through field observations her recommendations were to disband all the separate EBD classrooms, put the special education teachers in the classrooms as co-teachers and put the students with EBD in the general education classes. They moved from “being babysat” to actually performing as well as their peers when they were challenged by interesting work and had role models that demonstrated how to self-regulate and use their words to make their point understood. The staff received training on how to teach self-regulation and voicing opinions appropriately to all students.  The staff also received training how to change the set-up of the classroom to help students feel connected to each other.
  • Riffel will also share physiological things that are important considerations when working with students with the EBD Label.

   

• Audience: All Staff and Administrators in General and Special Education

  Age Level: All

  Level: Tier Three

  Topic: This presentation focuses on evidence-based interventions you can use with students who are identified with emotional behavior disorders. This is available in the one day or two day version with more interventions and opportunities for implementation in the two-day version

  Time: Seven Hours

 HGRESA District Members Only.

Audience: All Staff

Age Level: All

Level: Tier Two

Topic: Behavior management for the most difficult behaviors in the classroom. This is based on interviewing teachers on the most disruptive behaviors they are seeing in the classroom and field testing evidence-based interventions.

Time: Six hours

Audience: Everyone

Age Level: All

Level: Universal

Topic: This presentation series is available as a four day presentation including one day for universal mental health, two days for tier two mental health, and one day for tier three mental health.  This version is all three levels in one link.  You may also find each link separately. It will focus on proactive strategies you can use in your school to increase mental health awareness.

 HGRESA District Members Only.

• Audience: Support Staff and Specifically Physical Education, Health Educators, and Sports Coaches

  Age Level: All

  Level: Universal

  Topic: This presentation was written to assist physical education, health teachers, and sports coaches in improving school climate and increase mental health strategies.

  Time: Six hours

 HGRESA District Members Only.

Audience: All

Age Level: All

Level: Tier Three

Topic: Many times educators write to us and ask how to get kids on ADHD medication and we also have family members who contact us and tell us their child’s teacher suggested they put their child on ADHD medication. To medicate or not medicate is up to a family member and that decision should be done in conjunction with a consult with a medical professional who specializes in ADHD. So, this presentation focuses on the things that classroom teachers can implement in the classroom with or without medication to help our students with ADHD to be successful.

Time: Six hours

Audience: Everyone

Age Level: All

Level: Universal

Topic: This presentation series is available as a four day presentation including one day for universal mental health, two days for tier two mental health, and one day for tier three mental health.  This version is all three levels in one link.  You may also find each link separately. It will focus on proactive strategies you can use in your school to increase mental health awareness.

Seeing many referrals for students who become dysregulated and lose control in the classroom? This presentation will focus on teaching students the emotions they are feeling and most importantly, how to use their words when they have these feelings.

Audience: Administrators, All Educators, Ancillary Staff, Counselors, Psychologists, Special Education Educators

Age Level: All

Level: Universal

Topic: Self-Regulation and Using Words is the main topic.  This is based on research conducted in the southeast in a town with a high population of children born to opioid addicted mothers. The children were showing signs of emotional instability upon entering school and were disrupting the learning environment for all. We observed triggers and impacts of this behavior and developed a strategy to help the students be successful in the classrooms.

Time: Two Hours

This class is for members of Heart of Georgia RESA only.

Audience: Administrators, All Staff

Age Level: All

Level: Universal in that everyone should be using this technique for their tier two and tier three students who have trouble regulating their emotions.

Topic: This is a proactive strategy taught to all students within the school because at any moment any of us can lose our sense of control and need strategies to stay cool, calm, and collected. As adults, most of us have perfected that. We need to teach our students the words to use and the technique to use to calm themselves down before they lose composure.

Time: 5 hours

Audience: Administrators, All Elementary and Primary Staff Members

Age Level: Primary and Elementary

Level: Universal

Topic: Teaching children how to self-regulate. When our children graduate and enter the world as employees, they will not lose their jobs because they do not know how to read, write, or do math.  They will lose their jobs because they do not know how to cooperatively work with others, solve problems, manage their emotions, or ask for help in a meaningful way. This presentation will help staff members teach proactively the strategies their students will need  now and in the future.

Time: Five Hours

Audience: Administrators, All Elementary Staff at the Third-Sixth Grade Level

Age Level: Third-Sixth Grade

Level: Universal

Topic: Teaching children how to self-regulate. When our children graduate and enter the world as employees, they will not lose their jobs because they do not know how to read, write, or do math.  They will lose their jobs because they do not know how to cooperatively work with others, solve problems, manage their emotions, or ask for help in a meaningful way. This presentation will help staff members teach proactively the strategies their students will need  now and in the future.

Time: 5 hours

Audience: Administrators, All Secondary Educators, All Staff in General and Special Education

Age Level: Secondary

Level: Universal

Topic: The Flipping the Script on Classroom Meltdowns is a specially developed series on helping all students work on self-regulation and gives staff specific skills to use proactively, during a meltdown, and reflection. There are four possible age levels in this series: Pre-K through Second Grade, Upper Elementary, Secondary, and one that covers all ages.  It is designed for ages 18 months to 18 years. The links that are within the series are ready for download to use in building amygdala recalibration centers within your classroom.

Time: Six Hours

Audience: Administrators, All Staff in General and Special Education, Cafeteria Staff, Family, and Transportation Providers.

Age Level: All

Level: Universal

Topic: Based on research conducted since 2014, we interviewed students and asked them this question: “What would mean the world to you? What could someone give you that would let you know you had done a good job; however, it can’t cost any money?”  We wrote down their answers and have since categorized them into age level and overarching themes: Privileges, Attention, Leadership Opportunities, Praise, Assistance, Touch, Escape, and we added school supplies. (No child said they’d like to earn school supplies; however, we work in some very low-income areas where students do not have someone to purchase school supplies for them that they need. We know a hand-out feels bad when you are poor and giving students the opportunity to earn school supplies helps with their self-esteem.

Time: Two hours

Audience: Special Education and Administrators

Age Level: All

Level: Tier Three

Topic: A functional behavior analysis is when the environment is manipulated to determine the function behind the behavior. This works well for determining function when you have a student who is non-verbal. You will see real-world applications of this presentation.

Time: Five Hours

Audience: All

Age Level: All

Level: Tier Two and Tier Three

Topic: Functional Behavior Assessment is the main focus of Behavior Doctor Seminars and Teacheropedia. We have developed a free tool that graphs antecedent, behavior, and consequence data in order to make data collection easy to understand and use to write a data-based behavior support plan. It is available in a one- or two-day presentation. In the two-day presentation, you will get the opportunity to enter data yourself and make decisions.

Time: 8 hours

Audience: All

Age Level: All

Level: Tier Two and Tier Three

Topic: Functional Behavior Assessment is the main focus of Behavior Doctor Seminars and Teacheropedia. We have developed a free tool that graphs antecedent, behavior, and consequence data in order to make data collection easy to understand and use to write a data-based behavior support plan. It is available in a one- or two-day presentation. In the two-day presentation, you will get the opportunity to enter data yourself and make decisions.

Time: Twelve Hours

Audience: All Staff and Family Members

Age Level: All

Level: Universal

Topic: This focus on mental health will help a school develop a Mental Health Fair for a Saturday. It goes through the things to consider prior to implementing a whole day mental health fair for staff and family members.

Time: 36 hours of a guided self-study with ideas of who to contact in your community to assist in creating a wealth of information for your community, staff, and family members.

Age Level: All

Level: Universal

Topic: Universal-level Behavioral Interventions Overview for Administrators. This will help administrators set up surveys and information before beginning universal behavior support training with their staff.

Time: 1 hour

Audience: Admin, All, Ancillary, Counselor, Psychologist, SPED

Age Level: All

Level: Tier Three

Topic: Self-Regulation:  Helping students learn to understand the amygdala and how to self-regulate when the amygdala begins the hijack of the brain. This presentation will share with you different techniques you can use to teach students how to calm themselves and then share the emotion and trigger with their adults and problem-solve.

Time: Six Hours

Audience: SPED and General Education

Age Level: All

Level: Tier Three

Topic: Life Skills: Dr. Riffel lived with an adult with autism, bipolar condition, obsessive compulsive disorder, intellectual disabilities, and mild cerebral palsy.  She also has followed the success of students she housed in her clinic. What we know from these adults with disabilities is that they need a dignified life. A dignified life is one where the person has a home they feel safe in, a job that is meaningful, friends that are true, and leisure activities they enjoy.  This presentation will share with you what can be done throughout their school career to help them have these things after they graduate.

Time: Five Hours

Audience: Family Members

Age Level: Primary and Elementary

Level: All three tiers

Topic: This is specifically designed for a school to purchase and use as a family night training possibly broken into two sessions. It will help family members use the same language as the school when working to give children the words they need to convey their emotions and learn to solve their own problems.

Time: Four hours

Upon successful completion of this course, the learners of a school will have developed the following:

1. 3-5 positively stated expectations based on the replacement behaviors of those currently showing up in the office for office discipline referrals (ODR)
2. A matrix which shows 3-4 examples of each expectation in all the non-classroom areas of the school.
3. A lesson plan for kicking off each replacement behavior and for all the booster shots that will be required as data indicate the need.
4. A reinforcement system of replacement behaviors including gotchas and non-tangible reinforcements.
5. A consistency and fidelity plan for office managed versus classroom managed behaviors.
6. A data system that includes the six key elements for making data-based decisions.
7. A plan for including families and communities in the implementation of their universal behavior support plan.

Audience: Everyone

Age Level: All

Level: Universal

Topic: Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports for your entire school.  This is approximately 15 hours of preparation work time to get this developed for your school.

Time: Fifteen Hours of Planning Time

There will be an out of the HGRESA area fee of $50.

 HGRESA District Members Only.

• This presentation will show what data need to be collected to do an effective intervention plan using a competing pathway model. This uses a real preschool student and 10 days of data. Dr. Riffel will show how she takes the information from the functional behavior assessment (FBA) and turns it into a data-based intervention plan.

• Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) is an open-ended term because there is not a legal definition of what an FBA should entail. Therefore, some schools feel answering 20 questions about a student, an observer sitting in the back of the room for 30 minutes, or anecdotal notes is sufficient to determine the real function of the behavior.  To have a good FBA, we need to know the triggers and the impacts of the targeted behavior in conjunction with each other. The consensus among researchers is that we need ten incidents to develop an effective intervention plan. Dr. Riffel prefers 10 days of data collected by the classroom teacher looking for behavioral chains. Knowing how difficult this was, she spent years simplifying a data collection tool.
• This is a free tool that graphs antecedent, behavior, and consequence data and helps the educational behavior support team determine the true function of the behavior.
• Riffel will show you how to use the tool to enter data, analyze the data, and write an effective competing pathway plan for remediating the behavior using a preschool example.

Audience: All Staff and Administrators in General and Special Education

Age Level: Preschool

Level: Tier Two and Tier Three

Topic: Data can be daunting. We simplified data collection into a form that makes it super simple to collect and then that data gives you a print out that helps you make data-based decisions. 

Time: Two Hours

 HGRESA District Members Only.

• This presentation will show what data need to be collected to do an effective intervention plan using a competing pathway model. This uses a real elementary student and 10 days of data. Dr. Riffel will show how she takes the information from the functional behavior assessment (FBA) and turns it into a data-based intervention plan.

• Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) is an open-ended term because there is not a legal definition of what an FBA should entail. Therefore, some schools feel answering 20 questions about a student, an observer sitting in the back of the room for 30 minutes, or anecdotal notes is sufficient to determine the real function of the behavior.  To have a good FBA, we need to know the triggers and the impacts of the targeted behavior in conjunction with each other. The consensus among researchers is that we need ten incidents to develop an effective intervention plan. Dr. Riffel prefers 10 days of data collected by the classroom teacher looking for behavioral chains. Knowing how difficult this was, she spent years simplifying a data collection tool.
• This is a free tool that graphs antecedent, behavior, and consequence data and helps the educational behavior support team determine the true function of the behavior.
• Riffel will show you how to use the tool to enter data, analyze the data, and write an effective competing pathway plan for remediating the behavior using an elementary example.

Audience: All Staff and Administrators in General and Special Education

Age Level: Elementary

Level: Tier Two and Tier Three

Topic: Data can be daunting. We simplified data collection into a form that makes it super simple to collect and then that data gives you a print out that helps you make data-based decisions. 

Time: Two Hours

 HGRESA District Members Only.

• This presentation will show what data need to be collected to do an effective intervention plan using a competing pathway model. This uses a real secondary student and 10 days of data. Dr. Riffel will show how she takes the information from the functional behavior assessment (FBA) and turns it into a data-based intervention plan.

• Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) is an open-ended term because there is not a legal definition of what an FBA should entail. Therefore, some schools feel answering 20 questions about a student, an observer sitting in the back of the room for 30 minutes, or anecdotal notes is sufficient to determine the real function of the behavior.  To have a good FBA, we need to know the triggers and the impacts of the targeted behavior in conjunction with each other. The consensus among researchers is that we need ten incidents to develop an effective intervention plan. Dr. Riffel prefers 10 days of data collected by the classroom teacher looking for behavioral chains. Knowing how difficult this was, she spent years simplifying a data collection tool.
• This is a free tool that graphs antecedent, behavior, and consequence data and helps the educational behavior support team determine the true function of the behavior.
• Riffel will show you how to use the tool to enter data, analyze the data, and write an effective competing pathway plan for remediating the behavior using a secondary example.

Audience: All Staff and Administrators in General and Special Education

Age Level: Secondary

Level: Tier Two and Tier Three

Topic: Data can be daunting. We simplified data collection into a form that makes it super simple to collect and then that data gives you a print out that helps you make data-based decisions. 

Time: Two Hours

Audience: All staff members and administrators in general and special education

Age Level: Kindergarten through Second Grade

Topic: In 2022 the surgeon general indicated a 50% increase in anxiety and depression in the 3–17-year-old students since 2016. This presentation focuses on what we can do proactively to help our younger students be successful in dealing with anxiety.

Time: Six Hours

There is a $50 out of area fee for participants from outside the Heart of Georgia RESA systems.

There is an Out of Area Fee for this course.

This tier-two course has strategies to help Pre-K through 12th grade educators
alleviate behaviors that appear to be cropping up post-COVID.

We will first explore the current students' age when Covid hit, and what skills they
missed due to that absence.
We will discuss the surgeon general's findings and then go through step-by-step
what we can do to teach all the curriculum required and still cover the skill deficits
missing in today's students.
This is a working seminar, meaning the video will stop, and you will have time to
discuss with cohorts the strategies and how you could implement them in your
classrooms.
Participants will learn:
1. How to identify anxiety and depression in students
2. Ways to revise the environment to set students up for success.
3. Ways to build relationships with students.
4. Ways to teach replacement behaviors.
5. How to use a simplified competing pathway chart
6. Ways to reframe our response so we are feeding the replacement behavior
and extinguishing the target.

Audience: All Staff and Administrators in General and Special Education

Age Level: All

Level: Tier Two

Topic: The pandemic brought some new behaviors to the forefront including: disruptions, peer to peer interactions, peer to adult interactions, resilience, and so much more.  This presentation focuses on what caused this and what we can do about it to help our students be successful.

Time: Six Hours

This presentation was written to assist educators in reducing their own stress by setting boundaries, using time management tips, building a support system, building leisure activities, developing a gratitude journal, Attending professional development, seeking feedback and reflections, and using assistive technology to make their lives easier. It also focuses on an evidence-based practice of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).

There will be an out of the HGRESA area fee of $50.

This is a realistic look at how to collect the correct data to make data-based decisions in your behavioral intervention planning instead of guessing on the function of the behavior.

There will be an out of the HGRESA area fee of $50.

This is a three-hour presentation on improving school climate. It is pre-recorded and comes with a handout workbook and a supplemental video on building relationships in the event a disconnect between staff and students is found from the preliminary survey.

There will be an out of the HGRESA area fee of $50.

Topics Covered:
 Determining Hard Stops in the Behavioral Game (Stop sending students home or to the
principal)
 Determining What Behaviors Are Causing Issues
 Setting up Expectations and Teaching Replacement Behavior
 Maximizing Structure
 Giving Students Opportunities to Respond (Keeping them on Task All the Time)
 Proactive Strategies for the Most Common Behaviors
 Acknowledging Appropriate Behaviors
 Acknowledging Inappropriate Behaviors
 Planning for Next Year at the End of Year (Mitigating Future Behaviors)

There will be an out of the HGRESA area fee of $50.

Audience: All Staff and Administrators in General and Special Education

Age Level: Third-Twelfth Grade

Level: Universal and Tier Two

Topic: The anxiety epidemic was already in an up-tic before the pandemic. Post Covid-19, the surgeon general has reported there is a 50% increase in anxiety in the 3-17 population. Teachers were not prepared at the pre-service level to work with students who were struggling with anxiety. This presentation ill share an overview of anxiety and give tips on ways to address anxiety universally and at the tier-two level.

There will be an out of the HGRESA area fee of $50.

Audience: All Staff and Administrators in General and Special Education

Age Level: Pre-K through Second Grade

Level: Universal and Tier Two

Topic: The anxiety epidemic was already in an up-tic before the pandemic. Post Covid-19, the surgeon general has reported there is a 50% increase in anxiety in the 3-17 population. Teachers were not prepared at the pre-service level to work with students who were struggling with anxiety. This presentation will share an overview of anxiety and give tips on ways to address anxiety universally and at the tier-two level.

There will be an out of the HGRESA area fee of $50.

One of the leading causes of people quitting their jobs is workplace stress and the impact it has on the mental health of employees. For individuals, the experience of starting and quitting jobs is in itself stress-producing. For employers and HR managers, the difficulties with employee retention contribute to increased costs and decreased productivity.

Navigating Emotional Realities with Adults is an on-demand workshop that explores the emotional functioning of adults in a workplace setting. Accessing current neuroscience information and applying it in the context of the high-paced, stress-filled world in which we are all living and working will assist individuals in better understanding their own emotional experiences in the workplace. It will also help staff understand the emotional and relational dynamics they encounter at work and supply individuals, staff, and HR/personnel managers with strategies and tools to assist in developing a workplace that supports the mental health of all employees—a key factor in retention and productivity.

Among the concepts included in the workshop are:

• The neuroscience of emotional development and relational functioning
• Ways to be aware of and promote a safe work environment
• Understanding adult stages of development and how they impact the workplace
• Recognizing generational patterns in relationships with co-workers
• Conflict resolution tools
• Strategies for building and sustaining a workplace environment that encourages retention and productivity

Learn how teacher-created video can strengthen relationships, increase accessibility, and support a positive school climate.  This session explores practical, research-based strategies for using instructional videos to improve student engagement, reduce anxiety, and extend teacher presence beyond the classroom.  Participants will discover simple, sustainable approaches to creating effective video content for their classes.

Strategies are discussed for implementing a school-wide plan to improve student attendance.  Chronic absenteeism, the importance of early interventions, and the role of the attendance team in educating and informing students and parents of the value of school attendance are addressed.

This training focuses on coping skills, how to use them as individuals, and how to teach students to use them as well, in order to create a calm and successful learning environment for all.

This presentation shows practical strategies for increasing student engagement, reducing classroom disruptions, and creating a more positive school climate through practical classroom management and relationship-building practices.

The purpose of this project is to provide research-based information and strategies for creating trauma-informed school systems.  Topics include the need for being trauma-responsive in schools, trauma-informed teaching practices, and other practical information to help create safe, caring, and supportive schools, not just for students but for faculty and staff as well.

This training is intended to explain the unique mental health challenges faced by educators in rural, poverty-stricken communities.  It provides practical strategies for improving educators' emotional wellness and self-care.  The end goal is to create realistic action steps to improve staff morale and emotional resilience.

Focus is on Make It Stick:  The Science of Successful Learning by Peter Brown, Henry Roediger III, and Mark McDaniel. 

Explores what cognitive science tells us about how students learn, retain information, and transfer knowledge. 

Discusses practical classroom strategies that can immediately improve student achievement.

This presentation explores the critical role of mental health in supporting student success and well-being.  Designed for school stakeholders, this session encourages a collaborative approach to fostering healthy, resilient school communities.

This training is to help middle and high school educators understand the impact of trauma on students and discover practical, everyday strategies to support behavior, learning, and well-being.

This presentation focuses on the importance of self-regulation being a non-negotiable in order to co-regulate in both professional and personal settings.  Specific focus is placed on campus and/or in the classroom setting.  There is an emphasis on self-regulation with strategies and applications of self-regulation.

In addition to the video are group activities and Q&A.

This session focuses on teacher burnout and the importance of incorporating self-care techniques to support an educator's overall well-being.  After attending this session, participants will be able to recognize signs and symptoms of burnout, understand its impact, and develop a personalized self-care action plan.

The goal of this presentation is for the audience to learn about the effects of bullying and practical ways for teachers, parents, and students to be informed.

So You Think You Want to Teach?  Practical Strategies for Surviving and Thriving is a 2-hour virtual professional development session designed to support new and early career educators with practical, ready-to-use strategies for classroom success.  Participants will explore key survival areas for teachers.  Grounded in research-based practices and filled with real-world tools, this session will build confidence and protect a teacher's energy while creating a structured, supportive classroom where students can learn.

Each Student Wellness & Success Course included in the Vector Training, K-12 Student Edition includes an accompanying Lesson Plan designed to help educators in utilizing these courses with their students.

Facilitator Guides are organized by Library and grade level and include an overview of the program, a sample parent/guardian letter, information about utilizing course surveys, and a lesson plan for each module.

Each lesson plan features:

• Learning objectives
• Discussion questions
• Activity ideas
• Alignment to CASEL Social and Emotional Learning Framework
• Alignment to National Health Education Standards

 Access the grade-level appropriate lesson plans for each course

• Grades 9-12 Student Course Lesson Plans
• Grades 6-8 Student Course Lesson Plans

Mental Health & Well-Being

• Alcohol Misuse: Awareness and Prevention
• Bystander Intervention: Alcohol and Substance Misuse (9-12 only)
• Depression Awareness
• Eating Disorder: Awareness and Prevention
• Self-Harm Awareness and Prevention
• Stress and Anxiety
• Stress Management
• Substance Use and Misuse Prevention
• Time Management
• Vaping: Understanding and Prevention
• Youth Suicide Risk

Personal Resilience & Safety

• Active Assailant Prevention and Preparedness
• Good Decision Making
• Hazing Awareness and Prevention
• Human Trafficking Awareness
• Impact of Absenteeism
• Sexual Abuse Awareness
• Study Skills for Student Success
• Trauma Awareness

Healthy Relationships

• Bullying and Cyberbullying
• Communication Styles and Skills
• Dating Violence Awareness
• Digital Citizenship
• Healthy Relationships
• Impact of Social Media and Cell Phone Usage
• Resolving Disagreements
• Sexual Harassment

Career Readiness & Life Skills

• AI Fundamentals – Prompt Writing (9-12 only)
• Career Exploration
• Financial Literacy (9-12 only)
• Goal Setting for Success
• Introduction to AI
• Interview Skills (9-12 only)
• Leadership and Career Readiness (9-12 only)
• Multiple Intelligences (9-12 only)
• Resume Writing (9-12 only)
  
  Maximizing Your Education Microlearning Series (9-12 only)
• Building Relationships with Professionals
• Building Your Personal Brand
• Choosing Classes That Matter
• Developing Your Personal and Professional Portfolio
• Discovering Your Purpose
• Getting Ready for College: Start Now, Shape Your Story
• How to Get More Out of Any Class
• How to Talk About Yourself with Confidence
• Internships and Experiential Learning: Turning Experience Into Opportunity
• The Power of Extracurricular Participation
• Unlocking Microcredentials
• Using School Counseling Services Like a Pro

Avanti videos are created by teachers for teachers.  Brief videos (2-10 minutes) can be viewed individually or in a playlist on a topic.  Each shows a teacher talking from her experience and showing her class in action. Topics include the following:

Engagement

Learning Goals

Assessments

Direct Instruction

Building Relationships

Reading

Emotional Wellness for Educators

Science

Practicing and Deepening

Avanti Explorer:  Navigating Your Learning Journey

Navigator's Edge:  Building Teacher Expertise

Physical Wellness for Educators

Mathematics

Mental Wellness for Educators

High Expectations

Knowledge Applications

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Wellness for Educators

Rules and Procedures

The You Can Handle Them All! Behavior App describes 136 student behaviors and:

• Identifies the primary causes of each behavior.
• Explains how each behavior affects teachers, other students, and the learning environment.
• Offers up to 34 techniques for managing each student behavior.
• Cross-references related student behaviors.

Micro-lessons are included within the app to help you understand the underlying causes of each misbehavior in order to correct it. 

One of the leading causes of people quitting their jobs is workplace stress and the impact it has on the mental health of employees. For individuals, the experience of starting and quitting jobs is in itself stress-producing. For employers and HR managers, the difficulties with employee retention contribute to increased costs and decreased productivity.

Navigating Emotional Realities with Adults is an on-demand workshop that explores the emotional functioning of adults in a workplace setting. Accessing current neuroscience information and applying it in the context of the high-paced, stress-filled world in which we are all living and working will assist individuals in better understanding their own emotional experiences in the workplace. It will also help staff understand the emotional and relational dynamics they encounter at work and supply individuals, staff, and HR/personnel managers with strategies and tools to assist in developing a workplace that supports the mental health of all employees—a key factor in retention and productivity.

Among the concepts included in the workshop are:

• The neuroscience of emotional development and relational functioning
• Ways to be aware of and promote a safe work environment
• Understanding adult stages of development and how they impact the workplace
• Recognizing generational patterns in relationships with co-workers
• Conflict resolution tools
• Strategies for building and sustaining a workplace environment that encourages retention and productivity

Creating conditions that lead to retention, productivity, and engagement in entry-level workers

Overview

It’s undeniable that greater worker stability has a direct impact on productivity, retention, and overall morale within your organization. The question is, why should employers prioritize the personal and professional stability of their workforce, and how can they effectively achieve it?

The level of stability among your employees is also an indicator of differences within your workforce. Personal instability among low-wage workers can result in absenteeism, health issues, and breaches of workplace norms, ultimately diminishing morale, focus on tasks, and job performance.

In this on-demand Workplace Stability workshop, you will:

• Understand the multifaceted factors contributing to employee instability
• Uncover the interconnectedness of instability, employee performance, and profitability
• Identify powerful, low-cost techniques and strategies for fostering workplace stability
• Elevate your organization’s stability, and watch productivity and profitability soar
• Learn how to manage employees who were formerly incarcerated, employees who are noncitizens, employees who are moving from one economic class to another, and employees who are part of multiple generations

Description

Do you arrest the same people over and over again?

How much of your time is spent interacting with people who are homeless?

Are you a first responder looking to expand your skills?

Look no further! Our Tactical Communication workshop offers you a game-changing set of tools that will not only help you take control of any situation but will also ensure your safety while helping you earn the respect and cooperation of individuals from a variety of economic backgrounds.

What will you gain from this training?

• Better information gathering
• Community control
• Improved communication

This on-demand workshop is based on the book Tactical Communication, which explores the hidden rules of social class. By attending this workshop, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the nuances of each class, which will empower you to make a positive impact on every call while minimizing complaints.

Join us on the journey toward safer communities and more successful first responder calls!

Duration: 3 hours and 21 minutes

Host: Rob Frazier

25 books are available to use this video series as a book study.  For access, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your request.

This 10-part professional development video series looks at what homelessness, instability, and disengagement do to learning and the strategies and understandings that are necessary to address those issues. The workshop covers a social cognitive framework that includes the role of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in learning and how safety and belonging impact the prefrontal cortex. Multiple strategies will be given.

Workshop topics include:

• How homelessness, instability, and disengagement reduce learning
• The role of the autonomic nervous system in learning, behavior, and well-being
• How the instability of resources, the demands of time, and the demands of the environment impact the ANS
• Tools to negotiate the abstract realities of school—planning, language, digital realities, Internet access, formal register, voices
• Strategies for calming students
• Strategies for school success
• How to build a wider community level of support

Duration: 2 hours 16 minutes

Building on the important work of meeting literacy compliance requirements the last couple of years, this series is designed to elevate literacy instruction—moving beyond compliance to intentional, high-impact practices that strengthen Tier 1 instruction, align curriculum and assessments, and create scalable systems for sustained literacy growth.

Participants will walk away with the tools, strategies, and confidence to:

• Identify and strengthen high-quality Tier 1 instruction
• Align curriculum, instruction, and assessment to eliminate gaps and ensure consistency across classrooms and grade levels.
• Use assessment data with precision to drive decisions that support all learners within all tiers.
• Implement effective scheduling, staffing, and resource allocation models that maximize instructional time and support literacy growth.
• Build capacity through coaching and professional learning systems that lead to sustained, schoolwide growth.
• Apply practical frameworks and protocols for PLCs and MTSS that leaders can take back and immediately integrate into their schools and districts.
  
  

In each session, leaders will gain practical tools and actionable next steps to strengthen literacy practices across their schools and districts, regardless of the curriculum in use. They will be equipped with strategies they can immediately apply, guidance from experts to support their work, and a network of colleagues to collaborate with as they move from planning to sustained impact.