Creating Relationships and Sharing Knowledge
- The month of April has brought great progress as our team is getting fully staffed. We have Crystal Hickman directing School Mental Health services and Matt Bell directing the Language and Culture initiatives. They have been creating relationships and learning about existing programs, efforts, and initiatives. We do not want to reinvent the wheel and look to our community and professional contacts to assist us in our vision.
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We presented on Restorative Practice and Relational Circles at the School Counselor's Association emphasizing the development of relationships. The benefit of relationships between, administration, staff, board, teachers, and most importantly our students can shift the dynamics of any school. Virtually eliminating behavioral issues. If interested in a training, please contact us to schedule.
- May 3rd our RISE Youth Leadership will hold a virtual Celebration of the Year. They have been going strong and lifting each other up this past year and this will be a good time to close things out in a good way.
- We will be taking trips out to our schools more and learning from our tribal leaders and communities. Good things are happening.
School Mental Health Support Services
School Mental Health Support Services Coordinator, Crystal Hickman, has been working in collaboration with School Safety, Coordinated School Health, and Project Aware to re-vision the Montana Student Wellness Advisory Committee to establish goals and workgroups that will impact student wellness and mental health across the state. Crystal continues to work to promote student voices around mental health and wellness in partnership with the Elders' Wisdom Council and looks forward to establishing a task force led by this group to guide the work of increasing support to meet our students' mental health needs both on and off the reservations.
Language and Culture
Amba Wastě!
As we greet the Spring and the arrival of all the new life, our relatives in our Montana tribes are getting ready for the ceremonies that will be coming up soon. As many of our students are finishing their academic year, it is important to keep in mind that many of them have duties, responsibilities, and obligations to their cultural ties which connect them to hundreds or thousands of years of tradition. Some of these practices have a public aspect that allows for outsiders to witness or even participate in some instances. Our students and their knowledge about these cultural ways can be an invaluable addition to knowledge bases within classrooms if one seeks to build that relationship with a strong base of respect.
Our department invites you to explore our updated Language and Culture page with more streamlined access to some of the material produced by Montana tribes and more content to come! We are working alongside the tribes on developing more material, professional development, and bridge-building opportunities for our educators, administrators, students, and families. Thank you for your work in honoring our land through continued awareness of our Montana tribal heritage languages and culture!
Happy Spring!
The OPI is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, require an alternate format, or have questions concerning accessibility, contact the OPI ADA Coordinator, 406-444-3161, opiada@mt.gov, Relay Service: 711.
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