A Message from the Director

Greetings friends! We were busy last month in the Safe and Supportive School Division. One of the highlights of November was our team's field trip to Aldine ISD. We were hosted by Dr. Goffney, Superintendent, Ms. Melendez, Assistant Superintendent of Student Support, and Dr. Strahan, Executive Director of Social and Emotional Learning and Culture. We were able to visit Black Elementary School and Avalos P-Tech High School. The purpose of our visit was to see best practices in action and our focus was school culture and climate, proactive discipline programs, restorative practices, and mental health resources being implemented in their schools. Aldine did not disappoint- we observed positive relationships with staff and students, clear systems and routines to support rigorous learning, and dedicated staff who go above and beyond to create a safe environment for students and families to take full advantage of all of the community resources. Each school in the district is required to have a functioning MTSS team that must:

• Create a name unique to the campus
• Develop a Mission and Vision
• Assign team member roles and responsibilities
• Identify three areas of focus and develop goals – goals are short-term and attainable

Moreover, the district expectation is for teams to be multidisciplinary, and for all staff members to be given professional development in mental health and wellness training. Family engagement is the next focus area for growth, and I do not doubt with their system of support and dedication they will meet those goals. The highlight of the visit for me was hearing directly from the Avalos P-Tech students. 9th through 12th-grade level students shared their goals for the future and expressed how their school was different, and they knew their teachers cared about them as people. The students stated that they feel seen and heard and that the staff believes in them. One female student commented she now sees her value, “I am smart, and I know my worth.” Mr. Heady, Avalos P-Tech principal, is a servant leader who has been a reflective practitioner and the transformation the school needed started with his willingness to have the changes start with him. The work Mr. Heady and his staff have done to increase the positive climate and culture is evident in the academic success of their students but even more so in the smiles and praise from the students and community. After visiting Aldine our team is encouraged about our ability to support and scale this model across Texas! Happy Holidays~ Dr. B!

TEA Service Awards

Congratulations to our Safe and Supportive Schools Team members for their years of service at Texas Education Agency! Carroll Sadler has been impacting Texas student lives for 5 years in counting. Dr. Lang and Julie Wayman have been providing services to our Texas school districts for 15 years in counting! We are servant leaders. Thank you for your service, Carroll, Dr. Lang, and Julie! Pictured: Commissioner Mike Morath, Dr. Gaye Lang, Chief John Scott, and Julie Wayman.

Restorative Discipline Practices

Dr. Gaye Lang: Restorative Discipline Practices Statewide Director

Restorative Practices Made Simple Episode 11 – Planning for Success: Implementation (Part 2) is now available! In this video, Dr. Gaye Lang and panelists Jake Shirley and Yanitizie Oquendo discuss experiences on implementation of Restorative Discipline Practices in two schools each, with a focus on the various restorative models for a successful implementation.

Restorative Discipline Practices Trainings for December:

Register for upcoming RDP trainings at RDP Training Information. If the training you plan to attend is FULL, please check back. New training dates will be released in 2024.

Please submit all questions regarding Restorative Discipline Practices to rdp@tea.texas.gov.

Mary Scott: Student Discipline Specialist

• Student Discipline Virtual Professional Developments: Beginning in January 2024, registration for the student discipline virtual professional development trainings will be held through TEA. Training will be offered twice each month from August – June. Please visit the student discipline webpage for information in mid-December.

• Student Discipline Technical Resources are now located on the Student Discipline webpage: Student Discipline Program Technical Resources and Samples

• Please submit questions regarding student discipline policy and procedure to StudentDisciplineSupport@tea.texas.gov and questions regarding student discipline data reporting requirements via TSDS Incident Management System (TIMS).

Victoria Rossi: Educator Training Specialist
Victoria Rossi is developing an educator training series focused on addressing student behavior and creating a better school experience for students and educators.
Victoria.WangRossi@tea.texas.gov

Mental Health and Wellness Team

Julie Wayman: Director of Mental and Behavioral Health

Tammy Gendke: Mental Health Program Coordinator

Ashton Millet: AWARE Texas Expansion Consortium State Coordinator

Jerlene Gibbs: Mental Health and Education Program Specialist

Mental Health and Wellness Team Updates

Register today for the December Mental & Behavioral Health Webinar

The Texas Education Agency’s Safe & Supportive Schools Division and our Project AWARE Texas partners are hosting a series of monthly webinars this school year to highlight resources and best practice strategies on relevant safe and supportive schools topics. Topics will include school mental health, substance abuse prevention, school discipline, early mental health interventions, approaches to whole child student support, and building community partnerships to increase capacity. You can join a webinar every 2^nd Thursday of the month from 11:00 am CST to 12:30 pm CST from December until June.  CPE credits will be made available to those who attend the full live session.  

Register at this link for the December 14^th Webinar Session on Trauma & Grief Informed Care Strategies: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wX6H_UaKRyyymiIVWSXhaw 

The Science of Gratitude

Happy holiday season to our readers. We appreciate your support for the safety, mental health, and wellness of everyone engaging in the Texas public schools.  As you take a break to relax and recharge over the holidays, we invite you to consider the science of gratitude for your own wellness. Gratitude practices can support our emotional resilience, health, and overall wellbeing. We offer a few external summaries on the science of gratitude to read and reflect on during this holiday season. We are grateful for each of you!

The Science of Gratitude

Giving Thanks Can Make You Happier

When Looking for Happiness, Find Gratitude

TEA’s Mental Health Resources

General School Mental Health Resources:  https://schoolmentalhealthtx.org/

Mental Health Resources Database: https://schoolmentalhealthtxdatabase.org/

Mental Health Best Practice Registry: https://schoolmentalhealthtx.org/best-practices/

Contact the Mental Health and Wellness Team:  mentalandbehavioralheatlh@tea.texas.gov

Student Supports Team

• Hank Weikert: Director of Student Supports Implementation is developing the elements of the Safe and Supportive School Program including the Commissioner’s Rule, SSSP data reporting, and resources to support improvements in school climate and implementation of a support structure based on the multitiered system of supports framework and that addresses the behavioral, emotional, and mental health needs of students.

• Carroll Sadler: Community Partnerships Specialist works with under-performing schools to provide supports and services for students and families that generate significant improvements in developmental and educational outcomes for children. Please submit all questions about Community Partnership Initiative to communitypartnerships@tea.texas.gov.

• The Stronger Connections Grant Program preliminary awards have been made! Please click this link to view the 97 awardees. If you helped review and score applications as part of the competitive review process, thank you for your time and willingness to serve these applicants! Next steps for this program include program negotiations for the preliminary awardees, another advisory group meeting in December with the Texas Center for Student Supports and statewide stakeholders, as well as continued planning and preparation for the spring 2024 semester. The photo below is from the TCSS’ advisory group kick off with our regional ESCs. All 20 regional ESCs will provide essential training, professional development, and other support and technical assistance to their SCG awardees. For more information about this grant, visit the Grants Opportunities page or email sarah.mccaslin@tea.texas.gov.

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Visit our webpage: Safe and Supportive Schools | Texas Education Agency