School District Announces New Mental Health Initiatives

School District Announces New Mental Health Initiatives

The school board meeting on Monday, March 25th was not just about the budget! During the business portion of the meeting, held after a long and thoughtful budget discussion, administrators shared an interesting educational report in addition to several other exciting announcements. The announcement included the appointment of two new principals, an upcoming PTA program, and a new partnership with the JED Foundation.

First, Superintendent Dr. Drew Patrick and Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Megan Troy announced the appointment of two new principals in the district. First, the BOE welcomed and congratulated Chris Coughlin, the current interim principal of Scarsdale Middle School, on his appointment as the new principal of SMS. Mr. Coughlin took the time to thank the BOE and tell us how great our students are, how world-class our staff is, and how supportive our families here in Scarsdale are throughout the recruitment process. I shared that I was able to look back on the past. He feels extremely honored to have been given the privilege of his new role at SMS.

Troy also announced that Annette Keene from Anne Hutchinson Elementary School in Eastchester has been named the new principal of Edgewood Elementary School. Learn more about both new principals here.

Interactive workshop on civil debate

In an update from board members, Susie Hahn reminded parents that “Appropriate Discomfort: Scarsdale Students Join Civil Discourse” will be held April 4 at 7 p.m. in the ILab on the second floor of the high school. We invited them to participate in the program titled “How to Learn How to Participate.”

She explained: “At Scarsdale, we prioritize cultivating an intellectually rigorous learning environment where students actively engage with multiple perspectives and have access to diverse thoughts and ideas. especially since arguments can undermine strongly held beliefs.”

The interactive workshop, led by Media Literacy Specialist Meredith Dutra and Deputy Director of Curriculum Education Edgar McIntosh, will explore the strategies, methods, and tools Scarsdale teachers use to respectfully engage students in complex and informed instruction. , demonstrate the tool. Sometimes difficult conversations. Discuss how these tools can be applied to classrooms, boardrooms, and family discussions.

Mental health initiatives

Prior to presenting the strategic plan update, Dr. Patrick announced that the Scarsdale School District, along with 14 other schools nationwide, has been selected to participate in the JED Foundation’s District Comprehensive Approach (DCA) pilot. did. This innovative program guides school districts in improving support systems for the mental health of pre-K-12 students, provides strong professional learning experiences, and provides comprehensive student support. You will develop a strategic plan to build mental health and suicide prevention programs. The first district cohort members will be at the forefront of learning and teaching strong mental health and suicide prevention practices that benefit faculty and students alike. ”

Patrick will partner with the nonprofit JED Foundation to identify new mental health priorities and best action steps to take today based on learnings from the district’s recent Attribution Study I explained that I was excited to be working with them. .

Patrick also said, “Two of the most important prerequisites for each student to fully develop and contribute to their community, society, and the world are developing a sense of belonging and experiencing happiness. In particular, trends among young people suggest that these traits are more difficult to develop and maintain in today’s world, and one indicator of this is the increasing demand for mental health care resources. We believe that the District Comprehensive Approach is a valuable tool that can be used to address these trends within our communities. By implementing this approach school-wide, we can improve student and They will now know how to access the support they need to succeed and gain the sense of belonging and well-being they need to thrive.”

In an update on the district’s strategic plan, Dr. Patrick reminded us to gather feedback from community stakeholders as part of developing a community-owned strategic plan that supports the district’s vision and mission. I started with The district began collecting feedback in November 2023, hosting the first World His Café with teachers and garnering thousands of comments. Then in November or December, he announced that the district would host more World Cafés (two in-person and one on Zoom) with his members of the community, garnering hundreds more comments. Ta. We conducted a community survey in January 2024 and received 130 responses and over 1,000 comments from him.

The following slides show the themes that emerged from the feedback we collected.

Patrick said the partnership between the school district and the JED Foundation will drive growth in many of the skills identified as new priorities, including life skills, social skills, social-emotional learning, growth mindset, critical thinking, problem solving, and communication. He said it would help promote. , collaboration skills.

Also in the education report, Curriculum Director Dr Edgar Mackintosh gave an inspiring presentation on project-based assessment. We will discuss this presentation in more detail in next week’s article.