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SOAR Induction

2018-19

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Make a nametag & peruse the books on your table.

Meet your table mates!

Do Now

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Outcomes

Build community among SFUSD’s SOAR Academy teams and partners
Acquire a deeper understanding of the experiences of students with emotional needs and our role as an advocate and ally for students and their families
Develop a shared understanding about the purpose, expectations and components of the SOAR Academy program
Work in grade-level teams to share resources and best practices

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SFUSD Agreements

Keep equity at the center
Be engaged and present
Be part of the solution

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SFUSD’s Mission

Every day we provide each and every student the quality instruction and equitable support required to thrive in the 21st century.

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SFUSD’s definition of Equity

The work of eliminating oppression, ending biases, and ensuring equally high outcomes for all participants through the creation of multicultural, multilingual, multiethnic, multiability, multiracial practices and conditions; removing the predictability of success or failure that currently correlates with any social or cultural factor.

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The SOAR Academy is not a program only for kids with ED.

It is a highly restrictive setting

that is designed to support students whose disabilities significantly impact their emotional regulation, social skills, and behaviors.

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SOAR Vision & Goals

The purpose of the SOAR Academy is to provide students with the skills they need to thrive in the school setting and in the community beyond.

Alignment and program fidelity
Community engagement
Joyful and supportive learning environments

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Know Your WHY

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My Why

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SFUSD Legal Dept Presentation

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Context of the Work

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Coleman Report

Link to report

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Group Discussion

What stood out to you from this report?

What similar patterns have you experienced in your classroom/work?

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SOAR Academy: WHY

2010 audit of SFUSD found that:

While 12.3% of the SFUSD student population is African American…

23.6% of students receiving special education services are AA, and
49.3% of students categorized with Emotional Disturbance (ED) are AA

African American students are 7 times more likely to be identified with ED than all other groups
1 out of every 22 African American male students in SFUSD is identified as being “Emotionally Disturbed”

Success

Opportunity

Achievement

Resilience

http://www.beyondchron.org/school-beat-sfusd-special-education-department-audit/

http://www.sfusd.edu/en/assets/sfusd-staff/programs/files/special-education/special-education-audit-report.pdf

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Nadine Burke

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Definitions of Trauma

An overwhelming, extremely painful and/or terrifying experience that you can’t escape.
An inability to employ the fight or flight response (e.g., cannot escape) (Herman, 1997) (Van der Kolk, 2005)
A threat to the physical or psychological integrity of the child or another person (DC:0-3, Zero to Three, 2005)
This could include abrupt, unexplained, or and or indefinite loss of parent, caregiver or sibling

J. Dorado & L. Dolce (2012), UCSF HEARTS, Child & Adolescent Services, UCSF/SFGH

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Neurons that fire together wire together (Hebb’s Rule)

J. Dorado & L. Dolce (2013), UCSF HEARTS, Child & Adolescent Services, UCSF/SFGH

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Trauma “Wears a Groove” in the Developing Brain

Because brain is in a chronic state of fear-related activation, brain more easily triggered into the “fear” track
Fear-related activation includes:

hypervigilance, increased muscle tone, focus on threat-related cues, anxiety, and behavioral impulsivity (Perry, 2000)

J. Dorado & L. Dolce (2013), UCSF HEARTS, Child & Adolescent Services, UCSF/SFGH

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“Survival-in-the-Moment” (Saxe, 2006)

Frontal lobe goes offline

Limbic system / mid and lower brain functions take over

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Learning Brain and Survival Brain�(Ford, 2009)

Learning Brain = Rider
Survival Brain = Horse
When triggered, the rider falls off the horse

J. Dorado & L. Dolce (2012), UCSF HEARTS, Child & Adolescent Services, UCSF/SFGH

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J. Dorado (2015)

Trauma = Event, Experience, & Effect

Overwhelms brain and body

Helpless to escape

Dis-integration

(Herman, 1997; Van der Kolk, 2005; DSM-IV-TR; SAMHSA; Siegel, 2012; Bloom, 2013)

Actual or extreme threat of harm

“Fight, flight or freeze”

Lasting adverse effects

Dysregulation

Event

Experience

Effect

Main points:

Part of how we will understand what happened in this vignette is to understand what trauma is.
This definition of trauma comes from SAMHSA and a number of trauma experts.

(Go through the animation)

Event section: Event is an actual danger or extreme threat of harm (can be experienced directly or indirectly)
Experience section: When we are under threat, our brains and bodies mobilize into a “fight, flight, or freeze” response
But despite our efforts, we are helpless to escape the traumatic event
(next line of Experience section): This overwhelms our brain and body
Effect section: This leads to a dis-integration of the parts of our brain and body that normally work well together, which leads to a dysregulation, which is a loss in capacity to modulate internal states—stress arousal and emotional states
(next line of Effect section): This can have lasting adverse effects

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Healing Complex Trauma

A Trauma System is comprised of:

A traumatized child/youth who has difficulty regulating affect (emotion) and behavior
A social environment and/or system of care that is not able to help the child/youth to regulate affect (emotion) and behavior (Saxe, 2006)

A Healing System is comprised of

A child/youth who has the ability to regulate affect (emotion) and behavior
A supportive caregiving system and structure that can help child/youth regulate affect (emotion) and behavior

J. Dorado & L. Dolce (2012), UCSF HEARTS, Child & Adolescent Services, UCSF/SFGH

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Modified from SFDPH Trauma Informed Systems Initiative, 2015

Safety

& Predictability

Students

&

Families

Resilience

& Social Emotional

Learning

Cultural Humility

& Responsiveness

Trauma-Informed Principles for Promoting School and Community Success

Staff

& Caregivers

System

& Leadership

Students

Compassion

& Dependability

Empowerment

& Collaboration

Understanding

Trauma & Stress

J. Dorado (2015)

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Humans are Hard-wired for Connection

J. Dorado (2014), M. Merchant (2016)

Main Points:

As human beings, as primates, we are hard-wired for connection.
We need connection as much as we need food—it is a basic need (animation) check out the Harlow monkey experiments if you are interested in this)
(animation) This is the vagal nerve—some call it the “Nerve of Compassion.” It is activated when we feel compassion and connection with others.
Only mammals have it – perhaps because we give birth to live young and the survival of mammals depends on the connection between caregivers and their young.
The vagal system runs from our brains down to our gut.

It involves the vocal chords: when we are feeling compassion/connection, it changes the tone and timbre of our voice
It slows our breathing and our heart rate
We can recognize the feeling of connection and compassion in our gut

(animation) One essential ingredient in positive, healthy relationships is “attunement”: Being sensitive, responsive, in harmony with the feelings and needs of others. In other words: “I see you, I understand you, I care about you and can sensitively respond to your needs”
The vagal nervous system is activated when we feel empathy (giving or receiving)
(animation) Attuned relationships can help us feel safe and calm down when we are stressed out. This is related to the fact that the Vagal Nervous System operates via the parasympathetic nervous system—the brakes in our system.
So there is strong science behind this – it’s not just about “hold hands and sing kumbaya”

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J. Dorado (2015)

Co-Regulation

Main points:

How do you feel when you see this picture?
This is Co-Regulation.
What do we do when someone hands us a crying baby? We find ourselves rocking, patting, using our voice (demonstrate using low voice, “it’s ok), shhh.
We are providing co-regulation. When we pick up a crying baby and help them calm down with our body language, our voice, this helps their bodies wire up to a calm, regulated state, helps them learn what this feels like.
Over time, with co-regulation, children develop self-regulation: the ability to calm oneself down when one is stressed out

Details if needed:

Caregiver’s ability to help regulate bodily and affective responses of developing infant/child provides “co-regulation” that contributes to the development of self-regulatory capacities in the child. (NCTSN, 2003)

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Creating Conditions for Learning & Teaching

J. Dorado (2016)

Self-Regulation

Co-Regulation

Thinking-Learning Brain Engaged

Self-Regulation

Co-Regulation

Self-Regulation

The importance of Trauma-Informed Leadership in creating safe and supportive school cultures

A major educational goal is to get students’ thinking learning brain engaged: learning readiness (and teaching readiness)
In order to do this, particularly in context of trauma and chronic stress, needs self-regulation so that survival brain does not take over
So dysregulated students may need co-regulation from teacher
In order for teacher to provide co-regulation, teacher must have self-regulation
In context of chronic stress and/or trauma, teacher may become dysregulated
Dysregulated teachers benefit from co-regulation from supervisor/principal
In order to provide co-regulation, principal needs to have self-regulation
For stressed out, dysregulated principals, who provides co-regulation?
What enables a network superintendent to provide co-regulation?

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Warm Demanders

“Your role as ally in the learning partnership calls for you to know when to offer emotional comfort and care and when to not allow the student to slip into learned helplessness. Your job is to find a way to bring the student into the zone of proximal development while in a state of relaxed alertness so that he experiences the appropriate cognitive challenge that will stimulate his neurons and help his dendrites to grow.” (97)

-Zaretta Hammond

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Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain

Jigsaw activity for Chapter 6

#1s: pgs. 88-92

#2s: pgs. 92-95

#3s: pgs. 95-101

#4s: pgs. 101-107

On Poster:

Summarize your section
Important points from this section that you would want to share with your team

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Warm Demander Chart

Stop, Jot & Talk:

Of the 4 types of teacher, which type are you? Which type do you lean toward when you are not a warm demander?

The Warm Demander	The Technocrat
The Sentimentalist	The Elitist

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Resources on Race & Cultural Humility

Books

Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire
Other People’s Children by Lisa Delpit
The Dreamkeepers by Gloria Ladson-Billings
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
Reaching and Teaching Children Who Hurt by Susan Craig
Whistling Vivaldi by Claude Steele

Articles

“The Uses of Anger: Women Responding to Racism” Audra Lorde
“Beginning Courageous Conversations about Race” by Singleton & Hays
“Understanding Implicit Bias” by Staats
“From the Achievement Gap to the Education Debt” by Gloria Ladson-Billings
Race Biases Teachers’ Expectations for Students research from Johns Hopkins

Podcasts

Scene on Radio: Seeing White

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LUNCH

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SOAR Overview

Links

New Teacher PPT

Veteran Teacher PPT

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Diana Browning Wright, M.S., LEP

Establishing Relationships with ALL Students
Physiology to Learn: Diet, Sleep Hygiene, Exercise, Stress Management
Positive Behavior Supports (PBS)
Social Skills and SEL Curricula

Proactive Classroom Management Strategies
Good Behavior Game (classroom management)
Points and Levels System
Progressive Response System to Problem Behavior
Effective Academic Instruction
Honors Activities/Outings
Reboot Process, Zero-Out for Behaviors
Consistent Family/Parental Outreach and Support
Daily De-Briefs to Facilitate Teamwork and Consistency across Staff
Self-Governance

14 Components of SOAR

10. Honors Room/Outings

11. Reboot Process

14. Self- Gov. Meetings

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Nuts & Bolts

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Expectations

Weekly SOAR team meetings

Consultation with ERMHS therapist and BCBA

Partner with a gen ed team for lesson planning

Elementary: choose a grade-level team
Secondary: choose SPED Dept or Academic Dept

Lesson Plans on Google Docs (template)
Para schedule on Google Docs (template)
Classroom Management Plan on Google Docs (template)

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Finances

Budget and Directions to come! SORRY FOR THE DELAY

SOAR Clerk: Cameron Bailey

Site Budget Tracker
Extended Contract hours forms
Reimbursements

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Creative Funding & Resource

SFUSD Warehouse:

Talk to your secretary about a furniture request or email Jose Ramiro (RamiroJ@sfusd.edu)

I usually sent him a description and picture of what I was looking for that I pulled from Google images. For items like tables, desks, chairs, cabinets.

SF City Warehouse: link

It's a site that posts descriptions of stuff picked up by SF trash/recycling. Lots of free stuff for schools and businesses, and a lot of it is awesome! Much of it is gently used stuff from offices and startups.

Scrap: link

Warehouse in the Bayview area with lots of free materials for classroom projects

Donors Choose: link

Check out the MATCH offers for the best deals.

Here is a doc with some of my project writeups that you can use as an example. I got SOOOO much stuff from this from places like Amazon, Best Buy, and School Specialty (over $3,000 value). I'd be happy to help you with your projects.

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Field Trips, Outings, and Community Service

Ideas- review and add your own to share with your colleagues

Field Trip Form
Requesting Free Bus Procedures

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IEPs

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An IEP MUST go home with parents at end of meeting.

AFFIRM the IEP WITHIN 24 HOURS!

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Safety Care

All SOAR Academy staff should complete the 2-day QBS Safety Care training within 60 days. Recertification is a 1-day training.

Use this link to sign up.

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BERs- Behavior Emergency Reports

Link to form

When to fill out?

Police called to school
Use of physical management by staff (student’s physical mobility is restrained)
Student eloped off campus

Who Receives Form?

Site Administrator
SELPA Director (Jean Robertson)
SPED Cohort Supervisor
SOAR Program Administrator (Cathy Sherman)

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BERs- Behavior Emergency Reports

DOs

DO inform parents that an incident occurred and site’s response
DO complete BER within 24 hours of incident
DO ask for support from a behavior analyst or SOAR program admin
DO follow other SFUSD reporting procedures (suspensions, incident reports, etc.)
DO share a copy with ed rights holders if requested

DON’Ts

DON’T send draft versions via email or Google Doc
DON’T put a copy in the brown or cume folders
DON’T discuss incidents with non IEP team members or responders during the incident. Only include those as needed.

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District Org Charts

SPED Dept Org chart- cohort structure + district and sped supervisors, content specialists, etc.

SOAR Org chart- all SOAR site staff, ERMHS providers, coaches, district support staff, etc.

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Grade Level Breakouts

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Work together to review & add resources to your grade-level powerpoints

Elementary- Kate & Lauren

Middle- Lisa & Dottie

High- Christina & Michelle & Ali

Grade Level Breakouts

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SOAR Documents

Point Sheets- add to folder
Think Sheets- add to folder
Reboot Work- add to folder

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SPED Professional Development Resources

SPED Services website
Autism Focused Intervention Resources & Modules (Affirm): Affirm learning modules
Vanderbilt: IRIS modules
Florida Center for Reading Research: fcrr.org

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Worktime

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4 Square Feedback Form