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To read more of VICKI ZAKRZEWSKI 's article, please click here. “There is so much grief in schools right now, from the loss of staff and family members,” a wellness expert at a California County Office of Education recently told me. “We can’t touch wellness until we address the grief.” I understood this only too well, having lost my classroom aide to suicide almost 20 years ago—a loss that led me to the work I do today. To better understand how the adults in schools can help students—and...

By Junlei Li, 3/29/23, https://positiveexperience.org/category/blog/ Throughout the Week of HOPE, we will be sharing stories of practicing the HOPE framework. As we conclude our first day of the HOPE Summit , we can reflect on the ways to promote HOPE many different settings. The interview below is a great example of how to practice the HOPE framework in educational settings. Junlei Li, a faculty member at the Harvard Graduate School of Education shares the impact of human relationships on...

SDCOE and CIEFA's Native Ways of Knowing Book List: Decolonizing and Indigenizing Classrooms and Libraries To help educators and parents choose high-quality Indigenous authored books, the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) and California Indian Education (CIEFA) have designed this Native Ways of Knowing Book List: Decolonizing and Indigenizing Classrooms and Libraries. These books have been vetted by Native American scholars, CIEFA, and SDCOE staff. Please consider adding these...

Stock Photo via Getty Images Anxiety disorders among children and teens are linked to an increased likelihood of developing an anxiety disorder or depression in the future, according to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. To read more of Elena Ferrarin's article, please click here. The loss of parents or other primary caregivers — among the most tragic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for students — has sparked a need to provide bereavement support in schools. The pandemic...

Learn4Life helped Hector D. transform an idea into a business plan LOS ANGELES (February 21, 2023) – While occasionally working for his father’s landscaping business, high school student Hector D. realized that protection against sharp tools, thorny shrubs, biting insects and brutal heat could be improved with better gear. He had the idea for a technical vest that would protect workers that he is calling Arbolero – combining the Spanish word for tree and a bolero vest. Now his teachers in...

to read more, please click HERE. When we looked for students to join our new community outreach Street Team, Amira G. was at the top of the list. As a paid Street Team member, Amira learned professional skills like speaking, event planning and representing our schools throughout the community. After graduation, she wants to go to college to be a psychologist and even start a nonprofit organization that helps people in need. She overcame many challenges to get to this point. She came with her...

Thanks to @spencerideas for this sketchnote. Dr. John Spencer is a college professor and former middle school teacher who studies creativity and design thinking. You can find more of John Spencer’s work at SpencerAuthor.com .

Photo by aldomurillo/iStock. To read more of Roxanne Chang and ChrisAnna Mink's article, please click here. A recently passed California law, SB1016 , signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September, should make it easier for DL and other children affected by FASD to access special education services. The law requires the California State Board of Education to include “fetal alcohol spectrum disorders” in the definition of “other health impairment ,” one of 13 specified eligibility criteria for...

Author: To read the entire Anonymous article, please see the attachment below. It’s a bluebird sky day as the clouds float away leaving behind distinctive dry desert air scoured by sagebrush, tumbleweeds and settled sand. As for me, I cozily sit in a floral patterned recliner by an open window drinking in hot tea and cold air from the open window. Biscuit “puppy purrs'' wedged between the arm rest and me. Her features are concealed by white fur giving her the appearance of a couture throw...

The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians annually hosts thousands of fourth graders at a California Indian Cultural Awareness conference commemorating California Native American Day in September. COURTESY PHOTO Author: Beau Yarbrough's article, please click here. California educators will be working more closely with Native American tribes under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday. Assembly Bill 1703, the California Indian Education Act, encourages school districts, county offices...

Photo: (left to right) Assemblymember Ramos’ Staff, Anais Franco, Assistant Principal Sarah Sinopoli, Area Superintendent Janet Wilson, Chairman (former) Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians Dr. Anthony R. Pico, Assemblymember James Ramos, PACEs Science Statewide Facilitator Dana Brown, Chief External Affairs Officer Bob Morales, Community Liaison Stephani Congdon, and Regional College & Career Coordinator Cherie Padilla. Bob Morales invited Assemblymember James Ramos to visit with our...

Assemblyman James Ramos visited students at Alta Vista Innovation High in the Inland Empire last month, with 80-95 students and families attending. He expressed his appreciation to our students for sharing their stories with them and let them know that he too came from humble beginnings and overcame many obstacles in his life to get where he is today. Ramos is a lifelong resident of the San Manuel Indian Reservation and a member of the Serrano/Cahuilla tribe. He is the first Californian...