April 4, 2020 | Volume 1, Number 2

Taking Time to Take Care

Featured Article Visioning During a Time of Uncertainty to Bring Peace and Hope News You Can Use Trauma-Informed Distance Learning Recommendations Five Mindful Habits: Part 1 & Part 2 Featured Fellow: Andrea Elliot Bringing Compassion to New Hampshire High Schoolers Learn more Events and Resources  What's happening this month  Access C-TLC Resources Learn more about the Childhood-Trauma Learning Collaborative Editor's Corner Christine Mason, Ph.D. C-TLC Program Director and Founder and Executive Director Center for Educational Improvement Today, we are in need of lighthouses. They can shine their light up to 70 nautical miles, bringing light and hope to many. Amidst our trials, we are doing much. The world has asked us to demonstrate how much can be done through our community, our caring, and our spirit. More than anything, today we are connecting—connecting with children and families, toddlers and teens, in urban centers and remote villages. Our light shines far. And educators, like a million lighthouses, are beacons of calm, bringing light, sharing our strength and courage.

Featured Article: Visioning During a Time of Uncertainty to Bring Peace and Hope By Christine Mason, CEI Founder and Executive Director Paradox rules at the moment. Even as we are socially isolating indoors, skies are clearing as we have halted toxic pollution. Although we have become more and more concerned about our children’s time on their digital devices, classrooms have gone virtual. And parents who have been stressed out over how to work and spend time with their children, are home now with their families 24/7.  READ MORE

News You Can Use

Trauma-Informed Distance Learning Recommendations By Dana Asby, CEI Director of Innovation & Research Support and Christine Mason, CEI Executive Director Teachers and schools around the country have quickly mobilized to figure out how to serve their students from afar. Schools and communities have banded together to make sure that all of their students have the tools and resources needed to learn together online while staying safe in their homes. The swift and unexpected switch from classroom to home-based learning has illuminated inequities that have long existed under the surface for many middle- and upper-class families but have impacted the daily lives of our poorest and most vulnerable families—whose experience of poverty in itself is a trauma. For these families and families of every socio-economic rung who have experienced trauma, educators can ease the transition to distance learning by offering some extra supports.  Read more Five Mindful Habits By Dana Asby, CEI Director of Innovation & Research Support Stress can be toxic to the body and mind. When parents or teachers are stressed, they’re less likely to be well attuned to the youth in their care. Research shows that mindfulness can reduce stress, increase happiness, and help people better understand each other’s needs, leading to a family or school that feels more connected through a bond of love. By weaving mindfulness into the fabric of your family’s life or the school day, you will see improvements in positive attitudes and behaviors. Read Part 1 & Part 2 Share this 5 minute video with staff, parents, and friends.

Andrea Elliot, a C-TLC Fellow, is the principal of Bishop Brady High School in Concord, New Hampshire Featured Fellow: Andrea Elliot Bringing Compassion to New Hampshire High Schoolers By Dana Asby, CEI Director of Innovation & Research Support “Bishop Brady High School: A Caring Community” is on the sign outside this Concord, New Hampshire high school. Andrea Elliot, the principal of this small Catholic school that serves about 300 students, thinks her school’s foundational belief in the importance of loving one another— brother and stranger—is why hers is a compassionate school community. READ MORE

Events and Resources Access and share C-TLC resources: A Compassionate School Response to Mental Illness Heart Beaming Meditation Register for our featured webinar: Tuesday, May 12 @ 4:00 p.m. A Compassionate School Approach to Children’s Mental Health: Equity, Justice, and Overcoming Disparities Stay posted to our Events page for updates and announcements. To view archived webinars, subscribe to CEI’s YouTube channel .

Recent Publications CEI is excited to announce two recent publications: Visioning Onward: A Guide for All Schools (Mason, Liabenow, & Patschke, 2020) Mindful School Communities: The Five Cs of Nurturing Heart Centered Learning (Mason, Rivers Murphy, & Jackson, 2020)

Light up the Sky Let your love flow like a mountain stream...let your love shine and you’ll know what I mean... that’s the reason.  Lyrics from Let Your Love Flow by the Bellamy Brothers Be well. Be safe. Be strong.

The C-TLC is funded by the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and is part of the New England Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (New England MHTTC) Network.

STAY CONNECTED New England MHTTC ‌ ‌ ‌