Education in the First State
June 29, 2022
Milford school psychologist named Delaware 2022 BHP of Year
A school psychologist from Milford School District is the state’s first ever Delaware Behavioral Health Professional of the Year (more pics).


Congratulations to Milford School District's Rosa DiPiazza, Delaware's first ever Behavioral Health Professional of the Year!

Rosa DiPiazza of Mispillion Elementary School said she approaches all of her relationships – with students, families, community members and colleagues – with genuine curiosity and interest.

“I want to understand the experiences, feelings and perspectives of the people with whom I work. I want to facilitate safe meeting spaces for people to share their stories. When we understand the why behind others’ actions, we are often more empathetic towards situations that might have otherwise angered us,” she said. “When we are more empathetic, we are better able to work together to solve problems. People want to feel heard, validated, and respected (even little ones).”

Secretary of Education Mark Holodick made the surprise announcement at the school earlier this month during a school-wide staff meeting.

“Rosa is an excellent representative for the critical work that behavioral health professionals perform in schools across our state every day,” he said. “Mental health is health. Our students need to be healthy to learn, and I am proud of the work Rosa and BHPs across Delaware are leading for the wellness and growth of our students, families and communities.”

DiPiazza said she is known in her school for being able to build relationships with all families, including those who don’t yet have strong relationships with the school staff.

“I think this is because I am able to interact with them openly and non-judgmentally. I work hard to understand others’ backgrounds and situations and have no problem seeking out cultural brokers to facilitate that understanding,” she said. “I do not expect people to respect me simply because of my position. I earn the respect of adults and students by being honest, professional and staying focused on solving the problems at hand … When I interact with students, I prioritize presenting myself as a safe person who is there to help them with whatever they need help with. I am kind, keep my promises and build trust.”
Delaware ParentCamp transforms school, family engagement
Kuumba Academy Charter School educators and staff participate in one of the first ParentCamp sessions held this year in Delaware.


Traditional family engagement models often look like school staff up front presenting, families receiving and sharing feedback. The ParentCamp model transforms such stand-and-deliver sessions into facilitated dialogues “where the entire room is the expert and everyone brings important and unique perspectives to the table.”
 
Kuumba Academy Charter School was the first Delaware school to launch a ParentCamp during the 2021-22 school year. This fall, Great Oaks Charter, Odyssey Charter and Sussex Montessori also will engage families in this new model. The U.S. Department of Education has used ParentCamp as a model to provide examples to bring families, educators, and community leaders together in a professional manner.
 
The design of the ParentCamp model is two-fold: equality conditions plus purpose. Equality conditions mean every person can talk, listen, encourage, and connect with others as feels right to them. Purpose means family, school and community decide not only the session topics but also the purposes around the topics–connect, strengthen and collaborate.
 
The goal is for participants to have their “universal human needs” met. Participants identified such needs as things such as acceptance, connection, hope, understanding and support.
Kuumba’s first ParentCamp in August – held virtually due to COVID-19 precautions – drew 75 family, school and community participants. Afterwards, parent Jenna Prosceno said she felt “overjoyed
 
“Such a great support system of educators, parents and community for our children,” she said. “Everything that I heard tonight was so valuable. I’m really excited for this move for my son. I have no worries about him going to a new school this year.”
 
School staff also value the sessions.
 
“I’m grateful for the interaction with parents. And most valuable to me was hearing feedback,” Kuumba staff member Christopher Caldwell said after the August session.
New website helps families find summer opportunities for children
The Delaware Department of Education this month launched its Summer of Opportunity website, a searchable database to help families find school- and community-based learning opportunities for their children this summer.

The site, which allows users to toggle between map and table views, helps Delawareans find programs based on targeted grades, dates, location, cost, sponsoring organization and transportation options. Enrollment in some offerings, such as school-based programs, may only be open to specific populations, such as enrolled students, while others have open admission. The site collects the diverse offerings in one location to make it easier for families to navigate opportunities.

“We want every Delaware student to have enriching experiences this summer with opportunities for formal and informal learning,” Secretary of Education Mark Holodick said. “For one student that may mean attending science camp at a park, for another it may mean enrolling in a school program that integrates English language arts supports and sports and for a third it could be a series of day trips with family and friends to explore the rich offerings of our region. Most important is that our students are engaged in some sort of learning and exploration this summer so they return to school in the fall ready to learn and succeed in the new school year. We hope this site helps families find such opportunities.”

Organizations that have not yet submitted their offerings and would like to be included should email [email protected].
DTGSS Films highlights state's revised educator evaluation system
Learn what education leaders across Delaware have to say about the Delaware Teacher Growth and Support System (DTGSS) - Delaware's revised educator evaluation system - by watching DTGSS Films on the Delaware Department of Education YouTube channel.

DTGSS Films is a series of interviews conducted by DDOE with DTGSS pilot leaders and teachers. Videos feature overviews about the revised DTGSS system as well as leaders from school districts and charter schools like Seaford, Indian River and New Castle County Vo-Tech sharing their greatest DTGSS successes to date.
First Student Success Ambassadors complete year-long program
The first Delaware Student Success (DSS) Ambassadors cohort completed their year-long program this month. The following ten (10) students from six high schools and two colleges participated:

  • Fanta Barry - St. George's Technical School
  • Adia Bracy - American University
  • Nithila Chrisostam - Appoquinimink High School
  • Dayana Garzon Lagos - University of Delaware
  • Caroline Graham - Delaware Military Academy
  • Kabamata Kargbo - William Penn High School
  • Ailyn Lopez - Hodgson Vo-Tech High School
  • Daniel Moffit - Appoquinimink High School
  • Brianna Tran - Conrad Schools of Science
  • Grace Umoren-Udo - Appoquinimink High School
 
Check out the student biographies as well. 
 
This year's DSS Ambassadors developed and presented recommendations to DDOE on how to better promote and serve students through Delaware Student Success, the program that provides students and educators with resources on planning for success after high school. The videos above were developed by the DSS ambassadors and highlight their research, analysis and recommendations.
 
The DSS Ambassadors program is sponsored through DDOE's Delaware Higher Education Office. The program offers paid internships for students so that they may have a seat at the table when educational reform and equitable conversations take place throughout the school year. The program is also designed for students to engage with various stakeholders, elevate their voice and ensure messaging from the Office of Higher Education is made by students, for students.
 
The 2022-23 cohort will begin later this summer. Cohort members will be announced in August.
Other Good News to Share
Delaware Department of Education | www.doe.k12.de.us