WAKEFIELD – Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY) Executive Director Margie Daniels is pleased to share the nonprofit sponsored a webinar this week featuring best practices for student and family outreach and support.
More than 70 educators from across the state tuned into the webinar, titled “Relationships, Connections & Community Partnerships in Student Support” which was held on Tuesday, March 30 and featured Salem Public Schools Director of Student & Family Support Ellen Wingard.
MPY featured the Salem Public Schools Student and Family Support program in the webinar as way to highlight its outstanding and robust model of outreach to students and families during the pandemic and school closures.
“This webinar offered a wide array of positive and proactive strategies for educators whether their schools are in-person, hybrid or remote. Ellen Wingard is an amazing administrator with a wealth of public school experience,” said MPY Executive Director Margie Daniels. “The value of this interactive presentation, with a plethora of resources and practical strategies, was well-received and appreciated by the participants.”
Participants learned about the district’s universal family engagement strategies that enabled student support teams to mobilize and provide critical services necessary before, during and post-pandemic. Those who attended the interactive webinar included social workers, guidance counselors, school nurses, administrators and special educators from across the state.
Wingard explained during the webinar about how Salem Public Schools staff offered each other “collective grace” during the unprecedented and challenging time that began to emerge one year ago. Using community partners to further family engagement, she spoke about the need for trauma-informed services as the impact of the pandemic became more apparent. Suggestions about how educators might welcome back students when schools reopen were helpful as many Massachusetts schools begin in-person education within the coming month.
Salem is a small urban city on the north shore of Boston. Salem Public Schools is a diverse and welcoming community that promotes the academic, social, emotional, and physical development of each student through the equitable delivery of challenging, relevant, and joyful learning experiences.
“It was my honor to share the practices our educators have employed in the Salem community to address the needs of our students and families in a comprehensive, data informed and systematic manner,” Wingard said following the webinar.
Schools remain immersed in addressing the profound effects the COVID-19 pandemic has had on students’ physical and mental health. Educators report a high level of student disengagement and recognize that family stressors such as job loss, food and housing insecurity, and lack of childcare impact a student’s ability to learn, remotely and in-person. This two hour webinar highlighted emerging best practices in schools that focus on the power of relationships, connections, and community partnerships as levers for student and family support. Programs and services in the Salem Public Schools further reflect a commitment to addressing anti-racism and building equality.
“MPY continues to be a valued partner for us at Minuteman High School, especially as we navigate through our increased in-person learning. With the student’s safety and social-emotional health as our top priority, webinars like Ellen’s this morning are an invaluable resource for Minuteman,” Assistant Principal at Minuteman High School and webinar participant Brian Tildsley said.
About the Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc.
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides training, fosters collaboration, and develops programming to increase the health and safety of students. MPY is committed to bringing cutting-edge information and high quality trainings to constituents and endeavors to provide solution-oriented, community-based, multi-disciplinary approaches to reducing and ideally eliminating risky behaviors for youth.
The nonprofit is governed by a Board of Directors made up of school superintendents, police and fire chiefs, and other community leaders who work closely with MPY staff to deliver this mission.
To learn more, visit www.mpyinc.org.
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