Dr. Bella Bikowski will be the featured speaker in a free virtual training scheduled for October 15 and offered through Region II of the Comprehensive System of Personnel Development program. Her presentation, "Returning to School after COVID-19: Incorporating Mental Health Awareness into your Multi-tiered Systems of Support," will focus on building awareness around common mental health challenges found in the school setting. These include anxiety, depression, and executive functioning challenges that impact student learning.

A Child and Adolescent Clinical Therapist and a Certified School Counselor with a Ph.D in Educational Counseling/Psychology, Bikowski has gained extensive knowledge through working with school teams and districts in helping to create systemic change. With participants, she will share her experience in using the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) approach while capitalizing on evidence-based interventions such as positive behavior interventions and supports, restorative justice practices, trauma-informed and culturally responsive practices, social-emotional learning, mental health integration in school systems, and function-based assessments and interventions.

The sessions will place a special focus on returning to school amidst these challenges after COVID-19. Interventions will be shared to employ within the MTSS framework as well as data tracking and progress monitoring practices. Additionally, a six-week re-start plan will be discussed with participants as they begin to integrate students back into school after COVID-19. This re-start plan will focus heavily on the mental health of staff and students.

According to Region II CSPD Coordinator, Aileen Couch, learners will walk away with a foundational understanding of these mental health challenges, how these challenges impact the schoolhouse on a daily basis-with special attention given to the trauma of COVID-19 that many students are facing-and how to address them using evidenced based practices that are functional and efficient within the MTSS structure.

The MTSS framework with its tiered infrastructure uses data to help match academic, social-emotional, and behavioral assessment and instructional resources to every student's needs. In this tiered, data-informed framework, educators work to ensure that the majority of students respond to core instruction. Those who require additional support-as identified by data-receive enrichment or remediation. This support is provided with the necessary focus, frequency, and intensity. Essentially, MTSS helps educators to be thoughtful about using resources appropriately and impactfully and to continually monitor and improve the effectiveness of their actions. MTSS makes the district-wide system more effective and ensures that the needs of every student are being met.

The morning session will begin at approximately 8:30 and break for lunch at noon. An afternoon session will run from 1:00-3:30.

Registrations for this workshop, which is sponsored by Region II of the Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) in partnership with Havre Public Schools, will be taken through October 14. Six OPI renewal units are available for this training.

Those interested in attending should go online to http://www.blueponyk12.com where they will click on the CSPD icon and then on the hyperlink that reads: "Register Here For Upcoming CSPD Training Events!"

Questions about this training can be directed to Couch by calling (406)395-8550, ext. 6714, or emailing cspd@blueponyk12.com. As a professional courtesy, Couch asks that anyone needing to cancel a registration to please contact her office.

Although the target audience for this training is general and special educators, paraprofessionals, and agency personnel who work with children/students, parents are also encouraged to register. Once registered, potential participants will receive instructions via email for how to access the training.