Educational Tidbit:

The holiday season is all about hope and joy, which doesn’t always resonate with students in the classroom setting for a variety of reasons. Here are some tips on reinstating joy in our students.

• Kids who show repetitive adverse behavior often lose hope in their ability to succeed at meeting school and/or classroom expectations. This will often lead to them losing their joy in school. The first step to staying in the relationship is to validate that what they are going through is hard and that sometimes school is not easy.
• Change takes time, so be willing to work with students as they make baby steps toward sustainable change. Instead of rescuing them from their pain, enforce your belief in their ability and leave them with action steps to take.
• The last step is to follow up with each student with words like, “I’m on your side and care about you!” Prior to the holiday break, provide structure inside and outside the classroom – this is key to preventing behaviors. Having clear boundaries and structures is key to staying in relationships when kids struggle. Know that some behavior may be due to anxiety about the holidays, and repetitive behavior is a missing skill.

BIST Program Brings Principles of Grace and Accountability Into the Home

When Cedric and Bonnie Saunders adopted four children from Texas in May, they knew that there would be challenges at home, but they weren’t prepared for just how difficult it would be.

The couple, now in their 60s, had already raised six now-adult children, two of whom were also adopted. Now, as parents to four kiddos, ages 10, 8, 6, and 4, Cedric and Bonnie had to navigate parenthood all over again, but this time with children who had experienced trauma and personal harm.

“The four of them are siblings and distant cousins of Cedric,” said Bonnie. “We just needed the help because they all have special needs and have been through some type of trauma.”

Cornerstones of Care recommended that Cedric and Bonnie get involved with the Behavior Intervention Support Team (BIST) In-Home services to receive weekly assistance from an in-home consultant. BIST is a trauma-informed, psycho-educational model based on the concepts of grace and accountability.

BIST Leadership Conference

January 18 & 19 | Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral

Get fired up and start the new year on the right foot with the 2024 BIST Leadership Conference. This two-day event will take place on January 18 and 19 at the Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kansas City. This is your opportunity to spend time with like-minded leaders to develop or enhance your school culture to support struggling students. Save $100 on your registration fee by signing up to attend by this Friday.

We are excited to offer a series of sessions to support our new educators throughout this school year. The focus areas have been specifically chosen to match the unique needs of each time of the school year. The sessions listed below will be the fourth and fifth of five total sessions. If you register now to attend, you will also receive the recordings from the first three sessions.

January 8, 2024

Re-establishing boundaries

Resetting/adjusting procedures

March 11, 2024

Importance of early intervention

Staying the course

How to finish strong

Planning for next year

Each session will be presented from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. using the same Zoom link each time. Cost for the series is $100 (member schools) or $170 (non-member schools). Contact our office for assistance.