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NHPS Student Services Department Newsletter
March 26, 2024
Volume 3
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NHPS Student Services Department
Staying in Touch
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A Caution on Shared Stress
Typhanie Jackson
Director of Student Services
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The field of education has become increasingly more challenging. As a result, we are seeing stress levels at an all-time high and individuals seeking companions to share in their stress. While I don’t believe it to be intentional, I think we all find ourselves in difficult situations and seeking people in our professional and personal lives to serve as lifelines. We all take on our own stress and the stress of others at times. However, what we do next matters.
We all get stuck sometimes. We all need to vent, and sure, we host the occasional pity party. It’s not a place we can stay though. If we always dwell in doom and gloom, it’s easy to miss the positive things around us. If most of our conversations are focused on negativity, we will lose hope for the future. Find the things in our work that make us smile, and let’s collectively choose to lift each other up. We know that our work is challenging, but it’s also rewarding. Let’s work together to navigate through our shared stress. Find (and revisit) the joy in our work and give ourselves the grace we deserve to not be all things to all people.
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Mr. Antoine Billy (Principal–James Hillhouse) began his career in New Haven in 2010 as a Math teacher at Wexler Grant. After landing his first teaching job at Wexler, he reminisced that being in New Haven “felt like home,” he put on his basketball gear, went down to Goffe Street Park, and played a pick-up basketball game with students who attended school in the area.
He transferred to Wilbur Cross High School in 2013 as a Math Teacher. Again, Mr. Billy took many opportunities to meet his students’ needs. During his tenure at New Haven Public School, he honed his leadership skills by participating in various school and district committees and serving as a lead for NHPS Credit Recovery. In 2017, he accepted a position as an Associate Principal at New Britain High School (NBHS), the third largest high school in the state, servicing over 2300 students.
Mr. Billy grew up in Harlem; it was instilled in him by his grandmother and mother that education would be the best way to change his family’s trajectory. He attended Western Connecticut State University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and a Master of Arts in Teaching, and he is currently in the process of defending his dissertation entitled Perceptions of Black and Latino High School Males Regarding Their Attitudes Towards School and Of Hopefulness. He will obtain a Doctorate in Education for Instructional Leadership in January 2024; he credits his second-grade teacher, Ms. Young, for inspiring him to become a teacher. To quote Mr. Billy, “Ms. Young treated me with the utmost respect and fed me when I was hungry. This was despite my troublesome classroom behaviors. Every day in Ms. Young’s class was new, and she never made me feel as if yesterday would stand in the way of my tomorrow”. Mr. Billy leads with that same compassion.
Mr. Billy is not only a dedicated educator, always putting the needs of students at the forefront of everything he does, but he is also well-versed in curriculum development and implementation, multi-tiered systems of support, data analysis, and data-driven decision-making, strategic long-term, and short-term planning, the budget process, grant writing and implementation, and the social and emotional development of students. Mr. Billy is devoted to working with staff and all stakeholders to build upon Hillhouse’s legacy to best serve the needs of the students who attend.
He believes building solid relationships is the key to leading a successful school. He is committed to collaborating with staff, students, families, the central office, and community members to leverage the unique qualities of Hillhouse and continue the great work rooted in the school.
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Spotlight on Special Education
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April is Autism Awareness Month!
In celebration, we will be walking to support people with Autism on Sunday, May 19, 2024, at the annual ASRC Walk for Autism, at Quinnipiac University North Campus, 370 Bassett Rd, North Haven.
How can you support??
- Buy an Elm City Dream Team shirt and a portion of the cost will go directly to ASRC, towards our team fundraising goal. Order and pay for your shirt via the link below. You can either have it shipped to us for free, and we will deliver it to you, or you can have it shipped directly to you for a small fee.
- Show your support and grab an awesome t-shirt
AND
- Join our team by registering at the following link! You can raise money and/or donate to the team here as well!
- Join the Elm City Dream Team
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World Down Syndrome Day
March 21, 2024 was World Down Syndrome Day. Thank you to all our school teams that rocked their socks in support of this amazing day. Be on the lookout for more pictures soon, and if you haven't already shared, please forward any pictures you have to Typhanie Jackson or Brittany Ducran.
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Spotlight on School Social Work
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Financial Literacy & Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship and Real Estate Investing
Thank you to co-host and NHPS SSW (and SEL Ambassador), Chandni Patel, for supporting an interactive presentation and panel discussion on understanding how to create a budget, the importance of credit, assets vs liabilities, overview of how to structure a business and create a business plan, overview on to buy investment properties. Presenter, Jose Bernard, led a presentation at Metropolitan Business Academy that supported self awareness and management as well as responsible decision making. Thanks for contributing to another amazing SEL Day!
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School Social Work Week was March 3rd-9th, but our appreciation for our selfless SSWs extends all year long.
Our school social workers move beyond the classroom to investigate the root cause of a student’s academic and behavioral challenges. Once the causes are discovered, they recommend solutions and provide social services that help tackle them.
School social workers’ impact on social and academic development cannot be overstated, which is why it’s essential to set aside special time to appreciate their effort. We hope you used School Social Work Week to appreciate the social workers in your school and show them how much you care about them and the work they do for the students, school, and the parents. NHPS has amazing, hardworking, committed social workers that go above and beyond and should be recognized for their dedication.
Looking for more ways to show your appreciation beyond SSW Week:
- Send them a personal than you note/card from you, the administrator. Consider mentioning specific examples that exemplify what makes you grateful for them
- Make an announcement over the intercom or via email to all staff
- Promote thank you/appreciation notes from teachers to your School Social Worker
- Encourage cards/drawings or virtual messages from students (individually or as a classroom group)
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Spotlight on School Counseling
| Calling all juniors (and seniors). Come visit and get information on local colleges, trade schools, and Historically Black Colleges & Universities. The NHPS College & Career Fair is taking place on April 4, 2024 with transportation for students provided during the school day. There is also an evening session for families of NHPS students from 5:00-6:30pm. We hope to see you there. | |
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Spotlight on School Psychology
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A Heartfelt Thank You
The Department of School Psychology would like to recognize all NHPS School Psychologists. Currently, NHPS employs 31 full time school psychologists. Our psychologists are working tirelessly to support teachers, staff, children and families. Most are working between 2 schools some are servicing 3 schools.
They continue to go above and beyond to make contributions that will improve the lives of students including partnering with administrators and other school professionals to create safe, healthy and supportive learning environments that strengthen the connections between home, school and the community. Continue the great work you all do!
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Find Nourishment
This March, we invite you to nourish your physical, mental and emotional health.
The Calm Calendar is an invitation to meet your life with presence and curiosity. Their daily prompts serve as encouragement to learn more about yourself and the world through the lens of mental health, mindfulness, and wellbeing. It’s not about getting it right, but rather checking in with yourself, deepening your awareness and supporting yourself through each step of your journey.
Unlock my premium Calm membership
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Social and Emotional Learning | |
A New Lens
NHPS behavioral specialists have been participating in trauma-informed care trainings with RESC Alliance. Their most recent session dealt with Putting on Your Trauma Glasses where participants discussed shifting the narrative surrounding certain students and remaining curious about student behaviors
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SEL Ambassador Collaboration
In our most recent SEL Ambassador collaboration, we explored a number of topics including culturally responsive practices, adult SEL, and a collective approach to supporting building culture and climate. We shared best practices surrounding proactive and preventative supports to curb misbehaviors. And of course, we rocked our socks in support of World Down Syndrome Day.
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Are you a certified staff member at NHPS? Interested in a free premium Calm account? Click the link below.
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Climate Survey is Open
The New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) 2023-2024 School Climate Survey for students, parents, and staff is now live. We are looking forward to hearing your opinions, celebrating our successes, and making changes to improve school culture. We are conducting this questionnaire in order to get a better understanding of satisfaction and engagement at New Haven Public Schools.
The survey will take 10-15 minutes to complete. You can complete the survey on a computer, cell phone, or tablet.
A reminder about anonymity:
The process is being managed by an independent survey company called CustomInsight. This company will host the survey on the Internet and collect your responses online. All responses will remain strictly anonymous. We will not be able to trace individual responses back to you. Management will only see combined data for groups of 4 or more respondents. Please be thoughtful, honest, and candid when you complete the questionnaire.
To take the survey, please click on the link below or scan the QR code.
Take the survey
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Women's History Month
This year, Women’s History Month honors women who advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion. The NHPS cabinet has identified a number of women across the school district who deserve recognition.
Follow Superintendent Negron's social media accounts (FB- @Superintendent Negron, Insta- @newhavensuper) to learn more about some of the amazing women working in NHPS. Pictured above are Shanette Robinson, Heather Barbarotta and Claudine Wilkins-Chambers.
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National School Counseling Week
National School Counseling Week highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career. National School Counseling Week was celebrated the first full week in February.
We appreciate all the amazing contributions our school counselors make towards the NHPS community in the first week of February and all year round.
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