People may think that all educators have the summer off… Not so for members of the IPS team….
On July 11, 2023, a team from Independence Primary School presented at the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) at their annual conference at National Harbor outside of Washington D.C. The conference was attended by more than 1,600 educational leaders from all over the United States. NAESP was excited to host the Pre-K–8 Principals Conference, the one national event that provides the strongest unified voice for pre-K–8 school leaders. The conference is a 3-day conference on July 10-12, 2023, for a comprehensive professional learning experience designed to help you "level up your leadership” from sessions led by expert practitioners to networking experiences with colleagues from across the nation.
T.J. Ebert, principal at Independence Primary School (IPS), Katie Wojno-Demarchi Behavior Coordinator, and Brooke Gradert IPS School guidance counselor, presented on “Mental Health for Staff and Students the IPS Way.”
Mental health now more than ever is affecting schools. In fact, one out of six children ages 2-8 years old has a diagnosed, mental, behavioral, or developmental delay (CDC, 2012). Because of this, IPS has implemented many exercises and activities to help promote mental health.
“We presented at the state conference in summer 2022 in Columbus, and shared some of the great things we are doing at IPS to support the social and emotional needs of staff and students, especially coming out of Covid,” said Ebert. “After the presentation, the executive director of the NAESP approached us about presenting at the national level. He thought the ideas we shared would be beneficial for educational leaders. I’m proud of the exercises we are teaching students and the activities we have provided for our staff and students that focus on their social and emotional needs. The fact that we get to share with other principals across the United States is very humbling. The things we have done have truly been collaborative with the city, parents, staff, and students, from the SEL lessons, Mindful Monday videos, Mental Health and Wellness Day, and school culture/climate activities. This would not be possible without the collaboration and support of all stakeholders.”
Story Summary From An IPS Parent Samantha Kennedy…
We were already running late to one of the kids‘ many baseball games when I accidentally drove to our home field instead of the away field we were supposed to be at, making me even more frazzled. Our six-year-old daughter instantly said to me, “That’s ok mom, everyone makes mistakes! Would you like me to walk you through some breathing exercises that can help?” And then she proceeded to do just that, sharing some of the invaluable tools she learned at our school’s Mental Health and Wellness Day earlier in the school year. I was very grateful, but also blown away by such a seemingly small gesture that is going to serve her well for the rest of her life!
