Moving Our Minds

A Professional Learning
Action Plan
Professional Development Team

❏
❏
❏
❏
❏
❏

❏
 Needs Assessment
Students: Staff: Parents:
▪ ▪ ▪

▪ ▪
▪ ▪
▪
▪ ▪ ▪
▪
 Staff Objectives
Teaching staff and support staff will engage in PLCs
to reassess and evaluate the status of mental health
activities implemented through action-research
journaling, online surveyed data, professional
development training, and continued discourse will
be utilized to gather evidence of strategies
implemented that were both successful and those
that require additional reassessment over the course
of one academic school year.
 Student Objectives
The elementary students involved in this action
research project will be subject to mental health
awareness assemblies, in-class mental health
strategies that tackle social, emotional, and physical
activities to promote positive mental health
awareness, and will be directly involved with the
process through a series of interviews, quick
check-ins, and child-friendly surveys over the course
of one school year.
 Parent Objectives
Our PTA, parent volunteers, and panel of community
stakeholders will be directly involved in the school
improvement process that allows for vital feedback,
engagement and instruction in mental health activities to
use at home, and will then be followed up through a
monthly meeting check-in and surveyed perception data
will be analyzed to continuously evaluate and reassess our
year long plan of action necessary to increase awareness
of mental health disorders and promote positive change for
our students and community base.
Focused and
Sustained Time
➢
➢
➢

➢
Family Engagement Night
Minding our Minds.pptx
Professional
Development
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢

➢
➢
Follow-Up
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
August 2020:
Mental Health
Awareness
Topic 1: SIP Goals and Know the SELF

Subject Presenter Attendees Description

● Understanding ● Principal ● Teaching ● Presenting

the SELF. ● SIP members Staff survey
● Staff screener ● School ● Support Staff screeners.
● True Colors Test Psychologist ● Principal ● Understanding
● Myers-Brigg ● District their
● Onward book Psychologist personalities to
study begin understand
discussion on students.
goals. ● Setting goals
● Begin book
study
 Topic 2: Mental Health Strategies

Subject Presenter Attendees Description

● Book Study ● Principal ● Teaching ● Book Study

● Introduction to ● PLC chairs Staff discussion
journaling ● SIP team ● Support Staff ● Sharing of three
activities/ members ● Principal mental health
action-research ● School ● District strategies
● Mental Health Psychologist Psychologist ● Social
Activities ● ISD Trainer. ● Emotional
repertoire. ● Physical
● Practice!! ● Practicing
restorative
circles.
 September
2020:
Mental Health
Awareness:
Emotional Behaviors
 Topic 1: Coping Strategies

Subject Presenter Attendees Description

● Emotional ● Instructional ● Teaching staff Teachers will read chapter

Intelligence Coach ● Support Staff 2 of Onward and will
● School Social ● Principal complete an emotional
Worker intelligence self-
assessment. Through the
month, teachers will
self-reflect on “emotional
cycle” through exploration
of their emotional
responses and coping
skills. Active discussions.
 Topic 2: Use of Mindfulness for
Coping
Subject Presenter Attendees Description

● Mental Health ● Dr. Caryn Wells ● Teaching Teachers will spend ½

Emotional from Oakland staff day learning more
Support. ● OR Other ● Support Staff about mindfulness
● Mindfulness Mindfulness ● Principal practice under the
certified present expert direction of Dr.
through the ISD. Caryn Wells or other
certified trainer. These
helpful resources cna
be integrated into
classroom instruction.
October 2020:
Mental Health
Awareness:
Physical Behaviors
 Topic 1: Identifying and Managing
Strong Emotions: For Staff
Subject Presenter Attendees Description

● Coping with ● Instructional ● Teaching Part of monthly PD,

Emotional Coach staff staff will learn
Intensity ● School Social ● School Social specific strategies for
worker Worker navigating moments
of emotional
intensity: anger,
frustration, sadness,
anxiety. A four step
process called RAIN
will be introduced.
 Topic 2: Identifying and Managing
Strong Emotions: For Students
Subject Presenter Attendees Description

● RAIN ● Instructional ● All K-5 Kids Empowered™ will

● Coping with Coach students work with school staff
Emotional ● Kids to design a
Intensity Empowered™ whole-school
assembly that
addresses how to
identify and cope with
strong emotions.
Provide “hands-on”
practice with coping
strategies and
discussions.
November 2020:
Mental Health
Awareness:
Physical Behaviors
 Topic 1: Mindfulness for Parents

Subject Presenter Attendees Description

● PTA and Parent ● Trained ● PTA Parents will complete

Perception Mindfulness ● Parents a perception survey
Survey Teaching Staff gathering information
on how their children
deal with emotional
self and self care.
Parents will be guided
through Mindfulness
practices by teaching
staff. Shared
research and
discussions.
 Topic 2: Mindfulness Strategies at
Home
Subject Presenter Attendees Description

● Exercises to get ● Trained ● PTA Monthly Students will present

your child to use Mindfulness Meeting parents with activities
self-care Teaching Staff Mindfulness they use in school to
strategies at ● Students Activities help them calm and
home. focus on their daily
activities. Teaching
staff will provide
parents with a pocket
of activities to use at
home.
December 2020:
Mental Health
Awareness:
Social Development
 Topic 1: Community Outreach

Subject Presenter Attendees Description

● Service Project in ● Community ● Teaching Community Youth

lieu of Holiday Youth Coalition staff Coalition will come to
Parties Staff ● Support staff a staff meeting to
discuss ways we can
create opportunities
for students to learn
empathy for others.
Grade level service
project will take place
in lieu of parties and
decided as a team.
 Topic 2: Community Support

Subject Presenter Attendees Description

● Holiday Blues ● School Social ● Teaching School social workers

Worker staff will address staff
● Support Staff alerting them to spike
in behaviors during
holiday season.
Tools and strategies
will be provided to
teachers. Staff will
also be provided
self-care tips to use
with students and
themselves.
January 2020:
Mental Health
Awareness:
Staff Development
 Topic 1: SIP Mental Health Check-In

Subject Presenter Attendees Description

● Evaluation of ● SIP members ● Teaching staff ● Re-evaluation of

mental health ● Building ● Support staff strategies such
strategies being Leadership ● PTA as restorative
used and in place Members will representative practices,
so far this year. facilitate. Mindfulness
● Check in: what is ● Principal activities, and
going well? What so forth.
needs to be ● Share big 3
changed? successes and
● Evaluation of improvements.
surveyed results. ● Gallery Walk
 Topic 2: MindUP™ Assembly

Subject Presenter Attendees Description

● Mental Health ● MindUP™ video ● Student Body Emphasis on learning

Awareness for presentation. ● Teaching coping strategies and
students and ● Guest Speaker Staff how to recognize ways
staff. can be used as ● Parents to SHIFT OUR
● Free program well from local ● Principal MINDSET! This can
with a video and community or ● Support Staff be a group assembly
activity to be other venue with a FREE video
conducted. such as ISD. from the organization
and followed with a
guest speaker.
February 2020:
Mental Health
Awareness:
Staff Development
 Topic 1: Coping Strategies

Subject Presenter Attendees Description

● Language-Trauma ● Behavior ● Teaching Staff will be provided

articles Interventionist staff articles relating to
● Staff meeting ● Support Staff students affected by
jigsaw trauma. Jigsaw
reading will ensue
and discussions led in
small groups. Staff
provided strategies to
use.
 Topic 2: Coping Strategies Revisit

Subject Presenter Attendees Description

● The difficult ● District Behavior ● Teaching Behavior

student Interventionist Staff interventionist will
● Support Staff walk staff through
de-escalation
strategies for
challenging student.
Staff will have
opportunity to role
play these strategies
provided. Video clips
may be used as well.
March 2020:
Mental Health
Awareness:
SOCIAL Development
 Topic 1: BucketFillers™ Assembly

Subject Presenter Attendees Description

● Mental Health ● PTA ● Student Body Students gather for

Social ● Building ● Parents introduction to
Development Leadership ● Teaching KINDNESS challenge
● Bully Free Zone ● Bucketfillers™ Staff using the new program.
● Power of our presenter ● Support Staff Students can create
Words buckets for doors for
● Positive Thinking the month of March.
Sticky note
compliments. Big
Bucket can be displayed
to gather messages of
kindness.
 Topic 2: Kindness Matters!

Subject Presenter Attendees Description

● Mental Health ● Classroom ● Student Body Classroom

Social Skills Teachers ● Parent compliment
Development ● Virtual building Volunteers thermometers will be
● Positive Thinking announcements. created. They can be
● Kindness individual or
Challenge classroom incentives
● Kindness to compliment a
Temperature! friend. How many
buckets can you fill in
a day? In a week? As a
school?
 April 2020:
Mental Health
Awareness:
SOCIAL Development
 Topic 1: Mindfulness for Stress Relief

Subject Presenter Attendees Description

● Mental Health ● Title Teacher ● Parents Teachers will plan for an

Social District Level ● Students informative event with
Development ● Building ● Community raffle prizes from
● “Minding our Leadership Members community donations.
Minds” Evening ● SIP members Great time for
educational night community outreach!
for parents. Mindfulness strategies
for anxiety, stress relief,
friendship issues, etc.
Perception survey
gathered.
 Sample Surveys

▪
 Topic 2: Strategies that Worked!

Subject Presenter Attendees Description

● Mental Health ● PLC chair ● Teaching staff Breakout Session 1: go

focus on social members will ● Support staff through and reflect on
and emotional facilitate ● Administrative best mental health
strategies that breakout team strategies that worked!
worked with our sessions. ● Title Teachers MHSTW! Create a
students! ● Administrators google slide per PLC
● Reflection lead culminating teams to share on
● Celebration and celebratory shared drive. Breakout
discussion after. Session 2: Celebration
of staff members and
success stories!
May 2020:
Mental Health
Awareness:
EMOTIONAL
 Topic 1: Staff Mental Health

Subject Presenter Attendees Description

● Staff ● Various ● Teaching Mental health of staff

Appreciation staff will be the focus this
● Support staff month. Weekly
● Principal mindfulness practice
and yoga sessions
may be offered to
staff before school
and after school as
well as lunch periods.
Information provided;
Mindfulness Tip of
the Day during May.
 Topic 2: Mindfulness

Subject Presenter Attendees Description

● Mindfulness Staff ● Principal ● Teaching Powerpoint

Celebration Staff demonstrating a slide
● Support Staff dedicated to
● Principal celebrating each staff
member’s progress
for the course of the
year. Having students
leave copmliments
for staff members
from the Kindness
challenge in March.
Word cloud