This Month's Newsletter has the following information:

• Kimmie's MTSS Reflection
• Contact Information for the R10 MTSS Team
• Counseling Conversations with Susan Delarosa and Brandi Fennell
• MTSS Overview
• Have You Seen... (Updates from TEA and Resources/Training Outside of R10 as well as T.I.E.R. Network Information)
• Other R10 Newsletters

August has arrived and so has change. School is beginning and will possibly never look the same. To be transparent, I do not believe this is a bad thing. It is a unique opportunity to reevaluate how we approach the system of school. It requires us to go deep into our beliefs, our institutionalized processes or procedures, and reflectively question what and/or why we do the things that we do.

Sometimes, we sell change as being easy cheesy (or that could just be me.) Change, in general, can be quite hard and stressful. Extraordinary change, like COVID type change, ramps up those feelings to an indescribable level; however, change is change. The process of change is overwhelming, sometimes scary, and at the same time exciting because it pushes us against (or outside) our comfort zones and our sense of safety. A rush of anxiety will hit you even if you are confident in your decisions because whatever the outcome, the change affects the course of a plan, a process, finances, or even a family as it throws us into the ocean of the unknown.

The decision to create an authentic Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) that aligns the systems of various supports and services provided to students brings about a great change in thought, culture, structure, and how to conduct day-to-day business. It is not for the faint of heart because it requires us all to tear down the walls we have inadvertently built around our knowledge, our skillsets, and our departments. It requires us to communicate explicitly, create a spirit of collaboration, and a community of collective responsibility. When I think about what is needed to create an MTSS Model, the Brady Bunch always pops up in my mind. Because MTSS is like creating a blended family and I believe the Brady Bunch was able to successfully model a functional blended family because they were always required to work as one (as sitcom families are expected to do), with the exception of the Hawaiian vacation. Did anyone else develop a spider phobia after that Brady Bunch family vacation?

MTSS is about providing prevention, enrichment, and intervention for ALL students regardless of instructional setting or service. A strong MTSS framework or model will also provide prevention, enrichment, and intervention opportunities for ALL staff members.

This message is important for me to deliver this month because this will be the last newsletter I write as the MTSS Consultant for Region 10. I know that you will all miss the caliber of my award-winning journalism.

After much deliberation, I have accepted the position as the Director of MTSS and 504 in Plano ISD. I have enjoyed my time as your R10 MTSS Consultant and have learned as much from you as you did from me.

As of right now, the R10 MTSS Institute and the R10 MTSS Consortium are on hold and may be rescheduled later. If you have questions or would like to provide information on the need for R10 MTSS Supports, please email elaine.fackler@region10.org and she will forward the information to the appropriate staff members.

I hope that you all have a safe and successful school year.

Kimmie

Communication. Collaboration. Collective Responsibility

Some of you may already be back on contract, some will be returning soon. To help with your transition into fall, be sure to check out our Counselor Conversations: July Edition for amazing resources including: How to create a Bitmoji virtual Counselor’s office, SEL in Spanish and English, mindfulness, trauma resources, guidance lesson ideas, teen dating violence and drug trends.

Our August sessions are also now open for registration. To kick off, please join us for Counselor Conversations on August 12th at 1P.M. featuring Sherasa Thomas from the Anti-Defamation League. We will also have Stephanie Learner, TEA’s new School Counseling Program Manager, presenting A Brief School Counselor Introduction with Resources and Plans on August 18th at 1 P.M.

Additionally, we’ve attached a one-pager with mental health transition supports that were created in collaboration between Region 10 and Region 11. Most of the resources include full presentations that can be downloaded, anything with an asterisk has a corresponding video along with it. The PDF is hyperlinked so you can click on the resource and it’ll automatically open up after you sign-in. Our hope is that you’re able to pick and pull anything that you need throughout the year. One less thing you have to worry about or try to create on your own.

As your Region 10 ESC Counseling Consultants, we are here to continue providing you hope-filled leadership, as well as serve as a stabilizing force during these unsure times.

As always, please never hesitate to reach out if we can assist you in any way.

Stay safe and take care,

Brandi Fennell and Susan Delarosa

Below you will find the contact information of the R10 MTSS Team. Each team member represents a key component to consider when developing your MTSS Framework. If you need a thought partner for a specific topic, please reach out to one of these phenomenal people.

MTSS is made up of different Systems of Support working together, such as MTSS Intervention, MTSS School Safety, and Security, MTSS Mental Health, etc.. Together these pieces create the layers needed to ensure students are ready for life beyond school. Below are all the parts, pieces, and layers that need to work together.

More than ever the MTSS Umbrella requires Communication, Collaboration, and Collective Responsibility. The pandemic will not last forever.

• We need, more than ever, to work together to help our students see there is a way through this.

• We do this by providing supports and services to their parents, all staff members, and them.

• We provide opportunities for mindfulness, positive feedback on the work they are doing, flexibility, grace, and space.

• We also keep them focused on their goals, dreams, hopes, and wishes for their future.

• We work together through Communication, Collaboration, and Collective Responsibility.

The image below includes just a few graphics on what is required to implement and hold the MTSS Umbrella in place during a pandemic (and the regular year).