IN Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall Spring 2020 | Page 58

Children Who Have
Experienced Trauma in our
Schools Continued
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN)
counts natural disasters as traumatic events. The NCTSN
defines a traumatic event as a “frightening, dangerous,
or violent event that poses a threat to a child’s life or
bodily integrity.” Each student reacts to trauma in his
or her own way. While there is no clear-cut set of cues
to spot, there are many resources describing possible
signs of trauma to keep an eye out for. According to the
NCTSN, there is a variety of behaviors that you might
observe in students affected by trauma.
These students are dealing with issues that are far
outside of the classroom, yet impact learning. How
students deal is unique to them, but they do not qualify
for special services immediately. Trauma-screening
resources are available for educators to help providers
identify children’s and families’ needs. Knowing the
signs and resources is a first step to managing a general
education classroom with these special students.
Students who face trauma certainly require special
accommodations. Their world and work are significantly
impacted by forces outside of their control. There are
behaviors we can look for and resources we can put in
place, but as educators, and often participants of the
same catastrophic events, we need to be aware of the
resources and act as part of the solution, not the only
solution.
Educators are well aware of the impact of poverty
on students and learning. But, do you know how many
students are homeless? This is a challenge being faced
by more students than you might expect, and under
new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requirements,
increased focus is being placed on monitoring the
academic growth of this specific population. Again,
these students fit outside the realm of traditionally
acknowledged special education students.
For homeless students, the classroom could be
the one safe, stable place in their day-to-day lives,
an important connection to the safety and security
of routine and, perhaps most critically, an essential
support in the journey out of poverty and into a better
situation. These students are being forced to deal
with significant, difficult, and interrelated challenges
outside of the classroom that inevitably impact
academic performance and the ability to participate in
instruction.
It is important from the beginning that students are
supported by one unified team that assists students in
the best way possible. At the end of the day, parents
AND school staff want the best for the children, and
it’s important to remember that. Educators play an
important role in students’ lives, and they make sure
that their voice is heard, but they also recognize that
they must listening to what parents have to say. The
best guideline is to keep children’s best interests in mind.
56
BRENTWOOD-BALDWIN-WHITEHALL
“Career Day” at
Brentwood Middle School
Brentwood Middle School hosted its annual Career Day. Fifteen
guest speakers volunteered their time to visit the middle school and
share information about their particular occupations with the students.
All middle school students in grades 6, 7, and 8 were able to attend
four sessions chosen based on their individual interests. The careers
represented during the day consisted of:
District Justice
FBI Agent/State Trooper
Director of Facilities
Nurse/Health Assistant Instructor
Real Estate Agent
Engineering Manager
Accountant
Geologist
Police Officer
Safety Director for Contracting
Social Worker
Teacher/Coach
Natural Gas Scheduler
Crime Scene Lab Technician
Stork Nurse
The Career Day program helps to satisfy the “Career and Preparation”
strand of the PA Career Education and Work (CEW) standards. In addition,
this annual event allows the students to gain valuable insight into a
variety of occupations and assists them as they begin to prepare for high
school and post-secondary options. Brentwood Middle School would like
to thank all of our presenters as well as our school counselor, Mrs. Whitney
Reynolds, for making Career Day a huge success!
Collaboration with the
GBU - Operation Reach Out
Brentwood’s National Honor Society and Interact Club joined
forces to help with Operation Reach Out Project. The Brentwood
students helped pack 5000 boxes that were shipped to US troops
in Iraq and Afghanistan. GBU Financial Group has served as a
tremendous partner to the district in the past and with their
generosity to fund the travel and student lunches, our students
were able to give back to the troops that are serving our country.