When you don’t know what to say…just BREATHE. Part of resilience is having a voice, choice and the ability to help ourselves feel better when overwhelming feelings come our way. The Circle of Courage refers to this universal need as... Continue reading.
Hope: Building Resilience as a Survivor
If we can face hard things or times with a sense that there’s something we can do about them, life becomes easier to live. In a time where we are all feeling quite overwhelmed this can be tough. But, hope can truly be the catalyst to get us to... Continue reading.
Hope: The Pathway to Resilience
What we can all use now is a little bit of hope! The new “now” is hard, it is confusing and it is unpredictable. For the past couple of weeks we have talked about the Circle of Courage and a quest to provide resilience building and nurturing... Continue reading.
Building Mastery in Your Classroom
Mastery is reaching our potential with supports. Mastery is NOT perfection. The second universal need according to the Circle of Courage resilience model is MASTERY. When we talk about mastery we are not talking about perfection but rather the... Continue reading.
Self-Awareness to Regulate Stressors
We are now well into the school year, and everyone has a different scenario–in-person, hybrid, virtual and some teaching one way while their own children are learning a different way. The new “now” is, no doubt, filled with some level of... Continue reading.
Fostering Connections through Who I Am Worksheets
School connectedness is a significant protective factor for all students in preventing substance abuse, violence, absenteeism, suicide emotional problems and eating disorders. Students who feel connected to their school are also likely to have... Continue reading.
Are You Building a Sense of Belonging for Your Students?
In Native American and First Nations cultures, significance was nurtured in communities of belonging. Lakota anthropologist Ella Deloria described the core value of belonging in these simple words: “Be related, somehow, to everyone you know.”... Continue reading.
Starr Commonwealth Moves Harper Woods Office to Larger Space as Services Continue to Impact Community
As Starr Commonwealth continues to make an impact on families throughout southeast Michigan, their commitment to the whole health of children and the community will continue in a new, larger setting. Previously located at 20955 Bournemouth, the new... Continue reading.
Celebrating Students with Strength Inventories
Every child has strengths. It should be common practice to conduct a strengths inventory on every student in your school. As we begin the school year, now is the perfect time to celebrate each child in your room and their unique qualities. While... Continue reading.
Back to School During a Pandemic: Starr’s Expert Panel
At the culmination of Starr's 2020 Trauma & Resilience Conference, our experts came together to directly address the questions of our attendees. Throughout the session, they discussed returning to school, staff self-care, balancing the myriad... Continue reading.
Starr Commonwealth Moves Battle Creek Office to Downtown as Services Continue to Impact Community
As Starr Commonwealth continues to make an impact on school districts throughout Battle Creek, their commitment to the whole health of children and the community will continue in a new downtown setting. Previously located at 155 Garfield, the new... Continue reading.
Quick Tips to Start the School Year Right
Starr Commonwealth · Kathy Hart - Quick Tips to Start the School Year Right Kathy Hart and her team stand ready to help schools and organizations get the most out of Starr's courses, resources, and materials. Schedule your organization's... Continue reading.
Promoting Resilience as Children Return to School
Resilience provides hope, an essential experience for not just students but all of the adults working with them. We may not be able to take away toxic stress and trauma a child has experienced during COVID-19 or will continue to experience in... Continue reading.
Self-Care: Gratitude Writing
There is a great deal of research that supports the effectiveness of expressing gratitude. Gratitude has been shown to help you make friends. One study found that if you thank someone, even an acquaintance, they're more likely to seek a deeper... Continue reading.
PBIS in Trauma-Informed Resilience-Focused Schools
Many educators may think that Positive Behavior Supports & Interventions is a straightforward system that may not vary school to school. The reality is that PBIS can, in fact, take many forms. It can even be integrated with other areas of... Continue reading.
