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.
Starr has a new store!
At Starr Commonwealth, we are dedicated to continuously improving the experience for our users. In that spirit, we are excited to announce an all-new store experience directly within starr.org! With the launch of this platform, both purchasing as... Continue reading.
De-Escalation: It All Begins with Awareness and Mindfulness
Recently, Starr Commonwealth has received many questions regarding techniques for de-escalating dysregulated behavior. Before any of us can control our fight or flight responses, we must be able to bring awareness to our present moment. Present... Continue reading.
Starr Commonwealth Partners with Educated Stars of Tomorrow to Launch ExcelU
Educated Stars of Tomorrow, LLC (ESOT), founded by Willie Burton in 2011, has spent the past nine years developing ExcelU, a school- and community-based curriculum that unifies academic success and health-wellness for students. Using a... Continue reading.
Racism Leads to Death. Enough.
The murder of George Floyd in broad daylight must be met with accountability and justice. George was called “Big Floyd” by his close friends. He was known as a peacemaker, and a mentor to many. He was a father and a brother. The devastating... Continue reading.
Defusing Sessions Available through Starr Commonwealth
What is defusing, and where would these sessions fit in the crisis response timeline? Defusing is both supportive and educational. Its purpose is not to process or explore feelings, nor to allow for the ventilation of feelings (this happens 1:1... Continue reading.
Brave Bart Returns
Brave Bart has been providing help to children, families, schools, and other helping professionals across the world since the first book, Brave Bart: A Story for Traumatized and Grieving Children. Since learning how to become a survivor, he used... Continue reading.
Children’s Mental Health Awareness in Times of COVID-19
Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week is designated annually in May to bring national attention to the importance and needs of youth, mental health, and their psychological well-being. This year CMHA Week is May 3-9. Children’s Mental... Continue reading.
Breathwork
The heart rate is a large part of the physiological affect we experience, both when regulated or experiencing reactions of stress. Having awareness of our own heart rate in any of these platforms and having a practice to alter that rate can... Continue reading.
Important Updates Concerning the MISD Trauma & Resilience Conference
For years, the Macomb County Independent School District has been home to our annual Trauma & Resilience Conference. This year, due to the CDC social distancing guidelines in response to the Coronavirus, Starr Commonwealth has made the decision... Continue reading.
Authentic Self-Care
What is authentic self-care? Self-care is a commonly used phrase that validates us in doing whatever we want to achieve instant gratification, even if it isn’t serving us long term. We often confuse material or external substance as self-care.... Continue reading.
