Discussion Groups

Participants will be invited to select a group to join for breakout discussions.  In these facilitated small group discussions, participants will be invited to reflect upon the consequences of COVID-19 on their learning communities and to identify resources and strategies to address them.                            

Small Group Discussion, Guiding Questions for Dr. Christopher Bellonci’s presentation:

  • How did this pandemic adversely impact you and your school and district?
  • How do you imagine rebuilding the relationships among community stakeholders, faculty and staff, students, and families to refocus on the mission?                          
  • What leadership skills will be essential to advance systemic change in the post pandemic academic year?         
  • What unevenness and inequities remain in your district as a result of this disruption? How do you plan to address them?
  • What resources do you need?

Small Group Discussion, Guiding Questions for Ms. Laura Danna’s Presentation: 

  • What trauma effects have you seen in your students?  What effects do you anticipate seeing?
  • Were you, yourself impacted by trauma in the past year?  If so, how will this affect your work with students?
  • What elements of trauma informed strategies are relevant for your own professional work and emotional well-being?
  • How can you assess your school’s readiness for implementing trauma informed school strategies?  What resources do you need?
  • What practices may need to be changed in anticipation of developmental, antiracism, social, and emotional needs of your students?  What resources will you need to address this? 
  • How will you center the needs of historically marginalized students?
  • How do we foster dialogue among and between people with different cultural experiences and interpretations of this traumatic year?       
  • What were some unanticipated changes in structures, practice, or policy that presented this year that you will consider keeping?