Professional Development to Empower Professionals in Santee School District

Professional Development to Empower Professionals in Santee School District

Have you ever been asked, “What’s wrong with you?” At Thrively, we focus on what is “strong with you” and your community. The Santee School District in San Diego County, is a TK-8 educational powerhouse focused on building upon both student and staff strengths under the leadership of Superintendent Dr. Baranski and Mike Olander, Director Pupil Services & Student Well-Being. The district leadership team doubled down on well-being professional development and released all 6-8 middle school teachers and instructional coaches over the course of 4 days starting in the summer.

Following a deep dive into strengths using Thrively’s strength assessment developed by leading Pediatric Neuropsychologists, the staff discovered resources inside of Thrively to supercharge their wellness lessons. With over 10,000 hours of content, the Santee staff shared favorite lessons that were strategically curated into “playlists” that then were assigned to students for practice. Using the progress monitoring and feedback tools in Thrively, students have already completed 1,200 journal reflections to build upon their self-awareness.

When we shift our focus from what is wrong to what is strong, both our staff and students thrive!

Attending to Students’ Well-Being

ACERO Charter Schools and Santiago Elementary

Thrively is thrilled to partner with ACERO Charter Schools in Chicago. Big thanks to Principal Sweazy and Assistant Principal Cauhorn at Esmeralda Santiago Elementary School for instilling a culture of strengths and a focus on student well-being.

At a recent professional development workshop, Santiago faculty members learned strategies to make deeper connections with their students which included analyzing students’ strengths on the Thrively platform, giving thoughtful feedback to student journals, and checking in on student well-being through the use of Thrively’s Well-Being Index (WBI).

Created in partnership with Turnaround for Children, the Well-Being Index is a tool that schools can use for daily well-being checks on all of their students. Data is captured and available in real time, and trends over weeks and months can be analyzed. In less than 60 seconds, students can let their teachers know how they are feeling and functioning that day. For Santiago School, the WBI is an invaluable tool for teachers and counselors to really connect with their students and attend to their needs in a timely way.

Thrively is dedicated to whole child development, which starts with making sure students are known, heard, and feel cared for. At Thrively, we believe that every child has a genius and deserves to thrive.

Daily Practices to Boost Mental Health

Daily Practices to Boost Mental Health

Positive psychological behaviors promote good mental health hygiene, which reduces stress and improves overall well-being.

Mental health hygiene focuses on using simple practices and tools to improve a person’s quality of life through daily positive psychological behaviors. Having a happy, focused mind helps us to be more creative and productive, and studies show that spending just 10 minutes a day utilizing positive psychological behaviors can improve overall mental well-being and health.

These practices will not dissipate outside problems or stressors but will, in the long term, help improve a person’s resilience and overall well-being. Research shows that engaging in mindfulness and expressing gratitude for a few minutes each day significantly impact a person’s quality of life.

Cathleen Beachboard the renowned author of “School of Hope” promotes good mental health hygiene using these small practices. Read More>>

Hope has the power to transform Trauma & Anxiety. After adopting five children who experienced trauma and neglect, Cathleen Beachboard dove into Charles R. Snyder’s pioneering research into Hope Theory. What she discovered turned into a lifelong pursuit to bring hope to every child. Cathleen Beachboard in collaboration with “Thrively” is transforming the lives by bringing “Hope“ into the classroom