MTSS Team Highlighted in AASA Magazine

In the November issue of the AASA School Administrator Magazine, Kent School District Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) Team was highlighted for their work in promoting the use of trauma-informed, social-emotional learning (SEL) and well-being strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is an honor to be highlighted in this magazine for the innovative strategies created by our MTSS Team in supporting students and staff.

“Over the past year and a half, our world has experienced great change that has resulted in a critical need for social-emotional learning (SEL) for all students. In the Kent School District, we recognized this need and wanted to provide resources for staff to help alleviate some of the stress in creating activities and lessons around SEL in the classroom. I am honored to lead an amazing team of experts consisting of classroom teachers, counselors, social workers, behavior interventionists, and MTSS-B coaches. We have worked over the past year and in the summer to create a valuable resource for all Pre-K through 6th grade teachers in our district. Thank you for all your hard work team,” said Christy Kehr, MTSS Behavior Coach. 

The specific strategies outlined in the article include KSD Wellness Week, which focused on daily wellness challenges for students and staff, professional development for teachers including lessons and SEL presentations on key topics for classroom use and giving students the opportunity to bring a “comfort kit” from home or have one provided with comfort items to be used when needed. The MTSS Team also created a calendar for teachers with prompts and SEL topics for each day of the week.

“Kent School District had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the Kaiser Permanente Grant, which helped focus our work on wellness activities for our staff and students. Our MTSS team is grateful for the collaboration we had with teachers and counselors over this past year to create many sustainable systems for supporting the social and emotional well-being of staff and students, ” said Cheri Simpson, Interim Director of Student and Family Support Services.

The School Administrator is an award-winning monthly magazine. It is delivered to every public school superintendent in the United States who is an AASA member and others at the cabinet-level. It provides big-picture perspectives and collegial advice on a broad range of topics specific to K-12 education and the leadership of public school districts, taken from the AASA website.