November/December 2022
In this approaching holiday season, our thoughts turn to family gatherings and traditional celebrations. However, there are those among us who have experienced upheaval resulting in unstable housing or even forced migration to a foreign land. In this month’s newsletter, we provide information and resources on supporting refugee and homeless students. It is gratifying to learn about the many organizations in our region that serve those in need.
We wish happy holidays to all of our readers! If you, like many, find these months challenging, remember that the ADAMHS Board of Cuyahoga County will soon be releasing their Coping with the Holidays booklet. It is always filled with tips and strategies for finding joy when it is elusive.
The ESC of Northeast Ohio Student Wellness Department
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Maple Heights City School District Prepares for Community Resource Room Opening | |
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On October 24, 2022, the Maple Heights City School District held a soft opening for their new Community Resource Room, a space for assisting families within the community who are struggling financially. The soft opening hosted members of the Maple Heights City School Board and key city officials, including Mayor Annette Blackwell, Maple Heights City Council members, and community leaders. The goal was to prepare for the grand opening that will take place on November 19, 2022, 11 AM - 1 PM.
The Community Resource Room is stocked with canned food, clothing, household goods, and other essential items that families may need. Families can access the room by contacting school counselors, building secretaries, principals, or student support coordinators, or by completing the referral form that is available on the district website.
Individuals are contacted within 24-48 hours of completing a referral form and are sent a list of available resources and provided with an appointment time. Pre-filled forms are sent directly to the team that oversees the facility - Rosalin Wynn and Angelique Shy.
Hours for the room are:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday: by appointment (12-minute intervals)
Tuesday and Thursday: walk in hours 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM.
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CLICK HERE for resources on:
- National Homeless Youth Awareness Month
- Native American Heritage Month
- Anti-bullying Awareness Week
- Transgender Awareness Week
- World Kindness Day
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CLICK HERE for resources on:
- National Stress Free Holiday Month
- Special Education Day
- Human Rights Day
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The PBIS National Technical Assistance Center
The National Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), initially funded through the U.S. Department of Education in 1998, is the go-to site for information, resources, and tools for implementing, sustaining, and scaling PBIS. This content-rich site contains everything from PBIS National Forum presentation videos to publications on a myriad of topics. It can be accessed at www.pbis.org.
The Center recently released a practice brief titled, Strategies for De-escalating Student Behavior in the Classroom. According to the brief, the implementation of a school-wide multi-tiered behavior framework (such as PBIS) maximizes the effectiveness of de-escalation strategies, largely due to strong student-teacher relationships and consistent instructional strategies. However, in spite of our best efforts, there will be times when challenging behaviors occur and it is helpful to be aware of strategies that are effective in each of the 4 phases of de-escalation: prevention, escalation, crisis, and recovery/restoration. This publication is an excellent resource to help teachers work through the de-escalation process when assisting students experiencing both low-level and more intense behaviors. The practice brief can be found here.
If you’re interested in learning more about PBIS and ways in which your building or district might build capacity for supporting all students, we strongly encourage you to register here for the 2022 OLAC and PBIS Showcase: ALL IN: For Ohio’s Schools, Students and Communities. This one-day virtual conference will feature three keynote speakers and 20 on-demand, prerecorded learning sessions from Ohio districts, schools, and organizations. Content will be organized around three themes:
- Leading, learning, and connecting in all learning environments
- Supporting the whole child, including trauma-sensitive practices and student well-being; and
- Ensuring equitable learning opportunities.
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A Whole Child Response to the Refugee Crisis
According to United States law, a refugee is anyone who is displaced from their native country because of persecution or fear of persecution due to race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. (1) Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, 100 million people have been forcibly displaced worldwide. (2) Included within that group are millions of families and children who are likely struggling to navigate education. According to The UN Refugee Agency, approximately 48% of refugee children remain out of school, and those who are enrolled are more likely than non-refugee students to fall behind. This data highlights the need to partner with community organizations to address the whole child and reduce non-academic barriers.
Listed below are a variety of resources within Greater Cleveland to assist in serving refugee students and their families.
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Catholic Charities Migration and Refugee Services - helps resettle refugees by providing employment and legal services, English language training, and health and wellness support. Additionally, the Ohio Center for Survivors of Torture (OCST) consists of a multi-disciplinary team who provides strength-based and trauma-informed services.
- 7800 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, OH 44102
- Phone: 216-939-3737
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US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants - provides newly arrived refugees with comprehensive services, including housing, employment, interpretation, legal, health and mental health, and social services.
- 3167 Fulton Rd., Cleveland, OH 44109
- Phone: 216-781-4560
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Email: info@uscrioh.org
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Refugee Services Collaborative of Greater Cleveland - is a collective of Cleveland organizations that have joined together to better serve refugees in Northeast Ohio. The Collaborative includes refugee resettlement agencies, area school districts, healthcare providers, and community and faith-based organizations.
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The Refugee Response - serves children, adolescents, and adults through a variety of programs including Youth Mentoring, Teen Response project in Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD), Corner65 a youth-led extracurricular program, multilingual content creation, and their Ohio City Farm.
- 2054 W. 47th St., Cleveland, OH 44102
- Phone: 216-236-3877
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Email: info@refugeeresponse.org
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US Together - coordinates, organizes and initiates services for refugees and immigrants through education, advocacy, support, and networking. US Together helps children and families through resettlement, intensive case management, interpretation, and linguistic services, placement, and youth mentoring.
- 2800 Euclid Ave., Suite 200, Cleveland, OH 44115
- Phone: 216-456-9630
For additional information on refugees in Greater Cleveland as well as resources to support refugee students, consider attending the Northeast Ohio School Counselor/Social Worker Network on December 8, 2022, from 12:30-2 p.m. Our guest speaker will guide the discussion on meeting the non-academic needs of refugee students. Register here.
1. U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services
2. USA for The UN Refugee Agency
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North Royalton City Schools Host Night for Ukrainian School Families
As the war in Ukraine continues, North Royalton City Schools is doing its part to make refugees and host families feel welcome in the community. North Royalton City Schools partnered with Global Cleveland to allow refugee students and their host families to tour North Royalton Middle and High School on September 13th.
Families with students in grades 5-12 met on campus, were given a tour of both facilities, and learned information about local services and supports available to them.
Two translators, as well as several North Royalton students, were present to ensure communication among the tour groups and all attendees received a welcome to the school and an introduction to the staff members present. Global Cleveland stepped in as a resource for those that needed services such as legal, food/clothing, health, Tri-C adult learning, and local sport/activity opportunities.
Families with students in kindergarten through fourth grade met at North Royalton Elementary School on September 15th to receive information on local services available and receive a tour of the school. Visitors were shown the main lobby where they would access the office, and after a tour of the building, went to the cafeteria for a question-and-answer period.
Depending on the families in each building, staff members answered frequently asked questions relating to the school calendar, dress code, and attendance policies.
North Royalton Middle School Principal Erin Calabrese said, “We want them to see where their kids will be spending the day, so they can feel good knowing we keep them safe and happy, and to help them have a visual when their kids tell them stories of their day.”
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