More than 600 participants attended the virtual 2021 Southern Region Student Wellness Conference (SRSWC) organized by San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools (SBCSS) and San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health in cooperation with community partners.
Leaders presented information on fostering successful learning environments by focusing on the physical, mental, social and emotional health of students and educators. The conference’s collaborative atmosphere reflects the SBCSS commitment to a collective impact approach.
Community partnerships are key components of the Cradle to Career Roadmap (C2C), which identifies key milestones in a child’s academic and social readiness. The C2C Roadmap encourages cooperation throughout the community to meet the educational needs of students from early development to postsecondary and beyond.
The tenth annual SRSWC included a substantial focus on social-emotional learning, but also showcased dynamic presentations supporting innovative approaches to overall student health. The conference included topics such as student identity and inclusion, resiliency and self-awareness, and the needs that must be met in order to progress from operating in a survival state to being engaged and ready to learn.
During the two-day conference, hundreds of participants heard from four keynote speakers and participated in 16 different breakout sessions.
Session topics were anchored in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model which emphasizes the community’s role in supporting students’ health and wellness. WSCC focuses on establishing healthy behaviors and relationships, as well as healthy psychosocial and physical environments, in childhood. These factors play a critical role in students’ health and success in adulthood.
Healthy SBCSS is just one of the many departments that the SBCSS Innovation and Engagement branch encapsulates which aligns to the WSCC model. Healthy SBCSS provides training, technical assistance, resources, and partnerships at districts and in the community. This holistic approach to improving the lives of children addresses both education and health.
Farrah Northcott, manager for Healthy SBCSS, expressed her pride in this year’s conference. “One of our goals was to engage, energize, and inspire people for the upcoming school year. Our speakers absolutely did that; the tremendous positive response we received shows how impactful the conference is for participants,” Northcott said.
Several attendees felt a renewed sense of purpose as educators and were transformed by the conference experience.
One anonymous participant surveyed shared, “From the moment you walk into the classroom on the first day through the academic year and beyond, the ways in which you ‘show up’ for your students will physically and mentally affect them for the rest of their lives. That’s really impactful and it’s a responsibility I intend to keep in the forefront of my mind.”
San Bernardino County Superintendent Ted Alejandre said of the conference, “I am proud of the cross-sector collaboration happening to ensure student success. In order to foster learning environments where every student can thrive, each of us must be a champion for student equity and wellbeing. Together, our schools and our community can lead the country in creating lasting change.”
The conference’s educational content was complemented by musical performances from Cajon High School’s Cajon Choir as well as the San Bernardino Teen Music Workshop.
In the fall, SBCSS will continue bringing together many of these pillars of support by facilitating the annual Family and Community Engagement Summit. This free event is designed to increase partnerships with parents, district and school family engagement teams, and community stakeholders to guide all students towards college and career readiness. Registration for the summit is now open at https://sbcss.k12oms.org/38-202225.
Save the date for the 2022 Southern Region Student Wellness Conference, which will be held live and in person from July 11 – 13, 2022.
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