Empowering Health, Safety, And Wellness: A Community Approach with Massachusetts PTA
The Mass PTA and Health Safety and Wellness Committee have been approved as a DESE PDP provider. The Mass PTA PD program focuses on the Health, Safety and Wellness of today’s students, educators, families and community members by focusing on: Protecting from Harm, Healthy Communities, and Emotional Health & Wellness educational modules.
This program is brought to your through your dues membership. To become a member please join our statewide MA PTA Cranberry Unit for just $10.00 per year. This membership will give you access to all of the programming and resources provided by Massachusetts PTA and National PTA. Join the Cranberry Unit Here!
Although this program is designed for educational purposes so that our educators can receive Professional Development credits, it is open to anyone who would like to view the material and learn about best practices on how to support our students, families, educators and communities.
These online coursed review recorded Massachusetts PTA health symposium sessions presented by recognized physicians, educators, and professionals in their fields.
Protecting from Harm Modules
- 4 hours of self-paced, online learning
- Watch and review symposium sessions on topics related to substance abuse, digital safety and vaccine encouragement
Healthy Communities Modules
- 4 hours of self-paced, online learning
- Watch and review symposium sessions on topics related to nutrition, physical activity, special education services, an belonging
Emotional Health & Wellness Modules
- 4 hours of self-paced, online learning
- Watch and review symposium sessions on topics related to anxiety, stress, mental health literacy, coping with adversity and trauma, and general mental wellbeing
Safdar Medina is the Pediatric Director at Tri River Health Center in Uxbridge and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at UMassChan Medical School. He currently serves as the school physician for the Northborough/Southborough School District. He is Medical Consultant for the School Health Unit at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. He was awarded a grant by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2008 to work with community partners on teen substance use prevention. He treats youth who struggle with mental health conditions and addiction, including providing medication assisted treatment for opioid use disorder.
Adolescent Substance Use is a major public health concern. Use of nicotine products, cannabis products, and alcohol, continue to be prevalent among teens. Some go on to use other drugs, including opioids. Screening and prevention are key. Treatment options exist, including motivational interviewing and medication. This presentation will provide an overview of recent trends and discuss strategies to help parents and educators.
Senator Sal DiDomenico has proudly served as State Senator for the Middlesex and Suffolk District of Massachusetts since May of 2010. He represents a diverse district that includes the communities of Charlestown, Chelsea, Everett, and parts of Cambridge. Throughout his tenure in the Massachusetts Senate, Sal has remained committed to enhancing the lives of his constituents and residents across the Commonwealth.
Since his election to the Senate, Senator DiDomenico has been a vocal advocate of ensuring high-quality and accessible early education and care for children in the Commonwealth, tackling environmental injustice, improving economic opportunities for working families, fighting food insecurity in our communities, increasing public education funding, and providing world-class healthcare for all children and their families in Massachusetts.
Senator DiDomenico currently serves as Assistant Majority Leader of the Massachusetts Senate, Chair of the Senate Committee on Bills in the Third Reading and Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Education. He holds a position in Senate President Karen Spilka's leadership team, joining a select group of members chosen for their ability to lead and their commitment to advancing important issues for the Commonwealth. He also serves as a member of the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development, Senate Committee on Steering and Policy, Senate Committee on Personnel and Administration, and the Joint Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs.
During his time in the State Senate, Senator DiDomenico has filed several pieces of landmark legislation that have been signed into law focusing on issues of community development, education, children's health, economic development, human and social services, food insecurity, and public safety. Senator DiDomenico has also been recognized by over sixty organizations for his advocacy in the Legislature and was one of only 22 legislators throughout the United States to be selected as a 2015 Early Learning Fellow and as a 2020 Maternal and Child Health Fellow by the National Conference of State Legislators.
Prior to his election to the State Senate, Sal began his work in public service by holding four terms as an Everett City Councilor and serving as President of the Everett City Council, as well as Chief of Staff to former State Senator Anthony Galluccio. Before entering state government, he spent twelve years working in the hospitality industry at Sonesta International Hotels and Marriott International.
Senator DiDomenico is a graduate of Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School and earned his B.A. in Business Administration from Boston College. Sal and his wife Tricia, a special education teacher, reside in Everett with their two sons, Matthew and Sal, and their dog Buddy.
Personal Information
Legislator
Education & Public Service
- Boston College, B.A.
- Everett Common Council (2004-2010)
- Vice Chair, Everett Democratic City Committee
- Mass. Senate (May 2010 – Present)
Senator DiDomenico has been a vocal advocate of ensuring high quality and accessible early education and care for children in the Commonwealth, tackling environmental injustice, improving economic opportunities for working families, fighting food insecurity in our communities, increasing public education funding, and providing world-class healthcare for al children and their families in Massachusetts.
Click Here to View Module on YouTube
John Crocker has worked in public education for over a decade, primarily as the administrator for the Methuen Public Schools Counseling Department. He has overseen the planning and implementation of the “Mental Health Initiative,” which has focused on the establishment of a comprehensive school mental health system (CSMHS) in partnership with the National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH). John has worked with the NCSMH as a member of the National School Mental Health Task Force and as the Massachusetts team leader for the National Coalition for the State Advancement of School Mental Health (NCSA-SMH). In his role as the director of school mental health & behavioral services, he is charged with overseeing the district-wide implementation and evaluation of Methuen’s CSMHS and positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS). His work has focused on developing a district-wide system of universal mental health screening, advancing the use of psychosocial data to inform school mental health staff’s therapeutic practice, and the development and evaluation of the CSMHS in Methuen. He has worked to scale up evidence-based therapeutic services across Methuen through the provision of district-wide professional development and the design and implementation of group- and individual-therapy programs. Mr. Crocker founded the Massachusetts School Mental Health Consortium (MASMHC), a group of approximately one-hundred and fifty school districts across Massachusetts committed to advocating for and implementing quality and sustainable school mental health services and supports. Most recently, MASMHC co-led the Massachusetts Collaborative for Improvement and Innovation Network (CoIIN) for Comprehensive School Mental Health and Thriving Minds, a professional development series focused on building comprehensive school mental health systems. He received the National Center for School Mental Health’s School Mental Health Champion Award in 2018 and was nominated the 2019 Massachusetts School Counselors Association (MASCA) Administrator of the Year and the 20-21 Massachusetts Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Counselor of the Year.
Anxiety is a common mental health challenge among children and adolescents- in fact, one in four teens will experience problems with anxiety at some point. Especially in light of an anxiety-producing worldwide pandemic, classroom teachers may wonder what they can do to recognize and understand anxiety, and to provide active coping mechanisms for students experiencing anxiety. This training will walk participants through the symptoms of anxiety, seek to dispel common myths about it, and offer a range of strategies for supporting students experiencing anxiety in the classroom. Participants will also have the chance to reflect on what they learn and apply their understanding to sample situations.
Many students will return to school grappling with individual and community trauma, in many cases trauma that has been exacerbated by the effects of the pandemic. Designing a trauma-sensitive classroom will be essential to supporting student learning. This training will cover the essentials of trauma-sensitive practice, starting with building an understanding of how trauma is defined, its causes, and its impact. The session will also seek to respond to pressing questions facing school-based staff: Without knowing which students have experienced trauma, how can a school create a culture that is sensitive to trauma and actively seeks to reduce re-traumatization? How does trauma sensitivity fit into a tiered system of support? Participants will have the chance to reflect on their own and their school’s practice as they think about next steps in building a trauma-sensitive learning environment.
Dr. Lester Hartman, the medical home director for Westwood-Mansfield Pediatric Associates, is
teaming up with an education care coordinator, who aids in helping children and families dealing
with school issues, including the use of tobacco and vaping among children and teens. Dr.
Hartman attended the Harvard School of Public Health from 2011–2012 and received a Masters
in Public Health in Health and Social Behavior. He has since focused on preventing the return of
the tobacco epidemic and has collaborated with Children’s Hospital to change the Longwood
Street entrance to reduce children’s exposure to tobacco as they walk from the parking lot.
Dr. Hartman is a Mass General Hospital researcher collaborating with Harvard Medical School
on youth and tobacco. He has attended 167 Board of Health meetings to raise the minimum
legal sales age of tobacco (which includes vaping) to 21. There are now 166 towns—almost 70
percent of Massachusetts—under the regulation. He co-wrote a resolution on the age increase
which now is endorsed by the 55,000 pediatricians of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Dr. Hartman has been a member of Westwood Mansfield Pediatrics since 1986. He is a former
member of Physicians for Human Rights and served for 16 years on the Pediatric Physicians
Organization at Children’s Hospital Boston (PPOC) Board of Directors. Since 2003, he has been
involved with the Clinique Mt. Carroll de Juampas in Haiti. Dr. Hartman went to medical school
at Louisiana State University. His residency was at Children’s Hospital Boston and Boston City
Hospital. Past accolades include the Community Pediatrician award from the PPOC as well as
being selected for the Best Doctors list several times.
Dr. Winickoff is a practicing general pediatrician and researcher. Dr. Winickoff's research focuses on strategies to address tobacco use and exposure in families, pioneering studies which offered smoking cessation pharmacotherapy to parents in pediatric settings. His current work includes CEASE (Clinical and Community Effort Against Secondhand Smoke Exposure), a program derived from his research which is available nationwide. Dr. Winickoff’s research contributed to the development of the concept of third-hand smoke, which the New York Times named one of its Health Ideas of the Year in 2009. Additional work focusing on regulating smoking in multiunit housing and raising the purchase age of tobacco to 21 has aided the enactment of policies to address both issues.
Dr. Winickoff’s work has earned him numerous awards including the HHS Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Service for “protecting the health of the United States public,” and the 2011 Academic Pediatric Association Health Policy Award for cumulative public policy and advocacy efforts that have improved the health and well-being of infants, children, and adolescents.
Additionally, Dr. Winickoff served for 7 years as the Chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Julius Richmond Center of Excellence Tobacco Consortium, a national group of researchers who take a family-centered approach to tobacco control issues that affect children. Currently, he serves as Director of Translational research for the AAP Richmond Center.
Victims, Vapers and a Virus! Covid and Vaping, both harmful, both dangerous: Combating Both! is a presentation for parents and caregivers, focusing on dangers and the issues of both being “deadly” risks! What do we do?
How can we help, protect, care and prevent as a “community of people, both individuals and collectively.”
In addition, participants of the live program had the opportunity to ask questions and get concrete answers for practical steps they can take in real time – who has time to wait?
Dr Miotto - Pediatrician, Mattapan Community Health Center and President MCAAP President of the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Chair of the Committee on Student Health and Sports Medicine at the Massachusetts Medical Society, Member of the Executive Committee of the AAP Council on Quality Improvement and Patient Safety. Experienced medical director in pediatrics, community health centers, school-based health, and hospital medicine. Leader in child health policy, public health systems and population health. Clinical focus on care delivery to underserved children with special healthcare needs and behavioral disorders. Leading change in the area of diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder in the medical home. Health systems focus on service delivery models of accessible and timely community-based autism care. Consultant on infection control in schools and collaboration with school nurses and administrators. Experienced public speaker and developer of live and web-based curricula. Loves to write, teach, plan, lead, and to develop quality improvement initiatives in all areas of medicine and health.
Dr. Miotto gives an in-depth discussion for parents and professionals on accessing Special Ed Services and Student Right.
Kimberly is a certified Special Education teacher of severe disabilities, parent of 4 children (3 of whom received special education services through IEPs) for which her company is named after – Emily, Caleb, Collin, Ava- and a Special Education Administrator for a public school district. She has experience in all three areas of the special education arena – parent, teacher, and administrator.
Kimberly has overseen both substantially separate and inclusive programming, as well as reviewed and written Individual Education Plans (IEPs) for over 15 years. She has provided direct service to children and consultative training for parents and educators on disability awareness as well as how to teach students with disabilities.
Review the importance of social inclusion for children and adults as well as knowing our WHY can impact our ability to empower ourselves and others.
National PTA has selected Cecily to serve in this role for National PTA and is praised for being a "passionate communicator & community builder". Building relationships and helping people reach their potential is a hallmark of her career and personal life. She is the president of Farmington River Elementary PTA, where she has led year over year growth in membership, developed critical partnerships within the administration and staff, and championed programs that build community within the school district. Cecily is part of a pilot group of volunteers to help us raise visibility of our PTA Connected programs and resources.
Raising children can be fraught with challenges, especially in an evolving digital world. PTA Connected provides tools, workshops and support to help families in your community navigate raising children in the digital age. This presentation will highlight how families can work together to find balance and digital wellness through these free National PTA programs, as well as program help available across the state with our PTA Connected State Champion.
Judith Crocker is the Statewide Coordinator for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation's Safe Routes to School program, promoting sustainable student transportation among schools, municipalities, and community organizations around the Commonwealth. Judith uses her healthcare, education, and business background to bridge the gap between health and transportation by developing policy and curriculum, evaluating the school-based built environment, and in developing strategic planning. Judith is a long-time advocate of active transportation, public health and school policy, and public education.
Nicole Good is a School Wellness Specialist at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office for Food and Nutrition Programs, and works to support and advance wellness initiatives for Massachusetts students, schools, and communities. Nicole participated as a fellow in the Rennie Center’s Massachusetts Education Policy Fellowship and has presented on wellness to School Committees, Superintendents and School Business Officials. Nicole is a firm believer in the importance of policy work that supports the whole child.
Sarah Littmann, MS, RD is the director of food and nutrition for Triton Regional School District. She is also the nutrition education coordinator and cooking facilitator for Kid's Test Kitchen. She is a registered dietitian with a passion for nutrition education and student wellness.
Presented by Judy Crocker, Statewide Coordinator for the MA Dept of Transportation's Safe Routes to School Program & Sarah Littmann, MS, RD, Director of Food & Nutrition for Triton Regional School District & Nicole Good, School Wellness Specialist at DESE. Investing time in school wellness helps students thrive in the classroom and community. While many Massachusetts schools have a Local Wellness Policy, putting policy into practice can be challenging. Join Massachusetts' Safe Routes to School, DESE’s School Wellness Specialist, and Triton Regional Schools as they dive into best policy practices around nutrition, physical education, and active transportation.
Karen Gross is a Washington, DC and Gloucester, MA based author and educator as well as an advisor to nonprofit schools, organizations and governments. Her work focuses on student success with a specialization in trauma, its symptomology and approaches to its amelioration. She has worked with institutions planning for and dealing with person- and nature-made disasters including shootings, suicides, immigration detention, family dysfunction, hurricanes and floods. Recently, her work has focused on the impact of the Pandemic on student learning and psychosocial development. She speaks frequently in the US and pre-pandemic, she also spoke in more than 10 foreign nations.
She currently serves as Senior Counsel to Finn Partners. She is an instructor in continuing education at Rutgers University Graduate School of Social Work and also sits on the Advisory Council at the Center for Minority Serving Institutions at Rutgers Graduate School of
Education. She is an artist-in-residence at Molly Stark Elementary School (VT).
In this workshop, Karen Gross will provide some concrete strategies that can be deployed in homes and schools that will provide the mental wellness of children/students exposed to trauma. The title captures the essence of this workshop: we have to add a new 3D lens to the way we operate so we can better see who our students actually are. Only then can we help them move forward in ways that are grounded in reality. There will be concrete takeaways that parents and educators can adopt to their own home/school.
Richard Moriarty graduated from Colby College and the University of Vermont College of Medicine. He completed his pediatric training at Johns Hopkins Hospital and University of Rochester. He practiced primary care pediatrics in the US Navy for 10 years and then completed a fellowship in pediatric infectious disease at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
He continued to practice both pediatrics and pediatric infectious disease at the National Naval Medical Center and Walter Reed Army Medical Center serving in several positions, including chair of pediatrics and then as joint pediatric residency program director for the programs at NNMC and WRAMC.
He retired from the Navy after 23 years of active duty and then moved to University of Massachusetts Medical School and UMass Memorial Health Care where he served as pediatric infectious disease consultant, pediatric primary care physician, head of the pediatric travel medicine clinic, consultant for international adoptions, and physician leader for the pediatric primary care and subspecialty clinics which served over 50,000 patients per year.
For 18 years he has been an active member of the MA Chapter of the AAP’s Immunization Initiative and has provided dozens of “Immunization Updates” to care providers across the state of Massachusetts.
Since retiring from clinical practice in 2015 he has provided more than 30 vaccine update conferences around the state. He is working with the MA Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Cancer Society to increase HPV vaccine uptake, and has been working on an AAP Chapter project to increase vaccine confidence. He has won numerous teaching awards and in 2014 was recognized as a CDC Childhood Immunization Champion from Massachusetts.
Rick Moriarty will discuss life before vaccines, how vaccines were developed and are monitored, and how vaccines have resulted in the reduction/elimination of vaccine preventable diseases. David will following him, discussing how you can become a vaccine ambassador by starting a student health club in your schools. The session will end with Q&A.
Liam Riley is currently a Senior Program Leader for the Northeast team of Booster Enterprises. Previously, he was a Patient Safety and Wellness Attendent at Concord Hospital in Concord, NH and a Deerfield, NH Parks and Rec employee for 7 years. He graduated from Siena College in 2021 with majors in Psychology and Education. For several years, he has worked with children ages 5-17 in various contexts with a variety of needs, accommodations, and backgrounds that had to be seen, acknowledged, and taken into account in order to provide excellent experiences and care for all.
This presentation delves into ideas, stories, and reflection involving how we can use our strengths and backgrounds to better cultivate a sense of inclusivity and affirmation of students across schools nationwide in academic and athletic contexts.
Marissa Carty is the Program Development & Marketing Manager for Mental Health Collaborative. At MHC, she develops and researches mental health education programs in addition to grant writing & fundraising, graphic design & marketing, and overseeing program implementation. She holds a BA in Psychology from Boston University, where she was a Kilachand Honors Scholar. She is currently a part-time MSW Candidate at the BU School of Social Work and a student in Metrowest Nonprofit Network’s 2023 Certificate in Nonprofit Management program. Marissa is passionate about bringing mental health education to all.
This presentation delves into ideas, stories, and reflection involving how we can use our strengths and backgrounds to better cultivate a sense of inclusivity and affirmation of students across schools nationwide in academic and athletic contexts.
Most of Jennifer Johnson's life has been involved in the social justice and racial equity space. As a DEI practitioner and Culture & Engagement Strategist, Jennifer and her spouse, Brian, strive to bring these components into community-based entities and for-profit entities by providing education, research, and data solutions designed to create a more harmonious, productive justice-focused workspace for organizations through their company JOHNSON TRANSFORMATIVE EQUITY GROUP, LLC.
In this space, Jennifer has conducted presentations and workshops for
Community Equity Organization (Farmington Hills, MI), the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention – Michigan Chapter, New Detroit, Inc., Michigan PTA, National PTA, among others. She has recently served as a Roundtable Facilitator for the Inaugural 21- Day Equity Challenge for the United Way for Southeastern Michigan and as a contributor on the MI Safe Schools: Michigan's 2020 – 21 Return to School Roadmap and the Public Health Advisory Council (2020) for the State of Michigan.
Jennifer serves on the board of directors for Affirmations LGBTQ Community Center (Ferndale, MI) and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention – Michigan. She is currently the chairperson for Diversity, Inclusion and Outreach for National PTA. She has professional and service membership with various organizations, including the National Diversity Council, Michigan Diversity Council, and the American Association for Access, Equity, and Diversity. NAACP (Lifetime), League of United Latin American Citizens, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC), Freedom from Religion Foundation, PTA, and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
Jennifer matriculated as an undergraduate at Oakland University and Marygrove College with a major in Political Science and a minor in English. She also holds a certification in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University.
This presentation delves into ideas, stories, and reflection involving how we can use our strengths and backgrounds to better cultivate a sense of inclusivity and affirmation of students across schools nationwide in academic and athletic contexts.
Today most people hear the word diversity and think color. Diversity comes in so many different ways and including everyone grows the richness and depth of every every activity and discussion. Alaska has the most diverse community in the US and many of the most diverse schools at every level. We are proud of our diversity and the work that can be accomplished when we involve everyone. Panel presented by Amy Arness, Candy Jo Bracken, Dr. Eric Champy, Anna King, Matthew John Rodriquez, and Juan San Miguel
