RestorativeDC Community of Practice: Stamina, Resilience and Re-Entry for Staff and Students

Restorative DC is excited to connect with current and new restorative practitioners, coordinators, and school support staff, educational support and community-based organizations throughout the District of Columbia as part of our Community of Practice (CoP) series for SchoolYear 2021-22.The CoP will provide participants with an opportunity to: 

• Participate in city-wide problem solving group activities.
• Explore current restorative promising practices
• Practice tangible and practical skills that are necessary for a restorative mindset and culture shift. 
• Create a city-wide network of restorative practitioners and support.
• Consider the intersection of restorative practices and multi-tiered levels of support throughout the District.

Format: The hour-long sessions will be guided by team members from Restorative DC and co-facilitated by leaders and practitioners from our RDC partner schools as well as experts in the field of restorative justice, social emotional learning (SEL), mental health, and MTSS. Session activities will include self-guided circles for subject matter exploration, deep dives into ‘hot topics’ that are relevant in the current school climate, and practice exercises that will strengthen the restorative skills of participants. All sessions will be held on the third or fourth Wednesday of each month and will be virtual except for the in-person May celebratory session.

October Session: Stamina, Resilience and Re-Entry for Staff and Students

Are you concerned about staff and student wellbeing? We are too! This October, we want to provide a restorative space for educators and school partners to discuss your re-entry experience so far this school year and problem-solve with peers from across the city about the challenges you are facing 

• Are you receiving clear communication about expectations this year? Are you communicating clearly with others?
• How does it feel to work with your school teams again?
• What have you observed about the socialization skills of students and staff?
• What have you noticed about how students are feeling and behaving?
• What have you been able to do to build community and relationships? What would you like to be able to do?
• What is your patience level of patience right now? Do you have the ability to tolerate minor infractions, or do you find yourself being triggered to anger and frustration?

Adults and students alike are adjusting to the pace of being back together — managing transitions, the physical stamina of being in the classroom,  , the social and emotional effects of re-learning to work in teams, and the ability to handle conflicts in a restorative manner.

During this Community of Practice, participants will have time to explore how we are adjusting to new norms of re-entry and share promising practices for addressing the needs of our school communities.