WAKEFIELD — WAKEFIELD — Executive Director Margie Daniels of The Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY) announces the details of an upcoming conference, Attendance Today for Success Tomorrow: Addressing School Avoidance.
Massachusetts Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler headlines the speakers who will present at The Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth’s Oct. 8 hybrid conference.
WHEN
Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024
Registration: 8:15-8:45 a.m.
Conference: 8:45 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
WHERE
Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School, 758 Marrett Road, Lexington, MA 02421, or via Zoom
WHAT
A hybrid conference — Attendance Today for Success Tomorrow: Addressing School Avoidance — will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 8, at Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School in Lexington and via Zoom for those who wish to participate remotely. A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided.
Many Massachusetts schools grapple with how to minimize school avoidance. At MPY’s hybrid conference, Massachusetts Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler will share the Commonwealth’s initiatives to increase school attendance. Participants will learn the best interventions, practices and strategies for helping students reengage in academics and school.
Additional speakers include Maria Champigny, a social worker and school adjustment counselor for Peabody Public Schools; Sheilah Gauch, the principal and clinical director of Dearborn Academy, a private therapeutic day school; Mark Higgins, the assistant superintendent of Peabody Public Schools; Deb Jackson, the director of English learner education and world languages for Peabody Public Schools; Steven Magno, director of student services and the McKinney-Vento liaison for Peabody Public Schools; Dayna Mann, a clinician at Dearborn Academy; Dr. Nancy Rappaport, a board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist who is currently an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School; Hannah Sycks, special education and English teacher at Dearborn Academy; and Josh Vadala, superintendent of Peabody Public Schools.
Some students who experience anxiety, bullying, depression and other social factors avoid attending school when it becomes a stressor. School avoidance can significantly impact a child’s social and emotional health and educational development. MPY’s conference will explore ways in which school avoidance can be addressed with comprehensive intervention efforts and collaboration.
“Peabody is committed to supporting all students through a community approach,” said Superintendent Vadala. “We embrace the notion of ‘it takes a village’ by partnering with families and community organizations to meet the unique needs of our diverse student population. We are excited to share lessons learned and best practices with the Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth community.”
Registration is open on MPY’s website, mpyinc.org. To register for a webinar or conference, use the “Webinars & Conferences” tab at the top of the website, or click here to register for the Oct. 8 conference.
Every MPY conference is recorded and available to registered participants through a link that remains live for seven days.
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education-approved Professional Development Points (PDPs) and Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are offered at no additional cost to participants who attend the Oct. 1 conference, Attendance Today for Success Tomorrow: Combatting Bullying & Harassment, and the Oct. 8 conference.
About the Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc.
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that provides training, fosters collaboration and develops programming to increase the health and safety of students. MPY is committed to bringing cutting-edge information and high-quality trainings to constituents and endeavors to provide solution-oriented, community-based, multi-disciplinary approaches to reducing and ideally eliminating risky behaviors for youth. MPY programming reaches nearly 6,000 educators per year in Massachusetts, spread across approximately 300 districts, with more than 150 webinars and over a dozen conferences.
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth is governed by a Board of Directors made up of school superintendents, police and fire chiefs and other community leaders who work closely with MPY staff to deliver this mission. To learn more, visit: massachusettspartnershipsforyouth.com.
