Overview of Local School District Early Childhood Special Education Requirements 

Training Topics Include:

• Impacts of Stress on Brain Development

• De-escalation Strategies

• QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) Suicide Prevention

• De-Escalation

• Child Trafficking and Exploitation

• The Science of Happiness & Resilience

Cost & Travel:

• Free of charge

• Partial travel reimbursement available

This is a valuable opportunity to build skills, connect with peers, and strengthen your school’s approach to student wellness and safety.

Space is limited—register early to secure your spot!

For more information or to register, please contact Tina at the Montana Safe School Center or montanasafeschools.org 

Audience: Appropriate for Pre-K through High School staff (all teachers, paraprofessionals, specialists and administrators)

Learning Targets:

• Learn how all behavior, even big, baffling behaviors, make sense

• Learn how connections help students learn, and why being in protection mode inhibits learning

• Learn how fight, flight, and freeze play a vital role in understanding big, baffling behaviors

• Learn strategies to keep kids learning and how to get them back to their "learning" brains when they are not there

• Understand why strategies may not always work perfectly and what to do when they don’t work

If you work in education, you have seen big, baffling behaviors in students. Are you feeling lost and frustrated when you work with these students? Based on work from Robyn Gobbel, Dr. Bruce Perry, Dr. Dan Siegel, and many more, we will discuss how trauma impacts students’ brains, how this changes the development of their brains, and how this can result in big, baffling behaviors. All behavior makes sense when we learn to look at it through a new lens; a lens that believes regulated, connected kids who feel safe, behave well.

We all need connection; relationships are vital to our growth and safety. But what happens when students do not have strong connections? Maybe some big, baffling behaviors! These behaviors are a result of brains switching into protection mode. We will learn how to tell which mode our students are in and what to do to help them.

Often we have parents who want help with their child. They try hard, they communicate with the school well, and they want to play an important role in helping change these behaviors. Join us as we learn some new techniques to try and how we can use this information to support our families at home!

The Mandt System builds on skill development through a system of gradual and graded alternatives for de-escalating and assisting people using a combination of interpersonal communication skills, conflict resolution strategies and physical interaction techniques. The goal is to assist others in managing themselves and the safety of all involved through skillful and nonphysical means. Physical strategies are also taught to provide additional “least restrictive” options in the event the person poses a clear threat of substantial harm to self or others if physically unassisted. The Mandt System focuses on prevention.

This is a two-day training and attendance is required on both days. Those recertifying also need to attend both days. Saturday involves learning the physical part of the training. Groups are limited to 10 people by the MANDT Company. If we reach our maximum capacity of 20, our presenter will break participants into two groups on Saturday of the training (a.m. and p.m.)

8:30 - 11:30 AM MORNING- Team Initiated Problem Solving (TIPS): Data-Driven Decision Making for Educators and School Teams

This interactive training invites educators and school teams to discover the Team Initiated Problem Solving (TIPS) framework, a practical, hands-on approach for turning student data into meaningful action. Through engaging activities, real-world scenarios, and collaborative exercises, participants will experience how TIPS streamlines meetings, sparks creative solutions, and fosters a culture of shared problem-solving. You'll not only learn how to use data to pinpoint challenges and track progress but also build powerful team skills that make every meeting purposeful and productive. Join us to learn practical tools you can apply right away, build your confidence in leading team initiatives, and connect with peers. You'll leave with strategies to support measurable improvements in student outcomes.

Training Objectives By the end of the training, participants will be able to:

• Define TIPS framework and its role in team-based decision making.

• Establish effective meeting foundations

• Use data to identify and analyze problems

• Develop and implement contextually fit solutions

12:30 - 3:30 PM AFTERNOON: Building Data Literacy: Practical Strategies for Everyday Use

Training Description:

This hands-on training empowers classroom educators to confidently explore, manage, and use data to inform instruction and improve student outcomes. Designed with simplicity and practicality in mind, the session introduces foundational data literacy concepts and walks educators through easy-to-implement strategies for collecting, analyzing, and applying data in their daily teaching routines. Whether you're new to data or looking to refine your skills, this training offers tools and techniques that fit seamlessly into classroom practice.

Training Objectives:

• By the end of the training, participant will be able to:

• Define the Core Elements of Data Literacy

• Apply Data to Instructional Decision-Making

• Streamline Data Practices for Efficiency

• Use data to engage in continuous improvement