MASSW

07/18/2025

🧠✨ Back to School isn’t just about supplies — it’s about mental health too! As summer winds down, now’s the perfect time to prep more than just backpacks. This Back to School Mental Health Checklist helps you ease into the school year with routine, support, and peace of mind 💛
✅ Build healthy habits
✅ Listen with empathy
✅ Celebrate summer moments
✅ Set the tone for a smooth transition
💬 Which tip will you try first?

07/12/2025

Learning about fight, flight, fawn, and freeze can be helpful, but learning how these responses manifest in our particular bodies is where the magic really starts. When we understand how fight, flight, freeze, or fawn show up for us, we can develop an internal template to refer back to in moments where we are feeling a lot of (or beginning to shut down and feeling no emotion at all) that alerts us when it’s time take steps to soothe our and return to our window of tolerance.

No one has an innate ability to pause during a conflict and reflect “Gosh, I think I might be moving into a freeze response.” Instead, this realization tends to be something we recognize as we reflect on an experience later. Growing the capacity to check in with ourselves and notice, in the moment, when we are slipping into a response is one key to learning how to self-soothe, expand our , grow emotionally, and build .

That’s where my new comes in: it’s a tool specifically for helping us recognize when we are moving out of our window of tolerance (where we can listen, learn, and respond thoughtfully) and into a reaction state.

Like the Emotion Sensation Wheel, the Fight, Flight, & Freeze Embodied Wheel is a tool to prompt conversations and build awareness by showing how each of these responses *tends* to show up through physical sensations. It's not prescriptive- it's a conversation starter. It's meant to teach, to stir, and to prompt conversations that build awareness, connection, and experience through awareness. Download a digital copy of this art via patreon.com/lindsaybraman or through my website.

07/05/2025

Fred Rogers always saw what many missed: that the greatest impact comes not from power or fame, but from simple acts of compassion. In this quote, he reminds us that it's easy to turn away—to say, not my child, not my community, not my responsibility. But that mindset creates a colder world. The people who pause, care, and take action—those are the ones who truly change lives.

We don’t have to fix everything. But we can do something. Holding space for others, reaching out, offering help even when it’s inconvenient—that’s the kind of quiet heroism that keeps the world stitched together. These aren’t grand gestures, but they’re deeply human ones. And we need more of them. 💛🌎

07/01/2025

New season. New intentions. 🙇🏾‍♀️☀️
May this summer be soft, slow, and full of what you need. 💕

06/23/2025

Exciting things are happening!
More infomation coming soon!

06/18/2025

06/12/2025

Receptive and expressive language are closely tied to executive functioning skills. Kids need receptive language to understand directions, routines, and expectations. This is key for planning and task initiation.

Expressive language helps them ask for help, explain their thinking, and self-advocate, all of which support emotional regulation and flexible thinking. When language and executive skills work together, kids can better navigate daily tasks, solve problems, and connect with others.

Receptive: https://www.theottoolbox.com/receptive-language
Expressive: https://www.theottoolbox.com/expressive-language/

06/08/2025

05/29/2025

🚨ACTION NEEDED: Speak Out Before June 20th!

The U.S. Department of Education has opened a public comment period ending on June 20th, and your voice is urgently needed!

This is a critical opportunity the MASSW membership to provide our input regarding proposed federal education policy and ensure that our collective priorities are heard. The Department is seeking public input, and the number—and quality—of comments received would hopefully shape final decisions.

Here's what you can do:

Go to regulations.gov
Search ED-2025-OS-0020
Click Comment and make their voices heard.
Public comment periods are one of the few direct ways citizens and advocates can impact federal policymaking which will have direct impacts upon services and programming for students and families in Michigan.

📅 Deadline: June 20, 2025

Time is short—act now and help make sure our voices are counted! Please encourage other people who have a vested interest in public schools to do the same.

———————————————————————-
Here is a sample comment with some specific information related to the outlines priorities of the administration's Department of Education, which are outlined in the sample.

My name is [Your Name], and I am a [parent/educator/community member, school social worker] and am deeply concerned about the proposals to cut Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) programs, expand school privatization, and reduce or eliminate block grant funding to public schools.

Each of these actions threatens the strength and stability of our public education system:

SEL programming is not a luxury—it’s a necessity. It helps students manage emotions, resolve conflicts, and build the resilience needed to succeed in school and life. Cutting SEL puts our teachers under more pressure and leaves students without the tools to thrive, especially those experiencing trauma or poverty.

Privatization, whether through vouchers or expanding unregulated charter schools, diverts public funds away from the public schools that serve all children—regardless of background or ability. This weakens our neighborhood schools and risks increasing segregation and inequality. Voucher programs and charter school expansions are siphoning public dollars into private institutions that are not accountable to the public, do not have to serve all students, and often exclude students with disabilities, English learners, and those from low-income families.In states like Florida, Arizona, and Indiana, we’ve seen the impact firsthand: public school budgets are being gutted while taxpayer money flows to private and religious schools that are allowed to discriminate in admissions and curricula. In Arizona, the universal voucher system has created a two-tiered education system where families with existing privilege benefit most—while public schools are left with fewer resources and higher-needs populations.

Ending block grants removes critical flexibility from states and districts. These funds often support low-income students, special education, and rural schools. Eliminating them would be a devastating blow to our most vulnerable learners. The push for state control is being used to override local authority, dismantle democratic school boards, and push politically motivated agendas. In many states, governors and legislatures have imposed curriculum restrictions, banned books, and censored classroom discussions on race, gender, and American history. These moves are not about improving education—they are about silencing educators and erasing the identities of students.
Public schools are the backbone of our democracy and our communities. We should be investing more in them—not less. I urge you to preserve SEL funding, resist efforts to privatize public education, and protect block grant programs that support equitable, high-quality learning for all students.

mebstone91@gmail.com&h=a97b6db4d5d69bf7b4f4976f62f26e5a1a0e6539" rel="ugc" target="_blank">http://masswmi.site-ym.com/members/EmailOptPreferences.aspx?id=50103017&e=mebstone91@gmail.com&h=a97b6db4d5d69bf7b4f4976f62f26e5a1a0e6539

05/28/2025

YES!

Image:

05/21/2025

URGENT ACTION ITEM!
The MASSW would like to provide the following information and encourage members to consider contacting your senators and representatives about critical issues affecting special education and students with disabilities.
YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

Just released on May 2, 2025, the president's proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2026 (school year 2026-27) includes a "Special Education Simplified Funding Program" for IDEA. While total funding for IDEA would be maintained at the current level, the budget consolidates all parts of IDEA into one block grant: Part B (K12); Part C (Infants and Toddlers); Preschool; and Part D grants for personnel preparation/development, technical assistance, parent information centers, and technology. These components of the law are designed to work as a continuum of supports and services. Reducing the components of the law to one block grant, without the guarantee that each part would be funded, is a serious disservice to children and youth with disabilities, their families, and the educators that serve them. This bill has already passed in the Senate and is being considered in the House of Representatives.

PLEASE CONTACT YOUR MICHIGAN REPRESENTATIVE via phone or email. Phones calls would be preferred due to time sensitivity, but communicating in some way is important.
STOP CUTS TO MEDICAID & TAX CREDITS for Private Schools. This will have a significant impact on school social workers and the communities we serve.

Example script: As your constituent, I urge you to oppose the budget reconciliation bill moving through the House. This bill contains deep cuts and changes to Medicaid that will impact schools’ ability to provide critical services to Medicaid-eligible children, including children with disabilities. The bill also contains the Educational Choice for Children Act, which provides tax credits to scholarship granting organizations. These organizations will give vouchers for private schools, many of which will not serve or serve adequately children with disabilities. Funding private schools through tax credits or other schemes will erode our strong public schools attended by 90 percent of American children.

Please oppose this bill and show your strong support for services and supports for children with disabilities. Your constituents need these services, especially school-aged children whose future depends on a quality education. Please preserve a strong Medicaid program and keep public funds in public education. Thank you!

Please see the following link to find out the name and contact information for your representative: https://www.house.mi.gov/AllRepresentatives

Other resources:
5 Calls

https://case.memberclicks.net/legislative-advocacy

CASE Policy and Legislative Committee is pleased to share the CASE Legislative Priorities for the 119th Congress. There are three main priorities: attracting, preparing, and retaining high-quality educators reflecting the diversity of our students; fully funding the Individuals with Disabilities Edu...