FWSU Welcomes Bonnie Poe, Kicks Off “Whole School, Whole Child, Whole Community” Model of Prevention and Wellness

FWSU recognizes the important role of health and well-being in student learning. We want to ensure that our schools can maximize their resources to ensure sustainable opportunities and services that promote health-enhancing behaviors and address risk factors. FWSU knows that our engaged community partnership are vital to the provision of a holistic approach to the health of our students and the communities of Fletcher, Fairfax, and Georgia.

Toward this end, FWSU is using the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model. This model has been developed through research and agency collaboration between the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to determine the best approaches we can use to create and support healthy learners. Both the Vermont Department of Health (VDH) and Agency of Education (AOE) are committed to promoting the use of WSCC model by their schools and community partners to improve population health and academic achievement outcomes. FWSU is confident the model will be fully integrated into the multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) for our learners.

This year, FWSU is pleased to welcome consultant Bonnie Poe to help us move this model forward in our schools and the community. As the Prevention and Wellness Coordinator, a contracted position funded by EPSDT, Bonnie will use the WSCC to develop, plan, and implement Prevention and Wellness activities at our schools and within the community. She will be collaborating with principals and school staffs, including classroom teachers, PE instructors, School Lunch Program Leaders, guidance, and nurses to implement initiatives and activities in the 10 areas of the Whole School, Whole Child, Whole Community model. She will be working closely with the FWSU Substance Abuse Prevention (SAP) Counselor. She will also support the formation of school-based WSCC teams who will send representatives to the FWSU WSCC Team three times a year, which she will facilitate. She will be engaging key community members and parents to join that team, too!

Bonnie brings a wealth of expertise to this position. Her undergraduate and graduate degrees are in special education from Georgia State University. She has 40 plus years of experience in public education, including 18 years as a school principal and 7 years as a director of student support services. More recently, Bonnie has worked as a SWIFT (School-Wide Integrated Framework for Transformation) Facilitator has received additional training in mentoring, instructional coaching, and the 4 stages of the change process. In addition, she is an Implementation Coach and Trainer for Vermont PBIS. Her consultancy here in FWSU allows her to give back to the educational community by being a positive collaborator, building trusting relationships with all members the school community, and being a resource for creating sustainable effective systems.

You can follow the progress of our schools in using the WSCC model through posts shared by Bonnie with the FWSU community throughout the year.

Target 4. Engaged Community Partners: FWSU staff and students engage in authentic learning opportunities with local, regional, state, and global partners to make a difference in their community, state, and world.