Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda UFSD
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- Kenmore Town of Tonawanda UFSD
- Overview
Ken-Ton Represented in NYS School Safety Workshop Series
This summer, the New York State Center for School Safety and New York State Education Department presented a series of workshops called “School Safety and Climate.” The sessions aimed at providing teachers, administrators, and support staff with ways to create safe and supportive learning environments.
Ken-Ton’s Director of School Culture, Dina Ferraraccio, was a guest presenter for a session called “Strategic Planning and Implementation of Trauma-Informed District Change.” She was on a panel with Samantha Koury, Co-Director of UB’s Institute on Trauma and Trauma-Informed Care, and Richard Carella, the Assistant Superintendent of the Niagara Falls City School District. Approximately 85 participants took part in the two-hour session that you can watch here.
“When Samantha [Koury] reached out to me to present at the NYS Center for School Safety, I was very eager to help,” Ferraraccio said. “It was important for me to talk with other district leaders who are thinking about starting this ‘Trauma-Informed’ work. All this work is centered around creating spaces for students and staff to feel heard, valued, and welcomed.”
Ferraraccio spent some of her presentation sharing personal experiences working with trauma-informed practices. She provided examples of Ken-Ton support staff embracing their role in creating safe environments and went on to praise various departments across the district.
“Trauma-informed practices expose students to predictable routines and expectations, while establishing more trust and an increased sense of safety in schools,” Ferraraccio said. “I want that for all of our students and staff in Ken-Ton. They deserve to feel this way in school and in the workplace. All my work centers around the trauma-informed principles of choice, trust, collaboration, empowerment, and safety.”
Ferraraccio has been the Director of School Culture since September 2021. She began her career at Ken-Ton as a science teacher who focused on biology, chemistry, forensics, and anatomy before becoming an Assistant Principal at Kenmore West. You can visit the School Culture website to learn more about the department.