Page 4 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2022 Excellence in the EPS Highlights from around the District he Everett Public Schools (EPS) congratulated Family Liaisons Larissa Silfa, Erika Green, Steeve Auguste and Rixy Reyes-Oseguera for completing the Interpreter and Translator in Education Training Workshop Series at the University of Massachusetts T Amherst. The family liaisons provide critical support throughout the district, from registering students and assisting families at the Parent Information Center, to outreach and engagement efforts, to ensuring the success of schoolThese are some of the EPS staff members who participated in the Mental Health First Aid Training offered at Everett High School during February vacation. The district graduated two cohorts totaling 34 employees who obtained a three-year certification to provide Mental Health First Aid to EPS students. When the district certifies 10 percent of its staff, the training can be extended to students between the ages of 16 and 18. (Photos Courtesy of the Everett Public Schools) and district-based programs and events, to organizing and teaching language classes. On top of all that, family liaisons perform nearly all the translation services for the district, including announcements, documents, website posts and robocalls. Family liaisons speak English and Spanish, Portuguese or Haitian Creole. The family liaison positions were created by Superintendent of Schools Priya Tahiliani shortly after her tenure began in March 2020. Since then, they have become an essential part of the fabric of the EPS, and an invaluable resource to building leaders. “An enthusiastic and heartfelt congratulations to Larissa, Erika, Steeve and Rixy for completing the Translator in Education Training Workshop Series,” said Tahiliani. “It is a testament to their commitment to our students and families and the seriousness with which they approach their work.” This intense translator workshop series was created by the Translation Center at the University of Massachusetts for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). The series provides an educational and professional setting in which participants learn about the standards and procedures of interpreting and translating in a school setting. The program offers them the opportunity to practice and develop their translation and interpreting skills, consider and reflect on specific situations and build a network of colleagues. The workshops raise the already impressive capacity of family liaisons by giving them tools on topics and practices, such as note-taking, sight translation, paraphrasing, fast reading, changing written text into oral speech, consecutive interpreting, simultaneous interpreting, and dual-role interpreting. First things first Mental Health First Aid is a nationally recognized certifiThe district would like to publicly recognize Whittier School teacher Crystal Connors for her heroic actions during the Acceleration Academy. During lunch on February 24, Connors used the Heimlich maneuver to rescue a fifth-grader who was choking. cation program designed to train and certify nonmental health professionals with the concrete skills to recognize, respond and refer people exhibiting mental health or subEPS | SEE PAGE 21
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