2023 SSWAN
School Social Worker of the Year Announced
Andrea Phillips of Lincoln Public Schools is this year's recipient
Check out this link for more information on the revealing of this award
Membership for the 2023-2024 school year will open August 1st!
Please navigate to Join SSWAN for more information.
**Remember that all current members must register and pay each year**
2023-2024 SSWAN Member Meetings: TBA Soon
September
November
January
May
A Message from the President:
May 2023
The end of the school year has arrived for many of you and is right around the corner for the rest of us.
As I reflect on what we have accomplished together this past year as an organization I am very proud. Our memberships continues to grow. We have offered many opportunities for CEU's through our fall and spring conference and our one hour zoom workshops. I want to thank Children's Hospital and Medical Center for their partnership which has assisted us in making these accomplishments happen.
I would also like to take a moment to thank our outgoing board members for their service to SSWAN and welcome our incoming board members:
Outgoing:
Member-at-large-- Lily Glantz- Omaha Public Schools
Secretary-- Whitney Brown- Lincoln Public Schools
Treasurer-- Susie Jones- Bellevue Public Schools
Past-president-- Molly Schnabel- Papillion-LaVista Community Schools
Incoming:
Member-at-large-- Abby Bjornsen- Millard Public Schools
Secretary-- Rachel Houston- Lincoln Public Schools
Treasurer-- Lily Glantz- Omaha Public Schools
President-Elect-- Whitney Brown- Lincoln Public Schools
2023 SSWAN Summer Retreat
We will be gathering together as a group for our SSWAN Summer Retreat at the Mourning Hope Grief Center in Lincoln on June 19th. Please complete this RSVP to learn more about it and reserve your spot. We need your ideas and participation!
Congratulations on finishing the school year strong! I am hoping each of you have many opportunities over the summer to relax and rejuvenate.
I look forward to seeing many of you at the upcoming retreat, and if not there, at our first meeting of the 2023-2024 school year in September!
As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any ideas or feedback you might have at cerks@lps.org
Carrie Erks, LICSW
SSWAN President
Children’s Hospital & Medical Center’s Community Health & Advocacy team is excited to partner with SSWAN during the 2022/23 school year to implement statewide efforts to expand supports to schools for youth mental health training and resources to create positive & supportive school environments that are trauma informed & promote suicide prevention best-practices. This partnership will include Children’s sponsorship of 25 new SSWAN Memberships, moderation of the Neurosequential Model in Education introductory training course, developed by Dr. Bruce Perry, as well as funding support for the annual SSWAN Conference. Children’s recognizes the amazing support, training and networking opportunities that SSWAN offers to its members and is thrilled to partner with them to enhance their support of School Social Workers across the state.
“...the most powerful form of reward is relational. Positive interactions with people are rewarding and regulating. Without connection to people who care for you, spend time with you, and support you, it is almost impossible to step away from any form of unhealthy reward and regulation.”
― Bruce D. Perry, What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing