Spotlight on FSSTT Techs
(Part 2)
by Marilyn Santucci
The FSSTT was established in 1995 to support students facing behavioral, social, and emotional challenges.
Dr. Mounir Samy, one of the founders, captured our mission best: “FSSTT is helping the student and their families where they are, physically, emotionally, and psychologically.”
The FSSTT team is dedicated to fostering strong, trusting relationships among FSSTT staff, students, and their families. Their primary goal is to empower students, families, and school teams by building their capacity to navigate challenges effectively. Collaboration between educators and school professionals, along with ongoing professional development in mental health and social-emotional learning, remains at the core of their work.
We interviewed four FSSTT technicians to gain insight into their roles, the significance of their work, and more.
Jason Duke, Sunshine Academy
Marilyn Santucci: How did you become a FSSTT Tech?
Jason Duke: I got my start with the Lakeshore School Board way back in the spring of 1998, not long before the LBPSB was established. My first role was as an Integration Aide at an off-site program called CREW where I worked to support high school aged students in significant difficulty.
The experience at CREW got me further interested in the IA role so I applied for a job the following August. I was lucky to find a position at Spring Garden Elementary (now closed) for one year, I then moved on to Herbert Purcell Elementary (now known as Terry Fox) for two years. Most of the work I did during those first three years was primarily around supporting students with socio-emotional and behavioral challenges. I loved the work and was hungry for a bigger challenge. It turned out that the timing was perfect because in 2001 the FSSTT underwent a large expansion into several new schools. I applied and was hired as an FSSTT tech at Lasalle Elementary Junior. After a few years there I moved on to Laurier MacDonald Elementary, before making a move to Sunshine Academy when it was established in 2006. I have been privileged to call Sunshine Academy my second home ever since.
M.S.: Why is the role important?
J.D.: We have an incredible team at Sunshine, and we really value families.
The partnerships that we build with our parents and families are essential to the success of the work we do with students – particularly with those experiencing difficulties in school. I’m proud to say that Sunshine Academy has fostered a great reputation for our collaborative approach with families. I think we’re good at building trust, being supportive and keeping the communication flowing with parents, both in challenging times and in moments of success.
For the past several years we’ve really put a lot of energy towards early intervention when it comes to the kiddos, and likewise with the families of those little ones. We like to think that many of the issues that might have arisen are mitigated with this approach. In those cases when longer-term involvement and interventions are necessary, having established those relationships with families early-on provides a real advantage later.
M.S.: What is one of your favourite moments from the past year?
J.D.: It’s difficult to choose any one highlight. Luckily the work we do provides them almost daily. This might sound trite, but it’s the little moments that occur multiple times a day with the students that matter. It’s the little wins and the small successes that make this job so fulfilling and so much fun. Seeing the kids overcome a challenge, handle a difficult situation or succeed in a small way (or a big way!) just never gets old.
There was one memorable moment that happened during our open house in January this year. A former student from many years ago – and a family I knew very well while he was at Sunshine – appeared before me with a giant smile. He gave me a big hug which was nice albeit unexpected. When I asked what brought him to Open House, he said he was excited to be registering his son at Sunshine. It took me a sec, and I think I needed to pick my jaw up off the ground – I could have sworn that he himself had just graduated from Sunshine. Turns out it was more like 15 years ago. I must have looked surprised when he said he wanted his little guy to attend Sunshine, because he followed that up with “…OF COURSE I want him to be here, Sunshine is THE BEST school ever…”.
It was a full circle moment for sure, and one that made me feel my age profoundly. Also, talk about early intervention – I had never really considered that the work we do with parents sometimes actually starts when the parents themselves are at Sunshine as students. Wow.
Andrew Hamilton, Verdun Elementary
M.S.: How did you become a FSSTT Tech?
Andrew Hamilton: I started out as a substitute integration aide at Christmas Park Elementary in 2016. From there I eventually got a post at Christmas Park and filled various posts and substitution roles part-time while I was finishing University. My first experience with FSSTT would have been when I worked at Maple Grove as an Integration aide. I met Corinne there who was the FSSTT at the time and has now moved on to St. Thomas. I was very interested in her job, and I remember her encouraging me to pursue FSSTT. When I finished my degree, I became a Spec Ed. Tech at Christmas Park for 3 years, I was still very interested in the FSSTT role, but the posts don’t come up very often. When I saw the posting for Verdun, I jumped on it and haven’t looked back, so far this year has been a great learning experience for me and I’m looking forward to seeing where the role takes me.
M.S.: What does a school-family partnership look like in your day-to-day work in your school?
A.H.: Being new to the role, the school and the community this year I started out trying to absorb as much as I possibly could. Relationships are crucial for our profession and for any family-school partnership I am a firm believer that it starts with the child. Supporting students and their families can look very different depending on the needs of the child and their support system. Weekly or daily check-ins for students who may have a history of challenges outside of school is an important way for me to stay connected with the students in the building. When you build a strong connection with a student, there is a good chance that they will go home and talk about you to their parents/guardians. This makes building relationships with those parents much easier. In Verdun I had the opportunity to assist in running a parent circle with Zmira King our psychologist and Cat Tull our FSSTT link. This was a great way for me to get to connect with parents and help them in real time to answer questions that they had regarding their children’s behaviour and other challenges they may be facing. We also have a food pantry within the school and there are a few families that will come in regularly to get items that they may need. The role is very dynamic, no two days look the same and that is one of the things I like the most about it.
M.S.: What is one of your favourite memories from you this past year?
A.H.: My favourite part of this year has been establishing new connections with the students at Verdun. I feel lucky to be able to do what I get to do every day. One thing that I really enjoyed this year was being able to go on the sports tournaments with the older grades. Students act differently outside of the classroom environment, and I found those tournaments and bus rides were a great opportunity for me to connect with students in a different way than I might have within the walls of our school.
M.S.: Is there anything else that you would like to add?
A.H.: When I was in elementary school at Seigniory (since close) we had this woman that worked at our school named Ms. Lisa. I knew Ms. Lisa wasn’t a teacher at the time, but I honestly didn’t really know exactly what her job was. I remember her working with some of the autistic students as well as some of the students who were a little more rambunctious. I remember volunteering at recess time with Ms. Lisa to help with some of the younger students that she was working with. I think this was really my first introduction to this type of work. This year I went to my first FSSTT event and there was Lisa, still working in FSSTT and she even remembered me. It was a pretty cool full circle experience for me.
