Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Welcome & Keynote Session 10:00am – 11:15am EST 9:00am – 10:15am CST 8:00am – 9:15am MST 7:00am – 8:15am PST
Workshop Title: Who are we Now: A Reflection on Education and Mental Health Presenter: Dr. Christopher C. Irving, Superintendent of Schools (Teaneck, NJ) Zoom Link: TBA Virtual….Hybrid….Remote…have become familiar terms to educators and parents over the past year. Mental health…Isolation…Stress…have been the reality of many children all over our country. During this interactive session, Dr. Irving will share his reflections and lessons on leading a school district during the pandemic and why school climate matters more than ever as districts attempt to return to “normal”.
Session Block: I 11:30am – 12:30pm EST 10:30am – 11:30am CST 9:30am – 10:30am MST 8:30am – 9:30am PST
Session A Workshop Title: Using the Nurtured Heart Approach® in the Classroom Presenters: Deja Amos & Stephanie Suriani Zoom Link: TBA The Nurtured Heart Approach® is a relational approach that instills greatness, transforms children’s intense behaviors in positive ways, and creates a positive classroom culture. As children learn to regulate emotions and build awareness of their own Inner Wealth™, they spend less time acting out with inappropriate behavior. Consequently, schools see significant decreases in problem behaviors, bullying, discipline referrals, suspensions, and student dismissals. Using the NHA in your classroom affects not only your students but all relationships among staff, administration, family, and friends, and will be used effortlessly in every relationship they encounter. Simply put, teachers love and embrace the NHA, as it creates the highest level of relationship known to school systems. With NHA you will be creating something far deeper in the forming of relationships with our children knowing each other and themselves from a far more loving, insightful and connected place. At the end of the workshop, you will be able to describe the conceptual framework for the Nurtured Heart Approach, describe the 3 Stands of the Nurtured Heart Approach, demonstrate 4 ways to recognize and energize positive behaviors within a cultural context and understand how to set and enforce limits when working with youth.
Session B Workshop Title: Bad Boys: Toxic Masculinity and its Effects on Schools Presenter: Dr. Christopher Irving Zoom Link: TBA In this highly engaging session, the presenters will examine the history, pathology, and practical impact of the levels of toxicity in male identity development. Participants will explore the early messages those who identify as men receive and the potential impact on how males treat women and other men. After this workshop, all participants will walk away with strategies that both men and women can implement in their schools to hold boys more accountable for their actions, and support environments that counteract the stereotypical messages that exist in our communities around what it is to “be a man.”
Session C Workshop Title: Implicit Bias in our Schools: What Educators Need to Know Presenter: Drs. Rita Johnson and Judith Springer Zoom Link: TBA This session will provide participants with the necessary awareness and content knowledge to understand the processes by which implicit biases develop and to recognize the harmful impact of implicit or unconscious bias in our schools and classrooms. Specifically, this workshop will help participants examine how the unconscious biases of well-intentioned educators at all levels can influence their judgment towards particular students (e.g., by race, ethnicity, gender), their instructional practices, the expectations they convey, and their recommendations for relevant outcomes like course placement, special education, and discipline.
Participants will engage in activities and discussions that will enhance their understanding of implicit bias in general and in schools, as well as cultivate awareness of their own implicit biases. Skills and strategies for recognizing, and reducing the impact of, our own implicit biases will be offered and approaches for addressing implicit bias in schools will be discussed.
Break 12:30pm – 1:15pm EST 11:45am – 12:15pm CST 10:45am – 11:15am MST 9:45am – 10:15am PST
Session Block: II 1:15pm – 2:15PM EST 12:15pm – 1:15pm CST 11:15am – 12:15pm MST 10:15am – 11:15am PST
Session A Workshop Title: The Importance of Social and Emotional Learning: Creating Safe and Caring Classrooms in 2021 Presenter: Lauren Hyman Kaplan Zoom Link: TBA This interactive workshop will discuss the critical role of SEL in creating safe and caring classrooms during in-person, hybrid, or virtual learning environments. SEL teaches students and educators the emotional intelligence competencies they need to be more self-aware, make good decisions, develop empathy, appreciate diverse perspectives, and improve the quality of their relationships. Participants will learn the importance of SEL-focused, comprehensive programs that involve all school stakeholders, including administrators, teachers, students, and parents. The speaker will share her experience implementing SEL programs in schools across the country and give concrete research-based strategies for successful classroom implementation during the pandemic.
Session B Workshop Title: “Sell Your School Without Selling Out” Presenters: Woodmont Elementary School Team Zoom Link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/76308050216?pwd=T2dhNU9mMll6Q1JzK3pQMUE0UGZpQT09 Meeting ID: 763 0805 0216 Passcode: futJ1R Join a team of staff from Woodmont Elementary School in Montville Township, NJ who will be sharing with you the steps they took and continue to take in deciding their “brand” – what they most wanted the community to know about them and what “feeling” they wanted the school to convey – and how they used everything from school renovations, increased parent involvement, and music videos to make their school fun and get everyone in on the fun! Join them for this interactive workshop that will also apply to the hybrid and virtual world we now find ourselves living and teaching in.”
Session C Workshop Title: Trauma-informed Resiliency Practices for Everyone. Presenter: Christa M. Tinari Zoom Link: TBA This session will present several trauma-informed exercises that can help both students, educators, counselors, and educational leaders manage the stress of the pandemic. These simple exercises can be introduced and practiced online- but can be used anytime throughout the day to boost a sense of well-being and balance the body’s response to stress. They can also be used to build more trusting relationships between students and staff, and to foster a sense of safety within online and in-person classroom spaces. Participants will learn how to use these exercises for quick self-care and how to bring these exercises to their students as well. Free resources will be provided that can help educators implement these new strategies right away.
Session Block: III 2:30PM – 3:30pm EST 1:30pm – 2:30pm CST 12:30pm – 1:30pm MST 11:30am – 12:30pm PST
Session A Workshop Title: Keeping Students Engaged: Strategies for Coping and Reducing the Effects of COVID-19 on Students’ Learning and Wellbeing Presenter: Jose Luis Posos, M.Ed., LPC Zoom Link: TBA COVID-19 has changed nearly every aspect of a school in ways we had not imagined or prepared for. Research is now beginning to demonstrate the impact that COVID-19 has had on students’ Learning and Well-being. This session will focus on highlighting the effects of COVID-19 and identify strategies on how to mitigate these effects. Additionally, the session will discuss how school staff can use existing processes in school to identify students who need extra support.
Session B Workshop Title: Practical Strategies for Bringing an End to Bullying: Presenter: Signe Whitson Zoom Link: TBA In this session, participants learn how to discern between rude, mean, and bullying behaviors among young people and how to assess reported incidents of bullying in schools. Educators will gain ideas for shaping a school culture that helps prevent bullying and for integrating social and emotional learning into the regular curriculum. Professionals and parents alike will learn specifics for what they can say to students to stop bullying at the moment and how to listen effectively to students when they reach out for help. Intervening to keep social media activity from interfering with school dynamics will also be discussed.
Session C Workshop Title: “Supporting School Climate and Equity Reform Efforts: Guidelines, Resources, and Tools Presenter: Richard Cardillo Zoom Link: TBA This session will include information about guidelines, resources, and tools that educators, school-based mental health professionals, and even parents/guardians can use to understand and support school climate reform efforts using an equity lens. During our session, we will explore: What do we mean by school climate/school culture? Methods of measuring and reporting on school climate. Equity Issues in our school and the reality of power & privilege concerns. Exploring Restorative Discipline Approaches as we move towards making a more equitable Code of Discipline.
Session Block IV 3:45pm – 4:15pm EST 2:45pm – 3:15pm CST 1:45pm – 2:15pm MST 12:45pm – 1:45pm PST
Workshop Title: Developing an Action Plan/ Closing Session Presenters: Anti-Bullying Conference Facilitation Team Zoom Link: TBA In the culminating activity of the Conference, participants will meet in small discussion groups to reflect on their day and share their ideas and programs. This is a great opportunity to connect and network with professional colleagues from across the country!