April 29, 2025 @ 8:15 am – 2:30 pm
Registration: 8:15 – 8:45 am
Conference: 8:45 am – 2:30 pm
Attend In Person or Via Zoom
Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School
758 Marrett Rd.
Lexington, MA 02421
To receive PDPs, participants must attend this conference and the conference, Discipline and Boundary Primer, on April 15, 2025. Members can participate in-person, virtually or by viewing the recording. Following the live conference, registrants will be emailed a link to view the recorded conference. The recording will be made available for 10 days after the conference.
Speakers
Description
Collaboration between school staff, parents and caregivers, and the community is essential to successfully supporting students. Presenters will discuss best practices for effective team collaboration, provide recommendations for problem-solving collaboration issues and the importance of a collaborative model, particularly for high need students. This conference will also examine the importance of building relationships with students and families to better support students. Presenters will provide resources and actionable items to facilitate building programs and collaborations with local community partners and beyond.
About the Speakers
For over 20 years, Lisa Gurdin, BCBA, LABA, (she/her) has been working with students, families, and school-based professionals with students from preschool to age 22 with a range of special needs and complex profiles. She works collaboratively with parents and school professionals to facilitate integrated support across settings, thereby maximizing behavior change and skill development. Lisa supports school districts by providing case consultation, behavioral evaluations and home assessments, parent coaching, professional development, and staff recruitment and training. She also supervises graduate students and teaches undergraduate students at Northeastern University and offers continuing education to behavior analysts.
Laurie Harrington, MSW, LICSW, SAC, (she/her) is a School Counselor at Saint Bridget School. She focuses on counseling and supporting students to access and strengthen their social-emotional learning and critical thinking skills. With a robust background in special education, Laurie worked collaboratively across multiple systems and coordinated extended assessments as well as family, psychosocial and behavioral consultation for school districts. She has extensive experience in individual counseling and integrated social work services as well as collegial clinical supervision, program development, and professional education. She has provided programmatic crisis intervention and consultation, always prioritizing teamwork and a cooperative approach. Her comprehensive and inclusive methods ensured a supportive and inclusive environment for all students, fostering their academic and personal growth. Currently, Laurie is pursuing a certification in life coaching, further expanding her skill set to empower individuals in both academic and personal development.
Jennifer Malenchini, M.S., CCC/SLP, (she/her) has dedicated nearly 28 years to the field of special education, starting her career as a speech-language pathologist at North Shore Children’s Hospital and in the Salem Public Schools. The majority of her career has been spent at the LABBB Collaborative, where she has taken on various roles, including SLP, department head of the speech and language department, and eventually advancing into an administrative position as program coordinator. Jenn has worked with students with diverse needs, primarily between the ages of 4 and 22. Passionate about an integrated service delivery model, she has always prioritized teamwork and collaboration, both in her direct service work and in her leadership roles with graduate students, speech-language pathologists, and classroom teachers. Throughout her career, Jenn has embraced opportunities to foster meaningful skill development for students across different settings through effective collaboration with professional teams and families.
Shanyn Toulouse, DNP, M.Ed., R.N., NCSN, (she/her) has been a practicing Registered Nurse since 1995. Shanyn is passionate about the unique role of School Nurses bridging healthcare and educational stability for all students. In her current role as the Northeast Regional School Nurse Consultant, Shanyn provides support, training, technical assistance, and consultation for all public, charter, non-public, collaborative, and other school districts in Northeast Massachusetts. Shanyn currently serves on the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Safe and Supportive Schools Commission representing the Massachusetts School Nurse Organization (MSNO) and has been appointed to serve on the National Association of School Nurses Board of Directors. She serves on the National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health Advisory Committee at Prevent Blindness and was recently appointed to the Advisory Board at the University of Oregon’s HEDCO Institute for Evidence-Based Educational Practices.
Marianne Vines, Ed.D., (she/her) is the newly appointed Assistant Superintendent of Student Services for Bedford Public Schools. Before stepping into this role, Marianne served as the Director of Special Education for Bedford Public Schools for ten years. She previously held roles as Special Education Program Administrator at Bedford High School and Assistant Director of Student Services in Milford, NH. Marianne holds a Doctorate in Leadership and Learning from Rivier University and is licensed as a Superintendent/Assistant Superintendent and Special Education Administrator. Her leadership is rooted in collaboration, strategic planning, and a deep commitment to ensuring every student receives the resources and opportunities they need to thrive.
Membership Information
Most MPY webinars are available ONLY to current staff from member districts and organizations. Public school memberships include police and fire personnel. Former and retired employees and members of committees, including but not limited to, PTO/PTA, PAC, School Improvement Councils, Health Councils, Drug/Alcohol Councils, and school volunteers, are not considered MPY members.
PDPs and CEUs
MPY is an approved Professional Development Provider through the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (Provider No. F20180079). Professional Development Points (PDPs) are offered for most MPY professional development webinars. PDPs are issued in 10 hour increments, per DESE requirements.
Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available for clinical staff through the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the Massachusetts Mental Health Counselors Association, Inc. (MaMHCA). The NASW and the MaMHCA approve each event individually. CEUs may be given in hourly increments.
To receive PDPs and CEUs, participants must pass the quiz. The PDP quiz will be made available only to participants who have registered for and attended both conferences.
Event Cancellation Policy
If you are unable to attend a MPY webinar you must cancel, through Bonnie Mullen at bonnie@mpyinc.org, one business day before the webinar.
For MPY hybrid conferences, the date in-person registration closes will be posted on MPY’s website. Virtual conference registration will close one business day before the hybrid conference. You cannot cancel or switch your registration from in-person to virtual after in-person registration closes. Please email Bonnie Mullen at bonnie@mpyinc.org with any questions regarding registration.
Registration: 8:15 – 8:45 am
Conference: 8:45 am – 2:30 pm