In-Service Workshops

How do you identify depression in friends and loved ones and what steps can be taken to provide support while also respecting privacy and confidentiality? When should concerns about self-harm and suicide demand action and what can be done? This presentation is designed to help students better understand depression and suicidal ideation and empower them to be vigilant of signs of trouble in themselves and others.

In this workshop, participants will learn about trauma and strategies that will help school communities build consistency, predictability, and compassionate accountability into their policies. If desired, participants will begin to review and revise current school policy and develop sustainable, trauma-sensitive implementation plans.

A workshop designed for educators and school leaders on helping students succeed and flourish with technology in the classroom. Discover effective ways to use educational technology, the positives of negatives of technology in education, and the future of the school system as it grows alongside digital education. Analyze real research from Generation-Z about their preference of technology in the classroom, as well as their particular preferences of different virtual platforms used to enhance learning. This presentation and collaborative-style workshop is led by Keegan Lee, a member of generation-Z, and psychology researcher at the University of North Carolina.

Understanding the implementation of effective research-based tier one interventions is fundamental to the MTSS process. This includes school-wide expectations, routines, incentives, and strategies that are clear and consistent. Participants will develop an understanding of structures and supports to help all students to feel safe and successful.

Designed for all K-12 school personnel, this 2-part workshop series aims to build a compassionate school system by challenging and empowering each member to be intentional about their approach to mental health. These interactive and engaging sessions explore strategies to improve systemic well-being and eliminate mental health stigma, while also facilitating authentic connections and self-care strategies as antidotes to isolation, stress, and burnout. Offered in partnership with Minding Your Mind, this in-person series invites participants to examine their attitudes, values, and actions regarding emotional well-being, both for themselves and their colleagues. Each session lasts 60-90 minutes and is exclusively available to school staff and administration.

We continue to find ourselves dealing with post-COVID children's developmental and learning gaps, decreased social engagement among both children and families, and interfering behaviors that occur at school, at home, and in the community. In this critical moment, we need to bridge the gap between school and home by focusing on relationship-building, collaboration, and skill-based programming across settings. This workshop will provide recommendations for how to establish partnerships that facilitate collaborative goal setting, problem-solving, and intervention development that align with both school and parent values. It is also integral that educational programming from preschool to high school teach students meaningful behaviors and skills that lead to improved academic productivity, social engagement, and self-advocacy in educational, familial, and community contexts. We will discuss evidence-based approaches for teaching socially significant skills in a way that builds on the school-home partnership while promoting generalization and maintenance of these skills and behaviors.

Many students may comprehend classroom instructions and lessons, but struggle with organization and managing academic production demands, including homework and writing assignments. This workshop identifies the specific areas and skills involved in executive functioning, methods of assessment, and how we can effectively address this challenging area for students. This presentation is only available to educators.

This 90-minute workshop allows participants to have an honest conversation about conflict; specifically, this discussion explores having difficult conversations but also having difficult conversations with difficult people. There is a difference between the two, but both can be challenging! The presenter provides an honest conversation and tips to increase your confidence when it comes to engaging in these types of conversations, even for the most conflict avoidant individuals. You have the Competence, Now Own Your Confidence!

What is self-regulation and why is there so much discussion about it recently. We will look at how the pandemic may have interrupted the development of needed skills in some young children, as well as the importance of teaching and supporting self-regulation skills. Two self-regulation classroom curriculums will be introduced. This workshops is recommended for Preschool through Grade 2 staff.

The Growth Mindset model was developed by psychologist Carol Dweck more than 20 years ago. It has proven itself to be a very effective way of helping students of all ages manage the challenges of any skill or task, including how to cope with imperfections and mistakes. Perhaps a good way of describing this model is to throw away the adage “Practice makes perfect” and instead say “Practice makes progress.” The Growth Mindset model addresses this, and this presentation covers how it does so. This workshop is 75 – 90 minutes.