In-Service Workshops

Research shows that young people who are supported to participate in decision-making are more likely to have increased confidence and self-belief, exercise positive career choices and have greater involvement and responsibility in the future. The presentation will give youth the skills to make positive decisions in their lives that could help manage their stress levels and help them be successful in life. This workshop is appropriate for 6-12th graders, staff, and parents.

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.

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.

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.

Your background and experiences may be very different from that of the children you teach. How do you adapt your teaching to meet the needs of the children in your classroom? They say we all have a "blind spot". We will explore biases both implicit and explicit, empathy, inclusion and equity and how we incorporate these concepts into our teaching and work with children. This workshop is recommended for Kindergarten through Grade 8 staff.

Everyone has biases. Period. However, if you are a person with an avowed commitment to treat all people equally and fairly without prejudice or judgment—well, then you still possess biases. Facilitated through a variety of interactive exercises, conversation challenges, and even a riddle or two, participants in this session will have the opportunity to not only discuss the definitions and different forms of bias, but also explore how the “hidden” bias appears in our everyday lives. Participants will also leave with an understanding of why it is critical to be aware of how bias impacts us, how to notice and name when it happens, and what you can do when either shows up.

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.

Family Life Education (FLE) is the practice of equipping and empowering family members to develop knowledge and skills that enhance the well-being of children and adolescents while strengthening interpersonal relationships through an educational, preventive, and strengths-based approach. This in-service workshop will provide effective tools for helping school staff and parents to build bridges, use common language, and refine communication skills. FLE’s goal is to create a shared vision of defining problem behaviors while collectively finding solutions for youth. This is a train the trainer workshop and is intended for staff.

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 Pre-School through Grade 2 staff.