This Year’s Featured Speaker
Sarah Ward M.S., CCC/SLP
Sarah’s area of expertise is executive function skills. She will share her best practices with attendees and talk about how developing these skills and students is the foundation of building meaningful connections.
| 8:00-9:00 | Networking Breakfast & Check-In | |
| 9:00-10:00 | Building Cognitive Connections for The Upcoming School Year with Sarah Ward A Functional Understanding - Moving past the textbook definition: A functional explanation of the executive function skills will be presented such that professionals can quickly identify behaviors associated with the various component/s of the executive system. Understand the development of the executive control skills. What skills can be expected at what age? How do we define ‘Executive Dysfunction’? |
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| 10:00-10:15 | Break | |
| 10:15-11:00 | Breakout Round 1 | |
| Thinking in an Organized Way with Sarah Ward A common feature of weak executive function skills is reduced organization skills and as students move from elementary to middle to high school, the ability to think in an organized way or to use these "higher order thinking skills" becomes more and more important. You will learn many practical strategies to teach students how to identify the big picture, to integrate information, to make inferences, to improve their speed of processing and to problem solve. |
Supporting English Learners in the Classroom with Ann Marchant Do you have questions about how to support English Learners in your buildings? This workshop will provide you with key information on who English Learners are, the assets they bring to the classroom, and how to support them. We will sift through the terminology and ground you in the foundational knowledge of ACCESS scores and how they can inform instruction. I’ll share practical scaffolding practices teachers can put to use right away. With this knowledge, you will review example students’ ACCESS score reports or better yet, bring one from one of your students. |
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| 11:00-12:00 | Networking Lunch (We'll be providing a bag lunch so you can sneak off to watch Packer practice if you'd like!) |
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| 12:00-12:45 | Educator Resource Grab Bag This session will include a variety of topics and modes for you to engage with the topics. Roundtables will include self-guided reflections on relevant topics, RVA Service Features, Networking and more on the topics listed below: Supporting Unique Student Populations Cultivating Relationships with Native Student Populations Trauma-Informed Care for At-Risk Students Targeting Advanced Learners through RVA's Kaleidoscope Kids Providing EL instruction Through RVA's Language League How to Attract and Retain SPED Staff Best Practices in Inclusive Teaching of Special Needs Students Innovative Instructional Design Competency-Based Learning - What Does This Look Like For Admin Team? Inquiry and Project-Based Learning in the K12 Classroom Personalized Learning In Buzz ChatGPT and the Future of AI in Education for Classroom Teacher Custom Courses that Utilize Gamification & Cross-Curricular Studies Using Digital Content to Target Concerning Student Behaviors |
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| 12:45-1:00 | Break | |
| 1:00-1:45 | Breakout Round 2 | |
| Closing the Homework Circle with Sarah Ward Concrete strategies to help students to manage their time and materials to successfully record and complete nightly homework assignments, long term projects and to prepare for tests. Practical strategies will be given to help with the initiation of difficult assignments and to ensure work is returned in a timely manner. Learn how to support students in knowing how to evaluate their work and use their prior performances to create goals and make changes on future academic assignments. The homework space: learn tricks for supporting students and their families in creating a positive and productive environment for homework. |
Connecting With Your Community with Alli Ranum This session explores how schools can build equity and social-emotional learning (SEL) skills by fostering community connections through social media and in-person interactions. Participants will discover how schools can leverage social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to create a virtual space for building positive relationships with families and communities. By sharing engaging content and highlighting school events, social media can help schools build trust, share successes, and create a sense of belonging among all members of the school community. |
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| 1:45-2:00 | Break | |
| 2:00-2:45 | Breakout Round 3 | |
| Creating Meaningful Learning Experiences with Games at School with Leigh Sisneros The session aims to explore the potential of using games, virtual reality (VR), and esports in educational settings. The session will discuss how these technologies can be used to provide engaging and interactive learning experiences for students. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about best practices for integrating games and VR into the classroom, as well as how esports can be used to foster teamwork and collaboration. The session is geared towards educators who are interested in incorporating innovative and engaging approaches to teaching and learning. |
Building Core Capabilities in Staff: How can we support the adults in our student’s lives? with Sarah Ward Science tells us that it is never too late to help adults build up their core capabilities and that we can have a life-long impact if adults support the development of these skills in childhood. When adults have opportunities to build the core skills that are needed to be productive participants in the workforce and to provide stable, responsive environments for the children in their care, our economy will be stronger, and the next generation of citizens, workers, and parents will thrive. |
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| 2:45-3:00 | Break | |
| 3:00-3:45 | We're All Ears...Let's Create Some PLNs During this wrap-up session, we will talk about our takeaways of the day and put together a plan for the upcoming year of networking opportunities and speakers. |
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