Bridging to Resilience

Get ready for a dynamic and interactive breakout session that will energize your leadership style! Join us as we dive into the concept of INspired Leadership and explore the seven levels of energy that can elevate your influence and impact.
In this lively session, you’ll participate in games, activities, and collaborative discussions designed to help you uncover how different energy levels affect your leadership effectiveness and the culture of your team. Whether you’re a seasoned educator or just starting your journey, you’ll walk away with actionable insights and strategies to inspire those around you!
Key Takeaways:

• Learn about the seven levels of energy and how they can transform your personal and professional relationships.
• Engage in fun, hands-on activities that illustrate the power of energy dynamics in fostering a positive and productive environment.
• Discover practical tools to assess and shift your energy levels.
• Connect with fellow participants in a supportive atmosphere that encourages sharing and collaboration.

Join us for an uplifting experience where you can harness your energy, elevate your leadership, and leave feeling inspired to make a difference in your community!

"Expressive writing research shows many positive effects such as increased GPA, decreased dropout rates, improved immune function, decreased depression and anxiety, and lessens some post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Overall it promotes mental health.

During this presentation, we are going to be looking at how the old stories we and our students have in our heads influence the way we perceive ourselves and how these old stories hold us back from overcoming challenges and achieving our goals and dreams. In response to these old stories, participants will learn an expressive writing activity called The Imagine Project that individuals can use for themselves and in their schools or classrooms to start the process of overcoming old stories that represent trauma and stress and creating new ones that lead to post-traumatic growth.

In summary, participants will be introduced and led through a 7-step expressive writing activity, The Imagine Project, that will help them overcome old stories of trauma/stress and create new stories of post-traumatic growth as well as be introduced to resources of how to use this expressive writing activity for their schools, classrooms, and themselves. "

Research has shown the importance of engaging families in their child's educational process. Absenteeism drops significantly, grades show dramatic improvement, and discipline referrals decline when the family is more involved. After all, the family is the child's first teacher!
In this presentation, we will discuss the research and tried and true ways to engage ALL families, through the equality lens.

In order to learn, to connect with others, and to thrive, all people need to be in a calm, ventral vagal state. I promote a universal approach which means everyone present participates.  This makes it feel safe for individuals to engage. Based on polyvagal theory & the research work by Bessel van der Kolk & others, I encourage group activities that are done in sync or in cooperation with one another such as communal rhythms (drumming or “trash can band”), dance (line dancing), yoga (so useful to learn how to use one’s body to self-regulate and de-escalate emotions), or theater (no pressure in engaging with others, as one is playing a part.)
Mental health treatment has been cognitively heavy for decades; however, there is good research support for physical activities that bring us into sync with others. After the central nervous system is settled, the individual is prepared to use their mind in any way they choose.

Therapy pets are becoming more present in our educational settings. This session presents a therapy dog program used at Blackmore Elementary in El Dorado, Kansas. The presentation will focus on Tier 1, 2 and 3 approaches to integrate therapy dogs into the social emotional side of the MTSS triangle. As a bonus, Sam the therapy dog, will be present in the session!