Events

Instead of just surviving the stressors of your life, wouldn't you love to begin thriving despite them. Join retired principal Stacy Mesnard as she facilitates this free session (thanks to the SEL Grant) that will prioritize your well-being, positivity and self-care.  In today's fast-paced world and the school environment, taking time for self-care is essential for maintaining balance and mental health. In this workshop, you will discover the link to health and our attitudes, while examining wellness surveys that will raise awareness of your self-care needs. Walk away with self-care strategies that will in turn, reduce stress. Join your fellow colleagues in the field as you connect, share experiences and build a supportive network focused on wellness.  Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event.

Join us for an engaging workshop that delves into the complex role of homework in education. This session, facilitated by retired Principal Stacy Mesnard will explore both the benefits and drawbacks of homework, encouraging participants to critically assess its impact on student learning, well-being, and family dynamics. Objectives:

• Understand the Purpose: Discuss the intended goals of homework and how it can reinforce classroom learning.
• Identify Challenges: Explore common issues associated with homework, including stress, time management.
• Share Perspectives: Foster an open dialogue regarding the appropriate amount and attributes of quality assignments.
• Develop Strategies: Brainstorm innovative strategies to ensure homework is relevant and purposeful versus busy work.

Who Should Attend: Administrators, educators, and anyone interested in the educational landscape. Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event.

Join Janet Moore, Instructional Math Coach for ROE # 17 in this informative and interactive session.  Do you want your students to be more engaged in math class? Do you wish your students had more perseverance to do critical thinking and problem-solving in math? If so, you are not alone! Join us for a day of exploration and collaboration as we tackle these common math class struggles. In this session, participants will learn about proven strategies for increasing student engagement in math and explore a variety of tools and resources for classroom implementation. Teachers will have opportunities to collaborate with their grade-level specific colleagues to brainstorm and plan together. Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event unless tickets are sold out. Teachers are encouraged to bring a lunch as 30 minutes will be given for a lunch break.

This event is free thanks to an SEL Grant.  Join Dr. Catherine Daus, SIUE Professor and Program Director, in this session titled, 'Stress & Coping with Workplace Attitudes'. As School Social Workers and Counselors many times you are the frontline person that intercepts various workplace drama or complaints.  Your jobs can be stressful; however, your role often serves as a way to ease the stress of those you support.  This session will cover the basics of stress response and its role in the workplace along with identifying stressors.  Additionally, we will examine the importance of workplace attitudes, including job satisfaction/morale, organizational commitment and work engagement. We will cover several healthy coping strategies which can be easily implemented with work life. Prior to this session you will be asked to fill out a few self-report measures regarding workplace personality and workplace stressors which will be used as a part for reflection. While this session is geared towards School Social Workers & Counselors, all are welcome to anyone attend. Registration closes 4-5 days prior to this event, CEU's are available.

What does it take to be a great leader? What should good leaders DO—from a practical, rather than theoretical, perspective? Which leadership roles are most important to you in your job? Do you have a plan to excel in those roles? This is an interactive session, with small group, large group, and individual activities. You will leave with a personal checklist of your top leadership roles, and a ready-to-implement action plan. The facilitator, Dr. Dave Heth, retired after 24 years as SIUE Finance Director. He previously worked at McDonnell Douglas Corporation/Boeing and Deloitte. Dave has delivered a variety of leadership workshops for organizations such as SIU, MDC, American Red Cross, Alton Memorial Hospital, USAF, and several professional associations. More than 1,000 SIU employees at the Edwardsville, Carbondale, and Springfield campuses have taken his workshops, rating them an average of 4.9/5 and describing them as fun, useful, and engaging. Participants included non-supervisors and supervisors at all levels—from department, building and central office levels.  Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event date unless tickets are sold out.

PD Co-op member districts $185.00, Non PD Co-op Districts $200.00 (lunch included on site) Administrators who evaluate teachers must demonstrate a high rate of inter-rater reliability and communicate evaluation outcomes in constructive and supportive ways. Administrators who evaluate teachers must also recognize and control for bias when conducting an evaluation and determining results. School districts in Illinois must provide professional development to administrators to strengthen these skills on a sustained basis. This course focuses on Domains 2 and 3 of the Charlotte Danielson 2013 Framework for Teaching. This course requires participants to view teaching, record data according to the Professional Practice rubric, and craft evaluation conferences that are both constructive and supportive. Participants will also be expected to have a high degree of inter-rater reliability when they determine a final rating based on the evidence gathered during the observations. Attendees will need to bring a fully charged device to this academy.  The application/dissemination must be submitted prior to departure on 4.7.25. Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event unless tickets are sold out. Cancellations must be made 48 hours in advance, or the event is non-refundable.

Thanks to the Illinois Masonic Foundation this workshop is free.  You only have 30 seconds to make a first impression! Communication in and out of the classroom and school setting is important in order for students to learn effectively. Positive body language in a classroom setting also has the ability to motivate, inspire and engage. It can not only give you the confidence you need to teach but can also reassure your students that you actually know what you’re talking about. Whether you are working in the classroom or in the office, whether you are in years 1-5 or beyond, this training will provide you with excellent ways to engage your students and co-workers in a dynamic way. Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event.

This virtual session is free thanks to the Illinois SLD Project. Throughout this session, K-2 educators will be equipped with essential strategies for fostering the growth and development of emergent writers in early childhood settings.  Participants will explore evidence-based approaches to nurturing writing skills, from pre-writing activities to guided writing techniques. Through interactive discussions and practical examples, attendees will gain insights into building a supportive writing environment and scaffolding instruction to meet the diverse needs of young learners throughout multiple stages of writing development.  A virtual link will be sent prior to the event date. Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event unless tickets are sold out.

Join Dr. Jeff Spencer (Science Instructional Coach, ROE # 17) in this engaging workshop designed to help educators gain a deeper understanding of the Illinois Learning Standards for Science, with a focus on the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Teachers will begin with an interactive introduction that sets the stage for meaningful reflection on hands-on science activities, helping them see how these standards come to life in the classroom. Participants will explore key NGSS principles—such as three-dimensional learning, scientific practices, and crosscutting concepts—through collaborative discussions and guided reflection. The session will highlight strategies for integrating NGSS into everyday teaching, providing practical tools to support inquiry-based learning and foster student engagement. By the end of the workshop, teachers will have a stronger grasp of how to effectively implement NGSS in their own classrooms, with resources to support their ongoing professional growth. Teachers will be provided 35 minutes for lunch and are encouraged to bring lunch to this event. Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event unless tickets are sold out.

PD Co-op member district $50.00, Non PD Co-op district $75.00, lunch is included on site. Administrators can earn pd credit OR academy credit.  Teachers can attend and earn pd hours, social workers/counselors may attend and earn ceu's. In this academy, school leaders will learn the importance of self-care while building their understanding of the role they play in creating a culture that supports staff wellness. School leaders will work to assess their own levels of compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue. Based on this assessment, leaders will focus on their individual self-care plan that promotes compassion resilience. In addition we will focus on assessing and building a culture for supporting staff wellness while utilizing the core components of a multi-tiered system of support. This flexible framework will guide administrators in promoting wellness for all through the use of data, systems and practices. School leaders will leave with a plan on how to engage existing teams to promote and prioritize a culture of staff wellness. The application/dissemination must be completed and submitted at the conclusion of the event. Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event.