WCS Staff Further SEL At Learning And The Brain Conference
WCS Staff Further SEL At Learning And The Brain Conference
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Staff Report-
WCS Staff Further SEL At Learning And The Brain ConferenceWarsaw Community Schools staff recently attended the Learning & the Brain conference in New York City to continue developing the district’s work in advancing social-emotional learning for all students.
The conference connects educators with the latest research on the brain and learning and its implications for education. In addition, the conference provided professional development to WCS educators, administrative staff, clinicians and counselors, according to a news release from the school district.
“We are very thankful to continue the WCS development of Social Emotional Learning,” said WCS Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert. “Our goals include all employees being able to identify students in crisis, development of a SEL curriculum within our core curriculum and the strategic alignment of resources to support student SEL needs. The team attending the Learning and the Brain conference was able to learn from some of the foremost researchers in the educational SEL field. This group is excited to bring this learning back to WCS as we continue forward in the initiative.”
Several staff members attended the conference, representing a variety of interests in the SEL field for WCS. Attendees included Hoffert; Heather Reichenbach, school board president; Kevin Roberts, Grace College associate dean and professor for the School of Behavioral Sciences; Jeanine Corson, director of human resources; Luisa Davis, co-director of school counseling; Tracey Akers, nurse coordinator; Krista Polston, grants and special projects coordinator; Jennifer Gunder, Claypool Elementary fifth-grade teacher; Krista Dausman, Leesburg Elementary special education teacher; Dawn Eckert, Madison and Claypool Elementary MHT; and Gina Courtois, social emotional learning coordinator.
The event featured several keynote speakers representing a variety of interests and research topics on the development of the brain and learning.
“Attending the Learning and the Brain conference equipped our diverse group with deeper knowledge of SEL,” said Courtois. “Dr. Robert Brooks, a keynote speaker, spoke about nurturing positive emotions, purpose, and resilience in schools. He emphasized the importance of every child feeling they can make a difference and the relevance of climate and attitude as we start our day as charismatic adults.”
In addition to these speakers, guests were invited to attend their choice of several breakout sessions covering a variety of topics including managing social emotional learning, anxious minds and classrooms, teachers and resilience, fostering mindfulness mindsets and more.
“A priority in WCS’s strategic plan, student and staff well-being continues to become embedded in the way we teach, learn and relate with one another,” said Reichenbach. “Attending Learning and the Brain with this diverse, representative group from WCS leverages our current district expertise with important conversations, new ideas and latest research.”
