CSS Toolkit: SST Training
Andrew Stetkevich, Staff Development Specialist/CSS Field Colleague, Riverside Staff Development Center, Riverside USD; Vicki Butler, Coordinator/CSS Field Colleague, Corona-Norco Special Ed., Corona-Norco USD, CA

Participants will explore best practices in the SST process, including gaining teacher buy-in, viewing video clips of elementary and secondary SST meetings, strategies to elicit parent and student participation, networking with SST facilitators around the state, nuts and bolts of implementation and recordkeeping, and strategy resources that address the strengths and needs of students and families.

Strand: CSS Toolkit
Grade Level: K–12

It is Possible! Writing at Standard: Leave No Child or Teacher Behind
Linda Fisher, Principal-in-Residence, Learning Headquarters, CA

Imagine transforming your school into a data-driven learning community where teachers are motivated and students are actively engaged in standards-based writing. Linda Fisher will lead you through the process, strategies, and research-based tools that have proven successful in raising achievement for allstudents. You’ll leave with comprehensive handouts and a repertoire of skills to use immediately.

Strand: Best Practices
Grade Level: K–8

Principal Academy
Sue Kaiser, Principal, Sierra Vista Middle School, Hacienda La Puente, CA

It is possible to change your school! Find out how Kwis Elementary went from being one of the most challenged schools in the area to being a California Distinguished School. You’ll learn step-by-step how this change occurred and how you can use similar methodology to create success in your school. Share your challenges and your questions, as well as your own success stories.

Strand: Best Practices
Grade Level: K–7

Kids in Chaos
Ray Culberson, Director, San Bernardino City USD Office, CA

Growing numbers of children come to school from an environment of crime and neglect, often suffering from depression, anxiety, conduct disorder, ADHD, and a host of other emotionally charged issues. In this session, you will learn strategies for handling difficult students, as well as learning techniques for maintaining your own personal sanity as you try to effectively engage these families.

Strand: Engaging At-Risk Students
Grade Level: K–12

On Playing a Poor Hand Well: How to Identify and Amplify Sources of Resilience in Struggling Youth
Mark Katz, Learning Development Services, CA

Participants will gain an increased understanding of practices that foster resiliency and a sense of mastery in children, youth, and families enduring the effects of multiple risk exposure. We will also identify evidence-based programs and practices that positively alter the social climate of a school and can lead to a reduction in aggressive and violent behavior campus-wide.

Strand: Engaging At-Risk Students
Grade Level: K–12

Using the SST Process to Effectively Address Behavior Problems
Jim Anderson, Intervention & Team Coordinator, Health & Human Services; Susan Morris, Behavior Specialist, Los Angeles USD, CA

This educational and interactive session will use Geoff Colvin’s seven-phase model for describing acting-out behavior, incorporate proactive strategies for each of the seven phases, and teach how the SST process can support teachers, administrators, and students with challenging behaviors. Participants will have fun while learning effective methods through sharing and a variety of activities.

Strand: NEW!, Engaging At-Risk Students
Grade Level: K–12

Thinking Maps™: Guaranteed to Improve ALL Students’ Critical Thinking, Test Scores, and Writing Skills
Bill Deeb, Principal/Educational Researcher/Field Colleague, Creekside Elementary School, Alisal Union ESD, CA

This session is an introduction for schools that are contemplating adopting Thinking Maps™ or who simply want more information about the program. Thinking Maps™ are not “mind maps” or typical visual organizers. Each Thinking Map™ mirrors an essential thinking process that forms the basis for success in school, at work, and even at home: describing, sequencing, comparing and contrasting, illustrating cause-and-effect relationships.

Strand: Instructional Strategies
Grade Level: K–12

If These Halls Could Talk: A Program to Deal with Bullying in Our Schools
Lee Mun Wah, Founder and Director, Stir Fry Seminars & Consulting; John Boiano, Founder and Director, Pulse Integration/Diversity Conversations, CA

This workshop will discuss the effects of cultural and personal bias on bullying behavior and how to effectively implement a safe school environment and attitude. Through interactive exercises and scenarios drawn from teachers’ real classroom experiences, the workshop focuses on building positive social skills, role modeling, and exploration of stereotypes.

Strand: NEW!, Marketing Session, Safety and Violence Prevention
Grade Level: K–12