Keynote Speakers, Shelley and Stan

Arrange a time to consult with Stan about topics and availability

#1 Working with Parents in Difficult Situations: Building Bridges, Reducing Stress

This keynote addresses an essential challenge in education—navigating difficult interactions with parents—and provides school leaders and staff with practical, effective tools to transform these challenges into positive outcomes. By focusing on restorative practices and emphasizing trust, collaboration, and communication, the presentation offers a roadmap for creating a more supportive school culture.

Key Takeaways:

Active Listening: Attendees will learn the power of truly listening to parents to understand their perspectives and de-escalate tension, laying the foundation for constructive dialogue.
Emotional Regulation: By separating personal emotions from professional responsibilities, educators can manage stress and approach conflicts more calmly and effectively.
Goal Alignment: The keynote emphasizes the importance of finding common ground with parents and collaborating on shared objectives, leading to solutions that benefit all parties involved.
Proactive Relationship Building: Proactive efforts to nurture strong relationships with parents can help prevent future misunderstandings and create a more cooperative school environment.

Who Should Attend:

Principals who want to deepen their engagement with parents and foster stronger relationships.
School leaders who are dealing with recurring conflicts or misunderstandings with families.
Those who work in education who are committed to cultivating a culture of trust and respect in their school communities.

This session offers school leaders and staff actionable strategies to reduce stress and build stronger, more collaborative relationships with parents, ultimately creating a school environment where everyone—students, parents, and educators—can thrive.

#2 Reducing Staff Stress: Building a Resilient School Community

This keynote focuses on transforming the growing stress within schools into a foundation for growth, connection, and resilience. By utilizing relationship-based practices and focusing on staff well-being, this session offers actionable strategies for creating a positive school culture where employees feel valued, engaged, and empowered.

Key Takeaways:

Fostering a Sense of Belonging: Attendees will learn how to cultivate an environment where staff feel connected, leading to improved morale and productivity.
Aligning Roles with School Goals: Practical techniques for aligning staff responsibilities with the overarching goals of the school, creating a clearer sense of purpose and direction.
Creating a Culture of Innovation: By reducing fear of failure and supporting innovation, leaders can empower staff to take risks and drive positive change.
Restorative Practices: Attendees will gain actionable tools to implement restorative practices that build trust, improve communication, and create a supportive work environment.

Who Should Attend:

Educational leaders dealing with high turnover and disengaged teams.
Principals who want to create a school culture where staff thrive, leading to better outcomes for students.
Administrators looking to cultivate an environment that prioritizes relationships, well-being, and resilience.

This session will provide school leaders with practical, field-tested strategies to build a supportive and resilient school community. By transforming stress into opportunities for growth, leaders will be empowered to create a thriving workplace that benefits both staff and students.

#3 Building the Bridge: Enhancing School-Community Connections through Relationship Based Practices

This keynote focuses on the pivotal role of support staff in bridging the gap between schools, families, and the broader community. While school leaders often lead efforts to foster these connections, support staff play an essential role in creating strong, trusting relationships and ensuring alignment between different groups. This session offers practical strategies to empower support staff and enhance school-community ties.

Key Takeaways:

Active Listening for Building Trust: Attendees will learn how active listening can de-escalate tension, foster understanding, and build trust between families, students, and school staff.
Aligning Shared Goals: Practical tools will be provided to help school staff align the goals of families, the community, and the school, creating collaborative solutions for common challenges.
Proactive Relationship-Building: Strategies for building strong, positive relationships with families and the community will be shared, helping prevent future conflicts and fostering a supportive school environment.

Who Should Attend:

District staff who support school teams, students, and families.
School-based staff working directly with students and families.
School leaders who want to empower support staff to be effective bridges between home and school.

This dynamic session will equip participants with actionable tools to enhance communication, prevent conflicts, and foster collaboration between schools, families, and communities. By turning challenges into opportunities, attendees will learn how to create an environment where all voices are heard, valued, and aligned. The result will be stronger, more effective relationships that benefit not only students and families but also the school and the community. This collaborative approach will create a more supportive, inclusive, and thriving environment for everyone involved.

#4 Barriers, Aversion, Disengagement or Misconceptions: A Holistic Approach to Reducing Student Absenteeism

(Alternate title – Promising Practices to Address Absenteeism that’s Persistent)
Chronic absenteeism is not just a statistic; it’s a call to action for principals, teachers parents and communities. With over 7 million chronically absent American students affected post-COVID, the impact of absenteeism reaches far beyond missed school days. The reasons behind chronic absenteeism are complex, ranging from family responsibilities to disengagement with school.

Key takeaways:

Connecting students and families intentionally to a trusted caring adult at school.
Knowing your students and their parents by building positive relationships.
Early identification and intervention in the primary grades in order to the build positive attendance patterns
5 Step circle process for building connections and solving problems for students, parents and staff
Community collaborations to address risk factors and root causes as a part of community safety and well being initiatives.
School attendance is a community issue not just a school concern.

Who should attend:

Principals, teachers, attendance specialists and parents ! They have the power to drive change by addressing these challenges head-on. Early intervention is key to preventing chronic absenteeism, especially in the primary grades.