Leading from Any Seat: Empowering Every Staff Member as a Leader
Paya Sample, Keynote Speaker
Delve into the essence of leadership and redefine it beyond titles and positions. Leadership is not measured by the height of one's stature or the grandeur of one's title but by the depth of one's commitment to uplifting and empowering others. Regardless of where one sits within the organizational hierarchy, every staff member possesses the potential to lead and make a meaningful impact. We'll uncover the hidden opportunities for leadership in everyday actions and interactions, and how they contribute to a culture of empowerment and collaboration. Gain a deeper understanding of your unique strengths and how you can leverage them to uplift and inspire your colleagues.
Terry Harris, The Collective STL
A rejuvenating chair yoga session designed specifically for office employees. Discover a practical and accessible form of yoga that can be performed right at your desk, using a chair for support. It's the perfect wellness break for busy professionals looking to alleviate physical and mental stress without changing into gym attire. Learn a series of gentle stretches, yoga postures and mindful breathing techniques aimed at combating the physical strains of desk jobs. The movements are tailored to improve flexibility, enhance strength and boost mental clarity — ideal for refreshing your body and mind during a busy workday.
Filling Our Cup Using the 8-Dimensions of Well-being
John Converse, EducationPlus
Delve into a holistic approach to wellness by exploring the eight key dimensions that contribute to our overall wellbeing. From physical health to emotional balance, social connections, spiritual fulfillment and more, we'll uncover practical strategies and insights to cultivate a more fulfilling life. Whether you're seeking to enhance your personal wellness journey or support others in theirs, gain valuable perspectives and actionable steps to nourish every aspect of your being. Let's embark on a journey to fill our cups and thrive in every dimension of our lives.
How to Get and Stay Organized
Jodi Granok, CPO®, MSW, Organizing Magic
Every year, millions of people make a resolution to get organized, but don't know how to make it happen! Learn how to start and finish an organizing project, organizing mistakes to avoid and how to maintain a newly organized space.
Meal Prep for the Work Week with Chef Eric
Chef Eric Erhard and Chef Amy Feese, Schnucks Cooking School
Chef Eric Erhard will demonstrate a variety of recipes that are perfect for your work week meal prep as well as weeknight meals for your family. With meal prep comes a variety of benefits from saving time to reducing stress and so much more. Gain techniques to use in your kitchen as well as a variety of recipes to recreate these meals for yourself.
Mental and Physical Wellness Through Yoga
Jessie Tavares, Yoga Six | North Side Community School
Participants will be led through an all-level friendly yoga flow. This will include a time of centering, breath work, warm up, vinyasa and a time of relaxation to close.
Organizing Mail and Paperwork
Jodi Granok, CPO®, MSW, Organizing Magic
Despite living in the digital age, we are still inundated with paper clutter in our homes and offices. Learn how to clear your paper clutter, unstuff your e-mail inbox, find paperwork quickly and easily, and maintain a filing system that never overflows.
Relieving Stress Through Communication and Boundaries
Shiloh Werkmeister, Integrative Connections Counseling Wellness Center
How you express your boundaries is as vital as when and why you express them. Discover a particular communication strategy called the John Wayne Communication Strategy for people who find themselves feeling pressure in conversations to say “yes” when they want to say “no”. This pressure often results in becoming overwhelmed with stress because a person believes they have firm boundaries but when put on the spot, they become flustered. Discover the essentials of good communication in your profession and why you should stop being nice, repeating yourself and fluffing up your sentences.
Stretch and Strengthen - Supporting School Staff Wellness
Erin Lawson, EducationPlus
This stretching session is designed specifically for school support staff. Take a break from your busy day to release tension, improve flexibility and boost energy levels. Discover simple yet effective stretches to promote physical and mental well-being, leaving you refreshed and ready to tackle the day.
The Control Option Mindset in Connection with Your PEERS Benefits
Ross Koenig and Robin Cole, The Control Option Company in connection with Ameritime
Does monthly cash flow stress you? Need money for day-to-day living? Do you understand PEERS? Ameritime® shows PEERS members and others how to shift their mindset to: "I have an OPTION to CONTROL more of my cash flow and wealth, and drastically reduce opportunity loss on my income." Discover information to help you understand your benefits within the PEERS retirement system. Join us! Stress Less!
Mary Hendricks-Harris, EducationPlus
Explore how the power of the podcast experience can be a very different way to learn. The group will select a podcast focused on wellness to enjoy while on a nice, healthy walk. As a cool down, participants will share their learning, thoughts and ideas with the group. Develop professionally while staying fit during this informal and meaningful session. Bring EarPods to this session!
Creating Safety for LGBTQIA+ Folks
Hayley Limbach, Safe Connections
Review topics such as working alongside young people in the LGBTQIA+ community, pronoun usage, up-to-date language, statistics regarding community and ways of benefiting and supporting young people who identify or are questioning gender or sexuality. Use art materials as a support for learning and exploring this topic during the presentation. Explore how to create a welcoming space to those identifying in the LGBTQIA+ community, utilize proper language and pronoun usage, and become a trusted adult by those questioning or hiding their sexuality and/or gender.
Fostering Positive Student Relationships
Diane Gillaspie and Emily Hilligoss, EducationPlus
Your role in the school might be the one a student connects with the most. Explore how to foster meaningful relationships built on trust, understanding and connections. Collaborate and discuss different strategies to help build positive relationships to support student success.
Gifted Kiddos: An Introduction
Tracy Bednarick-Humes, Lindbergh Schools
Often society expects gifted students to be smart and mature, but this is not always the case.  Learn about the different types of gifted kids and how we can help them navigate their world at school and beyond.  
Intentional Job-Embedded Joy
Jana Haywood, Ferguson-Florissant School District and Shamelia Reece, St. Louis Public Schools
Support staff infuse joy in the job. Participate in activities that supports well-being at work. Hear testimonial from a support staff member whose daily efforts spread joy through the school community during the most challenging times faced in the history of public education.
Joyful Leadership: Cultivating a Sense of Belonging
Paya Sample, Keynote Speaker
Unlock the keys to impactful leadership by embracing the principles of joyful leadership and how you can cultivate a sense of belonging within your organization. An engaging exploration designed to empower leaders with the essential skills to create a workplace where authenticity and joy thrive. Delve into the critical role of culture as a powerful tool in leadership. By leveraging culture, we can create environments where members of our community feel a genuine sense of belonging. Through interactive discussions, reflective exercises and practical strategies, discover how you can cultivate joy in your work and contribute to a culture of empowerment and collaboration within your workplace.
The Impact of Our Assumptions and Strategies to Manage Them
Jason Lievanos, Rockwood School District
Assumptions can create disconnections with colleagues and kids. By assuming "Best Intentions" and "Seeking to Understand," we are better able to manage the unintended impact of our assumptions, grow our awareness and keep our connections with colleagues and kids.
Useful Spanish Phrases for Everyday Interactions
Rob Greenhaw, EducationPlus
Learn and practice several high-leverage Spanish phrases that can be used when greeting and interacting with Spanish-speaking students and parents. The phrases will be easy to learn, fun and prepare support staff to be welcoming and helpful to Spanish-speaking students and families.
You Are a Piece of the Culture and Climate Puzzle
Eric Lawrence and Alyssa Stock, Bayless School District
A school’s culture and climate entail a multi-faceted approach: self- reflection, choosing courage over comfort, open communication and establishing clear expectations. Discover how to build relationships that empower employees to become leaders and take ownership of their actions.
Adobe Express Quick Actions
Nate Walden, Five Star, Adobe for Education Partner
Take your creativity and productivity in Adobe Express to the next level with Quick Actions! This session is great for intermediate-level Express users as it will demonstrate some lesser-known features of this versatile tool. In a few clicks you can create animations from audio files, edit PDFs, convert videos to entertaining GIFs and translate documents into dozens of languages. If possible, please bring a laptop.
Tracy Bednarick-Humes, Lindbergh Schools
Want to wow the world with your graphic design skills, but don't know where to start?! Explore an amazing tool called Canva to design posters, brochures and other documents with ease. Learn how to make appealing media for your school. If possible, bring your own laptop.
Empowering Administrative Assistants with Canva
Patricia Brown, Ladue School District
Unlock the creative potential of Canva for administrative excellence. Are you an administrative assistant looking to enhance your productivity and bring a creative flair to your tasks? Discover how this versatile design tool can revolutionize your workflow. Learn how to leverage Canva's user-friendly platform to streamline your administrative duties, enhance your communication materials and add a touch of professionalism to your projects. If possible, bring your own laptop.
Empowering School Secretaries: Harnessing AI for Enhanced Efficiency and Productivity
Tina Lauer, City of St. Charles School District
In today's fast-paced educational landscape, school secretaries play a pivotal role in ensuring the smooth functioning of educational institutions. Delve into the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it can be effectively utilized by school secretaries to optimize their administrative tasks, enhance communication and improve overall productivity. Discuss how it can be used ethically in education for everyone (administrators, secretaries, teachers, students, etc.), including data security issues and privacy concerns about AI resources.
Google Calendar Appointment Scheduling
Laura Warren, EducationPlus
Unlock the power of Google Calendar appointment scheduling. Learn to create flexible availability slots, share booking links for easy scheduling and even collect information from those booking appointments. This works for both your personal calendar and any calendar you have editing access to. If possible, please bring a laptop.
How to Use Artificial Intelligence to Enhance Efficiency for Support Staff
Erin Lawson, EducationPlus
Explore the transformative impact of AI on educational support roles. Learn how leveraging AI tools can enhance efficiency and streamline tasks. Discover practical applications and tools tailored to optimize workflow in educational environments.
Marie Kondo Your Google Drive
Christy Brooks, American Institutes for Research
Spark joy in your workday by decluttering your digital life. Learn practical tips to declutter your digital space, streamline workflow and improve productivity. Say goodbye to a messy Drive and hello to a happier, more efficient you! If possible, bring your own laptop.
Projects Made Easy with Avery.com
Laura Warren, EducationPlus
Design like a pro for free with Avery.com. Through exploring products and pre-designed templates, learn how to create and customize labels, name tags and a variety of other projects including how to add your own images. Explore how to mail merge with google sheets. If possible, please bring a laptop.
The Joy of Creativity with Adobe Express
Nate Walden, Five Star, Adobe for Education Partner
Adobe Express is a powerful creation tool that gives students, educators and faculty everything they need to create standout graphics, flyers, web pages and videos to express themselves both inside and outside the classroom. This session provides an overview of Adobe Express, a hands-on opportunity to create and additional resources to continue your learning. If possible, please bring a laptop.
Unlocking AI’s Potential! The Good, The Bad and the Amazing
Patricia Brown, Ladue School District
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming education. Explore the potential benefits and challenges of AI in the workplace and how AI is being used today. If possible, bring your own laptop.
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