Presenters: Ben Parker & Carrie Gilman

Description:

Northfield Middle/HS is working to ensure that Restorative Practices are the universal approach to community building and conflict resolution. We are working to engage parents, students, and staff to have meaningful participation in the process, ranging from the creation of Restorative Circles to engaging in meetings when harm has occurred. We have seen increased interest and improved outcomes in our practices as we have ramped up participation from all members of our community.
This workshop will introduce participants to the Restorative Mentors Class at Northfield Middle High School. This class teaches 10-12 middle school students how to run Restorative Circles in the classrooms at Northfield Elementary School. We will also describe how we are using high school students as mentors to help middle school students who are struggling academically or socially.

Learning Objectives:  

• Explore a comprehensive Restorative Practices Mentors class outline.
• Review materials that can be used to train mentors including circle scripts, observation sheets, and self-evaluations.
• Hear about activities and games designed to develop and enhance connections among schools and students.
• Learn how to implement a similar program in their school or district.

Intended audience:

Any administrators or staff in Vermont Schools. This is an introduction to a program that requires very few resources and has a significant impact in multiple schools. 

Bios:

Ben Parker is a middle school social studies teacher with 17 years of experience teaching both middle and high school.   He has worked as a PBIS coordinator, a classroom coach, a Targeted Intensive Team coordinator and an RP champion along with his regular teaching duties.   He is a proud husband and father that lives in Montpelier, VT.  He enjoys spending time with his family and friends, playing disc golf, skiing, and making delicious food to share.  

Carrie Gilman is a veteran educator of twenty-one years with licenses in 6-12 English in the states of New York and Vermont. She attended the State University of Geneseo and The University of London (UK) for her undergraduate degrees in English and secondary education and The State University of Buffalo for a Masters degree in English and secondary education.  Carrie  is a newly minted Rowland Fellow in the 2023 Cohort and her proposal for Restorative Practices and the creation of Youth Panels and Fairness Committees (T. Elijah Hawkes) gained the attention of the selection committee.  Carrie spent the 2022-2023 school year as the Restorative Practices Coordinator at Northfield Middle High School after creating a schoolwide system for disciplining with dignity when harm occurs. Ms. Gilman has successfully facilitated over 50 Restorative Meetings with students, staff, coaches, parents, community leaders, and school personnel. Her training in Restorative Practices began and continues with Annie O’Shaugnessey of the Starling Collaborative and through IIRP; Carrie is Level III trained and equipped to train trainers.  Her work in developing systems to preserve and enhance school culture include Disciplining with Dignity and a Kindergarten-Grade 12 Mentor Program. She is convinced that the only way to build a successful school culture is when all members of the community feel that they are truly part of the process of resolution and is a fierce advocate for students, especially those who are marginalized and most in need of belonging.

Presenter: Rebecca Lallier

Description:

Educational equity means that every student receives what they need to thrive and have positive academic and social-emotional outcomes. But how do we get there? And how do we make sure we’re not inadvertently perpetuating inequities and harm? Intentionally integrating equity into existing multi-tiered systems of support such as PBIS has resulted in decreased inequities in exclusionary discipline, teacher praise to reprimand ratios, and academic outcomes across races; improvements in student behavior, school climate, and school connectedness; and increased instructional time. This workshop will explore feasible and effective ways to explicitly and intentionally center equity within the systems, practices, and data of MTSS/PBIS frameworks.

Objectives:

Workshop participants will:

• examine the 5-point Equity Approach
• explore equity constructs and cultural responsiveness core components
• identify resources and tools for centering equity
• consider ways to elevate student and caregiver voice
• view examples of collecting, using, and reporting disaggregated behavioral data

Intended Audience:

Suitable for all. Especially recommended for PBIS schools that attended Universal or Refresher training prior to 2022.

Bio:

Rebecca Lallier is a TA, Implementation Coach, and Trainer for Vermont PBIS. She spent 11 years as PBIS coordinator at the Dothan Brook School, a nine-year exemplar school, navigating all aspects of PBIS from initial implementation through revitalization, full implementation at all three tiers, and continuous improvement. Rebecca has 23 years of experience as a school counselor and was the 2016 Vermont School Counselor of the Year and a 2017 National ASCA School Counselor of the Year finalist. She is passionate about the importance of building trust and relationships while helping schools and teams center equity for all students, build on strengths, and solve problems to increase fidelity of PBIS implementation. Rebecca is especially interested in how PBIS, SEL, adult resilience, and positive school climate support and strengthen one another.

Presenter: Howard Moody

Description:

Play is the way children learn. It contributes actively to creating an experience of belonging. Well-led social play is also a great way for adults to lean into connection among themselves. Howard will share stories of teachers who have had great success leading play to create connections. Well-led group play activities are a great tool for social-emotional learning. Good debriefing, sharing acknowledgments, and seeing the greatness being expressed actively within play is a wonderful opportunity to highlight the individual strengths of the students.
Connected relationships are vital in the educational process and Play is one of the fastest and most direct ways to build relational trust. Come and experience time-tested social play activities that are engaging, fun, and cooperative while still providing playful challenges for students. Play is also great for adults' Self Care. Come join Howard Moody and expand your bag of tricks.

Learning Objectives:

• Expand a teacher's bag of tricks.
• Share why play works. A little play goes a long way.
• Understand the concepts of progressive risk-taking in the successful leading of play.
• Learn how play can be taught with a trauma-informed lens.
• Consider safety, voice, and choice.
• Laugh and have fun.
• Create good spirit.

Intended Audience:

All teachers, really anyone who likes to connect and learn more about how to use play for connection.

Bio:

Howard Moody has been leading workshops for over 35 years with an emphasis on play, connection, and engagement. Howard has been a faculty member at the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies for over 21 years and he is the co-founder of The Adventure Game Theater, an extraordinary improvisational learning process for teens that has been featured on PBS and NPR. Howard is the Staff Coordinator of Retribes two Rites of Passage summer teen camps, The Adventure Game theater and Inner Journeys, in Underhill VT. Howard has also recently self-published The Heart of Play Games Manual, Over 200 Activities for Connection and Joy, which focuses on bringing Social Emotional Learning and Mindfulness into the practice of leading games. howard@howardmoody.com

This workshop is FULL!

Presenter: Jessica Villeneuve

Description:

The challenges of being a school leader today are vastly different from what they were even five years ago. Cultural and political division, pandemic-related delays in student learning, and high turnover have made it more important than ever to apply equity-centered, trauma-informed and restorative principles and practices to the job. Bringing her passion for holistic restorative approaches and experiences as a classroom teacher, administrator, and now coach and consultant, Jessica will lead participants of this workshop through a restorative leadership coaching experience focused on ways to meet the complex and growing demands of school leadership. Beginning with reflecting on our own personal values and leadership approaches, your time will be centered on connecting and sharing with each other, examining a model for restorative leadership, and identifying changes that can be made immediately to strengthen your capacity, skill, and motivation in your role.

Objectives:

• Reflect on and share personal values related to leadership and their relationship to holistic restorative principles.
• Examine a restorative leadership model and identify actionable next steps, including how to measure the impact of those steps.

Intended Audience:

School Leaders, Superintendents, aspiring school leaders.

Bio:

Jessica Villeneuve taught high school Global Citizenship for over a decade. During that time, she spearheaded the school’s efforts towards Restorative Practices to better address issues of inequity and conflict. From there, she began to present to a wider audience on the powerful impact of these processes. By becoming an administrator, Jessica began training teachers to implement restorative approaches in their classrooms thereby decreasing behavior referrals and increasing the strength of the learning community. In the role of school administrator, she loved being able to work closely with families and community stakeholders to repair harm and work toward restoring relationships. As someone who has taken on a wide range of roles in schools, from paraeducator and tutor to teacher to principal, she brings a deep understanding of the complex challenges facing schools today and brings empathy and understanding to her work.

Presenter: Laura Bonazinga Bouyea

Description:

Effective communication involves a back-and-forth interaction between social partners. This workshop will explore how educators can create the optimal environment, using neurodiversity-affirming practices, to foster engagement, social-emotional regulation, and effective communication for all children. Participants will engage in discussions, simulations, and guided application as they develop strategies and practices that draw from universal design.

Objectives:

• Define pre-linguistic milestones that support social relatedness and communication
• Understand how to support communication preferences and boundaries.
• Learn strategies to support sensory social routines, mutual engagement, joint action routines, and early sharing of perspectives.
• Identify strategies for fostering cross-neurotype communication in neuro-shared spaces.

Intended Audience:

Individuals and teams are welcome to participate. Intended audience: PreK-3 educators, paraeducators, instructional assistants, related service providers (SLP, OT, SPED, LSW), and personal care assistants supporting students.

Bio:

Laura Bonanzinga Bouyea, MS, CCC-SLP, (she/her), is a speech language pathologist and social communication consultant. She has expertise in supporting language, social communication, and social-emotional learning across age spans and neurotypes. Laura has a private practice and provides professional learning opportunities through various universities and organizations.

Presenters: Kristabel Stark

Description:

If inclusion is our mutual goal, why are inclusive practices so hard to enact? In this workshop, participants will critically examine beliefs and assumptions about the meaning of the word “inclusion,” and explore research-based practices that support both student and staff SEL development at multiple tiers of a PBIS model. We will focus our discussion on inclusive practices for students with disabilities, exploring practical strategies to align special education services with school-wide PBIS models in service of full-school SEL development.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will be able to identify sources of tension within “inclusive” models
• Participants will consider the types of data that may help triage resources in ways that promote both staff and student sense of belonging and wellbeing
• Participants will build community with other educators with a commitment to inclusion and inclusive practices, to help each other navigate the messiness in sustainable ways

Intended Audience:

All team members are invited! School leaders and special educators may find this to be a particularly relevant conversation.

Bios:

Dr. Kristabel Stark is a professor in the UVM College of Education and Social Services, in the special education program. Grounded in her own experiences as a special educator in Boston and Chicago, her research explores the working conditions and emotional experiences of educators. Through her research, Dr. Stark aims to help school leaders recognize the important role of emotions as a resource and liability in teachers' work, and the ways school leaders can structure their schools to create sustainable working conditions for special educators.

Presenter: Camille Koosmann

Description:

Based on her experiences supporting schools, Camille believes successful implementation of any relationally based approach is hindered or helped by the degree to which the approach is practiced by the adults in the buildings or district. Too often schools implement positive and restorative approaches with students without first focusing on the culture, climate and practices of the staff. In this workshop Camille will offer a model for running staff meetings, PLCs and other committees based on the restorative “Balance in the Process.” She will offer real examples from schools she is currently working with to demonstrate what it looks and feels like to be part of a restorative culture and provide time to identify ways to make your meetings more restorative and effective.

Objectives:
Participants will:

• Experience how a restorative meeting is structured to create the skills, capacity and motivation to work together as a team, include all voices, develop trust and be effective.
• Reflect on adaptations you might make for different meetings in your milieu.
• Identify achievable goals to modify how your meetings are structured and learn a simple assessment tool to check your progress.

Intended Audience:

This workshop is for anyone who leads team meetings, PLCs, or professional learning with adult or student teams. No prior knowledge of restorative practices is necessary to join this workshop.

Bio:

Camille Koosmann is a restorative practitioner, trainer, and coach who has been in the field of restorative practices since graduating from Champlain College in 2016. Camille has worked to apply restorative approaches in many settings, most recently in K-12 schools throughout Vermont. Camille formerly led the Restorative Practices in Schools program for the Franklin Grand Isle Restorative Justice Center, serving as the school-wide restorative practices coordinator for Bakersfield Elementary Middle School as well as providing support, training, and coaching to nine other schools in Franklin and Grand Isle counties. Currently she is the Youth Team Development Coordinator and school trainer for Starling Collaborative.

Presenter: Lauralee Keach

Description:

Collective ownership is a critical component of successful PBIS implementation. It increases engagement, commitment, and shared responsibility and helps shift mindsets from “This is what we do” to “This is who we are.” The workshop will focus on ways to build and sustain collective ownership by fostering deep knowledge, meaningful participation, and relational trust among staff.

Objectives:

Workshop participants will:

1. Understand the difference between collective ownership and buy-in
2. Explore the reasons staff may resist change and how to respond
3. Learn the concept of transformational professional development and how to provide this learning for staff
4. Examine the factors that contribute to meaningful and effective collective ownership in a school community

Intended Audience:

Suitable for all.  Recommended for school administrators, PBIS team members, school or district PBIS coordinators.

Bio:

Lauralee Keach has been working with children with a range of needs, including developmental disabilities and autism spectrum disorder, for the past 22 years. She received her initial training in behavior analysis in Maine, where she was a member of a team that established a center-based program for students with developmental disabilities and emotional and behavior disorders. Since returning to Vermont in 2003, Lauralee has worked as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst consulting to regional school districts and currently is a member of the South Burlington School District’s Interdisciplinary Team, which provides behavior, psychological, and communication consultation services to students and school teams. Lauralee’s education includes a BA in Psychology and an M.Ed in Applied Behavior Analysis.

Presenters: Jackie Verley, Mark Scott, Emily Neilsen

Description:

Restorative Practices fundamentally shift how we think about community, choices, and relationships. Lamoille Restorative Center and UP for Learning have worked with Wolcott Elementary for three years on implementing restorative practices. Throughout this partnership, they have used neuro-aligned practices and research to help all stakeholders find their own "why" in this shift in mindset. Equity of voice is intrinsic to restorative practices. Using a core team model, UP, LRC, and Wolcott Elementary staff will share how they have worked closely to design ongoing learning based on the needs of the school.

Objectives:

• Gain an understanding of what it looks like when community partners work together to facilitate professional development
• Hear about processes used in identifying the needs of the school by including the voices of students and families as well as facilitation strategies used
• Explore restorative practices resources

Intended Audience:

Individuals and teams are welcome. This workshop is introductory and would be beneficial for all roles within a school to take part in.

Bio:

Jackie Verley has worked with UP for Learning since August 2021. Previously, she worked as a piano teacher, librarian, public school teacher, and as a park ranger for Vermont State Parks. As a teacher, Jackie enjoyed partnering with students to foster a sense of belonging in and out of the classroom. In her work at UP, Jackie is inspired by the way youth and adults can transform their school communities through relationships and shared values.
 

Mark Scott is the Youth Programs Director at Lamoille Restorative Center (LRC) in Hyde Park, VT. Mark has worked in the restorative justice field for over 20 years and began his career facilitating restorative processes for youth involved with the justice system.  Since then, he has had the opportunity to expand his knowledge of restorative approaches through participation in Vermont's Association of Court Diversion Programs’ Teaching and Coaching Team (2012-2018), becoming a CORE trainer for Vermont Victim Assistance Academy Restorative Justice Sessions (2015-2018), and a Restorative Practices in Schools Trainer and Coach since 2018. 
 

Emily Neilsen is a Restorative Approaches Coordinator and Coach at Lamoille Restorative Center. She has worked in education for over 15 years, occupying a wide variety of roles and spaces: adjunct faculty member and academic advisor; teacher in alternative education, boarding school, and adult ed settings; school engagement/truancy prevention specialist; events planner for arts and humanities education; among others.

Presenter: Kym Asam

Description:

This workshop will examine and demonstrate evidence-based universal practices that support all students’ social, emotional, and behavioral needs so they can be more engaged in learning. Participants will explore a multitude of high-leverage, practical strategies that can be incorporated into their existing repertoire of classroom behavior practices. Sources from the National Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports will be utilized to assist participants in developing an action plan for addressing chronic interfering behaviors across all layers of support and intervention.

Objectives:

• Explore why universal practices work
• Discuss how to maximize effectiveness
• Examine strengthening school and classroom supports
• Review steps to support and respond to student SEBL needs
• Describe practices that provide an important foundation of Universal (Tier 1) classroom support for all students
• Review high leverage universal practices
• Develop an action plan

Intended Audience:

This workshop is intended for teachers, paraeducators, special educators, administrators, or anyone who is supporting students in their SEB learning.

Bio:

Kym Asam is an Implementation Coach and Trainer for Vermont PBIS. She has provided and continues to provide coaching to SD/SUs in their development and installation of a single system of delivery of services through a process of deliberately integrating mental health, families, students, and other community partners into their existing social/emotional/behavioral system. In addition, she currently provides training and project support to NFI Vermont in the areas of trauma-responsive school practices, grant writing and oversight, internship coordination, and the agency’s overarching framework. She has practiced as a licensed independent clinical social worker since 1992, and in addition to direct work with clients, provided clinical supervision to multiple staff and consultation to schools on complicated emotional/behavioral student needs. Kym has conducted numerous trainings for school personnel, both in and out of the state of Vermont, on resilience, empathic distress, and developmental trauma. She also provides field placement supervision for MSW and BSW students from multiple universities.

Presenter: Ken Kramberg

Description:

LSCI is an evidence-based, trauma-informed verbal intervention strategy that prepares adults to turn crisis situations into learning opportunities. This session will provide an overview of the foundational LSCI skills needed for reaching out to young people during conflict. This workshop is intended for people who have not recently attended LSCI training or de-escalation/relationship-building workshops.

Objectives:

• Understand how a young person’s brain is impacted by stress & trauma
• Consider key differences in perceptions, thoughts, and feelings between adults and kids that often lead to conflict
• Identify specific skills for listening to young people in ways that build trust and improve communication
• Learn the LSCI skills of Drain Off© and Timeline© relate to a stressed-out child, help him/her regulate their emotional responses, and guide the young person to put language to emotion, ultimately leading to long-term behavioral change.

Intended Audience:

Appropriate for administrators , teachers and anyone working in schools who has not attended a Life Space Crisis Intervention (LSCI ) training or  recently attended  a Deescalation and Relationship Building training.

Bio:

Ken Kramberg is a founding member of the Vermont BEST Project and has been an active member since 1995. He is also a member of the VTPBIS State Team and provides training and technical assistance at all levels. Ken is one of a few internationally recognized Master Trainers in LSCI. Additionally, Ken is a master trainer in Crisis Prevention and Intervention (CPI) and provides technical support to schools that request assistance around students with significant challenges. Ken has approximately 40 years of experience as a teacher and director of programs for children with challenging behaviors.

CANCELLED!

Presenters: Cristina Maddocks and Kirk Postlewaite

Description:

In this overview workshop, participants will learn basic knowledge and skills of suicide prevention, including societal myths and attitudes, use of sensitive language, risk factors and warning signs, protective factors, considerations for populations at risk, examples of what to say and do, and local and national resources for help. Participants will also learn about the 4-week Umatter for Schools course where school teams are supported as they assess and implement suicide prevention within their school setting by understanding required health education standards, suicide prevention curriculum, and protocol development. We hope you'll join us and learn more about your role as a suicide prevention helper.

Objectives:

• Deepen understanding of suicide risk factors, warning signs, and protective factors
• Develop knowledge and skillset for facilitating conversations about suicide
• Begin reflection on suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention protocols within schools
• Gain capacity to break stigma culture related to mental health, suicide, and asking for help

Intended Audience:

All are welcome, this is an overview workshop that provides introductory information related to suicide prevention with a brief summary of the 4 week Umatter for Schools course.

Bio:

Cristina Maddocks joined the Center for Health and Learning (CHL) in October 2023 with 20 years of experience in the fields of mental health and education. Cristina’s experience includes working at two designated agencies in Vermont, an Executive Director position at an early education and childcare program, and working in mental health non-profit organizations in Massachusetts. Cristina aims to create connections and rapport to promote change, reduce the stigma associated with mental health, and advocate for youth and families within their home, school, and community settings. Her experience as a clinician in various settings provides a foundation for understanding the strengths and challenges of the systems of care and how to support those navigating through them.

Kirk Postlewaite is a seasoned public and community health professional with 20 years of experience in program management, clinical work, and community health initiatives.  During this time, Kirk has worked with children, families, and adults in Vermont across systems of care and many settings.  Most recently, he worked as the Population Health Director at Rutland Regional Medical Center and as the Communications and Development Director at Washington County Mental Health in central Vermont.  Kirk’s expertise is focused on creating systems of care that are effective and efficient while remaining person-focused, and he brings a well-rounded clinical perspective to this work.

CANCELLED!

Presenters: Tom Faris and Tracy Harris

Description:

It should go without saying that the use of restraint or seclusion holds the potential to be both unsafe and traumatic. These are the reasons the Rule 4500 Series is in place: to create and maintain a positive and safe learning environment, to promote positive behavioral supports and interventions, and to ensure students are not subjected to inappropriate use of restraint or seclusion in our schools.

This workshop will offer suggestions on how to use a trauma-informed approach when using a restraint or seclusion as well as an open discussion of some of the more salient points of Rule 4500 regarding safety and well-being. If time allows, we are happy to field additional questions and answers. We can also make ourselves available during team times on Wednesday afternoon for teams that wish to take a "deeper dive" into other aspects of the Rule 4500 series.

Objectives:

• List and describe trauma-informed strategies for making a restraint or seclusion less traumatic for all involved.
• Identify which types of restraints are most restrictive and pose the greatest risk to safety, and the rules regarding these restraints.
• Present and discuss the rationale on why restraint is considered less restrictive and more preferred than seclusion.
• Articulate who/when/how/why exceptions that would allow the restraint vs seclusion rule to be reversed.

Intended Audience:

This workshop is intended for school and district administrators, teachers, special educators, behavior specialists and interventionists, school counselors, and school-based mental health clinicians and social workers. While others are welcome to attend, we are building upon information that school personnel should already have on the rules regarding restraint and seclusion in Vermont schools. THIS IS NOT AN INTRODUCTION OR A BROAD SWIPE AT RULE 4500.

Bio:

Tracy Harris has been with the Vermont Agency of Education for seven years as Coordinator for Behavioral Supports. As a member of the special education team at the Agency, she provides professional development and technical assistance on an array of special education and general education topics, with an emphasis on social emotional learning and behavioral interventions and supports. Prior to that, Tracy was Assistant Director and Integration Specialist at The Baird School, an independent school that provides special education and therapeutic interventions for students with significant social, emotional, and behavioral challenges. Tracy’s career began in the Winooski School District, as a Speech-Language Pathologist, Service Coordinator, and Team Leader. She instructed a course at the University of Vermont’s graduate program in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Tracy has spoken at numerous conferences around Vermont and the Northeast and authored a chapter in a book for educators on collaborative teaming and co-teaching

Tom Faris

Presenters: Beth Peloquin and Jackie Sprague

Description:

The pyramid Model is the developmentally appropriate version of PBIS for early education students. We will share an overview of the tiers of the Pyramid Model and how these relate to school-wide PBIS. We will then spend time looking at an overview of early childhood-friendly tier three processes, referred to as Prevent Teach Reinforce - Young Children (PTR-YC), as well as look at how child-level behavior data is collected through the Behavior Incident Reporting System (BIRS). We will connect all of these practices for young children to similar practices at the K-12 level, while also giving the rationale for why they are different.

Objectives:

• Understand the connection between Early MTSS and MTSS.
• Learn how child data collected in early childhood will support the student and teacher(s).
• Consider early childhood best practices to reinforce successful transitions to the next grade level.

Intended Audience:

School and/or district teams and administrators.

Bio:

Beth Peloquin has taught in public preschool inclusion programs for 13 years in Williston and Fairfield, before becoming a consultant and trainer full-time in 2013. Her areas of training include Social and Emotional Teaching Practices of The Pyramid Model, Practice-Based Coaching, Strengthening Families, STEM in Early Childhood, and Teaching Strategies GOLD. She is a past president of the Vermont Division for Early Childhood (VTDEC) and she served on the Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children (VAEYC) Board. She is currently on the Board for Trinity Children’s Center in Burlington, VT. She also teaches at both the University of Vermont and Champlain College as adjunct faculty teaching in both early education and early childhood special education courses. She came so close to completing her doctoral program at UVM in Education Leadership and Policy, earning her the title “Almost Dr.” Peloquin.

Jackie Sprague has worked for public schools as a teacher and early childhood special educator and in private programs as director. She held the office as Vermont AEYC president and represented Vermont in Washington, DC as well as president of Vermont Division of Early Childhood. Jackie continues to hold Vermont endorsements in Early Childhood Education (Birth to grade 3) and Early Childhood Special Education (Birth to Age 6). Upon “retirement,” she continues her passion of supporting young children’s social and emotional development through training and coaching in private and public schools and programs. Jackie also teaches graduate classes at Champlain College and undergraduate at CCV.  Jackie loves the challenge of creating trainings and higher education classes!

Presenter: Alison Celmer

Description:

This workshop will provide participants with realistic strategies for implementing Universal Design for Learning in classrooms, teams, and the greater school community. Participants will learn strategies to enhance the learning environment to optimize the learning of all students and all types of learners. Participants will learn the “Why”, “What,”, and “How,” of learning and have lots of opportunities to reflect and share ideas in this interactive workshop.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this workshop, participants will:

• Learn about Universal Design for Learning
• Explore strategies on how to design flexible and inclusive learning environments with purpose and intention
• Learn strategies to simplify and streamline existing systems and routines (for classrooms, teams, and schools) by incorporating sensory learning experiences
• Begin the development of a menu of 'evidence of learning'/'success criteria' opportunities

Intended Audience:

All are welcome! Individuals or teams of all levels of experience and expertise - there will be something for everyone in this session.

Bio:

Alison Celmer has a combined 18 years of experience learning, teaching, coaching, designing, and leading in VT public schools. She helps design simple, sustainable systems to create inspiring learning environments and elevate educational experiences for all. She is heading into her 8th school year as the PreK-4 Principal at Shelburne Community School in Shelburne, VT. She is a passionate and dedicated educational leader, and as a certified UDL leader, she strongly believes that implementing the Universal Design for Learning Framework creates inclusive, engaging, and accessible learning opportunities for all.