Topeka Public Schools Special ONLY

See handout provided by the school district.

Turner Public Schools Special ONLY

See handout provided by the school district.

Turner Public Schools Special ONLY (School Counselors)

The Counseling and Social Work Departments will lead an in-depth exploration of the primary factors contributing to the global rise in adolescent mental health challenges. This session will also highlight evidence-based strategies and practical approaches to support and enhance the mental well-being of children and adolescents.

Teaching is one of the most rewarding jobs out there—but it’s also one of the most demanding. With so many responsibilities pulling at your time and energy, it’s easy to feel like the day is never long enough. Finding ways to keep perspective and balance between school and life is more important than ever. At the same time, we know students need strong social, emotional, and academic support—and that starts with teachers who are able to take care of themselves first. In this course, you’ll discover practical strategies to help you manage your time, reduce stress, and build healthier routines that fit your life. We’ll focus on simple, realistic approaches to self-care and time management that allow you to show up as your best self in the classroom and still have energy left for the people and activities you love outside of school.

This course equips elementary educators to leverage the excitement of the upcoming FIFA World Cup to teach standards-aligned math, literacy, social studies, science, PE/health, and arts lessons. Participants will design an interdisciplinary mini-unit that includes activities to promote cultural awareness. We’ll delve into learning about sportsmanship/fair play, countries around the world, tournament brackets/organization, and literature that reflects cultures around the world. The World Cup is one of the most widely watched events in the world, and by connecting lessons to something students are already excited about, teachers can spark curiosity and make learning more meaningful. Teachers gain tools to introduce students to diverse cultures, languages, and traditions, building empathy and global citizenship. The World Cup becomes a vehicle for celebrating diversity and teaching respect for others.

This course is designed for teachers of all levels and content areas that would like to develop new and creative ideas for their classrooms while still teaching the required standards. Children’s Literature has evolved into a new genre involving poetry, multi-cultural topics and biographies. This class will introduce dynamic picture books for elementary through high school teachers wanting new innovative ideas to grab their students’ attention.

Social Emotional Learning is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals. They learn how to feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions. This is a form of character building that is often misinterpreted by our community. We lack the understanding how to accomplish this properly in a school setting and why it is important. We are now realizing more children are experiencing anxiety, bullying and other issues across the board starting in elementary school through high school. There has also been a rise in issues associated with anxiety, substance abuse, lack of school attendance, bullying and stress over social media. It is important that teachers have the skills to manage situations when anxiety or bullying presents itself in or around the classroom. This course will discuss and provide effective strategies that can safely be implemented in the classroom to promote a respectful and socially aware atmosphere. We will focus on communication, acceptance and promoting choice among students, so they feel more in control of their world. Participants will learn the basics of social emotional learning and how it can change their classrooms for the better. Everyone will be provided with useful books, activities and an opportunity to share their concerns.

The use of technology benefits educators from the stand points of managerial tasks and more effective teaching strategies. This course is one of a series of courses designed for K-12 educators interested in incorporating technology into their existing curricula and daily classroom management by enhancing their technology skills. This particular course will enhance the educator’s skill with Advanced Microsoft Office Applications to produce a number of classroom management resources as well as instructional materials. These materials are to be used in student assessment, parent communication, student communication, character education, collaborative learning, record keeping, and planning projects to name a few. Participants will complete projects, research, and reflection.

This course is designed to provide teachers with foundational learning integrating Chromebooks and Google Applications into their teaching repertoire. This course will cover the fundamentals of Chromebooks and Google Education Apps and how they are integrated into the classroom through revised or new lesson plans targeting using Google Applications to facilitate the requirement of higher order thinking from students. The physical peculiarities of using Chromebooks will be examined as well as an overview of a majority of the apps included in the GAFE “family” with individualized implementation and reflection.

This course immerses educators in the rich collections of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City to explore the use of primary sources in elementary social studies instruction. As participants engage directly with art and artifacts as historical evidence, they will also explore strategies to align museum resources with state and national teaching standards. Educators will have the opportunity to strengthen their ability to design inquiry-based lessons that foster critical thinking, cultural awareness, and deeper connections to history for young learners. * This course will meet at the museum at 10:00 am on Saturday and then the rest of the course is completed online.

This course is designed for teachers who would like to have a better understanding of adolescents and their challenges today with digital footprints and social media. This course will cover how complications with relationships and social media can consume teens. We will discuss how we can better understand this by being supportive teachers and provide students with appropriate social emotional guidance.