2021 Assistant Principals’ Conference

Sponsored by the Maine Principals’ Association

“Resilience Is Our Super Power”

~ October 24-26, 2021 ~

LIVE AND IN-PERSON AT THE SAMOSET RESORT.  ALSO AVAILABLE VIA SYNCHRONOUS ZOOM.

~ AGENDA ~

 Sunday, October 24, 2021 

Monday, October 25, 2021 

Tuesday, October 26, 2021

About the Program. . . .

Keynote 1:  Leading A Trauma Sensitive School:  Moving From Awareness to Readiness.  The impact of trauma on learning can be significant and long lasting.  In this presentation you will learn how you can confidently and meaningfully support your trauma-impacted students and foster trauma-informed schools. Drawing from personal and professional experiences with trauma, mental health, and school culture, Tom will provide real insight into what you can do as leaders to help build resilience, cope with adverse situations, and help your schools achieve at high levels.  By implementing trauma-informed teaching practices, leaders can cultivate a school and classroom environment that encourages positive learning experiences. This session will help participants to:

• Understand childhood trauma and the impact traumatic experiences have on learners;
• Develop a trauma-informed attitude and mindset;
• Examine schoolwide structures that support trauma-sensitive practices while recognizing those that may contribute to trauma;
• Gain effective classroom management strategies and techniques to support all students, including those experiencing trauma; and
• Learn how to develop trusting and positive relationships with trauma-impacted students and their families.

Keynote 2:  Post Pandemic Updates for School Leaders with Eric Herlan and Connor Schratz, Drummond Woodsum.

Keynote 3:  “SchoolX – Creating A School Experience to Help Every Child Succeed.”  Jethro will use the 400 interviews he has conducted as part of the Transformative Principal podcast and the Transformative Leadership Summit as a backdrop for helping principals understand the key 12 processes that need to be in place to be a change agent for your school. This high-level session not only shows the practices that need to be in place, but also provides practical advice for how to make those things happen in their schools. Jethro will show how little actions lead to big results. You can be a transformative principal!

About Our Presenters . . . .

Tom Hierck has been an educator since 1983 in a career that has spanned all grade levels and many roles in public education.  Tom is a compelling presenter, infusing his message of hope with strategies culled from the real world. He understands that communities face unprecedented challenges and knows which strategies will produce the best results.

Tom has presented to schools, districts, community leaders, and business groups across North America with a message of celebration for those seeking to make a difference.  His belief that “every student is a success story waiting to be told” has led him to work with teachers and administrators to create positive school cultures and build effective relationships that facilitate learning for all students.  He is the author/co-author of 19 books.

Eric Herlan has been representing school clients for over 30 years, with a focus on student rights, special education and disability law.  In addition to counseling schools on management of difficult student situations, he has litigated special education disputes at all phases of the legal system.  Eric is a frequent presenter on state and national levels and is the author of Maine Special Education Law (2^nd Edition, 2020), a contributor to Maine School Law (6^th Edition, 2018), and the School Law Advisory.

Connor Schratz advises private employers, schools, municipalities, and Tribal Nations on a wide spectrum of employment law matters related to employee leave, wage and hour issues, collective bargaining, employee and student discipline, privacy, compliance with state and federal drug testing requirements, labor relations, and harassment and discrimination. Connor has successfully represented clients in state superior and district court, state and federal administrative agencies, and federal immigration court. He has also successfully negotiated several collective bargaining agreements. Connor also has extensive experience on issues that relate specifically to public entities, like handling constitutional questions (especially First Amendment issues), student rights matters, and responding to requests under the Maine Freedom of Access Act. He has also guided clients through the unprecedented legal challenges associated with the COVID[1]19 pandemic. Connor was recognized by Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” in Labor and Employment Law – Management. He contributes regularly to the School Law Advisory, and is a frequent presenter at seminars and trainings for clients on a variety of legal topics. Dedicated to utilizing his legal skills to help others, Connor also does pro bono work for the Immigration Legal Advocacy Project.

Jethro Jones, 2017 NASSP Digital Principal of the Year, is a former principal and host of Transformative Principal. He is also the founder of The Center for Cyberethics, independent, non-partisan educational institute dedicated to the study and promotion of cyberethics, and author of the book, SchoolX: How principals can design a transformative school experience for students, teachers, parents – and themselves! Jethro currently consults schools and districts on redesign efforts that don’t seem like another program. Jethro has worked as a principal at all K-12 levels, including a prison school, a district coach, distance learning team lead, and English teacher.