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The Winston School San Antonio will host our 34th Annual Learning Symposium on Friday, January 26, 2024. 

The Symposium is an affordable, engaging opportunity for teachers and counselors to earn professional development hours while acquiring valuable education tools targeted at all students—not only those with learning differences.


This In-Person Event was presented on Friday, January 20, 2023.

Please click HERE to watch the videos from each presentation

 

Featured Keynote Speaker:

DR. Marc Brackett

Founder, professor and director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence
Presents:
 

Emotional Intelligence: Key to Raising Healthy, Happy, 

and Successful Children

In this interactive presentation, Marc will first discuss his Center’s research on the “emotional state” of our nation’s children and families and describe the theory and skills of emotional intelligence, which have been shown to support optimum health, well-being, and academic success. He’ll then teach the skills, tools, and practices developed at Yale, which can immediately support parents in developing their own and their children’s emotional intelligence.

Marc Brackett, Ph.D., is the Founder and Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and a Professor at the Child Study Center of Yale University. He is the lead developer of RULER, an evidence-based approach to social and emotional learning that has been adopted by nearly 2,000 pre-K through high schools across the United States and in other countries. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL).

As a researcher for over 20 years, Brackett has focused on the role of emotions and emotional intelligence in learning, decision-making, creativity, relationships, health, and performance. He has published 125 scholarly articles and received numerous awards and accolades for his work in this area. He also consults regularly with corporations, such as Facebook, Microsoft, and Google on integrating the principles of emotional intelligence into employee training and product design. Most recently, he co-founded Oji Life Lab, a corporate learning firm that develops innovative digital learning systems on emotional intelligence.

Brackett’s mission is to educate the world about the value of emotions and the skills associated with using them wisely. “I want everyone to become an emotion scientist”, he says. “We need to be curious explorers of our own and others’ emotions so they can help us achieve our goals and improve our lives.”


Breakout Sessions:

Anxiety and depression in children and adolescents have risen to the highest levels in recent history. Even before the pandemic, anxiety, and depression were becoming more common among children and adolescents. What can educators do to help manage these rates of anxiety and depression? How can educators, parents, and mental health providers normalize the anxious feelings of children and teens while also recognizing when their anxiety requires mental health interventions?

Click here to learn more about Dr. Jill Thurber

Community & Culture (CC) is an experiential program designed by Escuela Americana, El Salvador, meant to become part of the DNA of a school and provide a space for the whole community to develop a greater human connection. It promotes social-emotional well-being by offering ongoing sessions for stakeholders throughout the school year. CC uses empirically researched techniques to create a positive school culture and a community where connection and growth are at the forefront. This session is great for teachers!

Click here to learn more about Escuela Americana El Salvador
 

This presentation introduces Project YES (Youth Empowerment & Support) an innovative approach to helping adolescents address common mental health issues. The presentation will show how this
program has been shown to reduce depression and anxiety, decrease hopelessness and boost a sense of control in adolescents ages 11 through 17 by more than 50%. The program is free, available online and participation is anonymous.

Click here to learn more or click here to go to the Project Yes webpage.

The presentation will review some important factors in building resilience in children and offer practical strategies for addressing/enhancing/utilizing those factors in the classroom setting. Presented by: Reem Eissa, MA, Gabby Weierbach, MA, and Cynthia Diaz de Leon, Ph.D., from the Clarity Child Guidance Center

According to the National Institute for Health, adolescent and young adult women are at the greatest risk for severe depression and mental health disorders globally. In this session, Dr. Jillian LoPiano, will discuss how some mental health conditions disproportionately or uniquely affect adolescent females. The discussion will also include an overview of the menstrual cycle and its effects on physical, mental, and emotional well-being along with recommendations for supporting adolescent females.

 

Click here to learn more about Betty’s Co.

In this breakout session, we will discuss why ADHD and anxiety can impact each other and occur together. We will share strategies for identifying visible and invisible symptoms in adolescents and accommodations to alleviate everyday stressors. This session is great for parents and teachers! Presented by: Dr. Peri-Anne Chobot, Interim Head of School and Kristin Ashley, M.A.T., our Dean of Studies at The Winston School San Antonio.

 

 

Bridging the Gap: Navigating Developmental Changes and the Transition Differences for Students with Disabilities in Postsecondary Education Dr. Dianne P. Hengst, M.A., Psy.D. Executive Director of Student Disability Services at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

This session will explore those transition issues for students with disabilities when they enter postsecondary education.  We will briefly cover the intersection of those emotional changes that take place when students must learn to advocate for themselves.  In addition, the session will go over regulations that govern disability services in higher education and explore the intersection of a disability service office, the student, and the university community. We will touch upon why students with disabilities are part of the diversity that exists on college campuses today and how we can think creatively to solve barrier issues. 

Objectives: Participants who attend this presentation will have a basic understanding of:

  • The pertinent history and laws of disability compliance in the U.S.
  • The term “reasonable accommodations” in postsecondary education
  • The role of disability services in postsecondary education
  • The transition issues that exists between high school and postsecondary education

Click here to learn more about the student Disability Services at UTSA.



Please click here to download the brochure


Sponsorship opportunities are still available please click here to learn more

Each year, the Winston School San Antonio and MSAC work diligently to plan Winston's Learning Symposium — an educational event that provides the community with access to cutting-edge research and tools to help educate students with learning differences.

The Symposium allows us to extend Winston’s reach by providing important information to parents, education professionals, and others from across the state. Each year, the event features nationally renowned professionals and breakout sessions hosted by a select group of local professionals.

32nd Annual Symposium Feedback

31st Annual Symposium Feedback

Continuing Education credits are available for teachers, counselors, and social workers. 

Videos presentations from previous years are available, please click here to learn more.

For more information please contact us at outreach@winston-sa.org or call (210) 615-6544