Every school should have a health champion, someone who continuously and tirelessly models healthy eating and exercise habits.  He or she enthusiastically encourages others to do the same, and not only talks the talk, but walks the walk. School principals are those champions for healthy living and leadership in the school.  In his session on living healthy and becoming a better leader, Principal EL discusses how the long hours, pressure, and stress of the job of a school leader can take a toll on your health. The demands of being a school leader can result in a lack of regular exercise, unhealthy eating habits and poor physical fitness.  The good news is that school leaders can take action to counter the negative effects of stress related to their jobs and become resilient and inspirational leaders. Healthy principals are better able to motivate and support their teachers, students, and families. Principal EL, was recently selected by the Greatist.com as one of the 100 most influential people in health and fitness, along with such notables as Dr. Oz, First Lady Michelle Obama, Rachael Ray, and many more….

This session will share 9 simple techniques to pump up your staff and celebrate the bright spots in your career. A few ways to accentuate the positive are:
Connect with your people.
Expect their best.
Laugh out loud daily.
When your staff has happy hearts and minds, so will you and your students.

The principalship is an all-encompassing and all-consuming position. How does one balance everyday life when he/she has such a demanding job? This session will present information on the necessity for balancing one's personal and professional lives along with strategies for life balance. Participants will share their ideas for life balance.

The key to development of a sustainable district-wide literacy framework is having a sharp focus on effective implementation of evidence-based literacy practices. This session will dive into the core components of the state literacy plan which will inform you and your district in the design of your local literacy plans.

What is the Minnesota School of Excellence program? What does it take to be endorsed as a Minnesota School of Excellence -- and what benefits does the Minnesota School of Excellence program offer schools? This session is for principals whose schools are in the midst of completing their MN School of Excellence application and have questions --

as well as for the curious who are considering undertaking the school improvement process in their school community, promoting excellence through a rigorous evaluation process that showcases dynamic schools of the 21st century.

An engaging and practical session on how to host parents, students, staff, neighbors, and public officials in an exercise to explore your school environment and surroundings on foot and recognize opportunities to create more inviting settings for physical activity and healthy eating. From pocket parks, rail-trails, and better sidewalks, to community gardens and remedying "food deserts," all can contribute to a healthier school and community. We'll demonstrate how an "audit" walk is the perfect set-up to a community planning session for healthier policy development. Bring your walking shoes--we'll spend at least 15-20 minutes on a comfortably-paced walk; weather permitting we'll go outside, so bring your coat.: 

Learn how one elementary school has developed a series of short-term and long-term high energy community-building events to help students build healthy bodies and minds. Healthy eating and regular exercise have been the focus of these building initiatives. Come learn how we have done it, and how you can do it, too: 

Enhance your school climate with practical ideas, resources, and activities for improving relationships based on best practices in education.

Yoga Calm® is a research supported wellness and learning preparedness curriculum designed to reduce stress, prepare students to learn and create a calmer and more productive school environment. This workshop blends lecture and experiential “hands on” learning. Participants will learn breathing techniques, yoga stretches and social/emotional games that can be used in any classroom, and a process for “rolling out” integrative movement in your school.

Recess can be a time where fights begin, bullying continues, and student referrals overwhelm principals. When this behavior is carried over from the playground into the classroom, it can create serious problems, impacting learning and school climate. Through play and experiential learning, participants will gain insight into how recess can be transformed into one of the most powerful parts of the school day. 

Healthier students are better learners.  Federal mandates regarding school wellness policies recognize this truth but provide little additional funding to implement school wellness efforts.  Action for Healthy Kids is a statewide coalition of community and educational organizations that support schools and families in creating healthier school opportunities.  Learn best practices in school wellness and hear about a variety of no or low cost resources available to Minnesota schools. Successful wellness efforts from Minnesota schools will be shared along with lessons learned in the assessment of school environments and wellness implementation.

Participants will discover the benefits of movement within the classroom.  Information and strategies for enhancing brain function and its effect on academic achievement will be presented.  Activities for interventions for at-risk learners, RtI strategies, and as a means of integrating skills for math and reading will be experienced.

"Leave your self-consciousness at the door" and explore communication skills through imaginative, non-threatening improvisational exercises. This lively session explores both verbal and non-verbal expressions, and introduces conflict bridging techniques. Role-plays introduce situations familiar to principals, allowing them to practice new skills, role-model for one another, and learn from others how to effectively communicate in professional settings.

Planning and implementing a safe routes to school initiative can be a great way to jump start kids' learning, alleviate school traffic and congestion, and teach a lifelong behavior. This session will provide actionable steps that can help support a successful SRTS initiative.

The Minnesota Teachers Retirement Association (TRA) helps educators consider retirement options -- throughout their career. This session presents a solid overview of how the TRA pension works and will be of value to MESPA members of all ages. It covers several choices available to principals, including: defined benefit vs. defined contribution plans, leaves of absence, Combined Service Annuities, the various TRA retirement plans, working after retirement, and recent pension law changes.

How can we, as principals, most advantageously approach our contract negotiations process? What are some best practices and hot topics we should keep in mind? Members of the Negotiations Committee will share updates, best practices, and hot topics to equip principals in their negotiations process. After the panel discussion, participants will be divided into like negotiation groups (individuals or small teams, medium-sized teams, and large negotiations groups) to facilitate discussion, problem solve, and answer questions specific to their needs.

The beliefs and actions of a staff have a direct impact on student achievement.  Kennedy Elementary made a targeted effort to change the culture, which contributed to increases in student achievement.  The session will outline the specific actions that lead staff to truly embrace the belief that All Kids Can Learn.

How do we move from good to great instruction?  Learn how to create healthy school environments with mindful instruction. Explore the connection between neuroscience and student academic success, and discover instructional strategies that expand student thinking across all academic disciplines, and foster problem solving, discussion and mindful learning.