Wednesday, November 4th (Overlaps with Support Staff until Lunch Time!)

Session Speaker: Sarah Noll Wilson

Session Description: The work of supporting people is emotional work. School personnel leaders regularly navigate competing needs, difficult decisions, ongoing change, strained relationships, and conversations where emotions can run high—for themselves and for the people they serve.

Emotional agility isn’t about controlling emotions, staying positive, or leaving feelings at the door. It’s about strengthening our ability to notice what we’re experiencing, understand what might be driving our reactions, and choose how we want to respond.

In this interactive session, participants will explore how emotions influence the way we interpret situations, communicate, make decisions, and respond under pressure. Through practical tools, reflection, and real-world application, participants will learn how to recognize emotional patterns, create space between reaction and response, and stay curious when conversations become challenging.

Participants will leave with practical strategies for navigating their own emotions while creating clearer, more productive, and more human conversations with colleagues, employees, and the communities they serve.

 

Session Speaker: Julie Hagen, Ariana Baker, & Jennifer Kammerud, DPI

Session Description: "Choose Your Own Adventure!" with Julie, Ariana, and Jennifer! Be it Applications, WISEstaff and Audit, or Policy & Licensing, attendees will have the chance to select what they'd like to speak with DPI representatives about! Collaborate as a team or divide and conquer! 

Session Speaker: Cody Lundquist, SAA & Kelly Coash Johnson, AASPA

Session Description: Cody Lundquist will introduce himself as the new SAA Director of Government Relations and share updates on the SAA strategic goals and the status of various legislative actions that SAA is advocating for. 

2:15 pm - 3:00 pm | Strategic Approaches to Reducing Absenteeism & Rewarding Presence

Session Speaker: Julie Grotophorst, Greendale Schools & Sonya Ganther, School District of Onalaska

Session Description: Keeping high quality staff engaged, motivated, and committed is more crucial than ever. This session explores how to transition from traditional attendance tracking to strategic absence management while creating cultural shifts to reduce absenteeism.  We will dive into creating balanced policies that maintain accountability while utilizing high-impact reward systems and flexible work arrangements that motivate employees to show up and stay engaged.

3:00 pm - 3:15 pm | Vendor Fair & Break

Session Description: Shape your AI strategy in real time. Designed for all experience levels, this interactive session puts you in control of the agenda. Whether you want to build starter prompt libraries for staff communications or deploy advanced predictive retention models, you will collaborate with peers to tackle real-world challenges. Beginners will leave with plug-and-play templates and newfound confidence, while experienced users will refine their workflows and sharpen high-level strategies.

Session Speakers: Chrissy Hamiel & Kylie Owens, Attorneys, Attolles

Session Description: Districts routinely receive complaints that may implicate one or more policies and legal obligations, making it critical to determine at the outset the appropriate course of action. This presentation will provide a practical framework for navigating Title IX, discrimination, harassment, bullying, and general complaints, as well as key questions administrators should ask when a complaint does not fit neatly within one category. The presentation will also explore the basic steps following the receipt of a report, including determining the applicable policy, who should investigate, fact gathering, interim measures, documentation, and coordinating with administrators or legal counsel, when necessary. Particular attention will be given to sexual misconduct allegations in light of Acts 57 and 89 and how districts can avoid common pitfalls associated with misclassifying complaints, using the wrong process, or failing to take appropriate action.