In this session, attendees will learn about San Diego Unified's journey in developing a districtwide wellness goal, the challenges they faced, the steps they took to ensure student voice stayed at the center of their efforts, and the ongoing refinements that are necessary given the complexities of defining and measuring "student wellness." Attendees will have the opportunity to analyze the leadership moves that were leveraged to support districtwide efforts and apply them to their own context to assist in the development of wellness goals that are actionable, attainable and impact the wellness of students and their surrounding communities.
Deputy Superintendent, Instruction, San Diego Unified School District
Nicole DeWitt began working in public education in 2002, joining the San Diego Unified in 2017 as the Principal of Scripps Ranch High School. Prior to becoming a site administrator, she served as a Spanish and English classroom teacher, AVID instructor, English Learner Coordinator... Read More →
Chronic stressors across every dimension of our lives, not just workplace demand, shape how we show up in the classroom and for ourselves. No matter how hard we try, a path out of hustle mode feels elusive. In a culture that keeps us teetering on burnout, what will help us anchor ourselves in sustainable practices that fit our lives, unravel shame, and find our way back to connection to ourselves, to others, and what we value most?
The SPIN cycle (Shame, Pressure, Isolation, Neglect) gives language to the forces that keep us in hustle mode despite our best efforts--especially those who are most impacted by systemic forces of inequity. Inclusive wellness offers a framework for addressing structural change and access to resources at the collective level, while supporting individual wellness in context, honoring how lived experience shapes unique wellness needs.
When we understand and address the SPIN in our own lives, we model what is possible for our students. Giving language to our own struggles helps our students to name their own without shame. Together, we work as a collective to create the conditions and structural support required to thrive, not just survive.
Upon completion of the course, attendance form, and evaluation, you will receive a Confirmation of Attendance Certificate through email. If you do not receive your Confirmation of Attendance Certificate within ten business days, please contact [email protected]
This course meets the qualifications for 1.0 hours of Continuing Education Credit for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. Wellness Together, Inc., Provider #141369, is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor Continuing Education for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and LEPs. Wellness Together maintains responsibility for this course and its content.
Talking to an AI chatbot can feel surprisingly personal. It agrees with you, asks how you're doing, sounds sure of itself, and acts like it already knows you. Those aren't accidents, they're design choices, and for developing minds, they can carry real risk.
This session connects the research on how these design features work, the specific vulnerabilities they create for students, and what school communities can do to help safeguard against potential harms. We'll start with identifying the conversational design features that drive that sense of connection before exploring the concept of relational drift: how trust and context shape what students are willing to share, and how a chatbot's design can quietly pull them toward something more personal than they set out for. Groups will work through hands-on activities, analyzing anonymized chatbot conversation profiles, placing them on the drift spectrum to build awareness of the red flags that signal a shift toward unhealthy dependence.
Attendees will leave having experienced Common Sense Media's new Digital Literacy & Well-Being Curriculum firsthand, with a clear understanding of the free, ready-to-use lessons they can bring directly into their classrooms and the professional development resources available to support educators in doing so.
Eisha Buch is the Head of Teaching and Learning at Common Sense Media, where she leads the K-12 Digital Literacy & Well-Being Curriculum, reaching millions of students, educators, and families across 85,000+ schools worldwide. A former New York City teacher with over 15 years in education... Read More →
Thursday September 10, 2026 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT 31 C
In today’s complex school environments, connection and well-being are among the most powerful drivers of social-emotional, behavioral, and mental health and school success. This session explores how Advocacy Centers operationalize this understanding by aligning people, proven practices, and early intervention to ensure no student falls through the cracks. Framed as a “compass” for effective preventative and responsive supports that produce meaningful outcomes, the model integrates trauma-informed and restorative practices with an emphasis on well-being within a cohesive, high-impact approach to whole-school transformation. Drawing on five years of district-wide implementation and continuous improvement across 74 Metro Nashville Public Schools, participants will learn how dedicated Advocacy Coaches, structured support processes, and data-driven practices create conditions for student flourishing and staff support. The session highlights how structured coaching models, professional learning, feedback loops, collaborative problem-solving, and comprehensive supports move schools beyond reactive practices to proactive systems that strengthen belonging, engagement, skill building and classroom success. Through real examples, interactive dialogue and a roundtable discussion, attendees will explore how to map and adapt this scalable framework in their own contexts. Participants will leave with practical tools and actionable strategies to implement and sustain structured systems for support staff and Certified Wellness Coaches to apply—translating connection and intervention into measurable outcomes for students and educators alike while ensuring every student is known, supported, and set up to thrive.
District Coordinator of Trauma-Informed Schools, Metro Nashville Public Schools
Dr. Mary Crnobori is the District Coordinator of Trauma-Informed Schools for Metro Nashville Public Schools. She leads a team of 7 district Trauma-Informed Specialists and oversees 72 fully staffed elementary school Advocacy Centers, or designated regulation spaces designed to support... Read More →
Audit Preparedness:Guidance on compliance requirements and strategies to ensure audit readiness.
Navigating Medical Necessity: Recommendations for establishing and documenting medical necessity within school-based settings.
ORP Responsibilities: Practical guidance on Ordering, Referring, and Prescribing (ORP) requirements.
Rural & Universal Toolkits: New resources designed to address rural implementation challenges while offering blueprints that can support all districts statewide.
This session uses the familiar world of Gilligan’s Island to explore what happens to adults during and after traumatic events in school communities. While much of the conversation around trauma focuses on helping students, this presentation looks at the emotional weight carried by educators, counselors, administrators, first responders, and trusted adults who continue showing up for others while often ignoring what they themselves are carrying.
Using the characters from Gilligan’s Island as a relatable framework, participants explore the roles adults naturally assume during crisis and recovery. Some become “The Skipper,” trying to hold everything together. Some become “Gilligan,” overwhelmed but still trying their best. Some become “The Professor,” relying on logic and problem-solving, while others use humor, avoidance, caretaking, silence, or overwork to cope. These roles create honest conversation while helping participants recognize themselves and others in a memorable and non-threatening way.
Through storytelling, lived experience, humor, vulnerability, and guided reflection, the session builds toward the “5 Things We Carry” exercise. This experience allows participants to reflect on the emotions, responsibilities, grief, and invisible burdens they continue carrying from trauma and caring for others. Rather than focusing on theory or scripted responses, the presentation centers on what actually helps people feel seen, supported, and connected after crisis.
Participants leave with practical tools, emotional insight, and a renewed understanding of how trusted adult culture can influence healing across an entire school community. The goal is not just to teach trauma response, but to help the adults in the room feel a little less alone carrying it.
