The agenda will be:
8:15-9 a.m.—Registration Check-in
9-10:15 a.m.—Welcome and Keynote
10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.—5 Breakout sessions
12:30-1:15 p.m.—Lunch
1:15-3:15 p.m.—4 Breakout sessions (repeated)
Keynote Address
Cyberbullying: From Flaming to HotOrNot.com
The New Face of Bullying
Melissa K. Holt, Ph.D.
Cyberbullying has become increasingly widespread among youth in recent years, and for some targets of such harassment it results in significant psychological distress. This talk will focus on similarities between traditional school-based bullying and cyberbullying, how bullying has been shaped by technological advances, and what forms of cyberbullying exist. Dr. Holt will integrate examples of cyberbullying drawn from the media with research findings to demonstrate the prevalence and implications of cyberbullying. The talk will conclude with suggestions for educators, parents, and other adults who work with youth on how to confront cyberbullying and to intervene with youth involved as perpetrators or victims.
Presenter: Melissa K. Holt, Ph.D., is a Research Assistant Professor at the University of New Hampshire’s Crimes against Children Research Center. She has conducted research on bullying for over 10 years and has collaborated with multiple school districts. Her work has been published in numerous scholarly journals and book chapters, and has garnered the attention of local and national media. Dr. Holt earned her doctorate degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her clinical experiences have informed and enhanced her research. For Dr. Holt's vitae, click here.
Five Breakout Sessions
Four of the following sessions are repeated in the afternoon.
You can attend a session in the morning and another in the afternoon.
How Bullying Affects Students with Asperger’s and Other Disorders
(Note: this session will be presented only in the morning.)
Discuss the effects that bullying and teasing behaviors have on students with Asperger’s and other socially challenging disorders, and increase your understanding of the issues this presents. Examine what you can do to be a catalyst for change and how you can teach advocacy skills to help mitigate the problem. Look at how bullying affects self-esteem. Discuss the role of the bystander to bullying. Develop strategies and solutions to deal with and decrease bullying and its effects in your school or community. Leave the session with a greater understanding of students with Asperger’s and learn how to help them navigate this serious issue. Explore how you can further assist your community in creating a more accepting environment for all children and adolescents.
Presenter: Robin Lurie-Meyerkopf has 20 years of teaching experience and runs social skills groups for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, ADHD, and Non-Verbal Learning Disorders. She consults to schools and families and presents throughout the country on understanding our socially challenged students.
Teacher-friendly Strategies for Addressing Bullying, Peer Aggression,
and the Seeds of Violence in Elementary School Settings
Based on the assumption that “it should never hurt to go to school,” the Hurt-Free Schools Model offers teachers, counselors, and administrators concrete strategies for maintaining safe and responsive school climates. Rooted in histories of chronic bullying; peer aggression, rejection and/or neglect; and perceptions of adults’ lack of responsiveness; perpetrators of school violence repeatedly cite their own lack of emotional, social, and/or physical safety in school as motivation for their attacks. While acts of overt violence may not happen at most schools, children still suffer the emotional costs of peer victimization as they have for centuries. Suicide, school phobia, eating and sleeping disorders, anxiety, depression, impulsivity, inattention, and chronic problems with engaging and maintaining trust in social relationships represent a few of the long-term injuries sustained by victims of chronic peer harm. As student populations in the United States become increasingly diverse, interactions between individuals’ socio-cultural identities, traditions, and life experiences are likely to impact the nature and shape of peer aggression in schools. This session will provide you with increased awareness, knowledge, and practical skills for not only recognizing, intervening, and preventing peer aggression, but you’ll also go away with hands-on approaches for building classroom and school environments that celebrate every student’s rights (and responsibilities) to experience safety, belonging, acceptance, and respect at school.
Presenter: Chris Mattise, M.Ed., NCC, is a nationally prominent expert in bullying and violence prevention. She frequently leads discussions on bullying and ways to create school environments that are emotionally, socially, and physically safe. She has conducted workshops and teacher and counselor in-service training at schools and universities in the United States and Europe, as well as annually since 2001 in primary schools in South Africa, where, in 2007 she was a guest at the opening of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership School for Girls. She has been a presenter at state, national, and international conferences. Previously an elementary school guidance counselor in NH and director of a Mental Health Crisis Intervention Program, she is completing her Ph.D. program in Counselor Education at Pennsylvania State University.
Character Education as a Response to Bullying
Recent tragic events in our educational institutions have generated a series of plans and responses to all forms of violence. School bullying is a form that disrupts the learning process, lowers self-esteem among victims, and heightens stress among teachers. Character education, especially the teaching and practice of respect and responsibility, can help alleviate “bullying” as it offers internal constraints to unacceptable individual and social behavior. This session offers you methods and materials for the teaching and practice of respect and responsibility, encourages dialogue among the participants, offers ideas on creating alliances, and presents practical methods for having what teachers do in the classroom reinforced in the family life.
Presenter: Paul McHugh, Ed.M., has many years experience as a teacher and administrator. He has conducted workshops in character education for schools throughout NH and has served as a character education consultant for the NH Dept. of Education and NH Public TV.
Bullying: Legal Aspects of
Policy Development and Implementation
In this interactive workshop you’ll focus on the legal aspects of policy development and implementation. Topics will include: the historical underpinnings of policy, guidance about current policy, and anticipated trends. The session will have a practical, problem-solving perspective. The laws and guidelines discussed will focus on New Hampshire law, but participants from other states will also find the discussion relevant to issues in their region.
Presenter: Jay Boynton, J.D., is a practicing attorney specializing in school law. He has more than 20 years of experience representing the interests of schools in the NH state courts and in administrative settings. He is a frequent speaker on school law topics.
Strategies for Middle and High School Teachers
This will be an informative and hands-on learning experience. The challenges that face educators and students, particularly in the middle school years, around the issues of bullying will be addressed. The key is creating peacefulness in children from the inside out. When children feel good about themselves and who they are, they are less apt to turn to bullying or fall into the trap of being bullied. You’ll develop a working definition of bullying behavior and gain skills, materials, practical applications and resources to design school-wide strategies to effectively reduce bullying and social aggression problems in your school. You’ll receive the Creating Peaceful Schools Manual, and several other resources and information on bullying awareness, prevention, and intervention.
Presenter: Donna L. Packard, M.Ed., is a personal and professional development coach and consultant. As a prevention, wellness and parent educator, she trained educators, health and human service professionals, businesspeople, and organizations throughout New England. She worked with the NH Dept. of Education to facilitate programs on systems-wide school change and has been instrumental in designing and implementing programs to promote parents and teachers working together towards student success.
How to Register:
(refer to CRN 25639)
On the web: click here
By phone: (603) 862-2015 or 1 (800) 313-5327
By Mail or Fax: click here to download a pdf of the registration form for mailing or faxing.
Download a brochure
Click here to download the conference brochure.
Cost and Refund Policy
Conference cost is $189 and includes lunch, breaks, and materials.
Refunds, less a $25 processing fee, will be given if written cancellation is received five business days prior to the conference.
Location
The conference will be held at UNH Manchester, 400 Commercial St. For information about parking, click here. For more info about the location call (603) 641-4350.
For More Information about the Conference
Call (603) 862-4234
For Information about Registration
Call (603) 862-2015
