07h30 – 08h15
Arrival & Registration: Tea and Coffee
08h15 – 08h30
Opening words
- Speaker: Karen Archer
08h30 – 09h30
Keynote Address : Burnout, Barriers and Brokering Hope
Teachers increasingly feel unable to do the work they were trained to do: teach. This is not individual failure but the result of systemic pressures- administrative overload, expanding expectations, digital distraction, fractured school–home partnerships and inclusion without adequate support. The result is burnout: deep exhaustion caused by sustained commitment within unsustainable systems.
Yet teachers remain brokers of hope, nurturing growth, possibility and change. Hope acknowledges both purpose and fatigue, and is strengthened through strong parent–school partnerships, shared responsibility, and collaborative problem solving. The solution is not to blame teachers but to remove the barriers that prevent them from teaching. With respect, structural support, time and genuine partnership with families, teachers can continue to broker hope for the next generation.
- Speaker: Alison Scott
09h30 – 10h40
Regulate the Regulator: Sensory Strategies for Optimal Teaching and Learning
When the learner in your classroom or client in your therapy sessions is mid-meltdown, the most powerful tool in the room isn’t a clever discipline technique – its your own nervous system. We often demand that children self regulate; however, this always begins with coregulation. Let’s look at our own sensory and nervous systems and devise our own regulation plans so that we can be the educators and therapists we woke up this morning to be.
- Speaker: Tamara Victor
10h40 – 11h10
Tea
11h10 – 12h15
Supporting the Anxious Student
Given that approximately one in seven children and adolescents are affected by mental health conditions, with anxiety being among the most common, this presentation aims to equip educators and allied health professionals with metacognitive tools to support anxious learners. Karen Archer will challenge the common understanding of anxiety, moving beyond the idea that it’s something to be feared or avoided. Instead, she’ll explore how anxiety is a typical human emotion – a signal from the body’s protective system. By reframing anxiety, key adults can be co-regulators and empower children to observe their anxiety without being overwhelmed by it. It isn’t about eliminating anxiety, but about building the confidence and resilience to cope with it effectively.
- Speaker: Karen Archer
12h15 – 13h00
Lunch
13h00 – 14h20
The Cognitive Classroom: An Introduction to the Power of the Mediated Learning Experience
What is intelligence? Is it fixed or can it be developed? Does academic success always lead to achievement in life? Are schools preparing today’s learners to develop metastrategic thinking tools?
This session will dive into two main theories behind cognitive education: Structural Cognitive Modifiability – the conviction that every human being has a propensity to learn, and the Mediated Learning Experience – a high quality modality of interaction serving as the mechanism for facilitating this cognitive transformation. This session will give you a taste of the evidence-based cognitive education programmes, tools and strategies that set up learners for success.
- Speakers: Lauren Davis & Tamara Victor
14h20 – 14h40
Tea
14h40 – 15h45
Navigating Tough Conversations: Building Bridges between Home and School
As educators and health professionals, we are often called to have conversations that are uncomfortable but essential – about student behaviour, wellbeing or progress. How do we approach parents with empathy while maintaining professional boundaries? How do we balance compassion with accountability and ensure that students are active participants in repairing relationships and learning from their actions? This session explores practical frameworks for restorative communication, tools for de-escalation and strategies for fostering trust and shared responsibility between schools, families and students.
- Speakers: Karen Archer & Alison Scott
15h45 – 16h00
Closing Words: The Impact of a Teacher
In this closing session, Jessica will reflect on her journey through school and the learning challenges she encountered along the way. Through a heartfelt and hopeful reflection, Jessica will celebrate the lasting impact that caring, committed educators can have in transforming a child’s confidence, aspirations and future.
- Speaker: Jessica Cassidy