Professional Learning

 


2025 Winter Wellness Summit: Nourishing the Body, Mind, & Soul

January 30 & 31, 2025, at The Samoset Resort, Rockport (Anticipated)

All School Employees & Well-Being Champions Are Invited to Register to Attend the 2025 Maine School Winter Wellness Summit

Register for the Summit  

Cost:   

  • Early registration until January 3rd - $175/person
  • Standard registration after January 3rd - $200/person
  • Late Registration after January 24th - $250/person
  • Morning nourishment, lunch on both days and dinner on Thursday included in the registration

Draft Agenda featuring Motivational and Inspiring Keynote Presenters!! 

Smiling Leslie Bonci cooking veggies in a frying pan            Stephen Sroka Talking on a stage

OPENING KEYNOTE:  Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, CSSD, LDN, FAND is a registered dietitian, board-certified specialist in sports dietetics and is the owner of Active Eating Advice- be fit, fed, fearless- a nutrition consulting company and co-founder of Performance365- a sports nutrition consulting company. She was the sports nutrition consultant for the 2020, 2023 and 2024 Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs. Her company, Performance 365 provides sports nutrition services for universities, industry and professional sports teams. She runs a private nutrition counseling practice specializing in performance nutrition, weight management and body composition optimization, disordered eating and digestive disorders. Leslie’s keynote will be Living Swell - The Why to Try for Your #healthyselfie. She will talk about controlling what we can with our eating and fitness plan with a focus on what to include, what is realistic, what is do-able and what is sustainable. Her messages is that food should not provoke guilt, deprivation nor elimination but rather an enjoyable daily celebration to help us be fit, fed and fearless.

CLOSING KEYNOTE:  Stephen Sroka, Ph.D. is an inspirational presenter who has spoken around the world talking about the importance of relationships in everyone’s lives. Trusted relationships may be the most important variable for effective learning, leading and living. Stephen will share the 4C’s of relationship building: Communication, Collaboration, Cultural Competency and Caring. His presentation is an educational journey, based on research and reality, and designed to pump up your life while having some fun. This motivational keynote is filled with "tips from the trenches" to help keep you, your colleagues, students, and community safe and healthy so they can learn more and live better. It is packed with cutting-edge information, practical strategies and heartfelt stories from life that will nourish your body, mind and soul. Dr. Stephen Sroka has spoken worldwide with The Power of One message, how one person can make a difference. Through life experiences he learned that he needs to talk about how you need The Power of Many, how it takes a team, to make a lasting difference.

The goal of the Winter Wellness Summit is to educate, inspire, and empower participants regarding health promotion and well-being! Participants learn about taking care of one’s personal health, and how to create healthier, more supportive, and safer schools. The Summit agenda supports school personnel and students in the exploration of health promotion and health improvement to enhance well-being and academic achievement.

This year’s program includes… 

  • Educational and Inspirational Keynote Presentations on
  • Healthy, Active Eating and the Power of Relationships,
  • Plenary sessions on The Regulated Classroom and School Wellness Policy
  • Engaging Workshops on Personal Wellness Practices and Positive School Environments
  • Wellness Focused Networking  Worksite Wellness Program Planning

The Summit sessions will address the six dimensions of wellness from the National Wellness Institutes, Physical-Emotional-Mental-Social-Spiritual and Occupational Health. We’ll highlight the benefits of healthy eating including the positive impact on mental health and all aspects of health!

Scholarships are available to support access to the 2025 Winter Wellness Summit. Individuals and/or teams representing their school districts are eligible to apply for scholarships to support participation in the 2025 Winter Wellness Summit to supplement the costs of travel, substitutes, and/or lodging. Details on scholarships and applications are coming soon to the Employee Health Promotion and Wellness website. $150 to $500 for a school district based on number of attendees and distance traveled.

Accommodations are on your own, but we have secured a block of rooms at an excellent rate! Rooms are available at The Samoset Resort for $139 for standard/garden view rooms and $159 for partial ocean view rooms prior to taxes for Single/Double Occupancy. Please note that to be tax-exempt, you must bring documentation. If folks wish to stay Friday and/or Saturday following the Summit for some extra wellness time, The Samoset will honor the conference room rate.

The link to book rooms at The Samoset Resort at the conference rate will open in early January. The rate is not available by calling.

Wellness Wednesday Community of Practice


What is a Community of Practice?
Communities of practice are groups of people who share a common concern or a passion for something they do and want to learn how to do it better as they interact regularly with peers and colleagues.
 
Purpose of the Wellness Wednesday Community of Practice is?

This time is for you! It is an opportunity to connect with state partners and fellow school wellness folks. There will be resource and idea sharing for state and local opportunities.
 
Why should you care?
Topics are based on what folks have asked to discuss and opportunities for open discussion on present needs. This is a safe space; therefore, it is not recorded.
 
The Wellness Planning Committee is facilitating this opportunity for YOU!

Fourth Wednesday of every month from 3:15 - 4:15 p.m.
Join via this Zoom link.

Strengthen Maine logo with trees

Access Wellness Workshops and Individual Work/Life Coaching at https://healthylifeeap.com/Solutions/Strengthen-ME  

Links to organizations and resources are for reference and information only and do not imply Maine Department of Education endorsement.

Contact

Susan Berry   
Health Education & Health Promotion Specialist
Phone: 207-215-1844
Email: susan.berry@maine.gov