Professional Learning

• Foundations of Schoolsite Health Promotion video.
• Powerpoint for Foundations of Schoolsite Health Promotion Video Meeting

2024 Maine School Winter Wellness Summit

Give Roots to Wellness!

Held January 25 and 26 at The Samoset Resort, Rockport, ME

As is tradition, the summit offered sessions that address the Physical-Emotional-Mental-Social-Spiritual and Occupational dimensions of health. We focused on the benefits of experiencing nature and engaging in physical activity to support mental health as well as positively impacting all aspects of one’s health.

Final Program: 2024 Maine School Winter Wellness Summit

OPENING KEYNOTE:  Brian Luke Seaward, Ph.D. is renowned nationally and internationally as an expert in the field of stress management, mind-body-spirit healing, and health promotion.  He is a TEDx speaker, and his wisdom can be found quoted on PBS specials, college lectures, medical seminars, church sermons, boardroom meetings, graduation speeches and beyond.  Brian Luke Seaward is the teacher who inspires us, gives us a new outlook on life, is a mentor, role model, and friend. He is one of those teachers “who touches our hearts and changes so many lives,” one of the unsung heroes of humanity. He’s passionate, witty, humorous, and perhaps most of all, inspiring. Luke’s keynote presentation will teach us about the role nature plays in our health and well-being. He will share strategies for managing stress through nature and expand our understanding of the importance of giving roots to wellness in order to practice self-care and we-care. All participants will benefit from Luke’s a legacy in the field of wellness and health promotion.

FRIDAY MORNING KEYNOTE: Emily Daniels, M.Ed. is the author of The Regulated Classroom©, a framework that enables educators to cultivate conditions for felt safety in the classroom. She developed this framework after spending years as a school counselor working with dysregulated students and staff. Through lived experiences in schools Emily saw that school personnel needed tools and practical strategies to help them apply what they had learned in her workshops. So, she designed a framework that blended sensory tools and practices with people’s self-awareness resulting in The Regulated Classroom©. A colleague shares, “Emily has combined her history as a school counselor, intimate knowledge of our education system, as well as her understanding of the body, nervous system, and Polyvagal Theory to develop training for schools.” In her keynote, Emily will engage the audience in experiential learning so that everyone will leave with tips and tools for regulating themselves and for sharing with family, friends, and colleagues’ home and in the workplace.  LOSING KEYNOTE:  Jana Stanfield, CSP is an inspirational humorist, singer-songwriter, educational, and motivational entertainer! Yes, she is all that and more! She’s shared stages with stars ranging from Kenny Loggins to The Dixie Chicks. She delivers the much-needed gift of learning through laughter and music, encouraging, appreciating, and energizing her audiences with her “music with meaning.” Known as “The Queen of Heavy Mental,” Jana describes her music as “psychotherapy you can dance to,” including songs like, “I’m Not Lost, I’m Exploring,” “Nothin’ I Can Do About It Now,” and “If I Were Brave.” In a world where we’re barraged daily by demands on our human energy…it can be easy to lose our connection to what matters most. Jana will remind us how to best manage our energy reserves, whether it’s by tuning in, tuning out, or tuning up! Jana is a difference-maker who makes a profound impression on her audience. She will send people home with a lighter step, a new-found or renewed purpose, and a song in their hearts.

The goal of the Winter Wellness Summit was to inspire and empower participants, and that it did!  It provided experiences, knowledge, and resources for participants to take care of their personal health, and to be able to create healthier, supportive, and safer school environments. The Summit agenda supports school personnel and students through the promotion of health improvement to enhance well-being and academic achievement.

This year’s agenda included… 

• Educational and Inspirational Keynote Presentations
• Engaging Workshops on Personal Wellness Practices and Positive School Environments 
• Wellness Focused Networking with colleagues          
• Worksite Wellness Program Planning

The 2024 Winter Wellness Summit is a component of the Maine Schoolsite Health Promotion Program, a program of the Maine Department of Education

Wellness Wednesday Community of Practice

2024 Winter Wellness Workshops - Schedule Coming Soon

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