Learning Together Conference

Whether you’re sharing picture books with your toddler or coaxing a teenager to sit down and read a chapter, nurturing a genuine love for reading is a journey that evolves with your child. In this engaging, practical session, we’ll explore how to cultivate a rich reading culture at home through every developmental stage.

You’ll discover:

• Pre-K and Elementary: How to transform storytime into an interactive adventure, nurture early literacy skills through play and build joyful daily reading habits.
• Middle and High School: Proven strategies to keep reluctant or busy older readers engaged, navigate the shift from reading together to independent discovery, and honor diverse reading choices (including graphic novels, audiobooks and non-fiction).

Join us to gain fresh tools and actionable insights to inspire a lifelong love of books in your child, no matter their age.  

Presented by:  Julie Paur, literacy coordinator, and Lindsay Schuessler, EdD, K-5 literacy coach

RSVP for The Love of Reading

Our children are growing up in a world where the ability to communicate across cultures, understand different perspectives and engage thoughtfully with people beyond their own community matters more than ever. But becoming a global citizen doesn’t begin with international travel or mastering another language. It begins with curiosity. 

In this session, we’ll explore how families can help children develop the language skills, cultural awareness, curiosity and confidence needed to connect with an increasingly interconnected world.

Topics include:

• Building Curiosity at Home: Simple ways to expose children to languages, cultures, foods, music, stories, traditions, and perspectives beyond their own.
• Language Learning Across the Years: How language learning develops from elementary school through high school and why proficiency grows through meaningful use, not perfection.
• Creating Authentic Experiences: Ways families can turn travel, community events, restaurants, media, friendships, and everyday experiences into opportunities for intercultural learning.
• Encouraging Independence and Risk-Taking: How to help children become comfortable communicating when they don’t know every word, navigating unfamiliar situations, and learning from mistakes.
• Making the Most of School Opportunities: How coursework, cultural experiences, exchanges, travel and programs like the Seal of Biliteracy can help students build toward meaningful language and intercultural proficiency.

Join us to explore practical ways families and schools can work together to raise young people who are curious about the world, confident engaging with others, and prepared to participate thoroughly in a global community

Presented by:  Michael Crowell, EdD, Spanish teacher and world languages and cultures curriculum coordinator

RSVP for Growing Global Citizens:  Raising Curious, Connected Kids from Elementary School to Graduation

Interested in building your awareness and common language around the Profile of a Clayton Learner Competencies and our Tier 1 SEL curriculum? Join us in exploring the skills and character traits our staff are intentionally teaching, practicing and modeling with each other and students across the District. Throughout the session, we will make explicit connections between our own experiences and what students are learning in classrooms.

You’ll learn more about:

• How the six Competencies of a Clayton Learner are being developed and modeled with students at school and how they will transfer to experiences beyond the classroom.
• How we can partner by using shared language and everyday opportunities to reinforce and strengthen these competencies at home and school.

Together, we will explore how these competencies support students not only in their social and emotional development, but also in their ability to learn, solve problems, build relationships, navigate challenges and contribute to their communities.

Presented by:  Mike Siebe, director of student support, and Angela Caracciolo, EdD, director of teaching and learning

RSVP for Living the Profile of a Clayton Learner

Every student deserves to experience school as a place where they feel seen, valued, supported and that they truly belong. Creating that kind of community takes more than a commitment to equity and inclusion-it requires intentional learning, reflection and action across our schools.

In this engaging and informative session, we’ll explore the work happening across the School District of Clayton in support of Goal 1 of our Continuous School Improvement Plan: A Place for Everyone.

Families will get a behind-the-scenes look at how our educators continue to build their knowledge, awareness and practices around equity, inclusion and belonging - and how that work helps shape the experiences we create for students.

Topics include:

• Understanding Our Commitment: What A Place for Everyone means and how equity, inclusion and belonging are embedded within the District’s Continuous School Improvement Plan.
• Building Our Educators’ Capacity: How professional learning helps staff deepen their awareness, strengthen their practices and better respond to the diverse identities and experiences of our students.
• Creating Belonging in Our Schools: How we work to build environments where students feel known, valued, connected and supported.
• Turning Learning into Practice: How our commitment to equity moves beyond ideas and conversations into classroom practices, relationships, programs and student experiences.
• Continuing the Work Together: How we use reflection, student experiences, data and ongoing learning to understand where we are making progress and where we still have opportunities to grow.

Join us for a closer look at how Clayton is working to create A Place for Everyone and how our continued commitment to equity, inclusion and belonging helps us build school communities where every student has the opportunity to thrive.

Presented by:  Carla Ezell, SSD coordinator, and Brittany Willis, equity and inclusion coordinator and PE teacher

RSVP for A Place for Everyone:  Equity and Inclusion in Clayton

The online world is constantly changing, and understanding the risks young people may encounter is an important part of helping keep them safe.

In this session, Master Sergeant Bradley Germann of the Missouri State Highway Patrol will discuss emerging online safety concerns affecting children and teens, including sextortion, cyberbullying and dangerous online groups such as 764.

Topics include:

• How online threats such as sextortion and cyberbullying can begin and escalate
• What parents and caregivers should know about dangerous online groups
• Warning signs that may indicate a young person is being targeted or is struggling with an online situation
• Steps adults can take to help protect children and teens online
• How to respond and where to turn for help if a concern arises

About the Presenter:  Master Sergeant Bradley Germann currently serves as the public information officer for the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control. During his career, he has served as a criminal investigator, a member of the Mid-Missouri Major Case Squad and a member of the Patrol’s Dignitary Protection Unit.

RSVP for Keeping Our Children Safe Online

Anxiety is a normal part of growing up, but knowing how to respond when your child is anxious can be challenging. As children move from elementary school through adolescence, worry and uncertainty can show up in different ways, and the way adults respond can play an important role in helping children build confidence and resilience.

In this session, based on the work of Lynn Lyons, we’ll explore how anxiety works, why well-intentioned responses can sometimes make anxiety stronger and how families can help children develop the skills to navigate worry, uncertainty and uncomfortable feelings.

Topics include:  

• Understanding the Anxiety Cycle: How anxiety works, what keeps it going and how avoidance and reassurance can unintentionally reinforce worry.
• Recognizing Anxiety Across the Years: How anxiety can look different from elementary school through adolescence and what parents can watch for as children grow.
• Responding with Confidence: Practical language and strategies parents can use to stay calm, supportive and consistent when their child is anxious.
• Building Tolerance for Discomfort: How to help children take small steps toward difficult situations rather than avoiding them.
• Creating Skills that Last: Everyday ways families can help children develop flexibility, independence, problem-solving skills and confidence in their ability to handle uncertainty.

Join us to explore practical ways families can respond to anxiety with confidence and clarity, helping children learn that they can experience worry, move through discomfort, and build the skills to handle life’s challenges.

Presented by:  Katie  Burkard, school social worker, and Amy Balsavias, school counselor

RSVP for Supporting Anxious Children with Confidence and Clarity

Transitioning to middle school, entering high school and preparing for life after graduation are exciting milestones. However, they can also bring uncertainty, new social dynamics, new expectations and big emotions. While we often focus on the logistics of these transitions, children and teens also need support navigating the social and emotional changes that come with them.

In this session, we will explore how parents can help their students build the confidence, resilience and coping skills they need to navigate change successfully at every stage.

We will engage with parents, special educators and counselors for: 

• Understanding the Emotional Side of Change: What children and teens may experience during major transitions and why even positive changes can sometimes feel overwhelming.
• Building Confidence and Resilience: Practical ways to help children and teenagers manage uncertainty, cope with setbacks, advocate for themselves and develop confidence in unfamiliar situations.
• Knowing When to Step In: How parents can provide reassurance and support while also giving children opportunities to problem-solve and develop independence.
• Knowing How to Access the Right Supports: How parents can connect with staff when things are not going the way they anticipated or when they just have questions.

Presented by:  Jason Thompson, middle school counselor, and Jenni Todd, high school counselor

RSVP for Transitions are Hard for Everyone

Young people are navigating a changing landscape when it comes to substance use, making it increasingly important for families to understand what students are experiencing, what the data tells us and how adults can respond in informed and supportive ways.
In this session, we’ll explore the latest findings on youth substance use within the School District of Clayton, hear directly from students through themes gathered from youth listening sessions, and examine how families, schools and community partners can work together to support healthy decision-making and reduce risk.

Topics include:  

• Understanding the Data: What current District data tells us about substance use among Clayton students, including key trends and areas of focus.
• Hearing the Student Perspective: What young people are sharing about substance use, peer influence, decision-making and the realities they experience.
• Understanding Prevention and Harm Reduction: How the District and community partners are working to prevent substance use, reduce potential harm and support students.
• Having Conversations that Matter: Practical ways to talk with children and teens about substances in ways that are open, supportive and developmentally appropriate.
• Knowing Where to Turn: School and community resources available to families seeking information, prevention support or additional help.

Join us to better understand what the data, and our students, are telling us, and explore practical ways families, schools and the community can work together to support healthy choices and the well-being of Clayton youth.

Presented by:  Chellie McLellan, behavioral wellness and All In Coalition specialist, Sarah Gietschier-Hartman, Health and PE teacher, and Jill Warner, Health and PE teacher

RSVP for What the Data Tells Us:  Understanding Youth Substance Use in Clayton