KAIRS - Kansas Association of Independent and Religious Schools

The KAIRS Annual 2024 Administrators Conference registration is now live on the kairs.org website!

Please note the deadline for this conference will be February 2, 2024. The Conference will be February 12-13, 2024 and held at the Ramada by Wyndham located at 420 SE 6th Street, Topeka, KS 66607.

When completing this registration form, please make sure to list every attendees dietary restrictions to better help the catering process!

https://form.jotform.com/233374643080151

The KAIRS Annual 2024 Administrators Conference registration is now live on the kairs.org website! Please note the deadline for this conference will be February 2, 2024. The Conference will be February 12-13, 2024 and held at the Ramada by Wyndham located at 420 SE 6th Street, Topeka, KS 66607. When completing this registration form, please make sure to list every attendees dietary restrictions to better help the catering process! https://form.jotform.com/233374643080151 #kansas #kansasschools #KAIRS #educators #kansasteachers #topeka #education

REGISTER AT KAIRS.ORG HERE! ONLY $35 FOR BOTH DAYS! (ADDITIONAL $85 FOR ONE CREDIT HOUR: YOU MUST ALSO REGISTER THROUGH FRIENDS UNIVERSITY HERE). ALL EDUCATORS ARE WELCOME! SHARE WITH YOUR TEACHER FRIENDS!

ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTED SPEAKERS INCLUDE:

DR. DANIEL BERGMAN:

Daniel J. Bergman, Ph.D., is a Professor and Program Chair of Science Education at Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas. He previously taught middle and high school science in Nebraska and Iowa, and currently works with students and teachers from kindergarten to graduate school and every grade in between. His book, “Teaching is for Superheroes!” (Now Available!), provides classroom inspiration and educational insights from popular superhero stories and themes.

BATMAN AND ROBIN GO TO SCHOOL: LEARNING WITH CLASSROOM “SIDEKICKS” AND MENTORS (FOR MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATORS)

Do you have a teaching sidekick? Or any pedagogy partners? What about a mentor in classroom management? With insight and inspiration from the original “Dynamic Duo” – Batman and Robin – we’ll examine strategies and tools for working with various teaching colleagues, mentors, mentees, and more! Come and “geek out” over your favorite superhero squads and sidekicks, then apply their examples to your classroom!

REGISTER AT KAIRS.ORG HERE! ONLY $35 FOR BOTH DAYS!!

(ADDITIONAL $85 FOR ONE CREDIT HOUR: YOU MUST ALSO REGISTER THROUGH FRIENDS UNIVERSITY HERE). ALL EDUCATORS ARE WELCOME! SHARE WITH YOUR TEACHER FRIENDS!

FRIDAY, JULY 21- KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

TOUGHNESS VS TALENT

MARK AND NANETTE POTTER:

Mark and Nanette Potter are a “picture perfect” couple. High school sweethearts, married for over 30 years, two children, and four grandchildren. When Mark began a downward spiral into severe depression, the uncertainties and lack of knowledge on the subject sent the family into a desperate search for help. Mark talks about his darkest depression, and Nanette shares her role as a caregiver and what you can do to get help for someone you love. The two of them together, bring the battle of severe depression full circle. Their message will really drive it home for many people.

D2UP.COM is inspired by the Potters' uncommon approach to life and the challenges it presents. Their goal is to challenge people to be "uncommon" as they face today's difficulties. If you want to improve your mental toughness, teamwork and leadership.

KEYNOTE DESCRIPTION:

This keynote shares practical solutions and strategies to get the most out of your talent. These topics will impact business professionals, educators, students, and athletes. Practical ways to increase your mental toughness are given, so you can reach your ultimate potential. We spend countless hours training our bodies to get maximum productivity. Let Coach Potter give you practical strategies to train your brain to also reach your ultimate potential.

REGISTER AT KAIRS.ORG HERE! ONLY $35 FOR BOTH DAYS!!

(ADDITIONAL $85 FOR ONE CREDIT HOUR: YOU MUST ALSO REGISTER THROUGH FRIENDS UNIVERSITY HERE). ALL EDUCATORS ARE WELCOME! SHARE WITH YOUR TEACHER FRIENDS!

THURSDAY, JULY 20TH KEYNOTE SPEAKERS- Lo— TEK
JULIA WATSON

Designer, activist, academic and author, Julia Watson is a leading expert on indigenous nature-based technologies. Her unconventional practice has led to research, writing, and design projects inspired by pilgrimages to indigenous sites, while her formal education led to teaching positions at Harvard, Columbia, RISD, and Rensselaer universities. Julia’s work has been widely published in journals such as the Indigenous Peoples and Climate Technologies Guidebook. In 2019, her award-winning book, Lo-TEK: Design by Radical Indigenism, published by Taschen became a bestseller. Coined by Julia, Lo— TEK has been featured twice in The New York Times, The Guardian, Monocle, and Architectural Digest and many more publications. Julia is a Long Now Speaker, has a TED talk, and has spoken on NPR public radio. Her studio work involves landscape architecture, urban design, writing, public speaking, and futures consulting for sustainability & innovation sectors. www.juliawatson.com

MELISSA HUNTER GURNEY- is an educator, writer and environmental steward. She has spent twenty years leading, developing and researching the vast scope of educational intellect across states and countries. Her experiences illuminate the inextricable connection between education, art, and nature. Thus, she is the co-founder of GAMBA Forest, a community art space and one-room schoolhouse in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The Omni Institute, a progressive educational platform that encourages exploration of the wilds—internally and externally and Black Land Ownership, a grassroots organization put in place to combat systemic oppression around property in the Americas. www.melissahuntergurney.com

KEYNOTE DESCRIPTION:

Lo—TEK: Design by Radical Indigenism, a best selling book written by designer Julia Watson, explores millennia old indigenous innovations on how to live with nature. It is an alternative but parallel story on technological evolution that is inclusive, sustainable and based in nature. Julia, a landscape architect, activist, academic and author, has collaborated with Melissa Hunter Gurney, an educational leader, writer and designer for the past twenty years and more recently a conservationist and land-based learning advocate, to develop this project.

We are excited to announce the next chapter in this Lo—TEK story: in May of 2023, we will be rolling out the first phase of a progressive Lo—TEK Curriculum — an interdisciplinary, phenomena based research exploration that integrates land based learning and traditional ecological knowledge to high school students.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT [email protected], KAIRS SUMMER K-12 TEACHING CONFERENCE COORDINATOR.

This year’s Annual K-12 Teachers Conference will focus on STEM— its history and evolution, hands-on activities that can be used to share it, how to introduce students to possible STEM careers, as well as opening yourself to new perspectives and ways to use new technology in the classroom. STEM is critical to your students’ futures. Plan now to attend this “out of this world” two-day conference at the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson so you can help
guide your students to a better understanding of STEM.

Please register for this event at www. kairs.org!

We can't wait for you to attend this Out of World experience!