Executive Function Academy: Middle & High School – Summer Institute 2024

Courses

Credits	Event Type	Dates/Time	Price	Registration
30 hours/PDPs 3 Graduate Credits	Weeklong Graduate Courses	July 8-12, 2024 8:30am - 4:00pm	$900	Registration is unavailable at this time.

There is also an elementary level version of this course path!

Executive function involves managing the complex behaviors necessary to achieve a specific goal. The courses in this academy will focus on various elements of executive function, introducing research and strategies for educators to apply to middle and high school instruction.

To register for the full week, please be sure your cart says that you’re registering for the Executive Function Academy: Middle & High School.

Monday 7/8: Executive Function Skills: Success in the Classroom with Sarah Ward
Tuesday 7/9: Tools for Managing Executive Functioning Needs in the Content Area Class with Pauline Samuelsen
Wednesday 7/10: Reimagining Multimodal Instruction: Using the Language Box to Support Learning with Pauline Samuelsen
Thursday 7/11 – Friday 7/12: Supporting Students’ Holistic Needs: Examining Social-Emotional Learning, Mental Health, Executive Function, and Motivation with Laura Polvinen and Christine Vander Werf

Level

This course is appropriate for educators at the middle and high school levels.

Materials

Materials will be provided on-site.

Graduate Credit

Graduate credit is offered through Fitchburg State University and is included in the course fee. Once you register for graduate credit through Fitchburg, the grad credit portion of the course fee ($295) is non-refundable. Details about the graduate credit including timelines to register and refund policies will be embedded in the “Course Welcome” module of the course.

Additional Course Logistics

Delivery mode: In-person.
Attendance: Live, on the date and time listed in the course information section.

About the Instructors

Sarah Ward, M.S., CCC/SLP

Sarah Ward has over 25 years of experience in the treatment of executive dysfunction. Sarah is an internationally recognized expert on executive function and presents seminars on the programs and strategies she has developed with her Co-Director Kristen Jacobsen. Their 360 Thinking Executive Function Program received the Innovative Promising Practices Award from the National Organization CHADD. She has presented to over 1800 public and private schools and organizations worldwide. In recognition of their global influence in the field of twice-exceptional learning, Sarah and Kristen Jacobsen were the honored recipients of the Nancy Tarshis Legacy Fellowship Award. Further solidifying their status as eminent figures in their field, Sarah and Kristen were named one of the Top 10 Professional Development Providers for 2023 by Education Technology Insights Magazine.

Pauline Samuelsen, M.S.Ed.

At Landmark High School, Pauline teaches science classes and is the assistant department head for science. Pauline has experience teaching science in an inner city charter school in Philadelphia, teaching special education in public schools, and providing special education instructional coaching. Pauline holds a bachelor’s degree from Union College and a master’s degree in special education from Simmons University. Pauline’s professional teaching licensure is in Moderate Disabilities, grades 5-12.

Christine Vander Werf, MSW, LICSW

Christine is a counselor at Landmark High School whose work centers around supporting student management of their major mental health needs, as well as building their self-awareness, independence, and self-advocacy skills. She has particular expertise in working with LGBTQ+ students and facilitates the Genders and Sexualities Alliance (GSA) on campus, as well as serving on the cross campus Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Committee. She’s spent the past decade working with vulnerable populations including those with HIV, children with trauma, and students with anxiety, depression, ADHD, communication disorders and learning disabilities. She holds a Masters in Social Work from Wheelock College and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Providence College.

Laura Sherman Polvinen, MSW, LICSW

Laura is the Director of Counseling at Landmark Elementary-Middle School in Manchester, Massachusetts and has been at Landmark since 2015. A Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, Laura has spent the past 12 years working with children and families with needs ranging from trauma, chronic illness, traumatic brain injury, anxiety, depression, ADHD, and learning disabilities. She also spent 5 years as an adjunct faculty member at Wheelock College teaching in the Graduate Social Work Program. Laura holds a bachelor’s degree in both Psychology and Spanish from Tufts University, and a Master of Social Work degree from Wheelock College.

Course Listing