EPS Summer Extravaganza 2026

Attend this session to transition from "guesswork" to mastery-based reading instruction, ensuring every student has the tools to decode accurately. This hands-on session offers a deep dive into the practical application of decodable books as essential scaffolding for emerging readers. During the workshop, participants will learn to promote literacy equity by matching text difficulty to a student's specific phonics journey, effectively removing the frustration of unknown variables. Beyond theory, teachers will actively engage with and take away a toolkit of ready-to-use routines designed for immediate implementation in Tier 1 literacy blocks or small-group instruction.

Get ready for a proactive, inspiring dive into the Strengthening Families™ Protective Factors Framework! In this session, we’ll unpack and get an introduction to all five of the factors that help families thrive: Parental Resilience, Social Connections, Concrete Supports, Parenting Knowledge, and Children’s Social-Emotional Competence. Through practical examples and real-world strategies, participants will learn how everyday interactions can reduce stress, spark connection, and create stronger, more resilient school communities. Come ready to learn, reflect, and leave with simple actions that make a big difference for kids and families!

Learn how to use ChatGPT and Canva together to save time while designing engaging, ready-to-use classroom materials. In this hands-on session, participants will explore how ChatGPT can generate ideas, content, and templates for lessons, interventions, parent communication, social stories, behavior supports, and more. Educators will then use Canva to transform those ideas into polished, visually engaging presentations, instructional materials, and classroom visuals that are both functional and student-friendly.

Participants will also learn how to create personalized visuals and social stories that increase student engagement by connecting directly to student interests, strengths, and needs. These visuals can also feature the student themselves, helping build ownership, connection, and motivation. The session will include strategies for designing both whole-class and individualized supports that students are excited to use, along with simple ways to reuse and adapt templates across settings.

Attendees should bring a device so they can actively practice creating their own visuals and templates during the session. Participants will leave with practical prompts, design ideas, and ready-to-use strategies they can immediately implement in their classrooms.

Get ready for a proactive, inspiring dive into two of the Strengthening Families™ Protective Factors Framework! In this session, we’ll go deeper into two of the five protective factors that help families thrive: “Parental Resilience” and “Concrete Supports in Times of Need”. Through practical examples and real-world strategies, participants will learn how everyday interactions can reduce stress, spark connection, and create stronger, more resilient school communities. Come ready to learn, reflect, and leave with simple actions that make a big difference for kids and families!

Starting a chess club may feel intimidating at first, but it can be much simpler than expected, even for educators who are unsure where to begin or only have a basic understanding of chess. This session will guide participants through the process of creating and sustaining a successful elementary school chess club by covering meeting organization, beginner-friendly lessons, routines, tournaments, and strategies for keeping students engaged. Resources for starting school chess clubs consistently emphasize that you do not need to be a chess expert to successfully run a club and that creating a welcoming environment centered around gameplay and community is what matters most.

This session will also share the experience of starting a chess club at a Title I school site and the overwhelmingly positive feedback received from students, families, staff, and district representatives. Participants will learn how to fund their club through DonorsChoose, including how to create and promote projects to gain community support. Attendees will leave with practical resources, planning ideas, and ready-to-use materials to confidently begin building a chess club at their own school.