Presenter: Judi Kubena

In this session, students and parents will be introduced to strategies that will help students to increase their scores on the ACT and SAT exams. Information will be given to help a student decide which test is right for them. Learning to prepare for these tests will boost a student’s confidence and test success!

Presenter: Dr. Sunday Johnson

Bullying 101 is a powerful session designed for students K-5th grade and parents to discuss the definition of bullying, the importance of bullying prevention and learn how to create a world without bullying.

Presenter: Michelle McCain

Cyberbullying is bullying through electronic means. American teens make frequent use of the Internet for such activities as communicating with friends, finding information for school assignments, and downloading music. The number of teens with online profiles, including those on social networking sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat are steadily increasing. This session is for teens, parents and educators to discuss the dynamics of how technology is used to hurt, harm or humiliate another individual or group.

Presenter: Dr. Alexander C. Warren

Parents are still the frontline for student success. This workshop will share numerous ways to engage your student and to assist them on their path to academic success.

Presenter: Denise Brooks

Think about what it means to be bullied. When you see someone being hurt, harmed or humiliated, do you think, “I want to help, but what can I do?” Nearly 60% of bullying situations end when a peer intervenes. Join this session and learn how being there, showing kindness and support matters with someone experiencing bullying.

Presenter: Dr. Janice Little

Fast Money Pitch is an interactive learning experience that enhances students’ financial knowledge using the game of baseball. Students will be given an opportunity to learn basic facts about baseball, financial terms, making smart money moves while increasing their team building skills. The objective of this session is to provide hands on learning activities, which focuses on the state and national financial literacy standards. Participants will leave this session pitching financial literacy facts.

Presenter: Dr. Sharon Delesbore

The Family Life and Community Resource Center’s (FLCRC) purpose is to connect students and families to resources, support education and health services for youth through collaboration, partnerships, and training. This session will highlight FLCRC’s 13-year history of educating, energizing and promoting positive change for individuals and families in all sectors of the community.

Presenter: Soweto White

One of the most important decisions you can make is to put your Health and Fitness first. Being healthy and fit can add years to your life. Achieving your wellness goal in 2018 can become a reality created through an effective workout plan that is proactive, purposeful, and centered around healthy eating. Join this session and learn how to be “The Best You” you can be through health and fitness.

Presenter: Aleta Scott

Though we live in one of the richest countries in the world, many Americans today are challenged with financial problems. For many debt is a way of life. Whether saving to send the kids to college or saving for those retirement years, most people are realizing that they are simply not prepared. How does one get prepared? Preparation starts with you being proactive and arming yourself with knowledge to move you from financial insecurity to financial independence. This workshop is engaging and is designed to help you find money to save and provide you the steps to take to manage your debt.

Presenter: Dr. Margaret Patton

Hook them with self-identifying (ID) connections and the rest is easy! Among the many responsibilities of the classroom teacher is the most important one, making sure that each child is learning to his or her full potential. Students are more apt to engage in the thinking process when they can self-identify, connect, and make sense of the purpose of learning. Including student identifying (ID) factors in instruction create authenticity in differentiated lesson design, which lead to genuine and purposeful learning. This session will give educators practical inclusive strategies that guarantee student growth.

Presenter: Dr. Alex Warren

This workshop will share successful social media options used to engage anyone you may meet and thereby gaining their assistance through donor engagement and brand management in order to solve nonprofit budget needs.

Presenter: Jizyah Shorts

Nobody is Looking! This session will focus on building character traits that translates into leadership skills. Participants will engage in hands on activities exploring various character traits. They will also explore how to use those skills in a leadership role. Character counts when someone is watching and nobody is looking!

Presenters: FLCRC Youth Ambassadors

Developing the skills and talents of a leader while giving back to the community will transfer into many unique opportunities for students. Volunteering in your community is a great starting point for building leadership skills. Join the Youth Ambassador Leadership Education (Y.A.L.E.) session and start the gift of giving back to your community.

Presenter: Michelle McCain

Preparing for life after high school involves some major planning and decision-making. Planning today for a future tomorrow will increase your chances of enjoying your life. It’s never too early to start planning for your life after high school and never too late to start planning for the rest of your life.

The College & Career Manual is required for this session. This manual is an instant resource to get you started with your planning for the future. Please purchase beforehand and we will have your manual(s) ready for you at the conference.

→ Purchase $25 Student Edition
→ Purchase $35 Parent Edition

Presenter: Dr. Alex Warren

With the greatest reduction in aid from State and Federal sources, local communities are learning to succeed by building better relationships through business networks.

Presenter: Denise Brooks

Although our goal is to develop lifelong learners, we are sometimes faced with reluctant readers. Let’s discuss ways to engage our learners in reading and the discussion of texts. We’ll consider the importance of choice, as well as ways to make reading a family event.

Presenter: Dr. Rodney Johnson

Schools Partnering with Parents will provide an effective and practical session focused on creating and maintaining positive communication with parents, guardians, and stakeholders in today’s communication driven environments. The goal of this workshop is to help parents develop a common-sense approach to personalize, plan, and provide a purpose to their efforts to advocate on behalf of parents and students as they explore various ways to reach-out to schools in today’s busy social media driven environment.

Presenter: Dr. Gwendolyn Webb-Hasan

This session focuses on identifying the disparities in education, sharing data relevant to the disparity, and exploring ways to address the disparities in the Fort Bend County educational system. Participants can expect to discuss the gaps in discipline referrals, specifically related to in-school suspension and out-of-school suspension. Participants will work collaboratively to explore ways of addressing the disparities and create an action plan to implement.

Presenter: Linda Coleman

Stick and Stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Words are powerful, positive and negative. Word play affects our mind and behavior. The goal of this session is to challenge our belief system by teaching ways to evaluate and place value on “word play”. We will assess the value and worth of a word to determine, which words are kept or discarded in our memory bank. At the end of this session, participants should be able to create strategies to deal with negative words and ways to build a positive mental attitude.

Presenter: Judi Kubena

Many students are told to go home and study, but are never taught how to study. This presentation will introduce students and parents to time management skills, concentration techniques, note-taking skills, memory techniques and test taking strategies. Even students who already experience academic success can learn to study smarter not harder!

Presenter: Soweto White

One in five students are bullied every year. Bullying touches so many lives. It often inspires people who want to make a difference, support the cause, and change something that has happened to too many for too long. Join this session and learn how to utilize physical activities to raise awareness for bully prevention.

Presenters: Dr. Ilene Harper & Dr. Rodney Johnson

The Triple P program is a parenting and family support system designed to provide prevention and interventions for behavioral and emotional problems in children and teenagers. It aims to prevent problems in the family, school and the community before they arise and to create family environments that encourage children to realize their potential. Triple P is delivered to parents of children 0 to 12 years. It is an evidence- based program backed up by more than 30 years of research.

Presenter: Dr. Margaret Patton

Confident learning is directly connected to purposeful reading comprehension. This session will give you short and practical activities that can be done at home with intermediate to high school aged students that will promote self-confidence in learning. Daily practice in real-world reading and reading comprehension lead directly to improvement in students’ academic performance. The by-product of academic improvement is self-confidence, which leads to an increased desire to want to learn.

Presenter: Dr. Sunday Johnson

How to access your child’s school report card, the meaning behind the report card grade, and discuss the four categories that make-up the school report card grade.

Presenters: Dr. Janice Little and Linda Coleman

This session addresses teen relationships and abuse. Participants will identify key traits of healthy and unhealthy relationships. Teen dating violence, the cycle of violence and the effects of teen violence will also be discussed. Participants will identify preventive strategies to avoid unhealthy relationships. Various community resources will also be shared.

Presenters: Vanesia Johnson

Join this session and speak openly about the importance of parents advocating for children receiving special education and Section 504 services in the public school system. Parent Advocacy is being 504, IDEA and ADA informed.

Presenter: Linda Coleman

Twenty percent of all children say they have been bullied. The more informed you are about bullying, the greater your ability to prevent it. This session is designed to educate, empower, and engage students of all ages, parents, and educators with insight to bullying issues.

Denise Brooks’ career as an educator began in 1989 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her dream of becoming an educator became a reality. Mrs. Brooks has served as a teacher, campus instructional, data coach, teacher development specialist, program reading manager, literacy interventionist, and an administrator. She acknowledges having great mentors and collaborators throughout the years. Mrs. Brooks incorporates valuable lessons learned with her experiences to engage her audience. Her passion for teaching and learning is present when training teachers, working with struggling students, or collaborating with colleagues.

Linda Means Coleman is a Licensed Master Social Worker. She has twenty -five years of experience working with children and families in her current position as a school social worker. Ms. Coleman has served on several boards and participated in many community organization projects. Her academic history includes an undergraduate degree from Alabama A&M University and Masters from Prairie View A&M University. Additionally, Ms. Coleman is the founder of the NAACP-Missouri City Branch and currently holds the position of Assistant Secretary. She has dedicated her life to serving leadership, community service and civil rights.

Dr. Sharon Delesbore is an assistant principal at Ferndell Henry Center for Learning, the alternative discipline campus in Fort Bend ISD. Dr. Delesbore is the president of FLCRC and member of the International Center for Leadership in Education. She is a science advocate, leadership coach and professional development consultant.

Youth Ambassador Leadership Education (Y.A.L.E.) is a student-led organization designed to promote countywide leadership opportunities for students to be actively involved with planning and implementing community initiatives. Y.A.L.E. links high school students in grades 9th through 12th throughout Fort Bend County to various activities related to leadership, service learning, and college and career readiness.

Dr. Ilene Harper is the Executive Director of the Family Life and Community Resource Center. Dr. Harper has spent over twenty-five years in the field of education inspiring and motivating students, parents, and educators. She received her Ph.D. in Educational Administration from Texas A&M University, two Masters Degrees and undergraduate degree from Louisiana Tech University. Dr. Harper is a member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, American Educational Research Association, and Pi Lambda Theta National Honor Society. She has lead successful K-12 school district initiatives that resulted in national and state awards. Dr. Harper presented to thousands a series of educational workshops, trainings and seminars. She is the author of the College and Career Preparation Manual, Y.A.L.E. program, and numerous training materials.

Dr. Rodney Johnson is a committed educator who is dedicated to finding and creating proactive solutions for educators. Rodney has served as a math instructor and campus administrator in Richardson, Dallas, and Alief ISDs. After receiving his doctorate from Stephen F. Austin in 2005, Dr. Johnson intensified his philosophy of teaching and learning. Since 2009, Dr. Johnson is continuously engaged with consulting as a nationally certified principal coaching mentor through NAESP and Cognitive Coaching. Dr. Johnson’s proficiency includes executive mentoring, pedagogy, and data interpretation. Working with administrators and educators in Texas and out-of-state, Dr. Johnson is currently an educational specialist and shares his turnaround experiences with large and small school districts alike.

Vanesia Johnson is the founder and chairperson of Citizens Advocating for Social Equity (C.A.S.E.). She is owner of VRJ & Associates, LLC, a group behavioral health practice and consulting firm in Greater Houston. She serves as the President of the Board of Directors for Portal Houston, Inc. and Tri-State Regional Wellness Center, Inc. She graduated Salutatorian and Summa Cum Laude from Mississippi Valley State University where she obtained her Bachelor Degree of Social Work in May 1999. She then attended Tulane University in New Orleans, LA where she obtained her Masters of Social Work in December 2000 with a Concentration in Clinical and Administration. Ms. Johnson has over 16 years of progressive leadership experience in the areas of Corporate Compliance, Performance Improvement, Senior Management, Behavioral Health, Case Management, Clinical Supervision and Community Activism.

Judi Kubena is a retired educator who has been in education for 44 years at high school and college levels. She has prepared students for the ACT and SAT college entrance exams for 33 years. She currently provides private tutoring in most subjects, specializing in math and ACT/SAT preparation.  She also provides direction for student success, at all grade levels, with time management and study skills.

Dr. Janice Little is an optimistic visionary social worker who is passionate about serving children and families. She has extensive experience with Fort Bend Independent School District, Houston Astros, and Legends Hospitality. Dr. Little is the author of The G.O.O.D. (Getting Out Of Debt) Diva’s Journal and The Graduate’s Gift (4 Bases for Success). She is also the founder of Kids’ Money Klub and Kids’ Money Mart, Inc. She serves as a mentor to 3 students and consults with doctoral students to complete their dissertation process.

Dr. Michelle McCain currently teaches English as a Second Language with Alief ISD. She has 10 years of grades 6-12 experience where she has been a MIT English coach, a Texas Association of School Administrator English I & II digital content curator, a campus instructional coach, and a special educational curriculum writer. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Administration of Justice with a minor in Business Administration, a Master’s Degree in Educational Curriculum and an EdD with a Specialization in Educational Leadership and Management.

Dr. Margaret Curette Patton is the owner of Educator Prep!, a consulting firm that specializes in teacher
development. Within her 27 years in public education, she served as a teacher, dean, principal, and
university professor. Dr. Patton’s treasured accomplishments include being selected as Lafayette Parish’s
Teacher of the Year, Lamar CISD’s Secondary Principal of the Year, and developing the first on-line
classroom as the Coordinator for Distance Learning for the Board of Education in Louisiana.  She was
also selected as a Trailblazer of the Year by the Masons, Ever Ready Lodge #506.

Dr. Patton is a member of the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development, life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., and charter member of the Katy-Richmond Area Chapter of The Links, Inc.

Dr. Sunday Price-Johnson has been a secondary school educator for 19 years. She has been a Science Teacher, Instructional Specialist, Assistant Principal, Dean of Instruction, and currently an Associate Principal. She is the founder of The Price Group which provides services in educational consulting, career transition counseling, Teacher coaching, curriculum writing, and educational presentations.

Aleta Scott is a Licensed Financial Professional and Certified Financial Educator CFED^® committed to making a difference in the lives of others. With over 10 years in the financial industry, Aleta has worked with many families to educate them on preparing for those important occurrences in life that impacts their finances. Whether your desire is to give your child the jumpstart he/she deserves to succeed or improve your retirement outlook, Aleta is willing to assist you.

Dr. Alexander C. Warren holds a Doctoral degree in Higher Education and Community College Leadership from The University of Texas – Austin; Executive Director of Project Start Smart Inc., an education nonprofit, as well as, a partner of Texas Tutor Professionals. Alex serves as President of the Spring ISD Foundation and as treasurer of the Spring ISD CTE Advisory Board. He consults on topics related to academic success, and nonprofit development. He credits his community involvement with developing a better understanding of nonprofit management and ways to develop long-term strategies, especially with regard to building successful collaborations and overall organizational success.

Soweto White has been a Certified Personal Trainer for 8 years. She practices her passion for health and fitness through pop-up boot camps, church boot camps and personal training sessions. She graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Accounting from Louisiana Tech University, but learned early on that her professional background and passion didn’t align. She is currently the owner of Be Fit, a mobile fitness center, that seeks to encourage, empower, and equip men, women, and children to love who they are inside and out.