Olathe Summer Conference 2025: Full Schedule

You will be able to validate your attendance (Check-In to sessions) using your personal schedule.

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10:00am CDT

Cognitive Climb: Assessing Rigor Without Losing Engagement LIMITED

Wednesday May 28, 2025 10:00am - 11:30am CDT

Rigor isn't about giving more work—it’s about creating meaningful challenges that push students to think deeply and grow. In this session, we’ll break down what academic rigor really means and explore how to evaluate it in everyday classroom practices. You’ll learn how to design and assess tasks that go beyond surface-level learning, align with standards, and keep students engaged. Walk away with tools you can use right away, including ways to adjust assignments for deeper thinking and tips for recognizing rigor in student work. Let’s make challenging learning both doable and rewarding—for you and your students.

Speakers

Kristen Potter

Instructional Coach, Olathe School District

Secondary Instructional Coach

Mindy Roberts

Instructional Coach, Olathe School District

Secondary Instructional Coach

Wednesday May 28, 2025 10:00am - 11:30am CDT
Room 1319

Secondary

Audience Secondary

10:00am CDT

Energy for Education: Nourishing the Now and Feeding the Future LIMITED

Wednesday May 28, 2025 10:00am - 11:30am CDT

Library

Our classrooms are sources of energy, inspiration, curiosity and beckons of belonging. We know what we say and teach matters but how we say and teach it might just matter more. Our calling is larger than content providers or distributors of information. Teachers have the power to ignite hope in a better world. This session seeks to energize the education profession and explore strategies that authentically engage, build a community of belonging and promote relevance in learning. When we all engage and bring energy for our passions, our humanity shines.

Speakers

Taylor Bussinger

8th Grade Social Studies Teacher, Prairie Trail Middle School (Olathe Public Schools)

Taylor Bussinger is a passionate and dynamic teacher who believes true education can never be finished. It is his mission to continuously grow personally and professionally, striving to give his best to the students who enter his classroom. Bussinger is in his tenth-year teaching... Read More →

Wednesday May 28, 2025 10:00am - 11:30am CDT
Library

Secondary

Audience Secondary

12:30pm CDT

Are We Text Rich? LIMITED

Wednesday May 28, 2025 12:30pm - 2:00pm CDT

Room 1319

Today’s students often have difficulty reading complex text independently for any sustained period of time. Participants in this session will learn the importance of students’ need for repeated access to rigorous text throughout the day. Come learn about some of the key research behind complex text for all learners, in all subject areas. Time will be provided for educators to consider their own curriculum and plan for adding complex text to their year.
This session is followed by another session, Exploring Complex Text 1.0+, offered on Thursday at 8:00am.

Speakers

Andrea Eby

Instructional Coach, Olathe Public Schools

Justin Williams

Instructional Coach, Olathe Public Schools

Wednesday May 28, 2025 12:30pm - 2:00pm CDT
Room 1319

Secondary

Audience Secondary

12:30pm CDT

Reading Between the Lines: Cross-Content Annotations and Evidence-Based Inferences LIMITED

Wednesday May 28, 2025 12:30pm - 2:00pm CDT

Room 1221

In this interactive learning session, participants will explore effective strategies for using annotations to unlock deeper understanding across multiple content areas. Through engaging, subject-blending texts — from science articles to historical documents and literary excerpts — learners will practice marking key details, posing questions, and making connections directly in the margins. Building on these annotations, participants will then dive into inferencing, learning to draw insightful conclusions supported by textual evidence.

Speakers

Brittney Butler

8th grade Science Teacher, Mission Trail Middle School

This is my 4th year teaching in Olathe. I am currently teaching 8th grade science at Mission Trail Middle School

Wednesday May 28, 2025 12:30pm - 2:00pm CDT
Room 1221

Secondary

Audience Secondary

12:30pm CDT

Reading in the Content Area LIMITED

Wednesday May 28, 2025 12:30pm - 2:00pm CDT

Room 1309

Let's break down how you can confidently support students in reading to learn and learning to read no matter your content. This session will include a model lesson, working through a litany of strategies you can combine or use as one-off activities. Teachers will create a lesson and notes to refer back to during the up-coming school year.

Speakers

Emily Carrico Ahart

English 9, Reading 9-12, MTSS Reading Lead Interventionist, Olathe West High School

Lead the reading MTSS team from 2021-present, training new members, managing and analyzing data, creating supplemental fluency materials, and communicating with the team, students, families, and the wider school community to develop ownership and investment in the MTSS process at... Read More →

Wednesday May 28, 2025 12:30pm - 2:00pm CDT
Room 1309

Secondary