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Date: 22nd July AM
Presenter: Laurie Barron
Title: Creating a Middle School Culture and Climate Where Kids Belong and Become
Abstract: If you reduce down what’s known about quality middle level education, belonging and becoming rise to the top. Schools must create a place where students feel they belong and are respected and valued and develop places where students can become, where their academic and personal potential is recognised and nurtured. This session will share practical strategies to ensure your school is a place where students can belong and become (based on AMLE Book The Successful Middle School: A Place to Belong and Become).
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Date: 5th August AM
Presenter: Luke McKenna
Title: Building Authentic Student Leadership: A Practical Framework for Whole-School Implementation
Abstract: In this practical and thought-provoking session, educator and leadership specialist Luke McKenna, Director of Unleashing Personal Potential, will share a clear, evidence-informed framework for building authentic student leadership cultures across both primary and secondary school settings.
Drawing on years of experience working alongside school leadership teams across Australia, Luke will unpack a practical 10-step process that helps schools move beyond tokenistic approaches and toward leadership programs that are meaningful, sustainable, and deeply embedded in school culture.
Participants will explore how to:
create leadership pathways for all students, not just those in formal roles
strengthen nomination and selection processes
build leadership capability before and after appointments
clarify student leadership expectations and responsibilities
develop student voice, service, and contribution across the school community
create ongoing mentoring, coaching, and reflection opportunities for young leaders
Through practical examples, school-based case studies, and interactive discussion, attendees will leave with clear ideas, tools, and strategies they can immediately apply within their own context.
This session is ideal for principals, deputy principals, student leadership coordinators, wellbeing leaders, and educators seeking to create a leadership development process that helps students — and that schools can proudly stand behind.
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Date: 26th August PM Presenter: Dr Tom Nehmy
Title: Prevention of Mental Ill-Health in Middle Years Students: Fads, fashions, and facts – what does the evidence say?
Abstract: Middle years educators play an enormously important role in the psychological development of young people. In particular, school-based interventions have the potential to impact the lifelong trajectory of an individual's mental health. Yet, despite unprecedented investment in school wellbeing, prevalence rates of anxiety, depression and eating disorders have not declined. This presentation will outline recent developments in the area of student wellbeing as it pertains to the onset of psychological problems, with a critical review of what is currently being done in schools around Australia. Participants will leave with a clear awareness of the state of the scientific evidence for various interventions, insights from recent research into adolescent development, as well as practical and theoretical knowledge that can help schools succeed. This clear-eyed and hopeful message will conclude with a useful list of priority areas that can be applied.
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Date: 9th September PM
Presenter: Amanda Bourgeois
Title: The Adolescent Dip
Abstract: The middle years are often described as some of the most challenging — for both students and those who teach them. During this time, many educators observe a noticeable shift in engagement, motivation, and wellbeing, what we refer to as the Adolescent Dip.
This dip reflects a period of rapid change — emotionally, socially, and cognitively — underpinned by ongoing brain development. The systems that support planning, self‑regulation, and independent learning are still developing, even as expectations for independence and performance increase. This often creates a developmental mismatch between what we expect of our students and what they have been explicitly taught or learned.
This session is grounded in the Science of Learning, drawing on insights from neuroscience, psychology, and education to explore how educators can better support young people during this stage. We’ll begin by unpacking what we know about the adolescent dip, before moving into practical, evidence-informed strategies to better support our learners.
The goal is to focus on how we can refine and strengthen what teachers are already doing, using evidence to ensure our practice aligns with how young people learn and develop — especially during adolescence.
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Pass to all 6 Webinar events in the 2026 Series
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Pass to all 6 Webinar events in the 2026 Series
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Date: 22nd July AM
Presenter: Laurie Barron
Title: Creating a Middle School Culture and Climate Where Kids Belong and Become
Abstract: If you reduce down what’s known about quality middle level education, belonging and becoming rise to the top. Schools must create a place where students feel they belong and are respected and valued and develop places where students can become, where their academic and personal potential is recognized and nurtured. This session will share practical strategies to ensure your school is a place where students can belong and become (based on AMLE Book The Successful Middle School: A Place to Belong and Become).
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Date: 5th August AM
Presenter: Luke McKenna
Title: Building Authentic Student Leadership: A Practical Framework for Whole-School Implementation
Abstract: In this practical and thought-provoking session, educator and leadership specialist Luke McKenna, Director of Unleashing Personal Potential, will share a clear, evidence-informed framework for building authentic student leadership cultures across both primary and secondary school settings.
Drawing on years of experience working alongside school leadership teams across Australia, Luke will unpack a practical 10-step process that helps schools move beyond tokenistic approaches and toward leadership programs that are meaningful, sustainable, and deeply embedded in school culture.
Participants will explore how to:
create leadership pathways for all students, not just those in formal roles
strengthen nomination and selection processes
build leadership capability before and after appointments
clarify student leadership expectations and responsibilities
develop student voice, service, and contribution across the school community
create ongoing mentoring, coaching, and reflection opportunities for young leaders
Through practical examples, school-based case studies, and interactive discussion, attendees will leave with clear ideas, tools, and strategies they can immediately apply within their own context.
This session is ideal for principals, deputy principals, student leadership coordinators, wellbeing leaders, and educators seeking to create a leadership development process that helps students — and that schools can proudly stand behind.
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Date: 26th August PM Presenter: Dr Tom Nehmy
Title: Prevention of Mental Ill-Health in Middle Years Students: Fads, fashions, and facts – what does the evidence say?
Abstract: Middle years educators play an enormously important role in the psychological development of young people. In particular, school-based interventions have the potential to impact the lifelong trajectory of an individual's mental health. Yet, despite unprecedented investment in school wellbeing, prevalence rates of anxiety, depression and eating disorders have not declined. This presentation will outline recent developments in the area of student wellbeing as it pertains to the onset of psychological problems, with a critical review of what is currently being done in schools around Australia. Participants will leave with a clear awareness of the state of the scientific evidence for various interventions, insights from recent research into adolescent development, as well as practical and theoretical knowledge that can help schools succeed. This clear-eyed and hopeful message will conclude with a useful list of priority areas that can be applied.
-
Date: 9th September PM
Abstract: The middle years are often described as some of the most challenging — for both students and those who teach them. During this time, many educators observe a noticeable shift in engagement, motivation, and wellbeing, what we refer to as the Adolescent Dip.
This dip reflects a period of rapid change — emotionally, socially, and cognitively — underpinned by ongoing brain development. The systems that support planning, self‑regulation, and independent learning are still developing, even as expectations for independence and performance increase. This often creates a developmental mismatch between what we expect of our students and what they have been explicitly taught or learned.
This session is grounded in the Science of Learning, drawing on insights from neuroscience, psychology, and education to explore how educators can better support young people during this stage. We’ll begin by unpacking what we know about the adolescent dip, before moving into practical, evidence-informed strategies to better support our learners.
The goal is to focus on how we can refine and strengthen what teachers are already doing, using evidence to ensure our practice aligns with how young people learn and develop — especially during adolescence.
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