WABE 2025 Annual Conference: Full Schedule

1:45pm PDT

Family Engagement: More than Just a Cultural Potluck

Friday May 2, 2025 1:45pm - 2:45pm PDT

Cedar Ballroom (2nd Floor, Olympic Tower)

Family engagement in schools often feels overwhelming and superficial, leading to one-time events without lasting relationships. We advocate for a strengths-based approach, fostering long-term connections through a school-wide philosophy that listens to and builds relationships with families. Participants will share culturally responsive strategies, problem-solve, and leave with actionable strategies.

Speakers

Brittani Brown

MS Resource Teacher, Lake Washington School District

Jessie Rhee

MS Resource Teacher, Lake Washington School District

Kristen Tollefsen

Associate Principal, Rose Hill Middle School/LWSD

Danielle MacDonald

Counselor, Rose Hill Middle School

Friday May 2, 2025 1:45pm - 2:45pm PDT
Cedar Ballroom (2nd Floor, Olympic Tower)

Breakout Session

Audience Teachers, Administrators
Academic Range Secondary (6-12)

3:00pm PDT

GLAD Strategies that “Hang Together” for Secondary Classrooms

Friday May 2, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT

Regency E-G (2nd Floor, Cascade Tower)

Implementing GLADⓇ can be overwhelming for teachers, particularly in secondary. Learn how our district targeted GLADⓇ strategies that “hang together” in professional learning for secondary teachers. Experience how we adapted GLADⓇ for secondary and see examples from classrooms. Discover how secondary teachers learned to embrace and use GLADⓇ in Highline.

Speakers

Rachel Hoff

Central Office Specialist, Highline Public Schools

Rachel is a language learning specialist and OCDE Project GLAD consultant supporting language learning programs, including ELL and dual language, in Highline Public Schools. She is an adjunct instructor at Western Washington University and Seattle University for pre-service and inservice... Read More →

Bethany Plett

School-Based Specialist, Highline Public Schools

Leticia Yellam

Central Office Specialist, Highline Public Schools

Friday May 2, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT
Regency E-G (2nd Floor, Cascade Tower)

Breakout Session

Audience Educators
Academic Range Secondary (6-12)

4:15pm PDT

Co-Teach: Sometimes Messy but Always Takes a Village

Friday May 2, 2025 4:15pm - 5:15pm PDT

Regency A-D, (2nd Floor, Cascade Tower)

Join our session to explore effective co-teaching strategies for ML student inclusion. Experience real-time modeling, discuss big-picture logistics, and collaborate in small groups to address planning and preparation. Administrators, counselors, and teachers must join together to create a supportive village for successful co-teaching.

Speakers

Brittani Brown

MS Resource Teacher, Lake Washington School District

Jessie Rhee

MS Resource Teacher, Lake Washington School District

Kristen Tollefsen

Associate Principal, Rose Hill Middle School/LWSD

Danielle MacDonald

Counselor, Rose Hill Middle School

Friday May 2, 2025 4:15pm - 5:15pm PDT
Regency A-D, (2nd Floor, Cascade Tower)

Breakout Session

Audience Teachers, Administrators
Academic Range Secondary (6-12)

4:15pm PDT

Newcomer Beauty: Embracing students and families from Ukraine and Afghanistan

Friday May 2, 2025 4:15pm - 5:15pm PDT

Evergreen C (1st Floor, Olympic Tower)

This session explores how to effectively support newcomer students and families from Ukraine and Afghanistan within their first three years in the U.S. It begins by addressing the unique backgrounds, migration experiences, and potential trauma these students may have faced, emphasizing the need for culturally responsive and trauma-informed practices. Creating an inclusive school environment is essential, which includes fostering a welcoming culture, ensuring language access services, and providing translated materials. Effective language and academic support strategies, such as scaffolding instruction, using visuals, and implementing structured interactions like GLAD, help facilitate English language development and content learning. Family engagement is also a critical component, as families need guidance in navigating the school system and access to community resources, including mental health services and social support networks. Lastly, the presentation highlights the importance of long-term success by ensuring students’ academic progress, social-emotional well-being, and advocacy for their educational rights and future opportunities. By taking a holistic and asset-based approach, schools can create a supportive and empowering environment for these students and their families.

Speakers

Cecilia Tamayo

Asst. Director Multilingual Education, Puyallup School District

Amy Castillo

Paraeducator, Puyallup School District

Maya Howey

Puyallup School District

Milagros Alarcon Casafranca

Language Access Coordinator, Puyallup School District

I’m Peruvian, married to my husband Andre, and we have our boys in the Dual Language program. I’m passionate about connecting with people and making a positive impact. I work as a Language Access Coordinator for the Puyallup District, where I get to help bridge language gaps and... Read More →

Nataliia Ledchak

Puyallup School District

Bashir Basharee

Puyallup School District

Friday May 2, 2025 4:15pm - 5:15pm PDT
Evergreen C (1st Floor, Olympic Tower)

Breakout Session

Audience Newcomers
Academic Range Secondary (6-12)

11:15am PDT

Translanguaging in Action – Fostering Meta-linguistic Awareness in Secondary Dual Language Classrooms

Saturday May 3, 2025 11:15am - 12:15pm PDT

Evergreen I (1st Floor, Olympic Tower)

Translanguaging in secondary Dual Language classrooms is a controversial topic, due to the traditional practices of language separation. This workshop will share their district’s DL PD plan and implementation for fostering meta-linguistic awareness. Participants will reflect on their own bridging practices and gain practical ideas for translanguaging implementation.

Speakers

Dr. Fenglan Nancy Yi-Cline

Multilingual Education Program Specialist, Kent School District

Fenglan Nancy Yi-Cline, Ed.D. (易凤兰博士), is a first-generation immigrant teacher-educator of color who serves as the Multilingual Education Program Specialist in the Kent School District, Washington, and a teaching associate in the Multilingual Learners Endorsement Program... Read More →

Carolyn Hylander

Dual Language Instructional Coach, Kent School Distirct

Saturday May 3, 2025 11:15am - 12:15pm PDT
Evergreen I (1st Floor, Olympic Tower)

Breakout Session

Audience Dual Language Teachers, Leaders, Coordinators, Administrators
Academic Range Secondary (6-12)