ZOOM Schedule

Wednesday, September 17, 2025         5:30-7:30 pm CT     registration info. below

 Topic: Education at Risk—Chronic Absenteeism of Teachers and Students

 Event Details

    * When: Wednesday, September 17, 2025 | 7:30 – 8:30 pm ET

    * Where: Online via Zoom (link sent morning of September 17)

    * Registration closes: Tuesday, September 16, 2025 at 9:00 pm ET

    * Register here: https://forms.gle/fCQHFWSRjc5FtdSV9

 We’ll begin with our 15-minute update on federal funding, grants, and the upcoming federal budget—the current deadline (unless extended) is September 30, 2025. Following the update, our discussion will focus on the rising absenteeism of both students and teachers in today’s K–12 schools as well as solutions:

    * Why are absences increasing?

    * What impact is chronic absenteeism having on learning and school communities?

    * What short-term and long-term solutions are possible? 

 Absenteeism is more than a statistic—it’s a critical challenge that demands our attention.  Please come prepared to share examples from your own classrooms or substitute teaching experiences, and to learn from colleagues nationwide.

Possible Guest Speaker

We are inviting a public health expert to share timely updates on:

    * Vaccines and flu/COVID shots for students, families, and educators

    * Emerging health risks that may further impact attendance

 Endorse the VTL Educators’ Pledge

We invite you to join colleagues in endorsing the VTL Educators’ Pledge, a statement of our shared commitment to equity, collaboration, and advocacy. Add your signature here: https://chng.it/zb4Xs7Sj2W

 Hosted by the Virtual Teachers’ Lounge Team 

Karen Gross • Carol Linscott • Sakina MacGruder • Pat Neal • Liz Tarner • Ed Wang

 Learn more: 

http://www.vtl4today.com

Join us. There is no shortage of topics floating to the top of our minds, heart, and health.

Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025       4:30-6:30 pm CT    CEC Chapter 99 Presents Barbara Doyle on Teaching Tips for Autism Parents, retirees, students, paraprofessionals are free.  registration info below

To register send an email to cecchapter99@gmail.com.  Include the date of the meeting(s), your name, email address, address, phone #, and school, (if appropriate). Please indicate if you are a member of CEC, paraprofessional, parent, or student. 

Sat., Sept. 27, 2025        11:30 - 12:45 pm CT  The Bully Needs a Buddy Too:  Using Kindness as an Early Childhood Intervention Strategy with Loverly Sheridan   registration info. below

Dear DKG members and guests, 

You are cordially invited to attend a webinar “The Bully Needs a Buddy Too: Using Kindness as an Early Childhood Intervention Strategy” with Loverly Sheridan. We scheduled the webinar for a time that most members, including our DKG European members, will be able to attend.

Saturday, September 27, 2025    12:30 PM – 1:45 PM ET
Hosted by DKG members: Dr. Elizabeth Tarner (Virginia), Carol Linscott (Washington), Beverley Johns (Illinois)

Register here: https://forms.gle/3uWv7wdKXiB6gu7dA  

 Meet the Speaker: Loverly Sheridan, DKG Florida member 

Award-winning Author • Educator • Global Changemaker • Mental Health Advocate

Loverly Sheridan is a visionary educator, author, and global changemaker whose life’s mission is rooted in spreading kindness, reimagining mental health, and empowering children and adults alike.

 Born and raised in Saint Lucia in a single-parent household of six, Loverly grew up with a dream to see the world beyond her island. That dream took her far— earning her bachelor’s degree in the United States, a master’s in Australia, and later living and teaching in China and Japan. With over 80 countries visited, Loverly has turned her global experiences into lessons of compassion, education, and inclusion.

 Her most impactful work is Buddy Ambassadors, an organisation she founded to promote kindness, empathy, compassion, and inclusion in and out of school.

She creates programs and campaigns to empower both children and adults. One of her most successful campaigns was birthed from her award-winning book, “ Be a Buddy, Not a Bully.” Unlike traditional anti-bullying campaigns that focus on the problem, Buddy Ambassadors shifts attention toward kindness, recognizing and celebrating children who model empathy and positive behavior.

 This fresh approach has been welcomed in schools across the U.S. and the Caribbean, earning her accolades such as Educator of the Year, the International Athena Leadership Award, and recognition from Palm Beach State College with the Martin Luther King Leadership Award.

 Today, Loverly is expanding her platform to champion neurodiversity and mental health, aiming to change the narrative around ADHD, autism, OCD, and other differences.

 She boldly calls her neurodivergence her “superpower” and is working with clinicians and educators to revolutionize how society, schools, and workplaces view and support the neurodivergent brain.

 Her goal: to spark a global movement that normalizes differences, eliminates stigma, promote empathy and kindness, and equips future generations with the tools to thrive in a complex world.

Learn More & Connect

www.loverlysheridan.com

www.buddyambassadors.com

www.takeaminutebench.com

loverlysheridan@icloud.com

Friday, Oct. 3 & Sat. Oct. 4, 2025  Virtual Conference of the Learning Disabilities Association of IL.  Parents and individuals with Learning Disabilities are free.    registration info. below

To register - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1R2OTCCCoNX4siliLHfXxFDY0uXo02PB9hq7fyjgsaxM/edit?ts=68a7cd25

For the Program go to: www.ldaillinois.org

You can also mail your check to: LDA of Illinois, 7120 W. 127th Street, Palos Heights, Illinois 60463-1560

09-13-25 lm