Stronger Connections Webinars

Upcoming Topic: The Heart of Learning: Shifting Engagement Practices for Middle School Success

December 11, 2025 |3:30-4:30 PM Pacific

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Join us as we explore what authentic engagement looks, sounds, and feels like in middle school classrooms. Drawing from both research and classroom experience, a panel of middle school educators will highlight how teachers help students connect to the “why” behind learning, find voice and choice in the classroom, and build strong communities of belonging. Presenters will share strategies for re-engaging students who have faced challenges and address practices for sustaining adult well-being in the process.

Participants will come away with practical, replicable approaches to foster purpose, agency, and connection among middle school learners, along with inspiration from teachers who make engagement come alive every day.

Moderator:

Timothy Ojetunde is a Program Associate at WestEd who supports local, county, and state education agencies in improving educational outcomes for all.  Timothy’s expertise is grounded in school culture and climate, data, restorative practices, social-emotional learning (SEL), and trauma-informed practices. Timothy holds over a decade of knowledge and experience across multiple spaces and communities, through his previous roles as a teacher, advisory and school culture specialist, school administrator, and consultant.

Panelists:

Anaité Letona was a 2023-2024 Teach Plus California Policy Fellow and currently works in Special Education as a Program Specialist. She has worked in middle school resource programs and provided intensive reading instruction for students with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) at Harvest Park Middle School in Pleasanton, California and also spent 9 years working at the elementary level in a self-contained special day class. Anaité focuses on helping students who have IEPs be seen in their classroom content and pedagogy, advocates for and supports inclusive spaces for all learners, and teaches reading foundational skills to build student access to their academic journey.

Jamey Olney is a committed and dedicated teacher. Her teaching assignment includes serving as an ELA and ELD Teacher at Norman N. Glick Middle School, where she is a passionate supporter of the academic, emotional, and social needs of the students and families she works with. Jamey works collaboratively with a team of educators, students, and community leaders in order to build capacity and enhance the lives of students and families within the communities of East Modesto and Empire.

Thomas Courtney is a 25-year teacher, former San Diego Unified School District Teacher of the Year, and San Diego State University Guide Teacher of the Year. He currently teaches sixth grade humanities, English language arts, and English language development at Millennial Tech Middle School, a public Title 1 school in southeast San Diego.

 

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