Theme: "Teaching with Purpose: Equipped by Faith, Guided in Wisdom, Empowered for Excellence"

Verse reference - 2 Timothy 3:16-17

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Conference Host: Martin Luther College, New Ulm, Minnesota

• Conference Evaluation (Link goes live After last sectional)

• Link to clock hours for the full conference is shown after you submit the evaluation form. 

7:45 - 8:20 - Coffee & Water Served at Martin Luther College (WCC Room 162 and Auditorium Entry Area)

7:45 - 8:20 - Registration (Chapel of the Christ)

8:30 - 9:45 - Opening Worship with Communion (Chapel of the Christ) - Offering Designation: MLC Congregational Matching Grant
Live stream  
Worship Folder 

9:45 - 10:00 - Welcoming to the Conference and Announcements 

• Ryan Klatt, Minnesota District Lutheran Teachers' Conference (MNDLTC) Chairman

• Rich Gurgel, Martin Luther College President

10:00 - 10:20 - Break (Coffee & Snacks) Room 162

10:20 - 11:30 - Educational Keynotes:

• ECE - Time for Tots: A Harvest Strategy (Kari Hahm) (Music Center 217)

• All - Classroom Management (Dave Stuart Jr.) (Auditorium) 

  1. 1. Dave Stuart Jr. keynot recording

     2. Link to Dave Stuart Jr. FREE online course for MNDLTC

11:40 - 12:15 - New Business - Reports & Elections (Auditorium)

• Pastor Dennis Klatt, MN District President

• John Meyer, MLC Graduate Studies & Continuing Education

• Nominations Committee - St. John's, Redwood Falls

• Incumbents: Ryan Klatt (District Chairman), Alissa Griebel, Julie Nelson (ECE), Stephen Gurgel (H.S.)

12:15 - 1:15 - Lunch (MLC Cafeteria)

1:15 - 2:15 - Sectional #1 

1. ECE - Time for Tots: A Harvest Strategy - Keynote Follow-Up (Mrs. Kari Hahm) Room 262

2. K-3 - New Books for You and Your Students (Dr. Jon Roux) Room 174

3. ECE - Early Signs of Autism (Dr. Rachel Youngblom) Room 175

4. Gr. 3-12 - Set Fire to the Brain: Strategies for Sparking Deeper ELA Class Discussions (Dr. Susan Decker) Room 266

5. HS - Of course freshmen should take Advanced Placement classes: Rethinking the AP class in the WELS high school setting (James Hahm) Room 168

6. Administrators - Employee Discipline & Discharge (Sam Nelson, Nelson Law, PLLC) Room 260

7. PreK-8 - The Nervous Generation (Dr. Rhoda Wolle) Chapel Lower Level

8. Gr. 6-12 - Practicing Essentialism in Lutheran Schools (Brad Essig and Nate Kallies) Room 187

9. K-8 - Creating Math Moments of Learning (Dr. James Carlovsky) Room 181

10. All - Every Teacher is a Teacher of Reading (Dr. Cindy Whaley) Room 274

11. All - The Basics of Good Ministry Culture (Dr. Jeff Wiechman) Room 285

12. All - Dinosaurs (Dr. Kevin Peil) Room 276

13. K-4 - Art Class Inspirations (Liz Tiedemann) Room 166

14. Gr. 3-12 - AI for Teachers (Kirk Schauland) Old Main 221

15. Gr. 5-8 - Classroom Management = Classroom Stewardship (Dave Stuart Jr.) Room 270

16. All - Renewing the Mind: Spiritual and Emotional Resilience for Christian Educators (Dr. Jenna Londgren) Room 177

2:15 - 2:35 - Break (Snack Break) Room 162

2:35 - 3:35 - Sectional #2

1. ECE/Infant-K - New Books for our Youngest Learners (Dr. Jon Roux) Room 174

2. ECE Directors - Employee Handbooks: Your Best Defense or Your Biggest Liability (Sam Nelson, Nelson Law, PLLC) Room 260

3. ECE/PreK - More Than Movement (P.E) (Melissa Berg)  Room 283

4. ECE - The Power of Storytelling Bible Stories (Professor Kayte Gut) Room 278

5. Gr. 6-12 - Authentic Social Studies Assessments (Professor Peter Baganz) Old Main 221

6. All - The Basics of Good Ministry Culture (Dr. Jeff Wiechman)  Room 285

7. All - Navigating Copyright in the Lutheran Classroom (Adam Mateske)  Room 168

8. K-8 - Building Thinking Math Classrooms (Dr. James Carlovsky) Room 181

9. Gr. 6-12 - Age of the Earth (Dr. Kevin Peil)  Room 276

10. K-12 - Thrive Time - (Dr. Rhoda Wolle) Chapel Lower Level

11. PreK-8 - Movement with a Purpose: Healthy, Active Kids Perform Better (Professor Dan Gawrisch) Room 266

12. All - Renewing the Mind: Spiritual and Emotional Resilience for Christian Educators (Dr. Jenna Londgren)  Room 177

13. HS - Classroom Management = Classroom Stewardship - High School (Dave Stuart Jr.)  Room 270

14. K-8 - Technology Tools to Support Religion Class (Dr. Rachel Renno)  Room 287

15. Gr. 6-12 - Roundtable: Promoting Academic Integrity in the Age of AI (Stephen Gurgel) Room 264

3:35 - 3:45 - Transition Time

3:45 - 4:15 - Business: (Auditorium)

• WELS Lutheran Schools, Curriculum Coordinator Melanie Giddings

• District Schools Coordinator, Dave Gartner; ECE District Coordinator, LaShawn Smith

• Committees: 

  1. Nominations - St. John, Redwood Falls

  2. Auditing - St. John's, Redwing

4:15 - 4:30 - Devotion (Chapel)

EVENING SOCIAL (6-10 p.m.) - Oktoberfest at the Royal Oak!  

• Join us for a Minnesota District Oktoberfest! Held at the Royal Oak Event Center in New Ulm, the evening features a DJ, Oktoberfest-themed games with prizes throughout the event, and great German food!

• 6-7 food lines open, a drink ticket p/p, games and music available throughout the evening (Stein holding contest, Bavarian pretzel toss, Oktoberfest trivia and more!)

8:00 - 8:30 - Coffee & Water Served at Martin Luther College (WCC Room 162 and Auditorium Entry Area)

8:30 - 8:50 - Devotion - (Chapel)

8:50 - 10:00 - Religious Keynote (Auditorium)

•  All - Purpose Plus! (Pastor Dave Rosenau) 

• Keynote recording

10:00 - 10:20 - Break (Coffee & Snacks) Room 162

10:20 - 11:20 - Sectional #3

1. ECE - Creating Academic and Language Rich Sensory Bins (Jess Austin)  Room 181

2. ECE - Red Flags In Sensorimotor Development (Deanna Wanzek)  Room 177

3. ECE Directors - Strengthening Our Network: Expertise Sharing and Collaboration Across The Minnesota District (Jamie Fischer and LaShawn Smith)  Room 266

4. PreK-8 - Using Christian Worship Psalter in PreK-8 Classrooms (Dale Witte, LIMA)  Room 187

5. All - Understanding and Supporting Mental Wellness as a Called Worker (Amanda Gerdts)  Room 166

6. Gr. 3-8 - ELA - The Write Direction: Our IEW Experience in Grades 3–8 (Michael Vlieger)  Room 283

7. Gr. 3-8 - Chapter Books and Picture Books for the Middle & Upper Grades (Dr. Jon Roux)  Room 174

8. K-12 - Elevate Learning: Tech Integration with the SAMR Superpower! (Adam Mateske)  Room 168

9. All - Dinosaurs (Dr. Kevin Peil)  Room 276

10. Gr. 4-8 - Fearfully and Wonderfully Made: Developing Human Hands and Hearts Through Art (Lucas Boehm) Library 021

11. K-8 - Setting All Students up for Success with MTSS (Jill Wolf)  Room 285

12. All - Building the Next Lutheran Theology Curriculum (Melanie Giddings)  Room 264

13. All - Narrative Witnessing (Dr. Mark Paustian)  Room 287

14. All - Tax Smart Retirement Planning (Gabe Smith/Mike Lendt)  Room 260

15. All - Purpose Plus!  Keynote Follow-Up (Pastor David Rosenau)  Room 278

11:30 - 11:45 - Concluding Business (Auditorium) 

• Resolutions (Prairie Lutheran School):

• 2025 Committees: Nominations - St. John - RWF, Resolutions - PLS/GFW, Auditing - St. John's - Red Wing 

• • 2025 Offering: MLC Congregational Matching Grant, Student Assistance 

  • 2025 Appreciation: 

  • Future Conferences: 2026 — Oct. 15-16; 2027 — Oct. 21-22

• 2026 Committees: Nominations - St. James, Resolutions - Rochester, Auditing - St. Croix Middle School

• Conference Evaluation (Link goes live after last sectional) - Link to clock hours for the full conference is shown after you submit the evaluation form.

11:45 - 12:00 - Closing Devotion (Chapel)

12:00 - 12:30 pm - Lunch for Licensure Attendees (MLC Cafeteria)

12:30 - 2:30 pm - Licensure Class 1 - Cultural Competency including American Indian History (2 hours) - Dr. Cindy Whaley Room 175

2:45 - 4:45 pm - Licensure Class 2 - Key Warning Signs of Mental Illness and Suicide Prevention (2 hours) - Dr. Rachel Youngblom  Room 166