Over the past weeks of summer, your friends at Woodland Heights have tried hard to rest, relax, and recharge. However, as life-long learners with an eye to ongoing professional and dedicated to continuous school improvement, WHS educators were very actively engaged in professional development institutes, workshops, conferences, and independent study (i.e., book studies) over the past summer. For our teachers, the learning never stops, and the quest to refine their professional practice is continuous. In our exceptionally dynamic environment, guided by high expectations for teacher performance and student achievement, it can be no other way.
During the summer our teachers and staff have been engaged in graduate courses, conferences and workshops 'out-of-district' which will bring us new insights and practices for certain, but perhaps the most influential experiences have come for our very own professional development opportunities, crafted and facilitated by our district Academic Coordinators for Teaching and Learning (ACTLs). These Laconia School District Summer Institutes are directly tied to our school and district improvement initiatives, as well as national curriculum iniatiatives and the most contemporary, research-based 'Best Practices' for teaching and learning. We are extremely fortunate, as a school district, to be able to afford these professional development opportunities for our teachers, principals, and staff. Our teachers work alongisde their grade level counterparts from Pleasant Street School and Elm Street School, as well as our Laconia Middle and High School. The institutes bring our community of educators together, get us on the same page, establish common high expectations, and create a climate of collaboration and cooperation that could not exist otherwise.
Here is a sampling of professional development activities that our teachers participated in over the Summer of 2013: "Responsive Classroom I", "Common Core State Standards -- Reading and Writing Across the Disciplines", "Laconia School District Reading Non-Negotiable Reading Standards", "Para-Educators: Supporting Reading and Mathematics", "Implementing the Common Core with Understanding by Design", "CCSS, UbD, and Curriculum Mapping in the Laconia School District", and "Supporting Students with Challenging Behaviors".
Yes, your teachers have been busy this summer, preparing to serve you better. Now the fun begins and magic happens. It is time to open Woodland Heights for another spectacular year of teaching, learning, and growing. We look forward to seeing you soon, and partnering with you for the most productive and most enjoyable year at Woodland Heights EVER!
