Professional Community In-Service Day Devoted to Division- and Department-Specific Activities

St. Margaret’s professional community was hard at work during its in-service day last Friday, as divisions and academic departments met for meaningful conversations, professional development, curriculum planning and other activities to enhance classroom learning.

 

“Professional community in-service days are invaluable opportunities for reflection, growth, collaboration and planning,” said Assistant Head of School for Strategic Initiatives Ryan Dahlem, who leads the school’s professional development program. “This day was designed to meet the specific needs of divisions and academic departments, and it was exciting to see professional community members highly engaged in a variety of areas that impact the student experience.”

 

Here’s a look at some of the activities that took place in each division:

 

Early Childhood School faculty spent the day engaged in conversation and activities with Sonia Yoshizawa, the school’s constructivist-in-residence who spent a full week at St. Margaret’s.

 

Ms. Yoshizawa led discussions focused on physical knowledge activities, the development of creativity and how teachers question children to promote thinking and enhance learning.

 

You can read more about Ms. Yoshizawa’s weeklong visit to St. Margaret’s by clicking here.

 

The Lower School in-service day focused on social studies, diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as the United Nations Sustainable goals, which the Lower School uses as guideposts for meaningful project-based learning. Classroom teachers and co-teachers continued their collaboration with James Harris, Upper School assistant principal and history department chair, to build on these topics.  

 

“Over the past two years, we have been updating our social studies instruction and curriculum to ensure multiple viewpoints are represented,” Lower School Principal Jennifer Blount said. “(Director of Equity and Inclusion) Victor Cota also met with grade levels to help in this work.”

 

Middle School teachers spent the day reflecting on their teaching as it relates to the book Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain, which the division is reading together.

 

“Teachers selected one topic from four focal points—awareness, learning partnerships, information processing/building intellective capacity, and community building—which either interested them the most or was something they wanted to develop as a teacher,” Middle School assistant principal Mike Allison said.

 

In the groups, teachers read from the book and discussed its importance to building relationships with Middle School students so that they all feel valued and appreciated. “Each teacher then developed goals that they will focus on throughout the year in their interactions with their students,” Mr. Allison said.

 

A variety of activities took the Upper School professional community in many different directions on Friday.

 

The day started with a division meeting, where topics ranging from Homecoming, Innovation Block, service learning and innovation strategy were discussed. Later in the day, each department met and discussed curriculum planning, gradebook reviews and grading practices. The Upper School professional community also had time set aside for finishing college recommendation letters, as Oct. 1 is an important deadline for early applications.

 

“We dedicated our in-service to the details and smooth implementation of program and processes all across the division,” Upper School Principal Jeneen Graham said. “There are so many exciting things happening in the Upper School and it was wonderful to have a day to work with the adults on campus in preparation for successful programming.”

 

The next Professional Community In-Service Day is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 26 and will focus on school-wide strategic initiatives.