Faculty/Staff Pursue Summer Professional Development

9/9/2016

By Communications

The summer is a time to relax, but it also provides a chance for faculty and staff members to be stimulated and reinvigorated before the next school year. This summer, several members of the LJCDS team took advantage of professional development opportunities. Read below how conferences, workshops, and even a trip to Cuba and India have all motivated and strengthened the LJCDS team and help fulfill our commitment to inspiring greatness for a better world.

LOWER SCHOOL

Code Studio Workshop, Los Angeles, CA

Lower School Computer Science and Innovation teacher Andrea Flagiello attended a training for Code.org with other eager lower and middle school teachers who were also looking to integrate computer science into their curriculum. Attendees assumed the role of students and practiced online and unplugged lessons and worked together in teams to solve challenges.

International Positive Education Network (IPEN), Dallas, TX

Second grade teachers Julie Mindel, Alisa Ronis and Molly Saenz attended the IPEN conference, which challenges the current paradigm of education and promotes positive education. Proponents of positive education believe that the growth of a student should include the development of character strengths and well-being.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

American Association for Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, Miami, FL

Middle School English teachers Sara Biven and Laura del Moral listened to dozens of speakers from around the U.S., each offering workshops on a variety of topics ranging from practical classroom activities to theoretical presentations on the psychology and philosophy behind language instruction. In addition, several graduate students presented findings from their research in the fields of linguistics and language acquisition.

Amherst College Reunion and Seminars, Amherst, MA

Katey Alexander, learning specialist for the Learning Resource Center, heard from a variety of speakers during the three days of her professional development. Three men who had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease discussed how they handled the diagnosis and how they manage the disease. A surgeon who spent six months in Afghanistan talked about the importance of improvising and working as a team. The speakers allowed attendees to see the world through different perspectives and to connect with their joy, their challenges and their humanity.

Birch Aquarium and Scripps Institute of Oceanography Geochemical Research Workshop, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA

Stephanie Heinrich, Middle School science teacher, attended a workshop created for educators to participate in hands-on learning about the San Andreas Fault and how local scientists are integrating chemistry and earth science to understand our local geology. The goal of the workshop was to learn strategies to implement the Next Generation Science Standards and use authentic scientific data in our classrooms.

California Math and Science Partnership STEM workshop, San Diego County Office of Education, San Diego, CA

Lori Long, Middle School math teacher, and Jeremy Bank, Middle School computer science teacher, attended a weeklong workshop that taught them how to implement 5E lessons and utilize best practices for math and science. The course was taught in conjunction with the Scripps Institute of Oceanography by researchers who work at Scripps and included a tour of the labs at the facility. This is a three year ongoing commitment.

Druk Padma Karpo School (formerly Druk White Lotus School), Ladakh, India

Rob Bethea, Grade 7 and Grade 8 English teacher, traveled to India for a month to explore cultural sights, do some mountaineering in the Himalaya and to study sustainable design and agriculture at the Druk White Lotus School. Located in the northern Indian province of Ladakh and funded by the Dalai Lama, the school has won international awards for its sustainable architecture and dedication to serving students from the nomadic tribes of rural Kashmir.

Institute for Special Education Advocacy (ISEA), Williamsburg, VA

Learning Resource Center Tutor Curtis Davis received training on current developments in educational assessment methods, conflict resolution and parent communication at the ISEA conference. It enriched his work to better understand the learning needs of students with disabilities, including ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia and more.

National Association of Independent Schools Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning Design Lab, Atlanta, GA

Danice VonFeldt, Grade 5 English teacher, Stephanie Young, Grade 6 English teacher and Julia Ruth, Grade 7 and Grade 8 science teacher, spent two intensive days with a cadre of educators dedicated to understanding the needs of diverse students and developing strategies that engage, motivate and improve academic success. They examined the cognitive aspects of teaching and learning, and acquired new strategies to use in the classroom to provide more culturally sensitive and student-driven experiences.

Positive Discipline Conference, San Diego, CA

Elvia Castro, Spanish teacher, learned the core values of positive discipline as a foundation for fostering cooperation, problem-solving skills, and mutual respect in students. The conference also highlighted how these values shape students’ own perceptions and that children do better when they feel better.

Stanley King Institute, Brooks Academy, Andover, MA

Assistant Middle School Head Brooke Laundon spent a week with 40 other private school educators living on a boarding school campus learning how to listen to students and support their social-emotional well-being. She said, “It was the most powerful and transformative workshop I’ve attended as an educator.”

World Leadership School, Cuba

Kristy Johnson, Grade 6 U.S. history teacher and Grade 6 team leader, Indigo Dow, Grade 7 ancient history teacher and Grade 8 U.S. history teacher, Meghan Edwards, Grade 7 and Grade 8 Spanish teacher and Middle School world language department chair, and Richard Nelson, Grade 7 ancient history teacher and Middle School history department chair, spent 10 days in Cuba and enjoyed informative and provocative workshops in global competencies and project based learning. Highlights of their travels include getting to know their homestay families, learning about the Cuban educational system through its dedicated teachers, diving into the Caribbean waters of Playa Giron and the pristine pools of El Nicho, participating in enriching cultural encounters, seeing the sites of Cienfuegos and Old Havana, and connecting with many wonderful local residents.

UPPER SCHOOL

Concordia Language Villages, Bemidji, MN

Mandarin Teacher Amy Chang spent 11 days at a residential program designed for K-12 teachers of critical languages.The participants enhanced their understanding of best practices in teaching language, focusing on immersion methodology and current research on second language acquisition.

Folio Summer Institute, Leesburg, VA

Susan Domanico, Ph.D., Upper School science department chair, biology and robotics teacher, enjoyed learning about Folio, a goal setting and communication tool the Upper School is adopting this year. The institute focused on small group workshops that encouraged reflection and peer support as they were guided through goal setting and leadership coaching.

Law Student Clerkship, Oakland, CA

Curtis Davis, Learning Resource Center tutor, worked as a legal aid under a team of six youth justice attorneys for 10 weeks experiencing a wide variety of legal issues related to children's rights. This experience enhances his LJCDS work by cultivating meaningfulness as an aspiring advocate committed to improving educational opportunities for California children. He improved his communication skills and teaching strategies to help youth navigate complex institutions and cultivate self advocacy skills in vulnerable circumstances.

National Art Education Association School of Art Leaders, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR

Cindy Santos Bravo, Upper School visual arts teacher, was selected for the 2016 class of School of Art Leaders. She kicked off her experience with a weeklong intensive course that used the breadth of the visual, sculptural and architectural collection to connect with leadership in any environment. The course also explored the elements of humanity create spaces of empowerment for all age ranges.

Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL), San Jose, CA

Bill Doerge, Upper School physics teacher, attended a three-day POGIL workshop to learn more about their science educational materials designed to help students construct their own understanding in groups. The workshop emphasized facilitating opportunities for development of process skills (articulating ideas orally and in writing, effective teamwork, self- and group management, critical thinking, problem solving and metacognition).

STAFF

Blackbaud K-12 User Conference, Boston, MA

Carrie Kirtz, systems coordinator, and May Vukotich, website coordinator, learned more about Blackbaud, Inc.—the software system that LJCDS uses for website and database management. The conference provided training for its products, networking opportunities with Blackbaud users, and insight on the direction of the company and the future of its student information system.

Council for Advancement and Support of Education Summer Institute for Communications and Marketing, Boston, MA

Rachel Baxter, digital content producer, attended a conference focused on how communication and marketing plays an important role in advancement. She learned new practical strategies that will improve the way we look at digital media as well as how to deal with the ever changing landscape of social media and how we can integrate it into LJCDS.

Independent School Management (ISM) Advancement Academy, Boston, MA

Assistant Head of School for Enrollment Management and Outreach Inez Odom and Director of Marketing and Communications Tiffany Tran were guided through the work needed to develop an advancement strategic model that encompasses the work of admission, development and communications. With highly practical workshops designed for participants to work with their professional colleagues in real time, the academy gave them the blueprint for best practices. LJCDS is expanding the definition of the advancement model to include the college counseling department as an important component bridging the experience of students as they leave the community for college and reconnect as alumni.

Summer Series by School & Student Services (SSS), Denver, Colorado

Director of Financial Assistance and Enrollment Management Brian Murphy attended the Institute for New Financial Aid Professionals workshop that highlighted the day-to-day management of the financial aid process, familiarity with tax documents, and in-depth overview of the SSS Family Portal and Parents’ Financial Statement. He also attended the Advanced Topics Workshop, which was designed to help schools make better financial aid decisions for families who are self-employed or own a business. The workshop provided Mr. Murphy with the knowledge to more effectively leverage the SSS School Portal to examine tax documents for Sole Proprietorships, Partnerships, and S Corporations, apply best practice techniques through case studies, and make more accurate final award decisions.

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Faculty/Staff Pursue Summer Professional Development

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