Professional Development Committee

Over 350 members submitted feedback on the PK-8 Staff Professional Development Day on November 2. We appreciate and are continuing to review your feedback as we plan for the PK-8 Staff Professional Development Day on May 9. The Wordle below is a collection of words submitted to sum up that day. This tool provides a visual of the staff's overall perception of the day with the most frequently used words in larger print. Below you will find graphs with survey results, charting the staff's experiences on the November 2nd PD day.

Here were the Top Responses to “Please list any session(s) you would recommend to a colleague:”

1. Mindful Resilience and Post Traumatic Growth and Growing Up Mindful, Dr. Christopher Willard

2. The Biology of Burnout and Remedies to Restore Resilience, UMass Medical Child Trauma Training Center (Drs. Forkey and Griffin)

3. Addressing Childhood Trauma in Schools and Promoting Resiliency - UMass Medical Child Trauma Training Center - Dr. Zlatina Kostova

4. Learn How to Administer STAR CBMs with Fidelity - Amy Norton & Elizabeth Simone

5. XL-erate Math Growth with IXL - Matt Haynes

6. Wit’s End: A Teacher’s Guide to Classroom Behavior Management - Lincoln Waterhouse

We have archived available recordings from the November 2nd PK-8 Professional Development Day presentations. They can be viewed by WRSD staff at this link ; per contractual agreements with outside providers, they cannot be shared publicly.

Question 1: Rate your overall experience on the November 2nd PD Day, from 1-5, with 5 being the highest. With 325 responses, the average rating was a 3.4.

Thank you for your submissions! So far we have received requests for some specific content area PD as well as for more professional development on topics such as: mindfulness, executive functioning, whole brain teaching, co-teaching, special education law, racism, equity, and trauma. Keep the ideas rolling in! Do you have an idea that is missing from this list? See below for instructions to submit your own proposal.

As we plan for the May 9th PK-12 District PD Day (which will take place from 8:00 AM - 2:40 PM), the PD Committee wanted to provide you with the opportunity to propose requests for: topics to be offered, a specific presenter, or to be a presenter present yourself (either independently or as part of a group).

Proposal Type 1: Topic Request

A topic request proposal is merely a request that the Professional Development Committee consider identifying a presenter who is able to deliver one or more sessions on a topic you would like to explore further. Topic requests should be as specific as possible. For example, ‘Science content’ does not provide enough guidance. A more specific request might be, “Using technology to support student learning in middle school earth science’.

Proposal Type 2: Presenter Request

A presenter request proposal is a request for a specific presenter on a specific topic. Perhaps you have participated in an opportunity with a particularly engaging presenter, or have heard of an organization or presenter you would like to see. To make a Presenter Request, please include all the necessary information, such as a name of the presenter, the organization they work for, the topic or title of presentation, a website, and any contact information.

Proposal Type 3: Request to Facilitate

If you have ever wanted to deliver a workshop for your colleagues, this is your opportunity to share your expertise! You can present solo or with a partner/team. You can present for one, two, or all three of the day’s two-hour sessions. Facilitators receive double the number of PDPs that participants receive.

Submit your proposal via this google form prior to December 31st, 2021!