Once again, school districts across Long Island designated Election Day as Superintendent’s Conference Day, a mandatory day of professional development for instructional staff to share new ideas and learn more about emerging education practices and requirements. With regular classes closed for students on Nov. 7, the Port Washington School District conducted more than 20 constructive workshop sessions across curriculum and grade levels.
Workshops covered the revised New York State Science Learning Standards, technology implementation in accordance with the recently implemented New York State math standards, assistive technology, library automation, evaluating reading levels of English language learners, and teaching the advanced student within the regular classroom. Another workshop, “Inspired Teaching: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed and Something Blue,” shared strategies to enliven the classroom and included multiple sessions for the core subject-area teachers.
“The district provides year-round professional development for instructional staff,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kathleen Mooney. “With schools closed for the day, it’s an opportunity for the entire faculty to come together in a collegial setting and learn new strategies for the benefit of our students. Once again, [Assistant Superintendent] Dr. Westervelt and the Staff Development Committee did an outstanding job organizing the day around relevant topics that will enhance teaching and learning.”
