News

“Kindergarten Conversations” will begin the fall seminar series

We invite early childhood teachers to join us for the first Peers seminar of the year. “Kindergarten Conversations” will be an evening program designed to generate discussion about best practices, child development, challenges and highlights of working with young children. The event will be held on November 17 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Dinner and refreshments will be served. There is no cost to register, but please RSVP so that we can prepare for all who wish to attend. If you would like to join us, contact Lauren Goldberg (lgoldberg@belmontday.org/617-484-3078, ext. 233) for more information.

What Makes Great Teachers?

We know that teacher effectiveness is one of the most important factors in each student’s achievement. We invite you to check out WBUR’s week-long series that explores the question “What Makes a Great Teacher”. Visit their website at http://www.wbur.org/2011/05/23/teachers-series. Speaking of great teachers, our third annual Peers Forum Summer Institute is just a month away. We hope you will join us on June 27 and 28 for two days of workshops and experiences centered around “Leadership in a Collaborative Community.”

Announcing the 2011 Summer Educator’s Institute

The Peers Forum for Excellence in Teaching will be offering its third annual Summer Educator’s Institute on June 27 and 28, 2011. The has become a highlight at the beginning of the summer for many teachers.

This year’s theme is “Leadership in a Collaborative Community.” We will be sharing case studies and best practices related to building strong relationships and opportunities for leadership within classrooms, throughout schools, and by extension, into the wider community. Participants will engage in experiential learning, be inspired by dedicated keynote speakers, and build connections with educators from a variety of school settings.

We are fortunate to be able to offer registration to educators from public and charter schools at no cost.

Institute Schedule

Monday, June 27:

Opening Events and Greetings

Keynote Address
International business consultant Partha Bose will speak about leadership from a historic and organizational perspective. Mr. Bose spent many years as a partner in the London and New York offices of McKinsey & Company, Inc. where he served as editor of the McKinsey Quarterly. He was a senior partner in the Cambridge, Massachusetts, headquarters of The Monitor Group. In addition to his expertise in global markets, Mr. Bose is also a writer and a scholar. His acclaimed biography of Alexander the Great is a profile of one of the world’s most famous historic figures.

Day 1: Schools Build Teacher Leaders

Session Topics and Program:

How do leadership and collaboration co-exist? Building on the traits described in the keynote address, the morning session will focus on the necessary attributes for leadership in educational communities. We will identify a variety of opportunities for leadership and examine the conditions that allow such opportunities to arise.
How can we support our newest colleagues? Leadership does not always need to occur on a large scale; sometimes it begins with a connection between two people. In this session, a group of teachers will relate their experiences in building one-on-one relationships as a means of helping new colleagues navigate the culture and practices of a school community.

Field Lab

Profile of Leadership
We will visit the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum to investigate the leadership qualities of the 35th President. Our field lab will be followed by a festive meal back at Belmont Day

Day Two: Schools Build Community Leaders

Session Topics and Program:

How do we model and nurture leadership in our students? Student leadership can take many forms within and outside the classroom. From service projects to curricular initiatives, from individual efforts to peer mentoring, we can support learners in becoming mindful stewards of their school and the larger world.
How Do We Create Leadership Opportunities Through Service? By defining our schools as micro-communities that are firmly connected to larger social and cultural networks, we can establish important connections and opportunities for civic responsibility beyond the boundaries of our campuses.

Participants’ Stories
Returning Peers Forum members will present their own case studies of collaboration and leadership building.

Content Area Discussions
Participants will meet in small groups to continue the conversations from previous sessions.

Analysis and Reflection
Our final discussion will encourage participants to identify ideas or experiences that they want to incorporate into their own teaching, or bring back to their own school communities.

For more information, or to register for the Institute, contact Peers Coordinator Lauren Goldberg: lgoldberg@belmontday.org, or 617-484-3078, ext. 233.

Spring Seminar Series 1: February 9

We invite all of our Peers and interested educators to join us for the first seminar in our spring series. The registration fee will be waived for our colleagues from public and charter schools. Please contact Lauren Goldberg for information about timing and location of this event.

Our first forum of the new year will address a challenging and complex topic:

Who is “at risk” in the American educational system? What are the unique risks that children face in and out of schools, and what are we doing to mitigate those risks? Efforts to bring about large-scale change in American schools are ongoing. In the past 25 years, federal, state, and local governments have engaged in significant efforts to bring about changes for the 21st century.

Our program features speakers representing a variety of vulnerable populations, who will share their experiences and perspectives.

Aaron Joncas, Director of the METCO Program in the Concord, Massachusetts, public schools. Aaron will discuss the history of Boston’s Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity, an effort that began in the 1960s to expand the racial diversity of suburban schools and to provide expanded educational options for children from Boston. Concord was one of the first communities to participate in METCO. The community has continued to lead diversity efforts for more than 40 years.

Tricia Sullivan, LCSW, and Barbara Thompson, counselors and social workers at the McKinley School in Boston, will present case studies and issues from their work with urban youth who have struggled in traditional classroom settings.

Lindsay Hyde, President and Founder of Strong Women, Strong Girls, will share the history and mission of her organization, which builds mentoring relationships between elementary school girls and female college students. SWSG teaches leadership, social and emotional skills, and builds confidence in young women through a variety of programs and activities.

Fall Seminar: Connecting Development with Curriculum

Our fall seminar series wrapped up with a lively day of conversation with Dr. Christine Price, principal of the Country School in Weston, Massachusetts. The Country School is a public elementary school serving children in Kindergarten through 3rd grade, an ideal environment for Dr. Price, who is an early childhood expert. The format for our forum was an open discussion in which stories and case studies served to illustrate issues of child development with best practices in curriculum and classroom management.
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