January 15, 2020 Documenting Learning Through Photography Join the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust on March 7 for their professional development session, “Documenting Learning Through Photography.” About Cameras are ubiquitous these days, but how can educators best use them in the classroom? In this workshop, educators will consider how they might use photography to enhance, expand, and document learning for both themselves and their students. Participants will learn about free simple apps for photo editing and how to use visual artifacts in student assessment. Participants are encouraged to bring their own mobile device, however, iPads will be made available for use during the class. This course is designed for K-12 educators. Act 48 and PQAS hours available. Registration To register, visit the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust website. More Information For personal assistance selecting accessible seats or for more information about accessibility for a person with a disability, contact Customer Service at 412.456.6666. To learn more, visit the event webpage.
December 13, 2019 2019-20 Carton 2 Garden Contest Receiving Entries Are you interested in building or enhancing your school garden? Evergreen Packaging and KidsGardening.org are hosting the sixth national Carton 2 Garden Contest! About The Carton 2 Garden Contest is open to public and private schools, with contest winners selected based on their implementation of an innovative garden creation featuring creative, sustainable uses for repurposed milk and juice cartons. Schools can get started by collecting at least 100 empty cartons from homes, the community, or their cafeteria. After gathering the cartons, schools design and construct purposeful garden items and structures using them. For ideas, view last year’s winners. Eligibility & Entry Carton 2 Garden is open to all K-12 public and private schools in the United States. Schools do not need a garden to participate. Pre-k classes located at schools serving additional elementary, middle, and/or high school grade levels may also enter the contest. With this, all entries must document and share their gardening experience through an online entry form and submission of up to 10 photos. To be eligible for the grand prize and specialty prizes, entries must also include a video link (under five minutes) that tells the story of the project in its entirety. View the Entry Form Checklist. Every student that appears in photos or videos must have an accompanying signed parent release form submitted with your entry. The form is also available in Spanish. All entries must be submitted by midnight on Wednesday, April 1, 2020. Click here to access the online entry form. Awards Fifteen entries will be selected to receive award packages for their efforts, including: one grand prize winner who will receive a prize valued at $5,000; four winners, selected for exemplary demonstration in the following specialty areas: Carton Act in the Garden, Environmental Stewardship, Health and Nutrition, and STEM; who will receive a prize valued at $2,000 each; and ten winners (five middle/high schools and five elementary schools) who will receive award packages valued at $1,000 each. More Information To learn more about the Carton 2 Garden Contest, visit the Kids Gardening website.
December 11, 2019 Early Language and Literacy Chats | Winter Sessions Join the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) and Early Intervention Technical Assistance (EITA) this winter to discuss hot topics around early language and literacy development. From January through March 2020, 3o-minute chat sessions will be hosted on the second and fourth Friday at 8:30 a.m and repeated at 1:30 p.m. Participants will gain access to resources to share with families and use in their classrooms and centers. PQAS credit hours and infant/toddler hours available. Available Dates January 10, 2020: Those First Words January 24, 2020: Conversations with Kids February 7, 2020: Books, Books, Books! February 21, 2020: Print is Everywhere March 6, 2020: Sounds All Around! March 20, 2020: Celebrating Dual Language Learners More Information For more information, visit the event Padlet page. *Information provided by the Pennsylvania Key
November 14, 2019 Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) Parent Summit The Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) Parent Summit is a half-day experience that empowers families by offering workshops that will enable them to better support their child and work with schools. Workshop sessions will be offered by school district staff in collaboration with parents and community organizations. Workshop topics have been identified by PPS parents and families and will serve as a support to help their students be successful. Registration Registration is required and space is limited. If child care is needed, please specify during your registration. Child care will be provided. To register and learn more, visit the event webpage.
November 11, 2019 Breaking Bold: Igniting a Love for Learning Join Weston Kieschnick, Senior Fellow at the International Center for Leadership in Education, on November 20 for his webinar, “Breaking Bold: Igniting a Love for Learning.” About More than pedagogical understanding, instructional strategies, or even content knowledge, the number one factor in predicting a child’s academic success is the absence, or presence, of positive teacher-student interactions. Leaders and teachers need a simple framework and process for cultivating a culture centered around high expectations, resilience, and creativity. Attendees will: explore the 12 research-based characteristics for cultivating masterful relationships, gain practical strategies for implementing these in everyday practice, and reflect on current practices and identify simple ways to build positive interactions with more students every day. This edWebinar will be of interest to K-12 teachers and school and district leaders. Time for questions will be provided. Registration To learn more and register, visit the edWeb website.
September 27, 2019 Brilliantly Simple Strategies for Early Learners with Tech Join the Director of Early Learning at Scholastic, Cathy Yount, on October 2 for her webinar, “Brilliantly Simple Strategies for Early Learners with Tech.” About This free webinar will explore how educators can implement brilliantly simple strategies to engage early learners with technology and achieve reading success. Participants will leave with an understanding of: why technology today is better than ever for supporting early learners and building foundational reading skills, how to model appropriate digital behavior and usage, while fostering a love of reading in the 21st century, what to look for when choosing a technology-based literacy solution for prek-2 students, and how to manage digital resources in an early years classroom and what to expect from a successful implementation. This webinar is best suited for prek-3 teachers and school and district leaders. Time for questions will be provided. Register To register and learn more, visit the edWeb website. *Information provided by edWeb
September 20, 2019 EdTech for Students with Autism: Curriculum, IEPs, and Data Join Lauren Stafford and Jessie Brown on September 27 for their webinar exploring education technology for students on the autism spectrum. About This webinar will feature information on how to meet both curriculum needs and IEP goals and objectives for students with autism. Information will include accommodations that support personalized learning and maximizing large group, small group, 1:1, and independent work to ensure all students experience learning growth. Participants will also learn how to automatically collect data to advance student learning quickly and easily while sharing progress across the entire IEP team. This webinar will be of interest to teachers and school and district leaders of all grade levels. Time will be provided for questions. Registration To sign-up, register via the event webpage. More Information To learn more, visit the edWeb website. *Information provided via EdWeb
September 17, 2019 Healthy School Summit 2019 Join Healthy Schools Pennsylvania on Friday, October 25 for their 4th Annual Healthy Schools Summit to learn, collaborate, and commit to creating healthier, greener, and more sustainable learning environments for all children in our region! Morning Sessions Foundations for Student Success: How School Buildings Influence Student Health, Thinking, & Performance Keynote Speaker – Erika Eitland, MPH Program Manager, Schools for Health, Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health What Does it Take to Create a Healthy School? Panel Discussion – Cassandra Brown, RN, Pittsburgh Public Schools; Jake Douglas, Food Services Director, Deer Lakes School District; Christine Schott, Parent and Sustainability Coordinator, Steel Valley School District; Vicki Ammar, Teacher, Pittsburgh Public Schools Celebrating Success through Our Healthy Schools Recognition Program Awards Ceremony and Luncheon Working Lunch: What Makes a Successful School Grant Proposal? Featuring Tracey Reed Armant from the Grable Foundation Afternoon Sessions Teaching Resiliency and Environmental Justice in the Classroom Educator Workshop – Katie Modic, Director of Education Initiatives at Communitopia Creating a Game-Plan for Whole-School Sustainability School Administrator Workshop – Donnan Stoicovy, Head of School, State College Friends School Engaging Parents and Community Partners for Healthy Schools Parent and Partner Workshop – Monté Robinson, Community Schools Coordinator, Pittsburgh Public Schools and LaKeisha Wolf, Executive Director, Ujamaa Collective Registration To register, visit the Eventbrite page. Learn More For questions, email Healthy Schools Coordinator, Kara Rubio, at 412.404.2872 or kara@womenforahealthyenvironment.org.
August 16, 2019 Pre-K Assessments the Right Way (Webinar) Community members are invited to join Keith Kline and Valerie Zaryczny on August 28 for a webinar on formal and informal pre-k assessments. About Pre-k assessments, both formal and informal, are a powerful tool in identifying students’ progress, discovering areas that need attention for remediation, and providing insight into how professionals can adjust their curriculum to meet all student needs. Pre-k assessments enable professionals to assess their children holistically in the areas of writing, language, literacy, and math and offer a way to communicate student progress. This edWebinar will be of interest to pre-k teachers and school leaders. Time for questions will be provided. Learning Objectives This edWebinar will help participants: understand the purpose of informal assessments; maintain student portfolios and information gathering; implement three informal assessments on readiness, writing, literacy, and math; learn observational skills needed to assess students in the classroom; utilize three observation checklists that will help guide assessments; use the collected information to focus on instruction; and effectively communicate with the families and others involved in the child’s education. Registration To register for this webinar, visit the edWeb website.
Assessing & Treating Behavior in Students with Autism (Webinar) Community members are invited to join Nina Finkler, President of Nina Finkler Autism Services, on August 27 for a webinar on assessing and treating behaviors exhibited by students on the autism spectrum. About Students with autism often display challenging behaviors within the classroom environment. It is important to assess these behaviors to determine the function of these behaviors in order to establish an effective treatment plan. This edWebinar will provide attendees with strategies they need to assess behaviors and suggestions for treatment methods. This presentation will be of interest to prek-12 teachers, school and district leaders, therapists, and specialists. Time for questions will be provided. Registration To register for this webinar, visit the edWeb website.
