STAFF RESOURCES/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Professional Development Council

The negotiated agreement now allows for movement on the salary schedule based on PDC points.

Baldrige Moments
(Approved by the Board 9-13-04)
USD 308 has embarked on the Baldrige journey of quality continuous improvement. While the actual Baldrige process may seem new, quality and continuous improvement are well known terms to us.

In order to facilitation the awareness of the Baldrige process and those facets of the process that relate to classrooms, we are scheduling a series of what are called Baldrige Moments. Attendance at each of these Moments is totally voluntary.

The meetings will be held on the dates shown below; each meeting will be held in the Administration's Center Curriculum Lab and will not last more than 30 minutes. The meetings will begin at 4 p.m. and end no later than 4:30 p.m. The meetings will be interactive, and handouts will be given to participants. Each of the Baldrige Moments has been approved for salary schedule advancement.

However, the requirement is that PDC points for salary schedule movement must be at either the application or impact level. Each moment merits 0.5 of a point. If a certified employee would attend ALL of the Baldrige Moment workshops, he/she may apply for 3.5 points to be utilized toward advancement on the salary schedule. If you have questions, contact Rick Kraus (extension 867) or Wynona Winn (extension 408).

Date Content
Oct. 13, 2004 Review of the Baldrige process and the reflection of this process at the classroom level and development of a mission statement for the classroom level.
Nov. 10, 2004 Development of class goals aligned with Baldrige.
Dec. 7, 2004 Development of a classroom data center to align with class goals.
Jan. 12, 2005 Tracking whole class data in core curriculum areas: reading, writing, mathematics.
Feb. 9, 2005 Use of student and class action plans aligned with core curriculum.
March 9, 2005 Use of a classroom PDSA for improvement of student learning at the classroom level.
April 13, 2005 Samples and uses of quickchecks to monitor progress; evaluation of the Baldrige Moments process and sharing of ideas that made a difference at the classroom level.
 

PBS TeacherLine Courses
(Approved by the Board 9-13-04)
The Board has approved use of PBS TeacherLine Courses. These courses are worth 25 seat points (knowledge level). Teachers will have to pay the $150 for each course themselves and will not be reimbursed. Courses begin soon.

For more information and to sign up, go to

http://teacherline.pbs.org/teacherline

Professional Rights and Responsibilities
(Approved by the Board 9-27-04)
This workshop will review teacher rights in the workplace as well as the responsibilities teachers share as members of the educational community. The workshop is provided by the Kansas National Education Association.

Time: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Date: Oct. 6 and 7
Place: Administration Center, Curriculum Lab
Registration Fee: $20
 

Classroom Management
(Approved by the Board 9-27-04)
NEA Hutchinson in conjunction with Ark Valley UniServ District will present a training session in classroom management at two different locations.

Tuesday, Sept. 21
5:30 p.m.
All Saints Episcopal Church
Pratt
or
Wednesday, Sept. 29
5:30 p.m.
Curriculum Lab, USD 308 Administration Center
Hutchinson

The workshop explores specific strategies for establishing and enforcing effective rules and routines, helping students contribute to a positive learning environment, polish techniques, foster more productive home/family communications and deal with difficult behavior.

Guest presenter will be Peg Dunlap, KNEA director of instructional advocacy.

 

Character Education
(Approved by the Board 9-27-04)
The theme for Eisenhower Day events in 2004 is "Heroes." As part of the annual celebration of the life and contributions of Dwight D. Eisenhower, there will be a workshop on Saturday, Oct. l16, on the subject of heroes. The goal of the workshop is for teachers and others who work with young people to learn how to incorporate the idea of heroes into their curriculum and conversations in a meaningful and appropriate way.

The workshop will be from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Oct. 16, in the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library in Abilene. For more information on registration, contact the Education Office at (785) 263-4751.

Dennis Denenberg, nationally acclaimed educator and author of 50 American Heroes Every Child Should Know, will present a session titled, "Hooray for Heroes." His message is that children should seek out heroes who are real people, not just in comic books and in the movies. Dr. Denenberg offers an outstanding program to help everyone discover true heroes.

A second session will be led by Charles A. Smith, children development expert and KSU Cooperative Extension Service specialist. He is the author of Raising Courageous Kids. He will show how to encourage the virtue of everyday courage in children by explaining how courage develops in eight stages from birth to adolescence. Dr. Smith provides solid information and practical ideas to help promote courage in each of those stages.

In conjunction with the workshop, participants will explore Dwight D. Eisenhower as a great American hero, especially from the point of view of those who were eyewitnesses to history.

 

Advanced Reader Advisory -- Genres
(Approved by the Board 10-25-04)
History and characteristics of a wide variety of literary genres will be presented, including information about core and classic collections. Participants will learn to appreciate literary genres they normally do not read. This PDC opportunity will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 6 at Emporia State University. Presenter will be Kate Mediatore.
 

Book Clubs
(Approved by the Board 10-25-04)
Program takes a look about book clubs from choosing the books to discussion questions to facilitating meetings to promoting the club. This PDC opportunity will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 4 at Emporia State University. Presenter will be Kate Mediatore.