Lansing USD469 Staff Ring in the New Year with a Professional Development Day
Staff across our district attended various training sessions on the first Professional Development (PD) day of 2022. Below are a few highlights from the day.
In a morning session, fourth through twelfth grade Social Studies teachers were trained by Jim Dillon and Brett Fenton of Greenbush on Inquiry-Based learning (solving problems and answering essential/compelling questions) and how to create and score the new upcoming HGSS (History, Government and Social Studies) State Assessment.
In the afternoon, Kindergarten through fifth-grade teachers were trained by Amy Huizenga of Greenbush on improving structured literacy and small-group instruction for elementary students. Teachers interacted with the core foundations of literacy, learned how to better instruct them to students, and had application time to put it in action.
Also in the afternoon, teachers were trained in self-defense techniques as an extension of the ALICE Training. Our Lansing USD 469 Director of Emergency Preparedness, Kevin McCarley, brought in co-founder and owner of Segasu Family Martial Arts, Shelia Baker, to train the staff in many techniques they could use to protect and defend themselves.
In the Special Education Department, staff learned about Trauma-Informed Learning Support from Lansing USD 469 Psychologist Jake Hanson. Our Director of Special Education, Mary Alice Schroeger, met with our Speech and Language Pathologist Team to update our district Speech and Language standards and unpack KSDE eligibility guidelines.
The staff ended the day ready to welcome students back on January 6, 2022.
- Thank you to Director of Teaching and Learning, Miles Azzeh, for contributing to this article