August 31, 2021 PD Day
The August 31, 2021 PD Day Schedule will run from 8:00-2:30. Learning outcomes for the day include: reconnecting with one another, rebuilding after a challenging year, and reimagining future possibilities for our students. The format of our sessions will be a mixture of virtual offerings and in-person offerings. The professional learning activities will be provided for all teachers and staff on this date. Most of the PD is virtual (as noted by links), but some of the departmental or school-based meetings will be in person. We expect staff to be in person in your respective schools, so ongoing collaboration/conversations can take place related to the PD sessions.
Due to the sessions taking place in a hybrid fashion, lunch will be on your own for this PD day. We will be using Teachpoint PD Tracker (District ID: mursd) to sign-up for the sessions and for distribution of PDPs. Please follow the Teachpoint PD Tracker guidelines and register in advance for the sessions and then sign-into the sessions on the date.
The code for signing in is: 8/31/21
Frequently asked question: Do we watch the keynote and other workshop sessions from Nipmuc or from our individual locations?
Answer: You watch it from your individual buildings.
Schedule
8:00-9:00 Introductory Keynote
9:00-11:30 AM Sessions
11:30-12:00 Lunch
12:00-2:30 PM Sessions
Sign-Ups
Sign-ups for PDPs will be in Teachpoint by Monday, August 30th. Be sure to register in ADVANCE of the sessions and then sign in DURING the session block for PDPs.
Virtual and In-Person
The majority of our sessions will be provided virtually as many of our keynote and workshop presenters are from different parts of the United States as well as other countries. We will be asking that everyone comes in person to the schools for the PD and take advantage of the opportunity to do some of the sessions as a group as well when that makes sense for you, particularly the content sessions. Some of the sessions will be in-person, for example we have a few vertical departmental meetings taking place.
Professional Development Strands
As we have in the past, we will continue to identify core professional learning strands for the year.
1. Understanding our Students. To better support, engage, and empower our learners, we need to understand them. As we reconnect with our students, we are looking to build in approaches and use tools that will better help us to connect and know our students in front of us.. Sessions on Thrively and Panorama align with this strand.
2. Supporting our Students. Once we know our students well and their areas of strength and areas for growth, we need to build multi-tiered systems of support to ensure that they are all provided with what they need to thrive. Sessions on Culturally Responsive Teaching and Moving forward with our Curriculum align with this strand.
3. Engaging our Students. We continue to look for deeper learning experiences for our students that integrate student agency, authentic tasks, and opportunities for project-based approaches to learning essential standards and skills. Sessions on Learning that Transfers, Upgrade an Assessment, and our Key Note align with this strand.
4. Engaging with Content and Skill Development. Although we are in a people-first occupation, it is also essential that we provide our students with a wide range of content and skills that will develop the core competencies of our Portrait of a Learner profile and prepare them for life. Content-specific sessions such as Bridges Math, Amplify Science, Elevate Science, and Desmos Math are all aligned to this strand.
Due to the sessions taking place in a hybrid fashion, lunch will be on your own for this PD day. We will be using Teachpoint PD Tracker (District ID: mursd) to sign-up for the sessions and for distribution of PDPs. Please follow the Teachpoint PD Tracker guidelines and register in advance for the sessions and then sign-into the sessions on the date.
The code for signing in is: 8/31/21
Frequently asked question: Do we watch the keynote and other workshop sessions from Nipmuc or from our individual locations?
Answer: You watch it from your individual buildings.
Schedule
8:00-9:00 Introductory Keynote
9:00-11:30 AM Sessions
11:30-12:00 Lunch
12:00-2:30 PM Sessions
Sign-Ups
Sign-ups for PDPs will be in Teachpoint by Monday, August 30th. Be sure to register in ADVANCE of the sessions and then sign in DURING the session block for PDPs.
Virtual and In-Person
The majority of our sessions will be provided virtually as many of our keynote and workshop presenters are from different parts of the United States as well as other countries. We will be asking that everyone comes in person to the schools for the PD and take advantage of the opportunity to do some of the sessions as a group as well when that makes sense for you, particularly the content sessions. Some of the sessions will be in-person, for example we have a few vertical departmental meetings taking place.
Professional Development Strands
As we have in the past, we will continue to identify core professional learning strands for the year.
1. Understanding our Students. To better support, engage, and empower our learners, we need to understand them. As we reconnect with our students, we are looking to build in approaches and use tools that will better help us to connect and know our students in front of us.. Sessions on Thrively and Panorama align with this strand.
2. Supporting our Students. Once we know our students well and their areas of strength and areas for growth, we need to build multi-tiered systems of support to ensure that they are all provided with what they need to thrive. Sessions on Culturally Responsive Teaching and Moving forward with our Curriculum align with this strand.
3. Engaging our Students. We continue to look for deeper learning experiences for our students that integrate student agency, authentic tasks, and opportunities for project-based approaches to learning essential standards and skills. Sessions on Learning that Transfers, Upgrade an Assessment, and our Key Note align with this strand.
4. Engaging with Content and Skill Development. Although we are in a people-first occupation, it is also essential that we provide our students with a wide range of content and skills that will develop the core competencies of our Portrait of a Learner profile and prepare them for life. Content-specific sessions such as Bridges Math, Amplify Science, Elevate Science, and Desmos Math are all aligned to this strand.