Western Suffolk Boces

Building Skilled Writers: Research‑Aligned Strategies for K-6 Teachers *IN PERSON* facilitated by Lauren Kolbeck Szulc and Deborah Linscott-Feinstein - 8:30-2:30pm
2027-03-16 08:30 - 14:30 (America/New_York) | JEA Alternative School, 31 Lee Ave, Wheatley Heights, NY, 11798-1837, United States
Audience: Classroom teachers grades 1-6, reading teachers, literacy coaches, ELL teachers and administrators Unlock the research‑backed principles of effective writing instruction in this focused workshop designed for K-6 educators. Grounded in the latest literacy science-and informed by key practices drawn from The Writing Revolution and The Writing Rope-this session equips you with powerful, practical strategies for planning and teaching writing units that truly engage young writers. You’ll explore the essential components of high‑quality writing instruction, examining how foundational skills such as transcription, handwriting, and spelling support higher‑level abilities like sentence construction, paragraph development, and genre structures. Throughout the day, you’ll engage in hands‑on activities and guided practice that demonstrate how systematic, explicit instruction strengthens both linguistic and cognitive skills. You’ll learn how intentional scaffolds and carefully sequenced tasks can reduce cognitive load, enabling students to focus on the right skills at the right time and experience greater success. The workshop also highlights how to embed recursive opportunities into your yearlong writing plan so students revisit and deepen key skills over time. By the end of the session, you’ll walk away with actionable tools you can immediately apply to support confident, capable writers Eligible for 6 hours CTLE credit. If district pays, district approval must be confirmed prior to start of session.
Flyer: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ha8bbArQRDG5LVmj-o5WelNnJgG1n5J1/view?usp=sharing
Registration: https://www.mylearningplan.com/WebReg/ActivityProfile.asp?D=13208&I=5393028

Neurodivergent Learners: What Educators Need to Know to Help Them Thrive VIRTUAL 3-hour Workshop facilitated by Joan Fretz - 8:30-11:30am
2027-04-07 08:30 - 11:30 | Virtual Conference
Neurodiversity is a word used to explain the unique ways people’s brains work. Being neurodivergent means having a brain that works differently from the average or “neurotypical” person. This may be differences in social preferences, ways of learning, ways of communicating and/or ways of perceiving the environment. Because of this, a neurodivergent person has different struggles and unique strengths.” (Cleveland Clinic, June 6, 2022.) Neurodivergent school age children are often diagnosed with ADHA, autism, dyslexia and other conditions. They might talk about a narrow range of topics, have difficulty expressing their feelings or understanding how others feel, seem uninterested in starting a conversation, and have difficulty noticing social cues. They often possess unique strengths, exceptional memory, creative problem-solving, and in-depth expertise in their specialized interests. They frequently demonstrate innovative thinking, pattern recognition, high energy, and a strong sense of justice or honesty. When educators learn more about Neurodiversity, they can help all of their students develop their strengths and live happy and healthy lives. Eligible for 3 hours CTLE credit. If district pays, district approval must be confirmed prior to start of session.
Flyer: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WbJNe8uOMVgDKKr6jpX9hzY19wYUB31h/view?usp=sharing
Registration: https://www.mylearningplan.com/WebReg/ActivityProfile.asp?D=13208&I=5406239

Taking the Challenge out of Conversations: How to Communicate so You'll Both Feel Heard VIRTUAL 3-hour Workshop facilitated by Joan Fretz - 8:30-11:30am
2027-04-13 08:30 - 11:30 | Virtual Conference
Challenging times call for school adults to communicate issues and needs without judgment or blame. This workshop introduces a simple 4-step process for improving our ability to: 1) say what we are observing without evaluation, 2) listen for and acknowledge the feelings and needs of others, 3) state our needs, and 4) make requests instead of demands. Developed by Marshall Rosenberg (Non-Violent Communication) and further developed by Oren J. Sofer (A Mindful Approach to Non-Violent Communication) this process serves as an effective way for school adults to communicate without judgment and have their own needs met as well. Creating schools where people want to teach and learn begins with how we communicate. Eligible for 3 hours CTLE credit. If district pays, district approval must be confirmed prior to start of session
Flyer: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Iy6tFdlq3vIX_yHix-gkqHNyUYmVmhT3/view?usp=sharing
Registration: https://www.mylearningplan.com/WebReg/ActivityProfile.asp?D=13208&I=5406328

Writing with Linguistically Diverse Learners VIRTUAL Three-hour session facilitated by Dana Brown - 8:30-11:30am
2027-04-15 08:30 - 11:30 | Virtual Conference
-Understand the key similarities and differences between a child’s home language and English (e.g. phonology, grammar, vocabulary) and leverage the use of cognates to bridge language gaps and enhance language acquisition -Encourage home language discussions with same language peers to support building context knowledge -Allow students to write in their home language when appropriate and provide authentic writing (e.g. writing about personal experiences) and publishing opportunities Eligible for 3 hours CTLE credit. If district pays, district approval must be confirmed prior to start of session.
Flyer: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bdf_q0xwSGgverP_4RnmAt0EUgXvH5m2/view?usp=sharing
Registration: https://www.mylearningplan.com/WebReg/ActivityProfile.asp?D=13208&I=5404519
