Professional Development Workshops
Cost: Free
Facilitators: Gifted Coordinators from the Southern Arizona Gifted Network and Marianne Landrith, Program Director of GiftED.
This course will equip educators to better understand and develop creative thinking across all content areas. Participants will learn how to help their students overcome common barriers to creative thinking and ways to encourage students to think divergently, embrace risks, and explore innovative solutions to problems. Emphasis is placed on the FFOE framework for understanding, measuring, and developing creative thinking skills. Participants will walk away with concrete strategies and resources that can be implemented immediately in the classroom.
This course includes independent applications of learned material in classroom situations. Upon successful completion of this class, participants will receive 5 hours of recertification credit.
Date: February 24 - March 31, 2024
Location: Virtual: Asynchronous and self-paced
Cost: $45
Facilitator: Paige Riffle
Paige Riffle is the Librarian at Tanque Verde High School. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Arizona and is a certified teacher with an endorsement in gifted education. As the librarian, she collaborates with teachers to personalize student learning, help students develop critical thinking skills, and connect students with good books for research and personal enjoyment. As a gifted learner herself, she is passionate about helping her high school students understand the nuances of giftedness and equipping them to thrive in school and beyond. Paige is a member of the Southern Arizona Gifted Network.
Experience the depth and complexity of the Crosscutting Concepts as you explore how the structure of 3-Dimensional Science teaching supports critical thinking and creativity in an inclusive classroom. Learn differentiation strategies that support deep inquiry and higher cognitive demand for our gifted learners and any students who learn differently. Teachers will walk through a 5E experience highlighting strategies for deepening cognitive demand as they engage with a phenomenon. Teachers will also explore a STEM activity with a free picture book and materials.
Please bring your laptop for activities.
Audience: K-12th Grade Teachers
Facilitators: Ginny Wheeler, Marianne Landrith, & Amanda McPherson
Location: Pima County Superintendent's Office, 200 N. Stone Ave, Tucson, AZ 85701
Cost: FREE Snacks will be served.
Date Time: Thursday, March 6, 2025
Time: 4:30pm -6:00 pm
Please choose purchase order for payment.
This FREE self-paced professional development program on Nearpod will give K-5 educators an opportunity to explore two children's books accompanied by lesson plans that teach STEAM concepts. We will complete one book each week for two weeks.
The two children's books we will explore are
Hark a Shark! All about Sharks by Bonnie Worth FREE
Oh Say can you say Di-no-saur? All about Dinosaurs by Bonnie Worth
Registrants who complete all program requirements (2 self-paced 45-minute modules) will receive the two books utilized in the module. Participants will also receive a certificate of professional development (1.5 hours).
Please choose purchase order for payment option.
What: Information school leaders want to know about key topics in Special Education and IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). These sessions were designed in consultation with Pima County School Special Education Directors, who serve as a school leader’s first resource for support. Local special education leaders will be introduced.
When: Session One Thursday, March 27, 2025, 12:00 - 4 p.m.
Session Two Thursday, April 24,2025 12:00 - 4 p.m.
Where: Pima County School Superintendent’s Office 200 N Stone Ave.
Why: Students with disabilities must have appropriate access to the general curriculum and effective instructional support. Implementing IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) is a primary responsibility of our school leaders. They are responsible for ensuring that students' academic and behavior progress is monitored closely. Research suggests that the school leader’s role is pivotal in the special education process; however, few school leaders feel fully prepared for this responsibility (DiPaolo and Thomas, 2003).
Session One: We will discuss legal requirements of a student’s IEP.
1. Ensure positive outcomes for students with disabilities.
Session Two: We will recall the value of preventing discipline problems, particularly de-escalation strategies. This conversation will include discipline processes for students with IEPs and 504 plan.
1. Describe the top 10 things school leaders must know about discipline for students with IEPs or 504 plan.
2. Develop campus wide strategies to support students who exhibit challenging behaviors and employ preventive strategies to reduce the need for disciplinary action across students.
3. Describe various ways to de-escalate challenging interactions and refrain from restraints. Registration: $279 (includes both sessions). Lunch and parking included.
Series Facilitator:
Dr. Leila Williams recently retired as the Exceptional Education Director in Sunnyside Unified School District. She brings over 35 years of experience in Education. She began her career as a vocational business teacher at the Arizona State School for the Deaf and Blind. Dr. Williams received a master’s degree in Deaf and Hard of Hearing at the UA and became an itinerant teacher in TUSD. During that time, she was place in leadership and began her course of study for a PhD at the UA. In 2008, Dr. Williams transitioned to a position with the Arizona Department of Education, where she enjoyed working in state assessment, specifically the alternate assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities. She was advanced to Associate Superintendent for State Assessment, Accountability, School Improvement, and Adult Education. Following a 10-year career in AZED, she became the Exceptional Education Director for Sunnyside Unified School District. One of her greatest accomplishments was promoting inclusive practices for students with disabilities.
Guest Speakers:
Denise Lowell-Britt, Attorney has been practicing law at Udall Shumway since 1987 and has been an equity partner of the firm since 1993. Ms. Lowell-Britt is very pleased to devote her practice entirely to representing school districts, community colleges, charter schools and other public educational institutions. She heads the firm’s education law group. Ms. Lowell-Britt provides daily advice and assistance to school districts and other public educational institutions. Ms. Lowell-Britt advises and represents clients in matters that include but are not limited to personnel issues; special education; Section 504 and ADA issues; student disciplinary hearings; student records; contracts; policy development; governing board liability and open meeting and public records issues. She has extensive experience working with matters involving the EEOC, OCR, DOJ, and the Arizona State Department of Education.
Heather R. Pierson, Attorney joined Udall Shumway PLC in 2009. She is a member of the School Law section, representing the firm’s education law clients throughout the State. Ms. Pierson comes to Udall Shumway PLC uniquely qualified in education law. Prior to joining Udall Shumway, Ms. Pierson taught students with behavior disorders. During her teaching career, Ms. Pierson was involved in the development and implementation of Individualized Education Plans (“IEP”) and behavior plans and attended several trainings on special education and regular education interventions and strategies. While in law school, Ms. Pierson provided in-home ABA services for children with autism under the age of three and participated in the Whittier Law School Special Education Clinic, which provided special education advocacy services for children with developmental disabilities. Additionally, Ms. Pierson earned her master’s degree in special education in 2004.
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Take a deep dive into Emily Kircher Morris's book, "Teaching Twice-Exceptional Learners in Today's Classroom". Participants will learn how to identify twice-exceptional learners, design strengths-based instruction, meet the unique social and emotional needs of twice-exceptional learners, motivate this unique population, set effective IEP goals and student-led micro goals, and coaching and goal setting around executive functioning skills. Participants will walk away with strategies that they can immediately implement in their classroom setting to help twice-exceptional learners be successful.
This course will offer 8 hours of recertification credit and can be used towards a gifted endorsement.
Date: June 16, 18, 23 & 25, 2025
Time: 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Location: Pima County School Superintendent's Office 200 N. Stone Avenue Tucson, AZ
Cost: $75
Facilitator: Vanessa Hill
Vanessa has been an educator for over twenty years. She is a gifted specialist who taught in Title 1 schools for a decade before becoming Amphitheater Public Schools Gifted Education Coordinator. Vanessa has two twice exceptional children of her own, so understands the unique needs of this population on a very personal level. She has presented at the AAGT Annual Conference, the NAGC Annual Convention, and the ADE Teacher's Institute and Leading Change Conference. Vanessa facilitates professional learning experiences for gifted and general classroom educators. Vanessa is the 2019 AAGT Gifted Educator of the Year, Raytheon Leaders in Education Award Finalist 2021, and the 2024 NAGC National Gifted Coordinator Award Recipient.
Join us for an enriching professional development workshop on harnessing the power of bibliotherapy with gifted learners. Using literature with children offers students new ways of thinking about and seeing the world around them as well as helping them gain insight into themselves by connecting with or identifying with a character in a book who is similar to them or who has similar obstacles to overcome. Participate in hands-on activities and immersive lessons designed to empower educators with practical strategies they can seamlessly integrate into their classrooms.
Topics for each session are:
Day 1: Understanding Bibliotherapy and Recognition of Emotions
Day 2: Anxiety and Worry
Day 3: Perfectionism
Day 4: Self-Awareness and Self-Acceptance
If you have taken the workshop, Through The Looking Glass: Nurturing Gifted Minds Through Therapy, this will extend the information from that workshop and offer strategies and examples of how to meaningfully engage students with particular stories and books. It is not, however, a prerequisite for this class.
Don't miss the opportunity to elevate your practice and unlock the transformative potential of bibliotherapy.
Completion of the class will result in 8 hours of recertification credit. This class can contribute towards a gifted endorsement.
Dates: June 17, 19, 24, & 26, 2025.
Time: 2:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Location: Pima County School Superintendent's Office 200 N. Stone Avenue, Tucson, AZ
Facilitators: Lorelei Barrett and Lisa Johnson
Lorelei Barrett, M.Ed., is currently an Elementary School Counselor at Twin Peaks K-8 in the Marana Unified School District. Lorelei's 30 plus years in the field of Education includes the role of Teacher in both elementary and middle school in both the regular and self-contained gifted classrooms. As a gifted specialist, she found her passion in the academic and social-emotional aspects of her position. A lifelong learner, she continues to research and explore the fascinating world of gifted children, using her counseling background to connect the two through books and stories.
Lisa Johnson is a dedicated gifted education specialist at Coyote Trail Elementary in the Marana Unified School District, where she has enhanced gifted students' educational experiences for the past 16 years. Currently, Lisa teaches 6th-grade gifted learners in a self-contained classroom. As a gifted pull-out specialist, she collaborated closely with classroom teachers to design and implement acceleration and enrichment programs tailored to the unique needs of gifted learners. She has presented various professional development workshops related to gifted education and project-based learning. Lisa holds a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and a Masters Degree in Gifted Education.
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