Professional Development Workshops
This course will review introductory concepts of gifted education, including characteristics of a gifted child and how to support their needs, identification measures, and social emotional considerations. Participants will gain a greater understanding of the field of gifted education, terminology and best practices for instruction. This course includes independent applications of learned material in classroom situations. Upon successful completion of this class, participants will receive 12 hours of recertification credit.
Date: August 19 - September 20
Location: Virtual, asynchronous
Cost: $40
Facilitators:
Christine In-Albon has been an educator in the Vail Unified School District for the last 25 years. Currently she is the Coordinator of the Gifted Program for the District, and has designed and implemented a school wide cluster model at three elementary sites. She also teaches honors environmental science courses, and has taught middle school science, gifted humanities, AP seminar and has started many enrichment opportunities for students. As an educator she strives to engage students in their learning and aid them in making connections outside of the classroom. Before teaching, Christine helped establish and run a non-profit working in Mexico and Southern Arizona focused on marine education and conserving sea turtle nesting beaches in Nayarit. Her passion is providing students engaging opportunities to discover and grow their strengths, abilities, and passions. Christine is an active member of the Southern Arizona Gifted Network and member of AAGT.
Mary Garcia is the Gifted and Advanced Program and Professional Development Specialist for the Vail Unified School District. She has a passion for connecting content and cultivating curiosity. She has over 25 years of experience teaching including an elementary reading specialist, middle school English Language Arts teacher, and gifted enrichment instructor. She recently partnered with Christine In-Albon to design and implement a school-wide cluster model at three elementary sites in the Vail Unified School District to increase access for all students. Her early educational experiences in Syria and the United States informed her educational philosophy that there is the power of perspective, connection and community and that learning must transcend the four walls of the classroom. Mary is an active member of the Arizona Association of Gifted and Talented and National Association of Gifted Children.
In this 5-week hybrid course you will be introduced to the Sandra Kaplan’s framework of Depth & Complexity. This framework consists of a set of tools that can guide thinking and questioning for both students and teachers. Participants will be provided with the information needed to elevate & differentiate their daily lessons. The course will consist of 5 online modules delivered weekly. Participants will complete the module prior to the virtual gathering where we will debrief, discuss and collaborate new learning. The book, The Gifted Guild’s Guide to Depth and Complexity by Ian Byrd and Lisa Van Gemert will be the required text. It will be available to borrow through the Pima County School Superintendent's Office, or you may purchase your own copy. Upon successful completion of this class, participants will receive 12 hours of recertification credit.
Date: August 19 - September 23
Location: Virtual and asynchronous
Facilitator: Michele Thelen
Michele Thelen is the current Executive Secretary for the Arizona Association for Gifted & Talented (AAGT) and co-chair for the AAGT Annual Conference. She was recently the Coordinator of Gifted & Talented Education in the Marana Unified School District. She has been an elementary teacher, gifted cluster teacher, gifted specialist, mother of two gifted adults and grandmother of four gifted youngsters. Michele has also served as the co-facilitator of the Southern Arizona Gifted Network which supports gifted students and their families as well as teachers of the gifted through professional growth opportunities for teachers and families. Michele has presented at the National Association for Gifted Children National Conference, SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted) National Conference and the AAGT Annual Conference. She loves spending her free time enjoying nature with her family.
Informational Webinar
Date: August 22, 2024
Time: 4:30 PM in Mountain Time
Zoom Link: https://girlswhocode.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcsc-uupjoiH9NQbHggq_f0UCAv9inqzmfc
Free STEM Resources from Girls Who Code!
The STEMAZing Project from Pima County School Superintendent’s Office
is partnering with Girls Who Code to bring free and fun computer science
activities to our community!
Join us for a webinar on August 22nd at 4:30pm to hear from Valerie Tomici,
our Girls Who Code representative to learn more about how you can access
free STEM resources this year. When you start a Girls Who Code Club,
you’ll get access to everything you need -- including training, comprehensive
resources, easy-to-use and flexible coding curriculum, and even free GWC
swag for each of your Club members. Clubs curriculum feature coding
tutorials for all skill levels, inspiring role models in tech, community-building
activities to increase confidence, and project-based learning. You don’t need
any prior coding experience to get started!
Plus -- all genders are welcome in this girls-supportive environment.
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 12 hours of recertification credit. This class can contribute towards a gifted endorsement.
Dates: September 3 and 17, October 1 and 22. 1.5 hours of asynchronous activity between each in-person session is part of this class.
Time: 4:30 - 6:00 p.m.
Location: Pima County School Superintendent's Office 200 N. Stone Avenue, Tucson, AZ
Cost: $50
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.
The 2024 Celebrating Resilience Summit will bring Dr. Adolph Brown back to the stage to supercharge and inspire attendees each morning. Exhibitors at last year's Summit created their own levels of energy and synergy with conference participants and with one another as they promoted, connected, collaborated, and networked. This year's Summit promises even more of the good vibes. We look forward to seeing you there!
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